Double or Nothing (2020)

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Double or Nothing
TIAA Bank Field
Attendance0 (behind closed doors)[Note 1]
Buy rate115,000–120,000[2]
Pay-per-view chronology
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Double or Nothing chronology
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2019
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2021

The 2020 Double or Nothing was the second annual

FITE TV
internationally.

The event was originally scheduled to take place at the

amphitheater adjacent to TIAA Bank Field—while the main event match took place in the stadium itself, subsequently being the first AEW event to take place in a stadium
. It was also the first AEW PPV produced during the pandemic.

Nine matches were contested at the event, including one on The Buy In pre-show. In the main event,

Mr. Brodie Lee to retain the AEW World Championship. In other prominent matches, Hikaru Shida defeated Nyla Rose to win the AEW Women's World Championship, Cody defeated Lance Archer to become the inaugural TNT Champion, and in the opening bout, a debuting Brian Cage won the Casino Ladder Match. Additionally, the event featured an appearance from International Boxing Hall of Famer Mike Tyson
, who presented the TNT Championship to Cody.

Production

Background

After the success of the September 2018 event

All In,[3] a group known as The Elite (Cody, The Young Bucks, and Kenny Omega), the driving forces behind the professional wrestling event, used the positive response from All In to pursue further events with backing of businessmen Shahid Khan and Tony Khan.[4][5] This resulted in the foundation of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in January 2019, and their inaugural pay-per-view (PPV) event, Double or Nothing, was then held on May 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on the Las Vegas Strip, with the event's name also being a reference to its Las Vegas theme.[6][7][8]

On February 5, 2020, AEW announced that Double or Nothing would be returning to the same venue on Saturday, May 23 of that year, establishing Double or Nothing as both an annual Memorial Day weekend event, as well as their marquee event.[9][10] According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Double or Nothing sold around 6,000 tickets on its first day of sale.[11] Double or Nothing is considered as being one of AEW's "Big Four" PPVs, which includes All Out, Full Gear, and Revolution, their four biggest shows produced quarterly.[12]

On May 22, the day before Double or Nothing, TNT aired a one-hour television special previewing the event called Countdown to Double or Nothing, averaging 344,000 viewers.[13][14][15]

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

Like all other professional wrestling promotions and sporting events in general, the event was impacted by the

TIAA Bank Field stadium for the main event match. The announcement also confirmed that a third Double or Nothing event would emanate from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 29, 2021. In addition to offering refunds, tickets purchased for 2020's show would be valid for the following year's event.[1] However, the 2021 event, which was pushed back a day to May 30, was also moved to Daily's Place due to the ongoing pandemic with all original tickets being refunded.[17][18]

The concept of the Stadium Stampede match was brought about because of the pandemic and it was

cinematic match before the event's live broadcast. AEW wrestler Chris Jericho said that filming took nearly 12 hours to complete; filming began in the evening of May 22 and concluded early morning of May 23. Jericho said it was similar to filming a movie.[19]

Storylines

Double or Nothing featured nine

Being The Elite
.

On March 30, 2020, AEW announced a new title, the AEW TNT Championship, with the inaugural champion to be determined by an eight-man, single-elimination tournament. The tournament began on the April 8 episode of Dynamite with the final scheduled for Double or Nothing.[21] In the semifinals on the April 29 episode, Cody and Lance Archer defeated Darby Allin and Dustin Rhodes, respectively, setting up the inaugural championship match.[22] It was announced on the May 13 episode that former professional boxer Mike Tyson would present the championship to the winner.[23][24]

On the May 6 episode of Dynamite,

Mr. Brodie Lee then entered the ring and challenged Moxley to an AEW World Championship match, which he accepted and was scheduled for Double or Nothing.[25]

During the May 6 episode of Dynamite, a nine-man

casino chip suspended above the ring; the match can be won before all participants have entered. Darby Allin, Colt Cabana, Orange Cassidy, Rey Fénix, Scorpio Sky, Kip Sabian, Frankie Kazarian, and Luchasaurus were confirmed for the match with the final participant to be announced during the match at Double or Nothing.[23] After Fénix suffered an injury on the May 20 episode of Dynamite, it was announced that Joey Janela would take his place.[26]

