Welcome to our coverage of AEW Double or Nothing from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.
Wai Ting and I will be LIVE immediately after the show with our Double or Nothing POST Show. Double Double, Iced Capp & Espresso members of the POST Wrestling Café can listen & watch the POST Show and call into the show.
RESULTS
*Best Friends over Private Party in 15:13
*Brian Cage win the Casino Ladder Match in 28:28
*MJF over Jungle Boy in 17:25
*Cody over Lance Archer in 21:09 to become the TNT champion
*Kris Statlander over Penelope Ford in 8:08
*Dustin Rhodes over Shawn Spears in 4:10
*Hikaru Shida over Nyla Rose in 16:47 to win the AEW women’s title
*Jon Moxley over Brodie Lee in 15:28 to retain the AEW title
*The Elite over The Inner Circle in the Stadium Stampede
The Buy-In pre-show was hosted by Excalibur and Taz.
Tony Schiavone interviewed Jake Roberts as Lance Archer was hitting the tire with a sledgehammer in an abandoned garage. Archer destroyed a toilet to signal his readiness for Cody.
PRIVATE PARTY VS BEST FRIENDS IN A #1 CONTENDER’S MATCH
During an exchange, Trent lost his headband that the announcers stated was a first.
Private Party went for Silly String and it was messed up as Isiah Kassidy came down with Trent. Marq Quen took Trent’s headband and put it on.
Trent hit a superplex to Quen while seated on Taylor’s shoulders. They had the heat on Quen until he landed a dropkick out of the corner and tagged Kassidy. Private Party tried to double-team Trent, who caught Kassidy on a maneuver and hit a suplex.
Kassidy held Trent down as Quen stood on his back and hit a standing shooting star. Private Party hit the G9 on Taylor as a tribute to Shad Gaspard.
Taylor ran Kassidy into the post, and Best Friends hit Strong Zero on Quen for the win.
WINNERS: Best Friends at 15:13
This was a very good tag match to start off the show with a few hiccups throughout the match when it came to fluidity and timing but on the whole, this worked well. Private Party can be hit or miss when it comes to their double-team maneuvers but had a great team to work off.
Tony Schiavone spoke with Arn Anderson and said toilets don’t hit back but Cody does. He goes through the ‘what-ifs’ tonight with Roberts, Anderson, and Mike Tyson out there tonight. Dusty Rhodes’ legacy will live on forever and part of that is through Cody but Cody has started his own legacy and doesn’t doubt he will win the ‘big one’ tonight.
Jim Ross made his entrance for the pay-per-view portion.
The show began with the talent thanking the first responders – babyfaces, and heels out of character. There was also a graphic for Shad Gaspard.
Joey Janela cut a promo about replacing Rey Fenix in the Casino Ladder Match.
Kip Sabian said the ladder is no disqualification and brings up whether Jimmy Havoc or Penelope Ford could get involved.
Christopher Daniels said the match is all about opportunity and lots of talent is in the match, but experience belongs to Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky. A win for either of them is a win for SCU.
Best Friends explain the concept to Orange Cassidy, and they’ll all be champions.
CASINO LADDER MATCH
The first entrant is Frankie Kazarian and wore an armband for Shad Gaspard.
The second entrant is Scorpio Sky.
The clock appears on the screen with a new member joining every 2:00.
The two abandoned the ladders and just had a match.
3. Kip Sabian w/ Penelope Ford
Jimmy Havoc appeared from behind Kazarian and Sky and hit them with a ladder. Havoc just became part of the match and took a German suplex onto the ladder by Kazarian.
4. Darby Allin
Allin pulled the guardrails out and set up a ladder as a bridge between it and the ring. Allin went up a tall ladder with the skateboard and came off driving the skateboard through the ladder and smashed his left shin.
5. Orange Cassidy
Cassidy came over to the broadcasters and asked how to win the match and seemed annoyed. He took almost an entire minute to get into the ring and then did comedy by reaching for the chip from the mat.
6. Colt Cabana
Cabana shoves Cassidy out of the ring and sets up the ladder to climb. He`s stopped by Kip Sabian and SCU tips the ladder.
7. Joey Janela
Janela ran out and did a cannonball off the stage onto SCU and then leaped over the guardrail onto Sabian before taking Havoc down. He entered the ring with a missile dropkick on Cabana.
8. Luchasaurus
Luchasaurus lifted Sabian and powerbombed him to everyone on the floor. He hit Kazarian with a chokeslam onto a ladder. Allin returned and hit a Code Red off the middle rope to Luchasaurus.
