AEW Double or Nothing: Results, Highlights and Grades: A ridiculously entertaining night

Tonight, AEW brought us Double or Nothing, featuring a huge main event between ‘The Exalted One’ Brodie Lee and Jon Moxley. The show also featured a Stadium Stampede with The Inner Circle against The Elite & Matt Hardy.

AEW’s show also features the Casino Royale Ladder Match, the finals of the TNT Title tournament with Cody taking on Lance Archer.

The Buy In Pre-Show

Excalibur and Taz opened the show for us, welcoming us to Daily Place with The Best Friends (7-3) vs. Private Party (4-1) for the #1 contendership to the AEW World Tag Team championship.

Jake Roberts was with Lance Archer preparing for the match, and Tony Schiavone came up to them. Archer was breaking things with a sledgehammer, and Jake was awesome here.

The Best Friends (7-3) vs. Private Party (4-1)

Chuck Taylor started the match with Isiah Kassidy with Chuck using some side headlocks to keep the advantage. Both men tag out and Quen enters with Trent Beretta. Quen used a standing moonsault but Trent moved. Trent hit a Northern Lights Suplex for a 2 count and then a chop. Best Friends hit a double elbow, and they got the heat a little bit on Private Party for the next little bit.

Private Party hit the Silly String on Trent, but botched it slightly. It looked like Trent may have blown out his knee, which is not good. Trent kept wrestling and they hit a doomsday device suplex on Quen by Trent. Chuck hit a neckbreaker on Quen for a two count. Trent went for a Tornado DDT on Quen, but Quen countered and hit a kick and tagged out.

Kassidy tagged in hit a series high flying moves and hit a flatliner. Trent hit a series of Saito suplexes on both members Private Party. Chuck hit a belly to belly on both men into the corner, and then hit a combo half and half on Kassidy before hugging. Quen hit a standing shooting star press on Trent.

Quen hit a shooting star press on Trent, but Chuck made the save and hit a piledriver on the floor on Quen and then a superkick on Kassidy. After a bit of time, The Best Friends hit Strong Zero for the pinfall.

Result: The Best Friends (8-3)

Rating: ***1/2 (3.5 stars)

Chuck and Trent are the #1 contender to the tag team championship!

The Main Card

The show opened with the wrestlers giving a special thank you to all the first responders who are on the front lines fighting COVID-19. It then ended with a graphic for Shad Gaspard. This was beautiful.

The Casino Royale Ladder Match – Joey Janela vs. Kip Sabian vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Luchasaurus vs. Scorpio Sky vs. Darby Allin vs. Colt Cabana vs. A Mystery Oppenent

The first two members of the match were Scorpio Sky and Frankie Kazarian, with SCU facing off against each other in the early portion of the match. Both men went for a ladder, but decided to try and out wrestle each other instead in the opening part of the match.

Both exchanged holds as the timer counted down to the next entrant. Sky went for a stomp, but Kaz dodged it and then both men collided with their heads sending them both to the mat.

Kip Sabian was the next out and Jimmy Havoc was his second, taking a ladder and hitting both Sky and Kazarian. Havoc and Sabian took out both men, leaving Havoc in the ring alone with Kaz. Kaz shoved Jimmy off the top rope and German Suplexed him into a ladder. Kaz went for the chip, but Sabian pulled him off.

Darby Allin entered and setup a ladder and tried to hit a ollie of the ladder onto one bridged on the apron. Sadly, no one was there, and he crashed through it. Orange Cassidy came out and Excalibur had to explain the rules to him again, as he didn’t really want to climb a ladder. Cassidy messed around with a ladder, but didn’t set it up.

Colt Cabana was next, watching Cassidy look sad. Cassidy stood on a fallen ladder, and Colt pushed him off and tried to climb. The fingers of Colt Cabana were closed on the ladder. Janela came out and ran wild with a chair. The Luchasaurus made his entrance and he cleaned house on everyone. He tried to chokeslam Sabian over the top rope, but he countered with a hurricanrana. However, that didn’t work and he powerbombed him onto everyone at ringside.

Darby Allin was pulled onto the top rope and hit a top rope code red on Luchasaurus while limping around. The final entrant was Brian Cage, accompanied to the ring by Taz, and he came out and cut off Allin. Allin tried to do a Coffin drop off the ladder, but Cage caught him and took him out with an F5000. Cage then hit a pop-up powerbomb on Sabian and took out several men before climbing the ladder with Orange Cassidy on his back.

