The time has come for Double Or Nothing!
The movement that began with the successful ALL IN venture last September has led to the launch of the brand new All Elite Wrestling pro wrestling promotion, which presents its’ inaugural event, Double Or Nothing, under the AEW banner this weekend.
AEW Double Or Nothing goes down from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, May 25th. The card features a highly-anticipated lineup of some of the best matches that can be made without using talent currently signed to WWE.
Headlined by the “Alpha vs. Omega II” showdown between Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, AEW Double Or Nothing also features the brother versus brother battle years in the making between Cody Rhodes and Dustin Rhodes, The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Bros and much more.
The show kicks off at 7pm Eastern Time with a one hour pre-show titled “Buy-In,” which features the 21-Man Casino Battle Royale for a future shot at the AEW World Championship. The “Buy-In” pre-show will be available for free via the company’s official YouTube channel, and on Bleacher Report Live.
SEScoops.com writers Ian Carey, Andrew Ravens and Jeff Moss have prepared their predictions for each of the matches scheduled for Saturday night’s big event. Without further adieu, here are the SEScoops.com staff predictions for AEW Double Or Nothing.
Kip Sabian vs. Sammy Guevara (Pre-Show)
Ian Carey: On BTE as of late, it’s become clear that nobody (not even his mother) likes Sammy Guevara. He’s still going to beat Kip Sabian on the pre-show, however. Guevara is the AAA Cruiserweight Champion and will likely be featured prominently in AEW. (Prediction: Sammy Guevara)
Andrew Ravens: Here’s a prime time example of a sleeper match that not many people know of these two guys but Guevara is an extremely talented wrestler who could do some amazing things in AEW. I have Guevara going over. (Prediction: Sammy Guevara)
Jeff Moss: Pre-show? A Cruiserwieght Champion on the PRE-SHOW? You said AEW was going to be DIFFERENT, Cody!! Just kidding of course, you gotta have a pre-show these days and as pre-show matches go, this one ain’t too shabby. Before this match was announced, I wasn’t super familiar with these guys (Though Ian informs me that Guevara is really popular on BTE), but some quick Youtube research shows that they can both go. With Guevara being a champion in AAA, logically he should take this. (Prediction: Sammy Guevara)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Sammy Guevara
21-Man Casino Battle Royale (Pre-Show)
Ian: The winner of this match will face the winner of Omega vs. Jericho to crown the first-ever AEW World Champion. This means the person who wins is someone AEW would have to be comfortable putting in a main event against a top star. Shawn Spears strikes me as someone who could be in that position. Either that or it will be somebody yet to be announced. (Prediction: Shawn Spears)
Andrew: I expect to see some surprises in this match come bell time and the biggest surprise in this contest is likely the winner but no big names come to mind at this time. Thus, with that being said, I actually have MJF winning it here. MJF is someone to keep an eye on and I can’t wait to see how he progresses under the AEW banner as he has the potential to become a top guy. (Prediction: MJF)
Jeff: First off, let me just say I LOVE this concept. It’s a great freshening-up of a classic concept, which is what I hope AEW brings to the table across the board. That said, it’s hard to pick a winner (especially since all the participants haven’t been announced yet). This match should be really fun, with lots of surprises and while my heart wants fellow Canadian Shawn Spears to be the winner, I’d say a more likely candidate is Joey Janela. Janela has the indie crew and vibe to make a good foil for Omega over the AEW title later. Spears should be one of the final men left standing though. I also would not say no to a Glacier victory. (Prediction: Joey Janela)
CONSENSUS: Various (Shawn Spears – 1, MJF – 1, Joey Janela – 1)
Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki & Emi Sakura vs. Hikaru Shida, Riho & Ryo Mizunami
Ian: Look for Aja Kong to be the star of this match. This match will look to showcase the Joshi style of wrestling but in the end, it will be Aja Kong who fans remember and who is given more high-profile matches moving forward. (Prediction: Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki & Emi Sakura)
Andrew: Out of all of the matches on this stacked card, I think this will be the bathroom match as I’m not sure how many fans know of these talents, which is fine considering their backgrounds. It’s a toss-up so I’m taking Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki & Emi Sakura. (Prediction: Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki & Emi Sakura)
