All Elite Wrestling
Double or Nothing 2022
May 29, 2022
T-Mobile Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada
Watch: PPV & FITE (Non-US)
Meet our Previewers
Steve Case: All AEW shows feel big don’t they? There’s an excitement they consistently create that hadn’t been felt in American wrestling for quite some time before the company started. That said, even with a few RED HOT feuds and matches, this show definitely feels on the lower end of that scale. In a lot of ways, and for good reason, this feels like a step on the way to the real big show, Forbidden Door. If the last year or so of pay per view shows is any indicator, this show will still likely deliver and be praised, even if Steve will be nursing a head-banging hangover from Metallica as he fires it up. Follow Steve @Coachcase44 on Twitter, unless you’ve deleted the app. Then good on you!
Jeff Andrews: Jeff’s affinity for AEW has increased over time, and while he is often a curmudgeon when it comes to American wrestling, the recent string of banger PPVs offered by AEW has him feeling optimistic about this show and where things are going moving forward. You can follow him on Twitter @Jeff_Andrews21 or don’t. The choice is yours.
Suit Williams: He’ll be watching an AEW PPV at his house for the first time in a long time, but that hasn’t dampened his excitement for this show. Suit is excited for what the next few months of AEW will bring, with both this show and Forbidden Door on the docket. Follow him on Twitter @SuitWilliams, and check out his Brock Lesnar retrospective series The Brockumentary here on VOW.
Hookhausen vs. Tony Nese & “Smart” Mark Sterling
Steve: I was an unabashed Danhausen hater, but AEW has managed to get me to turn the corner on him because they have presented him perfectly. I’m told ROH did as well, but I wasn’t watching those pre-shows. This is a PERFECT Buy-In match. Two internet darlings, one meme, one real, against a whipping post and a rock-solid veteran to hold it all together. Expect some Danhausen shenanigans and a heat segment leading to a huge HOOK hot tag with suplexes galore. I don’t envision any other scenario than Danhausen getting the pin on Smart Mark, hopefully turning those free YouTube viewers into smiling PPV buyers. Prediction: Hookhausen
Jeff: A comedy character is rarely presented with the tact and attention to detail that Danhausen has been presented with. His only match to this point involved him getting damn near murdered in the ring against Tony Nese in a great squash, and for the most part, beyond that he has been presented as a manager, which is probably his best fit. Hook in particular, is a mixed bag for me, I love the way he wrestles but I’d like it a lot more if he was twenty pounds heavier though that could obviously come with time. The correct way to end this match is to have Hook choke Mark Sterling out in the center of the ring, to the raucous applause of his father at ringside. Prediction: Hookhausen
Suit: Hookhausen rules! Prediction: Hookhausen
AEW TBS Championship
Jade Cargill © vs. Anna Jay
Steve: This is pretty random and thrown together, like a lot of Jade stuff lately. The Baddies are an excellent stable with tremendous presentation and presence, but Jade’s aura just dwarfs everyone she’s around. She’s still not there in terms of in-ring ability, albeit she is improving. So it might be good for the time being to just play off that aura. Enter Anna Jay, who ran in to stop a beat down to piss Jade off so much she got a title shot. I don’t think it’s a 100% lock Jade wins, because I think Anna winning could give Jade a nice little stable program where she can eventually dominate, but that outcome would still surprise me. Prediction: Jade Cargill
Jeff: Jade Cargill has an unbelievable look and presentation and her general star presence has dwarfed pretty much anyone she’s in the ring with. She isn’t all there as a worker, and I wish they’d try to cover that up by booking her with veterans but all things considered, she is probably the most interesting women’s wrestler on the roster by a landslide. Frankly, the AEW Women’s title feels like an afterthought next to everything Jade has been involved with to this point, and part of me wishes they’d just pull the trigger and give her both belts. Anna Jay is for the most part an afterthought in this feud, and as such I fully expect that she’ll be doing the job here, and probably do so fairly quickly. Prediction: Jade Cargill
