AEW Double or Nothing: Full card preview and match predictions

All Elite Wrestling was born on January 1st, 2019 in the premiere episode of the year for the YouTube series, ‘Being The Elite’. With the AEW and ‘Double Or Nothing’ logo being featured at the end of the episode, it appeared that there would be a new brand of professional wrestling making their debut.

One month later, it was announced that AEW would host their first event titled ‘Double or Nothing’ on Saturday, May 25, live from Las Vegas, Nevada. The MGM Grand Arena will be the host of this historic event and it has the potential to make their mark on the wrestling industry.

From the moment they announced their card, AEW has built up a solid roster of veterans, big names and lesser featured independent talent whom are looking to make a name for themselves. All Elite Wrestling has done a very good job of giving us a little background on some of the names and faces the wrestling World may not be familiar with. With ‘Double or Nothing’ episodes being aired on YouTube, we have been given vignettes and interviews with the talent that has been signed by AEW.

AEW will provide 10 matches on its inaugural card, two of which will be featured on the “Buy In” pre-show. There has been some significant build up for some of the matches. While there may be some talent which are foreign to you, they are sure to shock and awe the audience with their performances on a larger platform.

Cody and The Young Bucks have done a phenomenal job of scouting the world for talent. Their hard work and dedication to a new brand and style of wrestling is unrivaled. AEW Double or Nothing will make their presence known on Saturday night with a flare for the dramatic and elite in ring storytelling.

Without a further ado, let’s dive into this loaded card on Memorial Day Weekend in what is going to be a memorable evening of professional wrestling.

1. Casino Battle Royale

Kicking off ‘Double or Nothing’ will be a 21 man, over the top rope battle royal. This appropriately named ‘Casino Battle Royale ‘ has a very unique feel and rules set that comes with it.

There will 4 groups of 5 men entering the contest at separate points in the match. The match will start with 5 men in the ring and every 3 minutes, a new group of 5 will join the soirée. Once the 20 entrants have entered, 3 more minutes will elapse before the wild card participant who drew the ‘joker’ will become the final ‘blackjack’ competitor in the AEW battle royal.

The winner of the match will be the final person standing after all of the remaining combatants have been tossed over the top rope and feet have touched the floor. Said winner will also receive the 1st title shot at the AEW heavyweight championship.

Some of the participating wrestlers have been announced. These men are Sonny Kiss, Brandon Cutler, Ace Romero, Brian Pillman Jr, Glacier, Sunny Daze, Joey Janela, MJF, The Private Party, Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus, Jimmy Havoc, Michael Nakazawa, former WWE tag team champion Billy Gunn, Shawn Spears and Dustin Thomas.

I am going to go out on a limb and say that the Joker entrant in the battle royal will be Jon Moxley. (Formerly Dean Ambrose in WWE) With his amazingwould be the Wild card entrant and win the AEW battle royal. With the PAC vs Adam Page potentially being scrapped, I could see Moxley taking PAC’s spot in that contest.

Look for Jon Moxley  to claim the 1st crack at the new AEW champion in the near future.

Winner of the Casino Battle Royale: Jon Moxley

2. Kip Sabian vs Sammy Guevara

This match will be sure to electrify the crowd at MGM Grand. Kip Sabian is a British sensation who has traveled the World to hone his craft. The 26 year old Sabian was signed by AEW back in February of this year and was originally slated to participate in the Casino Battle Royale. ‘Superbad’ Sabian has held championships in multiple promotions. Those would include titles from RevPro, World Of Sport and Defiant.

His opponent is Sammy Guevara. He has recently been seen in ‘Being The Elite’ episodes, featured in brief segments with AEW executives Cody and The Young Bucks. Guevara has honed his craft in the AAA and DDT Pro Wrestling promotions. He has also appeared in Pro Wrestling Guerilla and challenged for the PWG championship vs WWE United Kingdom title holder WALTER.

Both Sabian and Guevara are high flyers that are regarded as two of the top, up and coming crusierweight wrestlers in the World. Expect a high tempo, fast paced match which will get the crowd hyped for the main card. Since we have seen Sammy Guevara on AEW promos and BTE episodes, I sense that he will get the nod in this barn burner of a contest.

