AEW’s fifth annual Double or Nothing pay-per-view takes place tonight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show will see all six of AEW’s championships be defended, with the main event being a “Four Pillars” four-way match between AEW World Champion MJF, Darby Allin, “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry and Sammy Guevara. Other big matches on the card include an eight-man Anarchy in the Arena Match between The Blackpool Combat Club and The Elite, a Ladder Match for the TNT Championship and a 21-man battle royal for Orange Cassidy’s AEW International Championship.
But how many titles will change hands during the show? Which matches will help set the stage for the AEW Collision premiere next month? We’ve assembled ComicBook’s wrestling writers to break down all of these questions and more!
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Since MJF Clearly Isn’t Losing, Let’s Ask The Real Question — Between Darby, Jungle Boy and Sammy, Who Will Eventually Win the World Title Next?
Connor Casey: I don’t think Sammy will ever reach that level. His last babyface run was pretty disastrous and the heel side of AEW’s roster is too crowded for him to ascend past guys like Max, Jay White and Adam Cole (let’s be honest, they’ll turn him back eventually). Jungle Boy has the potential but his character work needs to find a new gear, something that might come with age. I absolutely see Darby eventually winning as a fan-favorite babyface similar to how Jeff Hardy eventually captured the WWE Championship.
Matt Aguilar: Out of the pillars, I’d put the money on Darby Allin for the reasons Connor alluded to. He’s beloved in AEW and is the only one of the four that has continued to have significant momentum even in average feuds. He always shines in matches and could take the Title tomorrow and it would feel like a natural fit.
Charlie Ridgely: Darby makes the most sense and I can’t really argue with Connor or Matt. But I think Jungle Boy has the highest ceiling of the three in terms of a champion. He’s gotten better on the mic and is always great in the ring. Realistically I don’t see any one of them getting the World Championship any time soon.
Liam Crowley: Darby is the only one from this bunch that feels decently close to main event status. He was flirting with it during his amazing TNT Title run but has lost significant steam since. Sammy has loads of potential but still needs to figure out exactly who he is, as he currently is experiencing Austin Theory-esque growing painss (solid heel, but I don’t fully believe what he is doing). Jack is unfortunately years away from this spot.
Will CM Punk Make Any Kind of Appearance During the Show?
Connor: I could see them trying to mirror the final moments from last year’s All Out by having Punk interrupt MJF’s victory celebration after the main event, but I also think they want to keep Punk away from the world title after the mess that was 2022. If he does come back before that Collision premiere, it’ll be on Dynamite.
Matt: At this point, just keep him off TV until Collision. That show is picking up steam in ticket sales because of the fact that Punk is expected to be there. Let that be the case and give those fans that payoff. It will be far more effective than a quick end pop in the final moments of Sunday’s pay-per-view.
Charlie: My tin foil hat theory for a couple of weeks now is Punk showing up in the Battle Royale and taking the International Championship from Orange Cassidy. OC has had one of the best title defense runs in AEW and he’s elevated that International Championship to serious heights. That belt means something and I could CM Punk rolling up to the first Collision with it around his waist.
Liam: FTR hit joint GTS’s on Jarrett and Lethal for the 1-2-3.
BCC or The Elite — Who Ya Got?
Connor: BCC will win this one, probably with outside interference from somebody like Don Callis or Konosuke Takeshita (that heel turn is coming!). That’ll set the stage for a Blood & Guts match between both factions and might be what finally gets Kota Ibushi to hop over to AEW.
Matt: I’ll go with BCC winning this one. This is the perfect arena (no pun intended) to get a cheating heel win, though it would be nice for a returning Page to help them get a win.
Charlie: It could really go either way, but I’m leaning toward the Elite. The whole Don Callis thing provides the opportunity to set a real fire under Omega, and I think the whole reunion with Hangman is just too good.
Liam: The Elite have not won a match on PPV since returning in November. While they need the victory more, the only way to run this feud back for a potential Blood & Guts match is to have the heels win. I’m split on this, but I will ultimately go with BCC due to some shenanigans.
It Sounds Like Jamie Hayter is Injured. How Should AEW Handle the Women’s World Title Match?
Connor: My first inclination is to say put Baker in there, but she’s dealing with her own injuries and hasn’t wrestled a televised singles match since December. I would have Shida step in for Jamie but have Storm still win the title back.
Matt: Man this situation sucks. I really don’t want Hayter to lose the Title this way, even if it is to Storm. If she is going to be out for more than a week or two, it would be necessary though, as I definitely do not want a repeat of the Interim nonsense that plagued both World Championships last year. Shida vs Storm would rule, and it would be fantastic for Storm to get another run with the Title without any interim labels attached.
Charlie: I don’t care if they’re in the same faction, let Storm and Ruby wrestle for it. Do whatever you have to do to make it make sense with the story and with the logistics of the championship itself.
Liam: ANYTHING BUT CROWN AN INTERIM CHAMPION.
Is This Where Jade Cargill’s Title Reign Ends?