Everyone pulled him off and started beating on him. All the men grabbed ladders, guardrails, and a big prop chip, and dumped it on Cage to keep him down. Sabian dropkicked Cabana off the ladder. Sabian and OC climbed the ladder and fought at the top, but Penelope Ford came out onto the ramp and cheered Sabian on. OC shoved Sabian off the ladder, and then Ford climbed to cut him off. OC shoved her into the arms of Sabian.

There were some other spots I couldn’t keep track off, but Janela hit a DVD on OC on the chip that holding Cage down. Luchasaurus cut off SCU and then kicked Cabana off the ropes. Cage rose from the dead and the two big boys faced off, ending with Cage powerbombing the dinosaur into a ladder.

Cage planted Darby Allin with the Drill Claw and then Taz came out. Darby Allin was set across a ladder on the top rope, and Cage pressed the ladder and Allin and threw him over the top rope and then climbed the ladder for the win.

Result: Brian Cage

Rating: ***3/4 (3.75 stars)

This match was utterly insane, and a huge debut for Brian Cage. Taz cut a promo into the camera that was awesome after the match, and it looks like the champion will have a very difficult challenge.

MJF (7-0) vs. Jungle Boy (7-6)

Both men locked up and Jungle Boy refused to go down and kicked up. Both men echanged some mirror offence. We got some classic lucha from both men as they tied to out wrestle each other. It seems both men are determined to show their technical ability, but MJF got fed up and started hitting forearms.

MJF faked a knee injury and then attacked Jungle Boy from behind. MJF got the heat for a bit, but Jungle Boy hit a springboard on MJF and started to make a comeback, but MJF cut him off and hit a armwringer that sent Jungle Boy into the corner. MJF tried to chop him, but Jungle Boy cut him off with a boot to the hand and hit a series of hard forearms.

MJF cut him off and slapped him on the floor, continuing to get the heat. He threw Jungle Boy in and he hit a series of topes and then a tope con giro to the floor. MJF did try for the Salt of Earth in the ring, but Jungle Boy kept fighting out. They then exchanged chops in the middle of the ring and beat the crap out of each other.

This match has seen lucha, technical wrestling, and Japanese style wrestling, but as MJF wetn for another chop, MJF hit the arm of Jungle Boy to cut him off. Jungle Boy hit a superkick, MJF hit a forearm, but Jungle Boy hit a Canadian Destroyer. MJF hit a knee and fell on top for the pin, but Jungle Boy fought into a crossface but couldn’t hold on due to his arm.

MJF hit a pumphandle cradle tombstone for a two count. Jungle Boy hit a poisonrana on the apron, nearly killing MJF. Jungle Boy tried to get MJF into the ring with one arm, but he got him there. MJF was left at the corner, so Jungle Boy went for a 450 splash, but he grabbed the refs leg and shook the ropes, which crotched Jungle Boy.

Jungle Boy hit a powerbomb from the top rope on MJF, but got a 2 count. MJF countered into a Salt of the Earth attempt, but Jungle Boy rolled out. MJF went for a Tiger Driver, but MJF couldn’t because of his back. After a series of pinfall attempts, MJF raked the eyes and rolled him up with a handful of tights. Jungle Boy countered with his own, but MJF countered into a modified European Clutch while holding Jungle Boy’s hurt arm.

Result: MJF (8-0)

Rating: ****1/2 (4.5 stars)

This was an excellent match that saw both guys go for almost 20 minutes. This was absolutely fantastic. They were determined to prove themselves, and they did.

Cody vs. Lance Archer – The TNT Championship Finals

Okay, that title is ugly. It does not look good at all. With that being said, it’s being treated as a main event title, which is great.

Lance Archer came out with a dude and chokeslamed while wearing a Deadshot mask.

Tony Schiavone let us know that the belt was not finished because of the virus, but gold plating will be added later. Lance Archer hit the Black Out and Cody went to the floor. Lance Archer went for the claw, but Cody countered into an armbar, but Archer pulled out of it. Cody chopped Archer, but Archer no sold it. Cody hit some forearms, but Archer killed him with one.