Winner: Sammy Guevara

3. Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki and Emi Sakura vs. Hikaru Shida, Riho Abe and Ryo Mizunami

Aja Kong is a legend in women’s wrestling. Making her pro debut nearly 35 years ago, the veteran has been through her fair share of wars in All Japan Pro Wrestling among numerous promotions. She will be teaming with Yuka Sakazaki and Emi Sakura at AEW Double or Nothing.

Sakazaki is a brilliant wrestler from the Tokyo Joshi Pro promotion in Japan. She has held the Princess Of Princesses title in Tokyo and has become an immensly popular wrestler since her debut in 2013. Emi Sakura has been around for a long time.  She has wrestled legendary women performers Luna Vachon and Manami Toyota in Japan. Sakura was named the 2009 Joshi wrestler of the year by Tokyo Sports magazine.

Their opponents will be looking to dethrone these Japanese sensations. Hikaru Shida is an 11 year veteran who has collected some accolades along the way. She held titles in multiple Japanese promotions and owns a few victories over NXT women’s sensation Io Shirai.

Riho Abe is just 22 years of age and debuted in the Ice Ribbon promotion at the tender age of 9! She is the 1st Ice Ribbon Triple Crown champion and has been a title holder of the DDT Nihonkai Six-Man Tag Team Championship with current AEW superstar Kenny Omega and Mr. #6. Riho has accomplished so much over 13 years and still has a long career ahead of her.

Ryo Mizunami is the third member of the team. She has appeared in SHIMMER and the Pro Wrestling Wave promotions and has been wrestling for over a decade. She was a Princess of Pro Wrestling champion for almost a year in the PURE-J promotion and is a widely regarded wrestler in the Orient.

While most wrestling fans aren’t familiar with these 6 ladies, they are sure to put on a wrestling clinic. They all have a pedigree from their time in Japan and I expect to see an entertaining contest at Double or Nothing.  The team with the most recognition will garner the win in this match up. Look for the veteran Aja Kong to add another notch to her amazing resume.

Winners: Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki and Emi Sakura

4. The Best Friends (Chuckie T and Trent Baretta) vs Angelico and Jack Evans

In recent ‘Being The Elite’ episodes, Trent Baretta and Chuckie T have been clamoring to appear on the ‘Double or Nothing card in tag team action. The Young Bucks originally had planned for ‘The Best Friends’ to appear in the Casino Battle Royale. After threatening The Young Bucks children, Matt Jackson finally gave in to their demands and booked them in a tag team contest at AEW Double or Nothing.

Their opponents are Angelico and Jack Evans. Angelico has appeared all over the World, most recently in What Culture Pro Wrestling. He is known for his work in AAA, teaming with Jack Evans. They are known as  Los Güeros del Cielo or “The Sky Blondes” in the Mexican federation. Evans has appeared in Ring Of Honor, Lucha Undergorund and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Evans was a PWG tag team champion with NXT superstar and Undisputed Era member Roderick Strong.

All Elite Wrestling has stated that they want to put an emphasis on the tag team division. Most companies ignore their tag teams, putting them on the back burner and featuring solo acts. These 2 teams along with The Young Bucks, Lucha Bros, SoCal Uncensored and Private Party are going to jump-start the AEW tag team division and make it must see television going forward.

Both of these teams are evenly matched, they possess a decade plus of wrestling experience. While both teams have earned tag team championships in other federations, they will be looking to get a leg up in AEW. While ‘The Best Friends’ have been eyeing this event for months, they were ultimately rewarded with a match vs a seasoned tag team. I am going to call for an upset here and choose Angelico and Jack Evans to steal the victory in the end.

Winners: Angelico and Jack Evans

5. Britt Baker vs Kylie Rae vs Nyla Rose

Our second women’s match will feature another multi-woman affair. Britt Baker is arguably the most established name in this match. While her career has spanned only 5 years, she is the only repeat woman on the Double or Nothing card from the inaugural “All In” event in September of 2018.