Connor: This is the first time in a while where I can honestly say a championship is holding somebody back. Jade has all the makings of a megastar but her undefeated streak and title reign seem to be preventing her from getting booked in any meaningful storylines. I know folks are hoping Kris Statlander will come back and dethrone her, but at this point, I’m more than fine with Taya taking the title.
Matt: After all this time, this is really the first time that Jade feels vulnerable to being dethroned. I’d love for the person taking the title to be someone who has been around AEW for a bit longer than Valkyrie, but there haven’t been any real challengers to that title setup at this point other than Valkyrie. I could still see Cargill retaining, but if a title is going to change hands, it could very well be the TBS Championship.
Charlie: If not now, when? If not to Taya, who? With Willow winning in NJPW, and presumably needing to spend some time defending that, Taya feels like the only legitimate contender for a while. Plus, a Taya victory wouldn’t cheapen Jade’s reign.
Liam: No. Challengers need to be built up, and Taya debuting by immediately setting her sights on the TBS Title has not done it for me. AEW has run into this problem way too often (Brian Cage, Ruby Soho, etc) and it ultimately hurts the challenger because they are being forced to take a loss early in their run or are winning a championship far before the crowd is truly behind them. Pulling for a Jade victory and an end to this booking black hole.
Name Your Big Three Matches for Forbidden Door 2023
Connor: Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay II, FTR vs. Lucha Bros vs. Whoever Wins the IWGP Tag Titles at Dominion, Mercedes Mone vs. Athena
Matt: Mercedes Mone (if healthy) vs Jamie Hayter (if healthy), KENTA vs. CM Punk, Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay
Charlie: Hangman Page vs. Will Ospreay, Ishii, Tanahashi & Okada vs. FTR & CM Punk, Willow Nightengale vs. Hikaru Shida
Liam: Omega vs. Ospreay II, Jon Moxley vs. Kazuchika Okada, Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Predictions
Connor:
- AEW World Championship: MJF def. Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara and “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry
- AEW World Tag Team Championships: FTR def. Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal (Mark Briscoe as Special Guest Referee)
- AEW Women’s World Championship: Toni Storm def. Jamie Hayter
- AEW TNT Championship: Wardlow def. Christian Cage (Ladder Match)
- AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy retains
- AEW TBS Championship: Taya Valkyrie def. Jade Cargill
- Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta) def. The Elite (Kenny Omega, “Hangman” Adam Page, The Young Bucks) (Anarchy in the Arena Match)
- The Hardys & Hook def. Ethan Page & The Gunns
- Adam Cole def. Chris Jericho (Unsanctioned Match)
Matt:
- AEW World Championship: MJF def. Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara vs. “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry
- AEW World Tag Team Championships: FTR def. Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal (Mark Briscoe as Special Guest Referee)
- AEW Women’s World Championship: Jamie Hayter def. Toni Storm (or Storm def. Shida)
- AEW TNT Championship: Wardlow def. Christian Cage (Ladder Match)
- AEW International Championship: 21-Man Blackjack Battle Royal (Orange Cassidy, Powerhouse Hobbs, QT Marshall, Aaron Solo, TBA)
- AEW TBS Championship: Taya Valkyrie def. Jade Cargill
- Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta) def. The Elite (Kenny Omega, “Hangman” Adam Page, The Young Bucks) (Anarchy in the Arena Match)
- The Hardys & Hook def. Ethan Page & The Gunns
- Adam Cole def. Chris Jericho (Unsanctioned Match)
Charlie:
- AEW World Championship: MJF def. Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara vs. “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry
- AEW World Tag Team Championships: FTR def. Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal (Mark Briscoe as Special Guest Referee)
- AEW Women’s World Championship: Toni Storm def. Jamie Hayter
- AEW TNT Championship: Christian Cage def. Wardlow (Ladder Match)
- AEW International Championship: CM Punk wins 21-Man Blackjack Battle Royal (Orange Cassidy, Powerhouse Hobbs, QT Marshall, Aaron Solo, TBA)
- AEW TBS Championship: Taya Valkyrie def. Jade Cargill
- The Elite (Kenny Omega, “Hangman” Adam Page, The Young Bucks) def. Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta) (Anarchy in the Arena Match)
- The Hardys & Hook def. Ethan Page & The Gunns
- Adam Cole def. Chris Jericho (Unsanctioned Match)
Liam:
- AEW World Championship: MJF def. Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara vs. “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry
- AEW World Tag Team Championships: FTR def. Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal (Mark Briscoe as Special Guest Referee)
- AEW Women’s World Championship: Toni Storm def. Jamie Hayter
- AEW TNT Championship: Wardlow def. Christian Cage (Ladder Match)
- AEW International Championship: Jay White wins
- AEW TBS Championship: Jade Cargill def. Taya Valkyrie
- Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta) (Anarchy in the Arena Match) def. The Elite (Kenny Omega, “Hangman” Adam Page, The Young Bucks)
- The Hardys & Hook def. Ethan Page & The Gunns
- Adam Cole def. Chris Jericho (Unsanctioned Match)