Archer tried to hit the ropes, but Cody grabbed his hair and went for a springboard, but Archer hit a pounce. Cody and him spilled to the outside and went to the floor, but Cody went for a springboard off the guardrail, but Archer just threw Cody to the floor. Archer put Cody into the ring and continued to beat on him.

Archer did his rope walk and hit a standing moonsault onto Cody for the 2 count. Archer chopped Cody in the corner and went for a suplex, but Cody countered with one of his own for a 2 count. Archer ripped off a turnbuckle pad and went to throw Cody into it, but Cody countered. It didn’t work out well though, as Archer still threw Cody over the top rope to the floor again.

Archer hit a uranage on Cody for a 2 count. Archer hit a splash for a 2 count. They cut to Tyson, who was chanting Cody’s name. Archer was going for a roll up, but Cody countered into a crossface with Archer’s hair, strangling him with his own hair. Jake distracted Cody and went for a back suplex, but Cody flipped out and a DDT on Archer, and pointed at Jake.

Archer ate a enziguri on the outside of the ring and hit a springboard cutter for a 1 count! Archer is a beast. Cody hit the Cross Rhodes and Archer kicked out. Archer hit the chokeslam and got a 2 count. Archer locked on the EVD Claw, but he couldn’t cover Cody due to the damage done to him. Archer went for another rope walk, but the ref got distracted by Jake, and Arn Anderson hit a chop sending Archer to the corner.

Cody hit a inverted suplex on Archer, but Mike Tyson told the ref that Arn interfered. The ref then threw them both out! Jake came back with a snake, but Tyson scared him off, and Cody countered a Black Out and hit two Cross Rhodes for the pinfall victory.

Result: Cody

Rating: **** (4 stars)

This was a great match that told a really good story. Cody now holds a title in AEW, which is the perfect story.

Kris Statlander vs. Penelope Ford

Statlander booped everyone at ringside, and even anger booped Ford during the match. After a series of cartwheels, she went for the boop, but Ford bit her finger. After this, Ford got the heat for a bit, with a draping DDT. Ford hit a suplex and got a 2 count. Ford continued to get the heat for the next few minutes. Statlander turned it around with a German suplex and several other moves before getting a 2 count.

There was a Pepsi spill emergency during this match, so I was unable to take notes for part of it, but Statlander won with a Big Bang Theory in a decent match.

Result: Kris Statlander

Rating: **3/4 (2.75 stars)

This was a perfectly fine showcase for Statlander, and I was quite pleased with how Ford looked as well.

Shawn Spears vs. Dustin Rhodes w/ Brandi Rhodes

Spears came out and claimed Dustin wasn’t going to be there. He even played Dustin’s music, but faked him out. Dustin’s music played again, and Dustin came out behind him, as Brandi Rhodes distracted him. This was the first time since we saw Brandi since the Jake Roberts incident, and it was random to have her come back here but get no revenge on Jake.

We still might get it, but it’s a bit weird, especially as she showed up randomly. Rhodes stripped Spears off his suit and left him in his underwear, and he had Tully Blanchard on his crotch. Dustin hit the Final Reckoning for the pinfall. This was a fun comedy match, but nothing too serious.

Result: Dustin Rhodes

Rating: * (1 star)

After the match, they shared a graphic for Hana Kimura, which still breaks my heart.

Hikaru Shida vs. Nyla Rose – No DQ match for the AEW Women’s World Championship

Shida came out with Tifa inspired gear from Final Fantasy VII. Shida managed to get her kendo stick back from Nyla, but Nyla blocked a shot and killed Shida with a few shots. Nyla slammed Shida for the 2 count. Shida managed to counter and hit a running knee on Rose on the apron. Shida went for the kendo stick, but Nyla cut Shida off and drove her into the guardrail.

Nyla continued to beat on Shida, putting her through a table. You might say that the poker table folded. Nyla continued to use chairs and other ringside paraphernalia. Rose hit a splash back in the ring and got a 2 count. Nyla hit a suplex on Shida. Shida hit a crossbody on the floor and a running knee to the back of Rose’s head.

Shida hit her running knee on her Rose through one of the poker chips. Shida keeps trying to slam Rose, but has been unable to. Shida then hit Rose in the arm with a kendo stick. Shida finally managed to hit a vertical suplex on Rose onto the kendo stick. Shida hit a running knee for a 2 count.