Baker is a dentist as well as a professional wrestler plus she is dating NXT Undisputed Era member Adam Cole. She has held multiple championships in other promotions and has competed in Ring Of Honor.

Kylie Rae is also another woman with 5 years of wrestling experience. She brings to the table a resume that is impressive. Rae has held the Reality Of Wrestling Diamond championship 3 times and has appeared in the acclaimed promotion SHIMMER. Just 25 years old, Kylie will have something to prove at Double or Nothing.

Nyla Rose will bring power and strength to the table in this match. She is the first transgender competitor in the AEW stable and is a relatively inexperienced combatant. She has appeared in the Warriors Of Wrestling federation and is a 2 time champion in this promotion.

This is a very unique contest as the audience may not be very familiar with these ladies. With that being said, the crowd will be amazed by the power of Nyla Rose and the in ring ability of Kylie Rae. Each woman has shown flashes of brilliance in their previous stops. At the end of the night however, I fully expect Dr. Britt Baker to emerge victorious and become the leading woman in the AEW women’s division.

Winner: Britt Baker

6. SoCal Uncensored vs Strong Hearts

The montage above is worth 13 minutes of your life. SoCal Uncensored bring veteran presences as well as a pension for hilarious skits. Don’t underestimate their in ring abilites however. Christopher Daniels is one of the most acclaimed wrestlers Worldwide. While he may be 48 years old, Daniels still brings a combination of technical and flying styles which few can match.

Frankie Kazarian is also not a Spring chicken. He is a 2 time PWG champion, a 3 time ROH tag team champion and a multiple belt claiming veteran in TNA. Kaz can still go and while he also brings a charm and machismo which comes off as brash, he can still bring it on a nightly basis. Their tag team partner Scorpio Sky is also an unheralded performer. Sky had worked in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla for almost a decade and was a PWG tag team champion.

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When Sky Joined Ring Of Honor in 2017, he immediately received a ROH championship match with Cody. While he failed in his attempt, Sky gained the respect of Daniels and Kazarian. They attacked KUSHIDA after a match with Scorpio Sky in Ring Of Honor. At that moment, SCU was born!

Las Vegas may be the worst town they’ve ever been in, but they plan on showing the AEW fans that they are going to be one of the top draws in the company. The 3 men on the opposite end of the ring are coming over from Oriental Wrestling Entertainment. A wrestling faction which churns out acrobatic feats seen by few and attempted by next to no one.

CIMA is the most recognizable in the group. He was the first graduate of legendary wrestler’s Ultimo Dragon’s Toryumon dojo. Cima has held many titles in the Dragon Gate promotion and was a 2 time tag team champion with his partner, WWE’s rising star Ricochet.

T-hawk is one of CIMA’s partner. He worked for Dragon Gate promotion until CIMA branched off and started OWE. T-Hawk is the current Wrestle-1 champion in OWE and has a devastating ‘Michinoku Driver’ as his finishing manuever.

El Lindaman is 23 years old and has a wide variety of suplexes in his arsenal. Lindaman also appeared in Dragon Gate before OWE and was a six man tag team champion with current NJPW junior heavyweight star Shingo Tagaki.

I was going to predict an upset in this match last week. With foreign talent coming over from various promotions, the one way to get them over besides breathtaking performances are victories in debuts. I have done a 180 degree turn, the SCU ‘Rocky 4’ Montage was sensational and has convinced me that this trio from Southern California are going to leave ‘Double or Nothing with a win.

Winner: SCU

7. Adam Page vs PAC

This match is in contention for match of the night and possibly match of the year Worldwide. Adam ‘Hangman’ Page has been a rising star for quite some time. His breakout performances in the G1 Climax last Summer were signs that this man is ready to elevate his game one more notch. He is bringing his full gear to AEW’s Double or Nothing this Saturday night. The question is, who will he being squaring off against?

PAC has been on fire since officially leaving the WWE in September of 2018. He has not been pinned in 20 months and is the champion of Dragon Gate. He has had many dream matches in the last 9 months, wrestling Will Ospreay to a time limit draw, defeating El Phantasmo, WALTER and overtaking Zach Sabre Jr. to win the RevPro heavyweight championship.