Suit: As you should do with any star, AEW has found a way to get Jade Cargill onto most of their big shows since her debut. From a showcase match on the First Dance episode of Rampage, to being highlighted in the Casino Battle Royale at All Out, to getting a defense of the TBS Title in against Tay Conti at Revolution, AEW has made sure to have Jade showcased on the biggest stages possible. This is no exception, as out of nowhere, Anna Jay finds herself getting a TBS Title match on this show. They had a surprisingly good match a few months ago on a live Rampage, and they’ll hope to replicate that success on this show. They will replicate the result as well, as Jade has no reason to see her first loss here. Prediction: Jade Cargill
Men’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament Final
Samoa Joe vs. Adam Cole
Steve: Like many, I thought for sure we’d get a rematch from the corpse of NXT Takeover’s past, but Joe coming out on top was a nice surprise. I can admit that Adam Cole is a great pro wrestler even if he does absolutely nothing for me. As much as Cody Rhodes feels like AEW in WWE, Cole has felt like NXT in AEW, and that’s not a good thing. I can’t buy him as a main event guy. Maybe the upcoming Bullet Club/Elite wars will help, but I doubt it. I really hope Joe crushes Cole, but with Jay Lethal and his goons lurking, I can’t see Cole not getting the win. Prediction: Adam Cole
Jeff: I am normally an Adam Cole defender, but I’ve found his work in AEW to be incredibly underwhelming and I feel like his charisma isn’t as strong as it used to be. Really as an overall gripe with the tournament, I think this probably should have been used to push a young star like Darby Allin or Wheeler Yuta, and focusing on established talents like Adam Cole and Samoa Joe feels like an underwhelming direction to take things in. The best-case scenario for my money would be giving the win to Kyle O’Reilly, but I don’t see that happening much to my chagrin. What I will be focusing on, for the most part, is whether or not Adam Cole can impress me in the ring for the first time since he was in ROH all those years ago. Here’s to hoping, it hasn’t happened yet. Prediction: Adam Cole
Suit: This is, surprisingly, a first-time-ever match. Despite both men making their names in the same promotions, and both ending up in NXT, they passed like ships in the night. They have never been in the same ring as one-another. I found that interesting. As far as the match goes, I just don’t have the interest in Adam Cole as other people do. If he were six inches taller, he’d be in Cody’s spot in WWE. He’s molded himself in the WWE main event heel role, which was smart on his part. The problem is that he’s not in WWE anymore, and that stuff just doesn’t measure up with the main eventers on this roster. But that’s more of a me thing, as he’s mega-over with the AEW audience. Joe has been a revelation since coming in, feeling just as dangerous as he did back in the mid-2000s even while adapting to the wear-and-tear his body has gone through. I don’t think we get any interference from Jay Lethal and his crew on this show, but I do think the damage Joe has taken over the past few weeks catches up to him here. Adam Cole wins the tournament. Prediction: Adam Cole
Women’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament Final
Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. vs. Ruby Soho/Kris Statlander
Steve: I was pretty surprised that Britt made the final here, as it seemed like they were going to shuffle her down a bit to give some others shine. But when no one else has really stepped up, what’re ya gonna do? I think Statlander takes out Ruby on Rampage since it seems that maybe Ruby is about to be in the Baddies’ crosshairs. With the new look and attitude, I think Statlander takes it here. Expect Hayter to get involved and maybe even cost Britt, leading to their eventual split. I also think Statlander would provide a good foe for Rosa down the line, and could even be the one to top her. Prediction: Kris Statlander
Jeff: The correct result of this would be to put Kris or Tony over as a new challenge for either of the women’s titles. With that being said and in light of the results of Dynamite, it appears we’re probably falling back into pushing the dentist so fuck me, I guess. I would have liked to see a new star born from this tournament, but reinforcing a pre-existing one is probably a fine choice as well. Prediction: Britt Baker