On the May 13 episode of Dynamite,

During the aforementioned women's four-way match, Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. attacked Kris Statlander outside the ring and applied the Lockjaw on her, which allowed Hikaru Shida to score the pin over Penelope Ford. Despite the match being over, Baker continued to apply the submission on Statlander. Afterwards, a match between Baker and Statlander was scheduled for Double or Nothing.[23] Due to an injury Baker suffered on the May 20 episode of Dynamite, it was announced that Ford would face Statlander instead.[27][28]

On the May 20 episode of Dynamite, Shawn Spears, annoyed by not having a match for Double or Nothing, demanded a match against Dustin Rhodes. A match between the two was set for Double or Nothing.[29]

Event

Other on-screen personnel
Role Name
Commentators Jim Ross (PPV)
Excalibur (Pre-show + PPV)
Tony Schiavone (PPV)
Taz (Pre-show)
Spanish commentators Alex Abrahantes
Willie Urbina
German commentators Günter Zapf
Mike Ritter
French commentators Alain Mistrangélo
Norbert Feuillan
Ring announcers Dasha Gonzalez
Justin Roberts (Stadium Stampede match)
Referees Aubrey Edwards
Bryce Remsburg
Paul Turner
Rick Knox
Interviewer Alex Marvez

The Buy In

On The Buy In pre-show, a match was contested between Best Friends (Trent and Chuck Taylor) and Private Party (Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy), with the winners becoming the number one contenders for the AEW World Tag Team Championship. Best Friends performed "Strong Zero" on Quen to win the match.[30]

Preliminary matches

Brian Cage made his AEW debut at Double or Nothing as the mystery participant of the Casino Ladder Match, which he won

The event opened with a nine-man Casino Ladder Match between Colt Cabana, Darby Allin, Joey Janela, Frankie Kazarian, Kip Sabian, Orange Cassidy, Luchasaurus, Scorpio Sky, and a mystery competitor. The rules of the match were that two wrestlers would start the match and every two minutes, a new participant would enter the ring. The objective was to retrieve a giant poker chip hanging above the ring by ascending a ladder to win the match; the match could be won before all participants had entered. Scorpio Sky and Frankie Kazarian started the match. Kip Sabian (accompanied by

Taz), making his AEW debut. Cage incapacitated everyone in the ring and later retrieved the poker chip, winning the match and earning a future AEW World Championship match.[30]

The second match was a singles match between MJF and Jungle Boy. MJF emerged victorious after pinning Jungle Boy with a roll-up while holding his tights, giving him extra leverage.[30]

Next, Cody (accompanied by Arn Anderson) and Lance Archer (accompanied by Jake Roberts) competed in the tournament final to crown the inaugural AEW TNT Champion. The winner would be presented the title belt by former boxer Mike Tyson. After interference, both Anderson and Roberts were ejected by the referee. In the end, Cody performed two cutters on Archer to win the match and championship. Afterwards, Tyson handed him the championship and celebrated his victory.[30]

Following this, Kris Statlander faced Penelope Ford. Statlander performed a "Big Bang Theory" piledriver on Ford to win.[30]

Afterwards, Dustin Rhodes (accompanied by Brandi Rhodes) competed against Shawn Spears. Rhodes performed a "Final Reckoning" suplex on Spears for the victory.[30]

In the following match, Nyla Rose defended the AEW Women's World Championship against Hikaru Shida in a No Disqualification, No Countout match. Shida hit Rose with a kendo stick and then performed a running knee to win the match and championship.[30]

Main event

In the first of two main events, Jon Moxley defended the AEW World Championship against Mr. Brodie Lee. Late in the match, Moxley performed a "Paradigm Shift" through the stage. After they recovered, Moxley forced Lee to pass out to a chokehold, giving the win to Moxley by technical submission to retain the championship.[30]