9. Brian Cage
Taz walked out followed by Brian Cage, who broke a ladder in his hands. Cage immediately went after Allin and spun him off the shoulders they called an F-5000.
Cage climbs the ladder with Cassidy holding onto his back, the rest try to pull them down and it takes everyone to overpower Cage. The buried Cage under the barricade, ladders, and a giant poker chip.
Cassidy and Sabian fought on the ladder when Penelope Ford came out. Sabian was knocked down, so Ford climbed and was stopped by Cassidy, who dropped her, and she landed on Sabian on a ladder on the mat. Havoc grabbed Cassidy off the ladder as Best Friends attacked him.
Marko Stunt came in with a mini ladder and did an assisted choke slam with Luchasaurus to Cassidy. Kazarian flipped over the ladder and appeared to be going for a ‘rana to Luchasaurus that didn’t work out. Janela then drove Cassidy off the apron with a DVD onto the giant poker chip with Cage underneath.
Sky and Kazarian fought on the ladder for the chip and were dumped off by Luchasaurus. Cage emerged from under the rubble.
Cage and Luchasaurus did a big athletic sequence ending with a powerbomb to Luchasaurus onto a ladder. Cage hit Allin with the Drill Claw and Taz returned.
Cage placed Allin on top of a ladder, military pressed it, and dumped Allin to the floor before grabbing the poker chip.
WINNER: Brian Cage at 28:28
In terms of introducing a new player and establishing him as a top guy for a future title program, this came off effective.
There were numerous spots that were insane with the most dangerous reserved for Allin.
Taz was screaming into the camera and it’s a new way to position Taz as the heel manager.
Overall, a pretty good ladder match and would come down to your preference for comedy spots, as there were plenty in this but overall, there was a lot of creativity but also a long match clocking in at close to thirty minutes.
MJF w/ Wardlow VS JUNGLE BOY
Jim Ross mentioned that Luke Perry, the father of Jungle Boy, was a producer on Ric Flair’s 30 for 30 special on ESPN.
MJF grabbed his balls staring at Jungle Boy that Schiavone called ‘sick’ and Ross stated it was ‘blasphemous’.
They got tied up and balanced on their heads exchanging slaps that was a cool spot.
MJF went into the corner and his knee buckled. Dr. Michael Sampson came into the ring and he popped up to attack Jungle Boy from behind.
MJF attacked his arm and used an arm ringer sending him into the corner. He yelled that Jungle Boy was not on his level. Jungle Boy fought back and landed a series of successive dives while favoring the left arm. Excalibur notes he is right-handed, and his left arm will be his lead arm from the Orthodox stance.
MJF hit a discus forearm, Jungle Boy came back with a Destroyer and then applied a crossface but couldn’t hold onto the grip. MJF bit the hand to get free.
Onto the edge of the apron, Jungle Boy hit a reverse ‘rana and MJF took a bump on the floor.
MJF was set up in the corner, Jungle Boy was on top as MJF grabbed Aubrey Edwards and led to her shaking the rope and Jungle Boy fell. He recovered to hit a sit-out powerbomb off the middle turnbuckle to MJF for a two-count.
MJF is elbowing the bad arm and they go into a series of roll-ups ending with MJF catching him with a version of the European Clutch to win.
WINNER: MJF at 17:25
This was a solid match and one of the best performances either has had at AEW. MJF had all the poise of a top heel and they teased the time limit effectively. I enjoyed this a lot, and both came out with big performances on a big stage.
CODY VS LANCE ARCHER FOR THE TNT CHAMPIONSHIP
Mike Tyson brought out the TNT Championship and then Archer stormed out of the back alongside Jake Roberts as Archer killed a dude while Tyson was flabbergasted.
They explained the title belt is not finished and still requires some gold plating.
Archer nearly finished Cody immediately but Cody rolled to the floor. He went for the EBD Claw and Cody took the arm for a submission but was quickly broken. The Cody Cutter was met with the Pounce as Archer came off the ropes.
Cody was tossed from the stands onto the ringside area. Archer did the rope walk into the moonsault that they dubbed the Murderhawk Moonsault.
Archer military press slammed Cody over the post in the corner to the floor.
They cut to Tyson who appeared to be in the middle of yawning.
Cody is being dominated until catching him in a crossface and wrapping one of his braids around his face, which causes Bryce Remsburg to break it. Cody hit a DDT to Archer right in front of Roberts.