Suit: I think what we’re gonna have here is a nice accolade to put on Britt Baker’s resume. She’s the hardest pushed woman in the company, and she’s the most over woman in the company to boot. Looking at her opponents, I’m not confident in either one of them getting a win over Britt either. This will be another thing for Britt to brag about winning. Prediction: Britt Baker
AEW Women’s World Championship
Thunder Rosa © vs. Serena Deeb
Steve: The best thing about this feud is that the match will likely be excellent. The build, angles, and promos, not so much. All the awkwardness will be forgotten, though when these two lock up. I really can’t imagine this being a bad match, considering the ladies involved here. I also don’t think the winner is in doubt either. Rosa continues her reign. Prediction: Thunder Rosa
Jeff: I think Thunder Rosa is a very good worker and a very bad character. There isn’t much to latch onto here and I don’t think Deeb is the woman to carry a feud like this. The match will be good and has the potential to be excellent, both of these ladies are top-notch in-ring workers, but I find myself struggling to care for what happens. With all that being said, Thunder Rosa almost certainly continues her reign. Prediction: Thunder Rosa
Suit: AEW is a big promo company. They have several of the best talkers of a generation cutting promos on a weekly basis, which builds up hype matches that people already wanted to see. It’s a great strategy, but a drawback of it can be found in this feud. These two women are both great wrestlers, and I think this match has a chance to be great. But cutting promos, live promos especially, isn’t a strong suit for either one of them. It stands out even more when you put them on a show with an MJF or a Kingston or a Jericho doing the same thing. Unfortunately, this feud is cold coming in, but I think they will be able to overcome it and have a match that wins the crowd over. Thunder Rosa retains here. Prediction: Thunder Rosa
AEW World Tag Team Championship
Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus © vs. Team Taz vs. Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland
Steve: There are a lot of moving parts here that due to the talent involved, have largely worked. Like many of you, I would prefer a traditional tag match to a three-way, but there is no doubt this will rock. In fact, this has sleeper show-stealer potential. Team Taz’s growth in ability and popularity has been awesome to see. Ricky Starks is a guy that could get heated up any time and it’d be justified. Powerhouse Hobbs has been presented perfectly and his look is second to none. Lee and Swerve have been a tremendous find in terms of the tag team division. Their chemistry and charisma is off the charts and the things they can do in the ring can wow and mesh with anyone. Jurassic Express has been a great tag team and has had a terrific run with the titles from a match quality perspective, but it’s time to go in another direction. The bubbling friction with Christian is starting to surface and a Jungle Boy versus heel Christian will be great. I’m really rooting for Team Taz here, but given the hype of bringing in Lee and Swerve, I think they take it here. The feud with Team Taz will be far from over. Prediction: Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland
Jeff: When I looked at this match, the thing that became clear to me first and foremost is that the champions are far and away the least interesting participants in this match. Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland have been an excellent tag team since they paired up, and Team Taz is one of my favorite acts in the entire company. With all of that being said, Jurassic Express has more than held up their end, and they’ve put on nothing short of genuinely great matches every time they have been asked to do so. I do worry slightly that this could become a little spot heavy, but this will be a lot of fun either way. Prediction: Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland
Suit: The Christian/Jungle Boy feud that has been building since Double or Nothing last year seems to finally be on its way to getting started. Jungle Boy has been losing a few more matches than usual, and Christian has been taking snide little shots here and there masked as tough love. Losing the tag titles is the next step of that plan, but unlike Steve and Jeff, I think Team Taz will be the ones to do it. Both men have been highlighted a lot more lately, plus Starks and Hobbs being champs allows for Lee and Strickland to chase them for a 2v2 title shot down the line. Plus, Ricky Starks shining with two title belts will be fun to see. Prediction: Team Taz