Second main event

The post event was a

TIAA Bank Field. After fighting throughout the stadium, Omega performed a "One Winged Angel" electric chair driver on Guevara from the stadium seats onto a platform below to win the match for his team.[30]

Aftermath

During the post-event media scrum, AEW president Tony Khan announced that Brian Cage, the winner of the Casino Ladder Match, would receive his AEW World Championship match against Jon Moxley at Fyter Fest, a special episode of Dynamite.[31]

On the following episode of Dynamite, new TNT Champion Cody stated that he would be holding a weekly open challenge for the title. A battle royal was held that night to determine Cody's first challenger for the following week, which was won by Jungle Boy.[32] Cody defeated Jungle Boy to retain the championship on the following week's episode of Dynamite.[33]

Reception

Double or Nothing received generally positive reviews. Jason Powell of Pro Wrestling Dot Net called it a "fun empty venue show", with particular praise being given to the Stadium Stampede match.[30] CBSSports.com's Brent Brookhouse stated that AEW had "delivered a show that was entertaining top-to-bottom", with the main event being "one of the wildest matches of the year". He gave the Stadium Stampede match an "A−" grade, while the AEW World Championship and AEW Women's World Championship matches both received a "B" grade, and the inaugural AEW TNT Championship match was assigned a "C" grade.[34]

For Slam! Sports, a subsection of Canadian Online Explorer, Nick Tylwalk wrote that the Stadium Stampede main event took "entertainment to a new level" and rated the event an overall score 8 out of 10, with the main event match itself receiving 10 out of 10. The Moxley-Lee match was given 9 out of 10, the Rose-Shida match was designated an 8 out of 10 and the Cody-Archer match was allocated a 6 out of 10.[35]

Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated also liked the event and described the Stadium Stampede match as "uniquely distinct" and "unlike anything ever before on display in wrestling." Barrasso also commented that it was "awfully quick" for Lance Archer to lose to Cody due to being "new to [the] company". Despite this, "even in defeat, Archer looked tremendous, presenting himself as a monster". Barrasso's other takeaways from the event were that Hikura Shida "showed off further dimensions of her wrestling ability" during "her breakout performance" against Nyla Rose and MJF-Jungle Boy was "laid out well", with praise given to both competitors' performances.[36]

Results

No.ResultsStipulationsTimes
Stadium Stampede match[42]
34:00
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
P – the match was broadcast on the pre-show

TNT Championship tournament bracket

The first half of the TNT Championship Tournament bracket was announced on the March 31, 2020 episode of Dark,[43] with the second half revealed on the following night's Dynamite.[44] The tournament began on the April 8 episode of Dynamite and concluded at Double or Nothing on May 23.[45]

Quarterfinals
Dynamite
(April 8, 15, 22, 2020)
Semifinals
Dynamite
(April 29, 2020)
Final
Double or Nothing
(May 23, 2020)
         
Cody Pin
Shawn Spears 21:38[46]
Cody Pin
Darby Allin 20:10[49]
Sammy Guevara 10:50[47]
Darby Allin Pin
Cody Pin
Lance Archer 22:00[30]
Dustin Rhodes Pin
Kip Sabian 14:10[47]
Dustin Rhodes 22:45[49]
Lance Archer Pin
Colt Cabana 12:42[48]
Lance Archer Pin

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The event was held without a paying audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, though a few AEW wrestlers and staff members appeared in the crowd.

