AEW Double or Nothing: 20 things you need to know from the PPV

By Danny Hart
Modified May 26, 2019 10:24 IST
Double or Nothing was full of surprises
Double or Nothing was full of surprises

The much-anticipated AEW Double or Nothing event took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, May 25.

Nine matches were on the stacked card, including The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Brothers (AAA Tag Team Championship) and Cody Rhodes vs. Dustin Rhodes, while Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho headlined the show.

It was announced prior to the event that the winner of Omega vs. Jericho will go on to face the winner of the Casino Battle Royale, which took place on the Buy-In pre-show along with Kip Sabian vs. Sammy Guevara, at a later date to determine the first AEW World Champion.

Elsewhere on the card, the following matches took place: SoCal Uncensored vs. Strong Hearts, Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose vs. Kylie Rae, Best Friends vs. Angelico & Jack Evans, and Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki & Emi Sakura vs. Hikaru Shida, Riho Abe & Ryo Mizunami.

In this article, let’s take a look at 20 things that you need to know from Double or Nothing.

#20 Mike Tyson in attendance

Three minutes before the Buy-In pre-show started, AEW showed off the star power in attendance at Double or Nothing by tweeting a picture of the company's chief brand officer, Brandi Rhodes, with boxing legend – and WWE Hall of Famer – Mike Tyson.

#19 Match order revealed before the show

The Buy-In pre-show began with Excalibur and Alex Marvez revealing that the SoCal Uncensored vs. Strong Hearts match would kick off the main PPV, followed by Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose vs. Kylie Rae. It is uncommon for the match order, or at least a part of it, to be revealed at the start of a PPV.

#18 Jimmy Havoc placed a lit cigarette on Joey Janela's head

One of the most notable moments during the Casino Battle Royale came when Jimmy Havoc placed a lit cigarette on Joey Janela's head, although it was difficult to see exactly how the chaos unfolded because the camera was focused on a staredown between Billy Gunn and MJF instead. Another big moment from the Battle Royale came when bilateral amputee Dustin Thomas eliminated Shawn Spears (the former Tye Dillinger).

#17 Hangman Page won the Casino Battle Royale

The first big storyline development of the night occurred during the Casino Battle Royale, which was won by the surprise 21st entrant Hangman Page. He picked up the victory by last eliminating MJF, setting up an AEW World Championship match against the winner of Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho (more on that shortly!).

#16 The Librarian battle

Alicia Atout attempted to interview Kylie Rae during the Buy-In pre-show. However, she was interrupted by Peter Avalon, aka The Librarian, who wanted them both to keep quiet. Leva Bates, also known as The Librarian, appeared and had a shush-off with her fellow librarian.

#15 Kip Sabian won AEW's first singles match

The first one-on-one match in AEW history was contested by Kip Sabian and Sammy Guevara on the pre-show. Guevera looked on course to get the win after a Shooting Star Press off the ring apron onto Sabian, who was draped across the barricade. But, moments later, Sabian got his knees up from a top-rope 630 and hit Deathly Hallows for the win.

#14 Jim Ross debuted at the start of the main PPV

It is not very often that commentators receive their own entrance. Jim Ross did not quite get that, at least not for the television audience, but he did receive his own segment backstage where he walked through the corridor before taking his seat for the main Double or Nothing event. The pre-show commentary was handled by Excalibur and Alex Marvez.

#13 Early shot at WWE

Cody Rhodes, Brandi Rhodes, The Young Bucks, and Kenny Omega appeared on the stage in the final three minutes of the pre-show. Matt Jackson joked that 20,000 people were in the arena but Cody said the building only held 13,000 people. Matt said they can round it up to 20,000 because that's what people do in pro wrestling. Unsurprisingly, many fans on social media saw this as a shot at WWE, whose WrestleMania attendances have been known to be inflated.

#12 New tag team wrestling rule

When a wrestler enters the ring despite not being the legal man/woman in a tag team match, the referee usually counts to five and disqualifies him/her if they do not leave the ring by the end of the count. In AEW, the rule is a little different: wrestlers have until the end of a 10-count before they have to leave the ring. The rule was first enforced in the opening match of the main PPV, in which SoCal Uncensored defeated Strong Hearts.