Anarchy in the Arena Match
Jericho Appreciation Society vs. Eddie Kingston, Santana, Ortiz & The Blackpool Combat Club
Steve: How great has this been? Chris Jericho getting off the bottle and in the best shape he’s been in 10-15 years, as well as reminding everyone why he’s legitimately one of the best of all time in the ring and on the mic. The JAS dynamic came out of nowhere but has been amazing as a WWE conduit heel stable. Sports entertainment is a dirty word to us wrestling nerds, and they play it up perfectly. Enter Eddie, Proud and Powerful, and the Blackpool Combat Club, the antithesis of sports entertainment. Eddie and P&P bring the heart and ruthless emotion, while Danielson and Mox bring the violence and fact that they ran from that crap. Add in the fact that all five bring the kind of heart and passion for pro wrestling that us fans eat up. Now I have no idea how they get there, but this feels like it ends with Blood and Guts on a Dynamite in the near future. So I will say that by hook and crook, the JAS steals this somehow. It’ll be a great ride to get there I’m sure.Prediction: Jericho Appreciation Society
Jeff: The build to this has been great. If you ever need an indicator of how totally useless the WWE is as a product, look at how well Moxley has acclimated himself since leaving that shithole. Jericho is doing some of the best character work of his life, and in typical Jericho fashion he barely seems like he’s trying at this stage. I wasn’t initially sold on the Sports Entertainer angle, but this feud has felt red hot since the word jump and has only continued to build in intensity over time. While I think the correct booking decision would be to give the JAS a win here, my mind still leans towards giving the win to Moxley and Danielson to keep them strong. Moxley very rarely loses, and I don’t know that this feud is worth changing that. Prediction: Eddie Kingston, Santana, Ortiz & The Blackpool Combat Club
Suit: I didn’t think we would get the Blackpool Combat Club against the Jericho group so quickly in their runs. I thought this would be more of an endgame for Jericho’s unit later on down the line, but it is an inevitable pairing. The “pro wrestling vs. sports entertainment” angle was a natural one for this company to do, and a natural one for Jericho to be involved in. A lot of the “sports entertainment” things that AEW have done have had Jericho’s involvement. His song and dance number with MJF, Mimosa Mayhem, Stadium Stampede, all things that you could see happening in a WWE presentation. It would have inevitably been worse, because that company makes everything worse, but the ideas are easily things you could hear Michael Cole doing his fake laughter over. Now you’ve got them against a group of guys who aren’t putting up with that shit, and are just here to fight. A simple dichotomy that makes for a hot feud. The Jericho unit will win here, almost certainly by playing off of either the Danielson “injury” or his issues teaming with Kingston. Then I expect this to come to a final stand at Blood and Guts II, where the pro wrestlers will stand tall. Prediction: The Jericho Appreciation Society
House of Black vs. Death Triangle
Steve: Two kick-ass stables with six kick-ass wrestlers, all capable of doing amazing kick-ass things. These two teams don’t like each other. They are going to have a match that will rule. I just hope we get some singles matches in the coming weeks coming out of this because some of those potential matchups could be even better. Prediction: House of Black
Jeff: The whole House of Black thing is something I could do without, I think it’s a pretty goofy gimmick and is something that actively detracts from three wrestlers who are, in a vacuum, good if not great individually. That being said, this match will almost certainly be a banger with 6 great in-ring wrestlers bouncing around at a feverish pace. I don’t care about the story details of this feud if they exist, this match exists to preview what an AEW trios division could look like and I am more than here for it. Prediction: House of Black
Suit: There’s a pattern when I watch The House of Black on my TV. When they’re not wrestling, I hate them and the spooky bullshit they’re usually partaking in. When they are wrestling, I love them and the fast-paced, hard-hitting, no-nonsense style they work. Luckily for me, they’re wrestling on this show. And even luckier for me, they’re wrestling the Death Triangle! Everything’s coming up Suit! If the six-man from Revolution is anything to go by, where Erick Redbeard filled in for Fenix (surprisingly well, may I add), this match should be absolutely bonkers. The winner can go either way, but I think Fenix will help make the difference and give Death Triangle the win here. Whatever happens, just put House of Black in the ring more often, please. Prediction: Death Triangle