References

  1. ^ a b AEW Staff (April 14, 2020). "Update On AEW DOUBLE OR NOTHING". All Elite Wrestling. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  2. ^ Meltzer, Dave (May 28, 2020). "June 1, 2020 Observer Newsletter: Death of Hana Kimura". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  3. ^ Howard, Brandon (May 12, 2018). "7 things to know about 'All In' – the huge indie wrestling show coming to the Chicago area". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  4. ^ Joyner, KC (January 8, 2019). "Jaguars owners backing new wrestling venture". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  5. ^ Nason, Josh (January 8, 2019). "Shad Khan confirmed as lead investor in All Elite Wrestling". F4wonline. Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  6. ^ Ghosh, Pratyay (January 2, 2019). "All Elite Wrestling News: AEW officially announced, Cody Rhodes confirms his role". Fox Sports Asia. Archived from the original on 2019-02-09. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  7. ^ Pratt, Emily (January 1, 2019). "The Young Bucks And Cody Officially Announced All Elite Wrestling And Released Some Details". Uproxx. Archived from the original on 2019-01-09. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  8. ^ Fritz, Brian (January 8, 2019). "Shad and Tony Khan comment on launch of All Elite Wrestling". Sportingnews. Archived from the original on 2019-02-09. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  9. ^ AEW Staff (February 5, 2020). "AEW Double or Nothing Will Return To Las Vegas May 23rd". All Elite Wrestling. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  10. ^ Barrasso, Justin (February 5, 2020). "AEW's 'Double or Nothing' Pay-Per-View Returning to Las Vegas in May". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  11. ^ Meltzer, Dave (February 14, 2020). "Daily Update: AEW tickles, AAA/MLW, Ted DiBiase". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved March 19, 2020. (subscription required)
  12. ^ Defelice, Robert (November 8, 2020). "Tony Khan Likes AEW's 'Big Four' Pay-Per-View Schedule, Announces 'Beach Break' Special For January". Fightful. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  13. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 26, 2020). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.22.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 29, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  14. ^ Johnson, Mike (May 17, 2020). "TNT TO BROADCAST COUNTDOWN TO DOUBLE OR NOTHING SPECIAL THIS FRIDAY". PW Insider. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  15. ^ "AEW Presents: Countdown to Double or Nothing". TNT. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  16. ^ Thomas, Jeremy (April 9, 2020). "AEW Double Or Nothing Venue Shut Down Until Further Notice". 411mania. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  17. ^ @AEW (March 8, 2021). ".@AEW Double or Nothing will take place Sunday, May 30 at @DailysPlace in Jacksonville, FL. Ticketing on-sale info will be released at a later date. #AEWDoN" (Tweet). Retrieved March 7, 2021 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (March 7, 2021). "AEW Double Or Nothing 2021 Date And Location Announced". Fightful. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  19. ^ Casey, Connor (May 28, 2020). "Chris Jericho Reveals AEW's Stadium Stampede Secrets". ComicBook.com. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  20. Discovery Communications. Archived
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  21. ^ Powell, Jason (March 30, 2020). "AEW introducing the TNT Championship belt, winner to be crowned in a tournament". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  22. ^ a b Powell, Jason (April 29, 2020). "4/29 AEW Dynamite TV results: Powell's live review of Cody vs. Darby Allin and Dustin Rhodes vs. Lance Archer in TNT Title tournament semifinal matches, Best Friends vs. Jimmy Havoc and Kip Sabian, Brodie Lee vs. Marko Stunt, AEW Champ Jon Moxley's promo". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  23. ^ a b c d Powell, Jason (May 13, 2020). "5/13 AEW Dynamite results: Powell's live review of Matt Hardy and Kenny Omega vs. Santana and Ortiz, Chris Jericho vs. Pineapple Pete, Brodie Lee vs. Christopher Daniels, Hikaru Shida vs. Penelope Ford vs. Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander in a four-way, Best Friends vs. Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  24. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (May 13, 2020). "Mike Tyson To Present AEW TNT Title At AEW Double Or Nothing". Fightful. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  25. ^ a b Powell, Jason (May 6, 2020). "5/6 AEW Dynamite TV results: Powell's live review of Kenny Omega and Matt Hardy vs. Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara in a Street Fight, AEW Champion Jon Moxley vs. Frankie Kazarian in a non-title match, Cody vs. Joey Janela, Lance Archer vs. QT Marshall". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  26. ^ All Elite Wrestling [@AEWrestling] (May 23, 2020). ".@ReyFenixMx is out of the #CasinoLadderMatch due to injury. Fenix isn't expected to miss significant time. @JANELABABY is now entered in the Casino Ladder Match. 1 mystery wrestler is still TBA. DOUBLE or NOTHING is available on all major providers @brlive @FiteTV tomorrow 8/7c" (Tweet). Retrieved May 22, 2020 – via Twitter.