Jeff: Much like the three-way dance on the card, this match is going to go a long way to defining what the women’s division in AEW looks like. While I’m not a huge fan of the fact both women’s matches are multi-person deals, this does give a lot of women the chance to show off what they can do on a large scale. I’d expect the winner to be Aja Kong’s team, with Kong going on to feud with Baker over a title in the future. (Prediction: Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki & Emi Sakura)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki & Emi Sakura
Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose vs. Kylie Rae
Ian: This one is tough. Kylie Rae will be the wrestler pinned or submitted, it really comes down to whether Baker or Rose gets the win. Baker seems like she’ll be a featured performer but Rose feels like someone they don’t want to beat too early. I’ll go with Nyla Rose on this one but I wouldn’t be shocked if Baker pulls out the win either. (Prediction: Nyla Rose)
Andrew: This is one of the matches I am most looking forward to seeing as Baker and Rae are some of the best prospects in women’s wrestling today. I can easily see AEW building around Baker as their women’s champion thus I have her winning here. (Prediction: Britt Baker)
Jeff: Britt Baker seems like the centrepiece of the AEW women’s roster going forward, so since this is their first chance to shine I expect this match to be an awesome effort from all involved, but Baker takes it in the end. That sets her up as the woman to beat and gives strong motivation to the rest of the division. (Prediction: Britt Baker)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Britt Baker
Best Friends vs. Angelico & Jack Evans
Ian: Angelico and Jack Evans are extremely talented but I have to put my money on the Best Friends here based on how much time they’ve been given on BTE. Beyond their signing being announced, we haven’t seen much of Angelico and Evans but the Best Friends have been involved in an angle with the Bucks, blackmailing them to put them on the main show. (Prediction: Best Friends)
Andrew: This match isn’t getting a lot of buzz and it should as all four talents are very good performers. Based on their success in NJPW, I would have to favor Best Friends to get the win here but if these teams feud moving forward, I could see an upset. (Prediction: Best Friends)
Jeff: I love Angelico. I love Jack Evans. But Best Friends, they are not. I see the more established team winning this one, but long-term, everyone wins because it’ll establish two great tag teams for AEW to use going forward. Should be a high-flying fun match though! (Prediction: Best Friends)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Best Friends
SoCal Uncensored vs. Strong Hearts
Ian: SCU got the win over an OWE team when they visited China recently but I feel like the Strong Hearts could pull out the win in Las Vegas. AEW’s association with OWE was one of the first things announced by AEW. I feel as though having the OWE team lose on the first PPV won’t be something they decide to do. (Prediction: Strong Hearts)
Andrew: An interesting match that should be fun and the winner and loser here doesn’t really matter as I think it’s a one and done feud. I have SoCal Uncensored going over. (Prediction: SoCal Uncensored)
Jeff: This is going to be a really fun match, but in the end probably isn’t going to mean much, long term story wise. I see the Strong Hearts taking it here if only to further cement the AEW/OWE relationship. (Prediction: Strong Hearts)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Strong Hearts
The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Bros
Ian: I’m expecting to be the only person on the panel to predict this but I think the Bucks are losing at Double or Nothing. The Bucks beat the Lucha Bros for the titles in Mexico so if they beat them again in Double or Nothing, where do you go from there? It would knock Pentagon and Fenix out of the title picture in the eyes of fans and I don’t think that’s where AEW wants them to be. (Prediction: The Lucha Bros)
Andrew: I have gone back and forth on this one as either team could win. Since the AAA Tag Team Titles are on the line and Lucha Bros have more of a connection with the promotion, I have them winning the titles. This should be the top feud in the tag team division once AEW stars airing on TNT. (Prediction: The Lucha Bros)
