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One of the most anticipated wrestling events in years, AEW Double or Nothing will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, May 25.
The main event will see Kenny Omega face Chris Jericho, with the winner going on to take on the winner of the Casino Battle Royale at a later date to determine the first AEW World Champion.
Fans have another seven matches to look forward to, including Cody Rhodes vs. Dustin Rhodes and The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Brothers, while Cody’s recent hint that there will be “surprises” at Double or Nothing has led many people to believe that Jon Moxley could appear.
Moxley, known as Dean Ambrose in WWE, has kept quiet on his in-ring future since he officially bid farewell to WWE in April 2019 after an eight-year association with the company.
Since then, he has posted a cryptic promotional video on Twitter, which has reached 2.77 million views as of the time of writing, and he has changed his Twitter handle to @JonMoxley.
With so much speculation that he could potentially appear at Double or Nothing, let’s take a look at four of the biggest questions that need answering regarding Moxley and AEW’s first pay-per-view.
#4 Is Jon Moxley even available on May 25?
When a WWE Superstar is released from their contract, they usually have a 90-day no-compete agreement which means they are unable to work for another company until 90 days after they have officially left WWE.
In Jon Moxley’s case, he only departed WWE at the end of April but he was immediately allowed to work for other promotions because, unlike the likes of Tye Dillinger (Shawn Spears) and Emma (Tenille Dashwood), he left WWE after his contract expired, as opposed to having it cut short due to being released.
So, as far as his in-ring availability goes, Moxley is contractually able to work for AEW at Double or Nothing.
As for whether he is even free on the day of the event, Dave Meltzer had this to say in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required):
"Regarding the most talked about mystery guys, Joey Ryan is booked on that night for AIW in Cleveland. C.M. Punk is doing play-by-play of an MMA show in Southern California. Jon Moxley (Dean Ambrose) is doing an MMA movie, although it is possible he could get a day off."
#3 What has Jon Moxley said about Double or Nothing?
Even the most casual of WWE fans will probably have noticed over the last few years that the former Dean Ambrose does not take part in many media interviews, so it is no surprise that Jon Moxley has not yet commented on the AEW speculation.
Many fans pointed out that Moxley’s teaser video on May 1 hinted that he might sign with the new promotion, simply because two of the dice shown in the video included the numbers 2 and 5 (Double or Nothing takes place on May 25).
Another possible hint that he could show up at the casino-themed Double or Nothing came during his final WWE interview with Michael Cole, in which he mentioned casinos and how he is cashing in his chips.
He said:
"Eight years ago, I walked into this casino. Now I'm cashing in my chips and I'm walking away from the table. I won the game. What I do with the rest of my life from here on out is my business. I answer to no one. This time the 'Million Dollar Man' didn't get what he wanted. Because I can't be bought."
#2 Has anybody confirmed that Jon Moxley will sign with AEW?
Cody Rhodes has mentioned in the build-up to Double or Nothing that we can expect to see “surprises” at the event, but nobody has outright stated that Jon Moxley will appear on the show.
There has, however, been a major hint that Moxley will sign with AEW, courtesy of former WWE Superstar and current Bellator fighter Jake Hager (aka Jack Swagger).
Asked about his own possible involvement with AEW in the future, Hager told ESPN MMA:
"I don’t want to step in Jon Moxley’s shadow. I think that’s going to be a great debut for him, hopefully, I’m still keeping my fingers crossed that’s where we see him at."
It is unknown whether Hager has information about Moxley signing with AEW, or if he was simply responding to the speculation that everybody else has heard, but his comments certainly indicate that a debut with the new promotion is likely.
#1 If Jon Moxley appears, what will he do?
Given that AEW plans to take wins and losses in wrestling more seriously than ever before, it seems unlikely that we will see too many shenanigan-filled finishes (interferences, disqualifications, etc) in the matches at Double or Nothing.
For that reason, if Jon Moxley does get involved in the nine-match card, he would almost certainly be one of the participants in the 21-man Casino Battle Royale, which will take place on the Buy In pre-show.
The following 17 people have been announced so far, leaving four spots open: Sonny Kiss vs. Brandon Cutler vs. Ace Romero vs. Glacier vs. Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Sunny Daze vs. MJF vs. Joey Janela vs. Dustin Thomas vs. Billy Gunn vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Michael Nakazawa vs. Jungle Boy vs. Isiah Kassidy vs. Marq Quen vs. Luchasaurus vs. Shawn Spears.
Alternatively, with a weekly TV show set to debut in 4-5 months, perhaps AEW could simply promote Moxley’s arrival with a video package, or a special appearance towards the end of the show, to give fans something else to look forward to later in the year.