#11 Awesome Kong joined the women's Triple Threat

Brandi Rhodes teased that she would be a surprise fourth participant in the Triple Threat between Britt Baker, Nyla Rose, and Kylie Rae. However, after mentioning that she wanted an "awesome" match, as opposed to a "great" match, Awesome Kong appeared and the match became a Fatal 4-Way. With Kong and Rose recovering on the outside, Baker pinned Kylie Rae to get the win. Allie provided additional commentary for the match.

#10 Masked invasion

Best Friends defeated Angelico & Jack Evans in AEW's first 2-on-2 match. The two tag teams were set to hug it out post-match but the lights suddenly went out. When they came back on, Super Smash Bros' Player Uno & Stupefied appeared. The lights then went out again and the duo were joined by several masked men who helped them attack the four competitors before making a human throne for the mighty Player Uno.

#9 Another AEW pay-per-view announcement

Following the hugely successful All In event in September 2018, it was announced that AEW will hold a pay-per-view called All Out in Chicago, Illinois on Saturday, August 31.

#8 Timekeeper botch

Hikaru Shida, Riho Abe & Ryo Mizunami defeated Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki & Emi Sakura in a 3-on-3 women's tag match which was widely praised by fans on social media. There was an awkward moment towards the end when the referee clearly signaled that a pinfall was only a 2-count but the timekeeper rang the bell as if it was a 3-count. The ref then signaled '2' again and the match continued.

#7 Cody Rhodes took a huge shot at Triple H

Before Cody Rhodes vs. Dustin Rhodes, a wooden throne was shown in the middle of the stage area which contained a Triple H-esque symbol. When Cody walked down to ringside, Brandi Rhodes handed him a sledgehammer – a weapon that HHH is synonymous with – and he walked back up the ramp and broke the throne with one shot of the sledgehammer.

#6 DDP appeared during Cody Rhodes vs. Dustin Rhodes

Brandi Rhodes hit Dustin Rhodes with a spear at ringside midway through the match. Referee Earl Hebner spotted that she was causing multiple distractions, so he instructed her to leave. When she was reluctant to do so, WWE Hall of Famer DDP – a close friend of the Rhodes family – carried Brandi to the backstage area.

#5 Cody Rhodes won a VERY bloody match

Dustin Rhodes was a bloodied mess for much of the match after he was thrown head-first into the exposed middle turnbuckle during the early stages. Cody picked up the victory with a Cross Rhodes, but the biggest talking point will be the amount of blood.

#4 Match announcement: Cody & Dustin Rhodes vs. The Young Bucks

The crowd chanted "Thank you, Dustin!" during an emotional post-match moment. Cody Rhodes interrupted them and revealed that he signed a contract to face The Young Bucks at Fight for the Fallen on July 13, but he needs someone to team with: his brother.

#3 Bret Hart unveiled the AEW World Championship

British comedian Jack Whitehall surprisingly announced Bret Hart to unveil the AEW World Championship. Hart introduced Hangman Page, the winner of the Casino Battle Royale, but he was interrupted by MJF, who took shots at both Hart and Page. Jungle Boy and Jimmy Havoc appeared and attacked MJF through the crowd.

#2 The Young Bucks retained their titles

The much-anticipated Young Bucks vs. Lucha Brothers match did not disappoint. The AAA Tag Team Championship encounter was just as high-tempo as you would expect, with Nick & Matt Jackson picking up the win in 25 minutes after a Meltzer Driver on Fenix.

#1 Jon Moxley appeared after Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega

Chris Jericho defeated Kenny Omega in the main event with his new Judas Effect finisher to set up a future AEW World Championship match against Casino Battle Royale winner Hangman Page. When Jericho demanded a "thank you" from fans and Omega post-match, Jon Moxley walked through the crowd and hit Dirty Deeds on Jericho and the referee. When he tried to do the same to Omega, the two men brawled through the ropes and into the crowd. The show came to an end with Moxley slamming Omega off the top of a stack of casino chips and onto the stage area.

What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.