AEW Double or Nothing 2021: 3 wrestlers who must win

AEW Double or Nothing takes place on Sunday, May 30 from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville Florida. It will be the first time the company will operate at full capacity since the pandemic began 14 months ago.

There is plenty of buzz around the event. It will be shown in select theaters across the country and Tony Khan has organized the first ever Double or Nothing fan fest, where participants can meet wrestlers, watch exhibition matches and take part in a question and answer session hosted by Excalibur. This is the biggest event of the year for AEW — their equivalent to WrestleMania, and it promises to be an unforgettable occasion.

Nine matches have been announced so far, with one taking place on the pre-show Buy-In. The main card includes Kenny Omega defending his AEW World Championship against Pac and Orange Cassidy in a Triple Threat Match. “The Icon” Sting and Darby Allin join forces to take on Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky. Hikaru Shida defends the title she has held for over a year against Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D., Lance Archer challenges Miro for his newly won TNT Championship, and The Pinnacle look to end The Inner Circle once and for all when they battle in the second ever Stadium Stampede match (this will be taped from TIAA Bank Field).

It is a night of high stakes. Bearing that in mind, these three superstars have to leave AEW Double or Nothing with the winner’s purse.

Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. is ready to win gold – she must end Hikura Shida’s historic run as AEW Women’s World Champion.

AEW’s self-professed “role model”, Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D.’s, ascension to number one contender for the Women’s World Championship has been a joy to watch; she is one of the highlights of Dynamite every time she is on the screen. Her value to the company was underlined when she was kept on-screen despite being confined to a wheelchair after suffering an interior tibia fracture last year.

While Baker is a great promo, she has also improved a lot in the ring, as seen in the brilliant main event Light Outs encounter with Thunder Rosa at St. Patrick’s Day Slam. The image of Baker wearing a crimson mask during that war has become iconic – it propelled her to stardom. Nobody talks about the real-life dentist losing to Rosa — that is the definition of looking strong in defeat.

Despite being a heel, Baker is cheered on television and has a big following on social media. Her popularity has sky rocked over the last 12 months. In wrestling, you have to strike while the iron is hot, and no other female in the industry is hotter than Baker right now. It is the right time for her to wear gold in AEW.

None of this is a shot at Shida, who has been a great champion since beating Nyla Rose at last year’s Double or Nothing, but she has beaten most of the women’s roster and is running out of adversaries. We need fresh matches from the women in AEW, and the best way of doing that is switching the title. Baker can face the likes of Kris Statlander, Red Velvet, and Rebel — the latter will grow tired of being pushed around by her boss eventually.

The master of the Lockjaw submission is more than ready to be the face of AEW’s women’s division. Her run will start by dethroning the longest reigning champion in the company’s history on Sunday.

Miro has looked great recently. He has to retain the AEW TNT Championship in his first title defence against Lance Archer.

It took a while, but Miro looks like the force AEW fans expected him to be when he made his Dynamite debut last September. He has finally been allowed to be himself. The pairing with Kip Sabian was not the best way to introduce him to the company. However, his brutal beat down of the Brit a month ago was a step in the right direction. He has been on fire since.

Miro’s resurgence was further helped when he beat Darby Allin for the AEW TNT Championship two weeks ago on Dynamite. Miro showed no remorse for Allin, who was not at 100 percent after being thrown down a flight of stairs by Ethan Page a week before; it was a ruthless display from “The Best Man”.

With Sabian and Allin in his rear view mirror, Lance Archer represents Miro’s biggest threat, figuratively and literally, since he joined the company. Archer interrupted his rival on the most recent episode of Dynamite — telling him their match will be like Godzilla Vs Kong and claimed he will be the next TNT champion. The “Murderhawk Monster” ended the segment by vowing to make Miro his “Bulgarian b****” at Double or Nothing.

Miro is unbeaten in singles competition in AEW and Archer has not lost a one-on-one match since January. This is a big deal, as these two are among the most protected stars in the company; something has to give.

AEW have done a great job of rebuilding Miro after a terrible last few years in WWE. They would undo all the hard work if he loses the title in his first defence. He must do whatever it takes to win.

A screwy finish would protect Archer while keeping the title on Miro. It would be counter-productive for the title to change hands so soon; Miro should be the face of the network for the foreseeable future.

Kenny Omega will find a way to fend off Pac and Orange Cassidy to successfully defend his AEW World Championship.

The rules of a Triple Threat Match mean Kenny Omega’s 180-day reign with the AEW World Championship is under threat, as he does not need to be involved in the fall to lose his most prized possession.

Orange Cassidy and Pac are number one and two in the latest AEW rankings — both could win the title at the pay-per-view.

Omega and PAC have a history together dating back to 2019 when they had their first match. The Death Triangle member made Omega pass out with the Brutalizer at All Out, while the “Best Bout Machine” was victorious in a titanic Iron Man match six months later. It is always special when they are in the ring together.

Omega has never faced Cassidy before but berated “Freshly Squeezed” at AEW Blood and Guts. He told the New Jersey native he would “never be championship material”, dubbed him the “mascot” of AEW, and laughed at the idea of him competing for the belt at Double or Nothing.

This has all the tools to be a great main event. Cassidy will keep the crowd engaged, Pac is a brilliant performer, and Omega does not have bad matches.

Omega is a polarizing figure in professional wrestling: some people like him, others cannot stand him. No matter your opinion of the “Belt Collector”, it is indisputable that he is one of the best in the business.

If something is not broken, there is no need to fix it. Since turning heel and winning the title last December, Omega has been at the top of his game. He has plenty more to do as the top man in AEW; he is just getting started.