Nyla countered a suplex and put Shida on the top rope and went for her flying knee. Nyla hit the flying knee, but Shida kicked out at 2. Rose picked up Shida and tried to put her through a table, but Shida countered and blocked. Nyla went for a powerbomb, but Shida kept fighting out. Shida hit the ropes, but Rose hit a clothesline and powerbombed Shida through the table. Shida  kicked out.

Nyla hit a DVD and started to use the kendo stick on Shida before climbing to the top rope. Shida cut Rose off by throwing the kendo stick and climbing to the top rope. Shida hit an Avalanche Falcon Arrow for a 2 count! Nyla got nailed with a running knee, but still managed to kick out.

Shida killed Nyla with a head shot with the kendo stick and hit a running knee for the 3 count! Hikaru Shida is the new AEW Women’s World Champion!

Result: Hikaru Shida

Rating: **** (4 stars)

This was a very, very good match. Shida burst into tears afterwards, clearly thinking of Hana and dedicating the win to her. This was wonderful. A very good match with a very happy ending for the babyface. AEW nailed this.

Tony Schivaone and the other announcers talked about how this was a horrible week for wrestling fans, and that they are love the fans and want to be there for them during something very hard, for people, for the sick, for first responders, and for wrestling fans. AEW providing that kind of comfort and real talk during all of this is something that is so refreshing.

Jon Moxley (c) vs. Brodie Lee (The Dark Order)

Mox charged right away, but Brodie caught him and sent him into the corner. Brodie went for a big boot, but Moxley dodged and sent Brodie to the floor. Mox hit a tope, but Lee got right up and hit a suplex on Mox on the floor. Brodie hit a chop and then kept beating on Mox at ringside. Lee hit a series of rolling suplexes in the ring and put Mox on the top rope.

Lee went up, but Mox cut him off and went for an axe handle, but Lee grabbed him and threw him to the floor and then hit a tope of his own. Lee sent Mox into the barricade and cleared the ringside area. Lee hit a pumphandle suplex on Mox into a guardrail, which was sick. They went back into the ring and Moxley hit a series of hard forearms.

Mox slapped Lee, but Lee at it and hit a back suplex on Mox. Mox got up and hit a clothesline and hit a Gotch Style Piledriver taken from his feud with Minoru Suzuki for a 2 count. Mox grabbed the stairs at ringside and set them up next to the timekeeper’s table. Both men hurt double dropkicks on the floor, but Lee was up first.

Lee then setup Mox for a powerbomb through the timekeeper’s table, but Mox back body dropped him off the stairs and through the table. Mox went to the top rope, but Mox cut him off and Lee hit a superplex on Moxley. Brodie then hit a half and half suplex into the card props at ringside.

Mox tried to hit a German suplex, but Brodie Lee fought out and hit a running big boot and then a powerbomb for a 2 count. Moxley tried to getup but had to roll out of the ring onto the ramp. Brodie went after him, but Mox threw a huge poker chip at Lee. Lee went for a powerbomb on the ramp, but Mox kept fighting him out and then hit a Paradigm Shift from the top of the ramp through the ringside ramp! Oh my goodness that was insane.

Moxley was the first man up and into the ring, and refs and ringside doctors came to get to Lee. Lee came up bleeding, but went for a lariat, but Mox hit a Paradigm Shift for a 1 count! Mox went nuts and hit a series of elbows and bit the head of Lee before hitting one more, but Lee kicked out again! Moxley then locked on the Rear Naked Choke and Brodie Lee went unconscious! What a match!

Result: Jon Moxley

Rating: ****3/4 (4.75 stars)

Brodie Lee showed he was more than capable working as a top guy in AEW, and Jon Moxley continued to tell great stories with the moves he is doing, clearly learning the Rear Naked Choke and Gotch Style Piledriver from his feud with Minoru Suzuki. This was fantastic!

The Elite & Matt Hardy vs. The Inner Circle – The Stadium Stampede

The Inner Circle came out all wearing fooball gear, with pyro and everything. This was fantastic. They used the football entrance for everyone which was so awesome. Hangman Page didn’t come out when announced, and then the ref blew the whistle and they ran across the field to attack each other.

Weapons and everything were used very quickly with Santana and Ortiz hitting a double team suplex on the turf. Sammy stood up and Hangman page chased him out of the arena while riding a horse! Tony yelled with glee that he was going to run him over with a horse. Jericho and Nick Jackson were in the ring, which was at centre field, and hit Jericho with a double team dropkick from the Bucks.