The Hardys vs. The Young Bucks
Steve: I don’t watch BTE, nor will I ever. Not my thing. I hear the majority of this build has happened on the show. There have been subtle things hinted at on Dynamite and Rampage, and they’ve obviously picked it up a little as of late, but this feels very rushed together. So much so, it almost feels like a swan song for The Hardys already. For those thinking we will get the late 2010’s match out of these teams, I think you’ll be disappointed. The Bucks are incapable of having a bad match, and their reverence for the Hardys will bring the best out of them. My bar and excitement level for this isn’t high, though. Prediction: The Young Bucks
Jeff: My first exposure to the Hardy’s circa 2022 was their 8-man tag match with Darby and Sting and Andrade’s assorted heel squad. What stood out to me was that they were very clearly the slowest and least mobile participants, in a match that involved a 63-year-old man. Jeff isn’t quite as bad as Matt and to his credit, has looked better in recent weeks, but I never really need to see Matt Hardy again. By this point, I feel like he actively detracts from every match he’s in and it’s a shame because these teams could have had a total banger of a match even five years ago. Unfortunately, I am not anticipating that being the case here. If the Young Bucks salvage a passable match out of the Hardy Brothers here, consider it an act of God or a credit to them. Either works for me. Prediction: Young Bucks
Suit: Listen, I pop for the Hardy Boys music. I do the Jeff Hardy dance when I hear it. They will get huge pops until the end of time. But those dudes are cooked. They aren’t in wheelchairs like a lot of people thought they would be at their current age, but they are not moving around well in the ring. So they’re pulling the trigger on the Hardys/Bucks match now. I think the world of the Young Bucks, as they’ve been a great tag team for over a decade now. This match will be over regardless of how good it is, but if anyone can get a good performance out of the 2022 Hardys with their physical limitations, it will be the Young Bucks. As far as who wins, this one is a toss-up for me. The Bucks haven’t been doing much lately, and the Hardys are still a hot act. I’ll go with the Hardys to be different from the other picks, plus it wouldn’t shock me if they won anyway. Prediction: The Hardys
Wardlow vs. MJF
Steve: How wonderful has this build been? Everything MJF touches is gold and Wardlow has been Batista 2.0 here in the best possible way. The match itself might not quite deliver to the heights of this feud, but that’s not really the point. The point is making Wardlow a force moving toward the top of the card, and they’ve done everything perfectly to set him up to do so. MJF will use every trick, heel tactic, and chicken shit way to steal this, but this has to end in Wardlow powerbombing MJF’s limp carcass 4-5 times. Also, if Wardlow comes out to War Pigs I will lose my mind. Prediction: Wardlow
Jeff: I fully anticipate this being the hottest match on the card and these guys have earned it. The match itself probably won’t hit any kind of real high points one might expect from a typical top-of-the-card AEW feud, but the build to this has been phenomenal and I don’t expect the conclusion to be any different. Wardlow has all the potential in the world, and could be a top babyface in this company for the next decade if they build him correctly from here on out. This would be the first step towards that goal, and brutalizing MJF in the center of the ring and putting a stamp on this feud, would be a great way to accomplish that goal. Prediction: Wardlow
Suit: This is going to be up there with the World Title in terms of being the hottest match of the night. MJF is having a year that most wrestlers would call a career year, and he’s doing it all just having turned 26. A well-done feud with Chris Jericho, a show-stealing PPV match with Darby Allin, a Feud of the Year Frontrunner with CM Punk, and now another contender for the award here with Wardlow. When Wardlow made his debut, attacking Cody Rhodes and aligning with MJF almost 3 years ago, this was the desired outcome. The company sees big things for Wardlow, and they trusted MJF to make it happen. And they were right to, because at 26 years old, the man is a lot closer to being the best wrestler in the world as he has any right to be. I have no reason to believe that they won’t stick the landing, as this feud has been picture-perfect at pretty much every turn. The Wardlow rocket ship is ready to take off. Prediction: Wardlow