Cody did the Bionic Elbow and Final Reckoning as tributes to his father and brother before Cross Rhodes, but Archer kicks out. He followed with a Stinger Splash.
Archer walked the ropes as Roberts was dealing with Remsburg and Anderson knocked Archer off balance. Cody hit a reverse superplex that looked nasty the way Archer landed. Paul Turner ran out and informed Remsburg about Anderson’s involvement and Tyson confirms it leading to Anderson being ejected as well as Roberts.
Roberts came back with the snake and Tyson stood up to him and removed his shirt.
Blackout was blocked and Cody hit two Cross Rhodes to win the match and title.
WINNER: Cody in 21:09 to become the TNT Champion
Tyson presented the title to him.
It was a long match and probably would have been better served to be shorter especially with the length of the matches that came earlier.
The match was good but nothing significant involving Tyson, which most probably assumed he would have a larger role in.
Alex Marvez interviewed Dr. Michael Sampson, who said Baker has a significant injury and listed off the issues and Baker will announce this Wednesday when she will return.
Alex Marvez interviewed Dr. Michael Sampson, who said Baker has a significant injury and listed off the issues and Baker will announce this Wednesday when she will return.
PENELOPE FORD VS KRIS STATLANDER
Kip Sabian came out on crutches with his knee taped.
Statalander took her down and did cartwheels around the ring. Ford grabbed her finger and tried to bite it.
Statlander hit a suicide dive onto Ford and Sabian and nearly crashed into the guardrail.
Ford did the Matrix maneuver and hit a stunner. Ford came off the turnbuckle with a messy huracanrana. Ford went for a handspring and was caught off the ropes, hit with a slam and Big Bang Theory to win.
WINNER: Kris Statlander in 8:08
More than anything, I felt this match struggled in its placement on the card following a series of long matches and was a cold match coming in. This was a much better performance for Statlander than lately. They did the best with what they had for a match with no story and a replacement on 24 hours notice.
Shawn Spears walked out in a suit and asks where Dustin Rhodes is? He says he’s at home washing at his tights and then Rhodes’ music began to play but he didn’t come out. Spears said it was a ploy as he laughs. He wants Aubrey Edwards to ring the bell and start the count, then the music re-started and Brandi Rhodes walked out.
Dustin appeared from behind Spears and he attacked Spears.
SHAWN SPEARS VS DUSTIN RHODES
Rhodes attacked him and tore his dress shirt off. Spears cut him off and took his belt off, but Rhodes stopped him and hit the powerslam. Rhodes continues to strip Spears and was down to his underwear.
He has a picture of Tully Blanchard on his crotch.
Rhodes hit the Final Reckoning to win the match.
WINNER: Dustin Rhodes in 4:10
It was an excuse to have Rhodes on the card and allow him a decisive win. It was short and that’s about the strongest aspect to it. This felt very thrown together on this past week’s Dynamite episode and it was hard to really care about this beyond one promo from Spears.
They announced that ‘All Out’ will take place on Saturday, September 5th.
There was a graphic to pay tribute to Hana Kimura. Excalibur called it a ‘senseless and stupid thing’ and instructed people to be nicer to everyone.
NYLA ROSE VS HIKARU SHIDA IN A NO DQ, NO COUNTOUT MATCH FOR THE AEW WOMEN’S TITLE
Rose began with the match with her kendo stick. Shida quickly took control of the kendo stick.
On the floor, Rose pressed her in the air and put her through a poker table and attacked further. Shida had her moments on offense but it was always Rose with the upper hand during the first portion of the match.
Shida hit a knee strike to the back of the head and went over to the large poker chips. Shida hip tossed Rose onto the chips and then launched off the poker chips with a flying knee to Rose who was leaning against another poker chip. Shida began to use the kendo stick and hit a suplex on top of it for a two-count.
Rose caught her with a power slam and a flying knee off the top with Shida draped on top. Rose introduced a table and it was placed in the corner. They battled and it ended with a powerbomb to Shida through the table for a two-count.
The match is dragging by this point and they did peak a few minutes ago.
Shida hit an Avalanche Falcon Arrow off the top for a near fall, went for the running knee, and was hit with the kendo stick, roared back, and hit another that Rose kicked out from. Then, she hit another running knee strike for the victory.
WINNER: Hikaru Shida in 16:47 to win the AEW women’s title
Shida had a great performance throughout and this was also one of Rose’s better matches. I felt this went too long with elongated kick-out sequences that didn’t seem necessary and wasn’t like you had a large crowd popping loudly for each successive kick out. The brawling was strong and Shida had outstanding fire.