When Adam Page was announced as a member of the AEW roster, PAC confronted him in ‘full gear’ and challenged him to a match. Page proclaimed he wanted to be the first AEW Champion while PAC told him ‘he couldn’t lace his boots’. The training Hangman has been going through leading up to this bout has been documented on the ‘BTE’ series. Page took it as far to hunt down PAC in Nottingham, England and challenge him to a match right on the spot.

PAC was disqualified for delivering a low blow to the referee and now the match is looking like it’s going to be scrapped at Double or Nothing. After the bell had rung, PAC declared that he wouldn’t be showing up to AEW’s event in Las Vegas after injuring Page after the bell had rung. PAC is looking to drop the Dragon Gate championship before making his initial in ring debut with AEW. Which begs to ask, will Hangman Page have a match on Saturday?

While the injury angle could be a work to scrap the match, Adam Page could show up looking for a fight. I am going to make a big time declaration and predict Jon Moxley will make his AEW debut in stunning fashion. In a back and forth donnybrook, Moxley will win the match, in turn leaving   Hangman to recoup and reload for the future.

Winner: Jon Moxley

8. Cody vs Dustin

You look at this match on paper and think to yourself, “This has been done before”. Cody and Dustin Rhodes are brothers who have been enemies and teammates during their years together in the wrestling business. While this may not excite you looking at the headline on the marquee, these two have produced 2 of the best promos in recent years to build up tremendous hype for this brother vs brother face off.

Cody is the executive vice president of AEW. He’s learning the ins and outs of the wrestling industry on the fly as he is a part of leading a major wrestling company. He’s been hungry since he left the WWE and joined Ring Of Honor. Wrestling is in his blood and it shows in the work he and the rest of AEW management has put into hyping Double or Nothing up. During his bone chilling promo on  ‘The Road To Double or Nothing’ show, Cody has vowed to “kill the Attitude Era” by defeating Dustin Rhodes. He once to be one of the leaders of the new generation of professional wrestling. Cody also has stated “his generation is going to put the pedal to the metal” and deliver amazing in ring performances time and time again as opposed to the fluff, over the top theatrics of the ‘Attitude Era’.

Cody has also been shelved with a knee injury over the last few months, so ring rust could play a role in this contest. Dustin Rhodes is 50 years old and has been on record as saying “I haven’t lost it, I never did.” In his last stint with the WWE, he and Cody were the WWE tag team champions and delivered thrilling performances against “The Shield” in the height of their rising popularity. There seems to be quite in the bit in the tank for at least one night. If Dustin cannot be geared up to face his brother, then he may as well hang up his wrestling boots.

This match will tell an enthralling story. The older brother who is showing signs of jealousy and envy towards the “silver spoon” of his family. Dustin Rhodes is out to prove that he can shut up his egotistical younger sibling once and for all. Claiming Cody “has never said thank you to me for helping him with his career.” This is about retribution and bringing the fight to Cody.

Cody is the favorite in this contest and rightfully so. He’s younger, stronger, quicker and can match Dustin psychologically in the ring. Expect a wild ride at AEW Double or Nothing between these 2 brothers, the upstart vs the old guard. While ‘The Attitude Era’ may not be dead and buried, Cody is going to start by digging the grave and defeating his brother in a crowd pleasing affair.

Winner: Cody

9. The Young Bucks vs The Lucha Bros for the AAA Tag Team Championships

If you’re looking for the match of the night, look no further than two of the most exciting tag teams in professional wrestling. The Young Bucks have taken some time off and have rightfully deserved it. After years and years of traveling around the World, Matt and Nick Jackson have been instrumental in getting AEW off of the ground. While they are just getting started creatively, the Bucks have been one of if not the best  team in the World over the last decade.

They are former IWGP tag team champions, 7 time IWGP junior tag champions, 3 time Ring Of Honor tag team champions and have put on their fair share of five star bouts. They main evented ‘All In’ as part of a 3 man team with Kota Ibushi defeating Rey Mysterio, Bandido and one half of their opponents at Double or Nothing, Rey Fenix.