AEW World Championship
“Hangman” Adam Page © vs. CM Punk
Steve: WHEW BOY. This might be the first big AEW World Championship match where there isn’t a clear favorite to me. These two have made this one RED HOT in the last couple weeks and it feels like a big and important match. It’s a true toss-up to me, with each direction being just as good as the other. Hangman has been a GREAT champion, especially from an in-ring perspective and has risen up as a legit top guy in the company. Punk is THE guy though. He drives the ship in almost every way right now. Hangman may get to that level in time, and a win here could do the trick. I don’t think it’s time for that, though. Punk is your guy and he doesn’t have a ton of time left delivering the high-quality main events AEW demands. Hangman will have at least a couple more runs at the top, this might be it for Punk. I think Punk wins a banger of a match where both look terrific, leading to a long Punk reign and another long-term Hangman redemption arc. Prediction: CM Punk
Jeff: This match is at odds with my spirit. Unlike my colleagues here I actually think the outcome is fairly predictable, I think this is Punks last run at the title and I fully expect him to come out of it victorious before having his legacy run with it. If it were up to me, Punk wouldn’t get the belt and they’d use this match to further solidify Hangman Page at the top of the card, because I sincerely do not believe that Punk will be able to top him in-ring as a champion week-to-week. With that being said, It’s never a bad idea to belt up your top star and whether Eric Bischoff would have you believe it or not, that is exactly what CM Punk is in the modern wrestling landscape. This crowd is going to lose their shit for this match however it goes, my only hope is that it is approached with the intensity that it deserves. I think this should be the match of the night. Prediction: CM Punk
Suit: “This belongs to me! Everything you see here belongs to me, and I did what I had to do to get my hands on this. Now I am the greatest pro wrestler walkin’ the Earth today! This is my stage, this is my theater, you are my puppets! When I pulled those marionette strings, and I moved your emotions, and I played with them, and honestly it’s ’cause I get off on it. I hate each and every single one of you with a thousand burns and I will not stop. I will not stop until I prove that I am better than you…Ladies and gentlemen, the champ is here! You don’t have to love it, but you better learn to accept it. ‘Cause I’m taking this with me, and there’s not a single person in that locker room that can stop me!”
There are some people who are confused as to why Hangman Page is so aggressive toward CM Punk over the course of this feud. Punk is one of those people, as he’s made it clear that he has nothing against Hangman. Punk has respect for Hangman, and for him, this title match is just business. So why is Hangman so angry and so hyped up for this match? Because he smells a rat. Ever since Punk came back to wrestling, there has been an undercurrent of an idea running throughout his big feuds. And that idea is that the happy-to-be-back, nice guy CM Punk is a facade. Eddie Kingston, who goes back decades with Punk, called him a two-faced lowlife. MJF, who grew up idolizing CM Punk, said that this nice guy act was a mask over the real CM Punk. Hangman Page sees a snake in the grass, and he doesn’t trust him. And he shouldn’t, because Punk is gonna turn heel here. There’s been too many bread crumbs that have been dropped, too much of a trail for me to ignore. Punk made it clear that whether Hangman likes it or not, he will shake Punk’s hand at the end of the night. And when Punk shakes Hangman’s limp hand after cheating him out of the title, he will have proven all of his doubters right. The greatest thing the devil ever did was make you people believe he didn’t exist. The devil is real, and his name is CM Punk. He will show you all his true colors at Double or Nothing, and he will do it with the AEW World Title around his waist. Prediction: CM Punk