Jeff: It’s still super weird to me as a new-to-the-indies wresting watcher to see another promotions titles on the line at an AEW event, but in a way that brings it a pretty fresh new wrinkle, for me at least. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the Lucha Bros work and I’m really looking forward to it. Picking a winner though, I’d say that the AEW Executives in matches at Double or Nothing are likely to take losses at this first event so that they don’t look like they are booking themselves to win. So the Lucha Bros will take the match and titles here. (Prediction: The Lucha Bros)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, The Lucha Bros
Adam “Hangman” Page vs. TBD
Ian: It has to be Moxley, right? Granted, he’s filming a movie right now and might not be available. AEW has said they have a replacement for PAC and it is evidently a good enough surprise that they are saving it for the show. It has to be someone big or it will receive a large groan in response. If it’s not Moxley, I don’t know who could fill that role. Assuming it’s Moxley, he should take the win. (Prediction: Jon Moxley)
Andrew: It will be interesting to see who they get to be Page’s opponent. While it would be a great surprise, I don’t see CM Punk or Dean Ambrose making an appearance on this show. Instead, and this is purely a guess, I think Joey Ryan is his opponent and goes over on Page. (Prediction: Joey Ryan)
Jeff: Lots of rumours about this match. With PAC off the card, they’ve apparently lined up a replacement worthy of a surprise entrance. Jon Moxley? Maybe. CM Punk? Highly unlikely. The Repo Man? My money’s ALWAYS on the Repo Man. In truth though, if the surprise opponent is big enough to be a surprise, they either a) have no one yet or b) have someone big enough that they should win. The Page/PAC plans are scuttled, so Page can take a loss here and not look too bad while they build something else for him to do. (Prediction: TBD)
CONSENSUS: Various (Jon Moxley – 1, Joey Ryan – 1, TBD – 1)
Cody vs. Dustin
Ian: This should be interesting as I’m expecting there to be a story told in the match which leads to future matches. It could lead to Cody and Dustin reforming their tag-team or it could lead to a rivalry between the two. Cody should win, however. In the eyes of the fans, both are babyfaces, though Cody walks the line a little sometimes. Either of the two turning full-blown heel throughout the course of the match is entirely possible.
(Prediction: Cody)
Andrew: This should be the easiest pick on the card as there’s no reason to have Dustin go over here. Cody is the future while Dustin is the past. I also think Dustin will serve as an agent for the promotion going forward. (Prediction: Cody)
Jeff: I have been a life-long fan of the Rhodes family, so this is a bit of a dream match for me. I especially like that there’s no gimmicks, no personas or characters beyond just being Dustin and Cody. It’s a beautiful story too about the future of wrestling meeting the past, passing of the torches and all that. Dusty is going to look down on his one and be pretty happy, I think. As far as winner goes, I think Cody takes. Both Rhodes boys have decent arguments for a win, but I think it will be a long, back and forth match, with Cody taking the W. (Prediction: Cody)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Cody
Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega
Ian: Chris Jericho is going to be the top heel in the promotion for the near-future. He will beat Kenny Omega at Double or Nothing to even the series between the two. Since Jericho lost to Omega in the Tokyo Dome and will likely lose to Kazuchika Okada at Dominion next month, a big win would be key for him and I think he’s going to get it. (Prediction: Chris Jericho)
Andrew: I’m not sure if this match will live up to the expectations that fans have for it but at the end of the day, it’s going to be a great match. I do wonder what the finish will be as they can easily visit this feud down the line. I think it would be a mistake if Jericho won here as Omega should be the first AEW champion crowned. (Prediction: Kenny Omega)
Jeff: I don’t know how you pick a “Match of The Night” with a card this stacked, but I’d say this one makes it into the conversation in a walk. Omega is quickly becoming Jericho’s white whale, having lost to him in singles competition at WK12 and then in a 6-Man match on the Jericho Cruise. The winner of this match faces the Casino Battle Royal winner for the AEW Championship at a later date. Jericho is somehow at almost 50, doing the best work of his career, but Omega was born-ready to be AEW Champion. I see Kenny taking this one, winning the title later, or losing it via Jericho to continue their feud. (Prediction: Kenny Omega)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Kenny Omega
What do you think of the above AEW Double Or Nothing predictions? Let us know by sounding off in the Comments section below, and make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com on Saturday evening for live play-by-play results coverage of the show!