The Lucha Bros are looking for revenge. The Young Bucks confronted them in Mexico, challenging  Pentagon and Rey Fenix for the AAA tag team championships. In their own backyard, The Lucha Bros were defeated by the Jacksons and lost their prestigious AAA titles. Both Pentagon and Rey Fenix are no slouches in their own right.

Being former IMPACT, AAA, PWG and MLW tag team champions earn respect among your peers and wrestling fans. If there is a team that can match The Young Bucks move for move, accolade for accolade and title for title, The Lucha Bros have the credibility and resume to do so.

Both teams have attacked one another, they have wrestled each other in other promotions and know their opponents  quite well. Fans may fear that the ‘Executive Vice Presidents’ are going to put themselves over in the initial stages of AEW’s existence. Keep in mind this match is for the AAA tag team titles. Either way, this match is likely to upstage every other bout before it. At Double or Nothing, I see the Lucha Bros gaining revenge and regaining their championships. Stamping their claim for now as the best tag team in the Universe.

Winner: New AAA tag team champions, The Lucha Bros

10. Kenny Omega vs Chris Jericho

New Japan Pro Wrestling was beginning to gain steam in the United States. A wave of 6 star matches were taking place across the pond and in the Orient. All the wrestling World could talk about in early 2017 was Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 11. 

Kenny Omega’s star was shining bright and would continue to flourish under the New Japan banner. When he became the leader of the Bullet Club, Omega became a heavyweight contender. Winning the G1 Climax in 2016, Omega earned the right to wrestle the IWGP champion Kazuchika Okada in the Tokyo Dome. The main event that night was arguably the greatest wrestling match to ever take place. Okada would retain his title that night, but the spotlight was now on Kenny Omega.

This opened the eyes of a wrestling legend. Chris Jericho shocked the entire World and appeared on a big screen after an event in November of 2017. He challenged Kenny Omega to a match for the IWGP United States title at Wrestle Kingdom 12. The match was billed Alpha vs Omega, 2 Winnipeg born wrestlers headlining a major show in Japan.

The match lived up to the hype and then some. Omega retained his championship, outlasting Jericho in a half hour classic that was an all out brawl in the Tokyo Dome. Omega would go on to win the IWGP championship at Dominion in 2018, defeating Okada in a 7 star, 2 out of 3 fall contest. Omega had officially claimed the throne as “The best bout machine’ and best wrestler in the World.

Both Omega and Jericho would lose at Wrestle Kingdom 13. Omega dropped the IWGP title and Jericho would lose his IWGP Intercontinental championship to Tetsuya Naito. Omega would leave New Japan and sign on with AEW. All Elite Wrestling would hold a rally for the ‘Double or Nothing’ card in Las Vegas. The contract signing of Kenny Omega was featured at the end of the rally. Chris Jericho had signed with AEW a month earlier, proclaiming he would elevate the company sky-high limits. As Omega embraced the crowd, Jericho would attack Omega on the stage and the feud would be reignited.

The two men have since brawled in a ring at an independent promotion in Georgia. They also have traded promos on the ‘Being The Elite’ show, hyping this rematch for the ages at AEW Double or Nothing. Both men are incredible talents and they will look to one up their previous encounter in Japan. This match will likely go on last, so they will have to close the show with a bang.

There is a lot at stake for both Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho. Who will be remembered as the winner of the first main event at AEW’s first show? Who is the true Alpha of professional wrestling? Is Kenny Omega still ‘The best wrestler in the World’? Can Chris Jericho gain revenge and build momentum going into his IWGP heavyweight title match with Kazuchika Okada at Dominion?

Most big feuds or movie series have trilogies. Omega took the first match, I see Jericho going over in this match. He can even the score, build momentum for his upcoming title match and attract more eyes to the AEW product with a win over his fellow Winnipeg counterpart. Either way, this match will close the curtain on a remarkable evening of professional wrestling that the World is starving to see.

Winner: Chris Jericho