Santana and Ortiz hit some double teams on both Bucks. Omega hit the snap dragon suplex on both Ortiz and Santana, but all the other men got involved, and hit a series of moves. Sammy Guevara went for a shooting star press on Matt Hardy, but Hardy rolled out of the ring, and Matt Jackson and hit a bucklebomb on Sammy. Matt Hardy hit a twist of fate on Sammy, nearly killing him.

Omega went for a V-Trigger, but Jericho pulled him out of the ring, and everyone hit dives to the floor. It ended with Sammy hitting a shooting star press to the floor onto everyone as it broke down and everyone brawled all around the stadium. The Bucks setup a ladder and climbed onto the goal post and hit a moonsault onto Sammy, Nick, and Jericho. It’s good!

Omega and Santana were brawling in the stands, and Ortiz followed. Page was missing in action for most of this as he was wandering the stadium with his horse looking for Sammy. Hangman finally hopped off the horse and told him to stay. Hangman then went to the bar. Matt Hardy and Omega were continued to struggle against Santana & Ortiz at the top of the stadium.

Omega sent Ortiz into the garbage bins and hit Santana with the blackjack. Omega setup a guardrail on a series of tables and went to suplex Ortiz. Santana threw salt into Omega’s eyes and then powerbombed Omega through the guardrail! That was crazy! Matt Hardy used the blackjack to hit both men, but Santana cut him off and led him around the arena.

They threw Matt Hardy into a nearby pool, and he came back up as the original Matt Hardy, then Matt Hardy v1.0, then Damascus. That was amazing. Matt told Ortiz that he was going to pay for his transgressions against Vanguard. Matt Hardy then hit a hip toss on Santana through a table, and then duct taped Ortiz to a Chair of Wheels.

Santana tried to powerbomb Hardy into a ice freezer, but Hardy countered, threw him in freezer and locked him in. Hangman and Hager ended up brawling in the bar, which was great. Hangman broke a pool cue on Hager’s back, but Hager no sold it. Hager hit a uranage on Page onto the pool table, which looked sick.

Hager then ran Page across the bar and threw him to the floor. Hager than hit a gutwrench powerbomb through a table for a 2 count. Omega managed to find him and make the save before breaking A Little Bit of the Bubbly over Hager’s head. They broke 4 glasses of the Bubbly over Hager’s head before Omega hit the V-Trigger. Hangman ducked down and let Page hit a Buckshot Lariat on Hager.

They then served each other drinks, with Hangman serving milk to Omega, and Omega serving whisky to Page. They cut to Matt Jackson hitting Northern Light’s suplexes on Sammy Guevara across the hold field. Nick Jackson then hit Jericho with a bullhorn but Jericho threw him into the Jacksonville Jaguar head. Jericho then hit the Judas Effect on the Jaguar’s mascot.

Nick Jackson superkicked Jericho into a net. Jericho challenged the play when he got a 2 count. The ref decided it was good. Matt Jackson northern lights suplexed Sammy all across the end line, 100 yards, and then spiked Sammy into the end zone. He got a yellow flag for celebrating and unsportsmanlike conduct, so he superkicked the ref.

Matt Jackson then saved Nick from going through a table, and put Jericho on the table. Nick Jackson ran down the stairs and hit a running splash. Sammy Guevara woke up as a sprinkler showed up and got him, it woke him up and he thought he won. We then heard an engine, and Matt Hardy and Kenny Omega were driving the golf cart! They chased Sammy across the stadium, and NEO 1 (Natural Electronic Organism) just showed up, replacing Vanguard 1.

He distracted Sammy and Kenny Omega got up behind him and hit a One Winged Angle of a balcony through a stage on Sammy for the win! They then poured Gatorade on Kenny as The Elite and Matt Hardy celebrated!

Result: The Elite & Matt Hardy

Rating: ***** (5 stars)

This was ridiculously entertaining, so much so that I am happy it’s what closed the show. That was absolutely fantastic, and my recap can’t even begin to do it justice.

Overall Rating: ***** (5 stars)

AEW showed that you can produce a good show without a crowd, and the main event showed that you can still have ridiculously fun matches like that. The match was so fun that I gave the show 5*, but if that wasn’t on the show, it would have been an easy 3 ¾ star, or 4 star PPV. AEW has done it again.