The announcers gave a wonderful speech about everyone in wrestling being part of a family and noting the entire period people are going through and a very difficult week, this was so classy and nice to add as part of the show with a kind message.
JON MOXLEY VS BRODIE LEE FOR THE AEW CHAMPIONSHIP
There was a wall of security in the ring to separate the sides until the bell rang. Lee held the title in front of Moxley as security remained inside the ring.
Lee took over on the floor and after hitting a vertical suplex to Moxley. They fought ringside and Schiavone noted that Paul Turner was giving ‘a lot of leeway’.
Moxley set up the steps by the timekeeper’s area and then each went for a running dropkick on the floor with Harper landing his first. Harper lifted him onto the steps and Moxley back body dropped him into the timekeeper’s equipment.
Moxley was caught on the floor and took a half-nelson suplex into the display cards that were set up ringside.
They made their way onto the stage and Moxley tossed a poker chip at him that they said was made of fiberglass. Moxley hit a Paradigm Shift and both crashed through the ramp. Officials were out to check on them as Moxley emerged out of the hole followed by Lee, who was bloody.
A discus lariat was countered with the Paradigm Shift and Lee kicked out at one. Moxley attacked the cut and threw knees, hit another Paradigm Shift for a two-count. He applied a bulldog choke and turned to a rear-naked choke and Lee went out.
WINNER: Jon Moxley at 15:28 to retain the AEW title
This was a very physical match and had to overcome being late in the show without a crowd and I thought they did it. The last five minutes were very strong with a sprint to the finish from the time the two went through the stage. They went to great lengths to protect Lee as a monster.
THE INNER CIRCLE VS THE ELITE IN THE STADIUM STAMPEDE
The members of The Inner Circle came out with team jerseys with elaborate entrances voiced by Justin Roberts. The Jaguars’ cheerleaders (who wore masks) and band players were there along with onlookers.
Matt Jackson’s ribs were taped. The Elite was out without Hangman Page and then the two sides charged at each other and fought on the field.
Hangman Page appeared on a horse and chased down Guevara on it off the field.
The remaining participants took turns in the ring set up at the 50-yard line.
Guevara returned and hit a shooting star press off the top turnbuckle to the members on the field. The announcers said the truck told them they had 18 cameras for this.
The Young Bucks set up a ladder by the goal post with Matt climbing onto it and hit a praying moonsault onto Jericho and Guevara.
They cut to Page inside the building on his horse searching for Guevara. Hew hopped off the horse to go to the bar.
Santana & Ortiz threw salt into Omega’s eyes in the rally zone and power bombed him through a table on the concrete. Matt Hardy was there and started fighting with them, they took Hardy to a pool and tossed him into it. Santana jumped in but Ortiz can’t swim, and they tried to drown Hardy. Hardy popped up as his 1998 version followed by his 2003 character complete with a ‘Matt-er of Fact’ or Matt Fact. This was great.
Matt rang the giant bell with Ortiz’s ears ringing. Matt taped him to a wheelchair and then sent Santana into an icebox and locked it shut.
Hager met Page at the bar, they had a drink, and then they fought. Page did some impressive spots in a bar and then took a uranage onto a pool table. Hager set him down on the bar and dragged him across the bar to the floor and a gut wrench through a table. Omega came to his aid and broke a bottle on Hager’s head that he no-sold. They broke several more bottles over his head followed by a Buckshot Lariat sending Hager over the bar. They had a drink of whiskey and milk.
Matt did the rolling Northern Lights to Guevara on the field, they cut back, and they were mid-way down the field. They returned and had gone the length of the field, got a touchdown and spiked Guevara. He got a penalty from Rick Knox for an excessive celebration and he hit Knox with a superkick.
Jaxson Deville the mascot got into Jericho’s face and was hit with the Judas Effect. Jericho grabbed Floyd and attacked Nick with it. Jericho threw down a flag and wants a replay as Aubrey Edwards views the replay and rules it was a two-count.
Nick ran down the stadium steps and leaped off the bleachers to splash Jericho through a table. Page used the line marker to run over Jericho with it.
The sprinklers went off on Guevara on the field. He thinks he is the winner of the match when Hardy and Omega pull up in a golf cart as Guevara turns around to see them and he starts sprinting. They chase Guevera into the stands and get onto a platform as they surround him.
Neo 1 (The Natural Electronic Organism) entered the stadium, Omega lifted Guevara and hit the One-Winged Angel off the platform and take a huge fall and Omega pins Guevara to win.
WINNERS: The Elite