  27. ^ Satin, Ryan (May 22, 2020). "Britt Baker Injury Update, Estimated To Be Out Of Action For Up To Two Months". Pro Wrestling Sheet. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  28. ^ a b All Elite Wrestling [@AEWrestling] (May 23, 2020). "@RealBrittBaker is out of #AEWDon due to injury. We will address her status at Double or Nothing tomorrow night. @callmekrisstat will now face @thePenelopeFord Live on Pay Per View. Double or Nothing is available on all major providers, B/R Live and FITE TV - 8/7c" (Tweet). Retrieved May 22, 2020 – via Twitter.
  29. ^ Powell, Jason (May 20, 2020). "5/20 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of the AEW Double Or Nothing go-home edition featuring AEW Champion Jon Moxley vs. 10 in a non-title match, Rey Fenix vs. Orange Cassidy, Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara, MJF vs. Marko Stunt". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Powell, Jason (May 23, 2020). "AEW Double Or Nothing results: Powell's live review of Cody vs. Lance Archer to become the first TNT Champion (Mike Tyson presents the belt), Jon Moxley vs. Brodie Lee for the AEW Championship, The Elite vs. The Inner Circle in a Stadium Stampede match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  31. ^ Currier, Joseph (May 23, 2020). "Jon Moxley vs. Brian Cage-AEW World Championship match". Figure Four Online. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  32. ^ Powell, Jason (May 27, 2020). "5/27 AEW Dynamite results: Powell's live review of Mike Tyson's appearance, a battle royal for the first shot at the TNT Championship, The Young Bucks and Matt Hardy vs. Joey Janela and Private Party, The Inner Circle's pep rally". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  33. ^ Powell, Jason (June 3, 2020). "6/3 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of Cody vs. Jungle Boy for the TNT Championship, Hangman Page and Kenny Omega vs. Jimmy Havoc and Kip Sabian for the AEW Tag Titles, Chris Jericho vs. Colt Cabana, Big Swole vs. Nyla Rose". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  34. ^ Brookhouse, Brent (May 23, 2020). "2020 AEW Double or Nothing results, recap, grades: Stadium Stampede chaos, two new champions highlight". CBSSports.com. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  35. ^ Tylwalk, Nick (May 24, 2020). "Stadium Stampede takes commitment to entertainment to a new level at Double or Nothing". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  36. ^ Barrasso, Justin (May 24, 2020). "Top Takeaways from AEW's Double or Nothing". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  37. ^ a b Rose, Bryan (May 13, 2020). "Three matches announced for AEW Double or Nothing". Figure Four Online. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  38. ^ a b Renner, Ethan (May 6, 2020). "AEW Dynamite live results: Matt Hardy's AEW in-ring debut". Figure Four Online. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  39. ^ All Elite Wrestling [@AEWrestling] (May 7, 2020). "It's official at Double or Nothing on May 23rd. @the_MJF vs. @boy_myth_legend. Order the PPV via @BRLive" (Tweet). Retrieved May 6, 2020 – via Twitter.
  40. ^ AEW Staff (March 30, 2020). "AEW Announces Inaugural "TNT CHAMPIONSHIP" Tournament Beginning April 8 on AEW: DYNAMITE". All Elite Wrestling. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  41. ^ All Elite Wrestling [@AEWrestling] (May 21, 2020). "It's official! This Saturday night at Double or Nothing. It's @dustinrhodes vs. #TheChairman @Perfec10n! Order Double or Nothing on Saturday, May 23rd on all major cable & satellite providers / @BRLive / @FITETV (International Fans Only) #AEWDoN" (Tweet). Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via Twitter.
  42. ^ AEW Staff (May 13, 2020). "AEW DYNAMITE Results for May 13, 2020". All Elite Wrestling. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  43. Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online
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  44. Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online
    . Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  45. ^ Powell, Jason (March 30, 2020). "AEW introducing the TNT Championship belt, winner to be crowned in a tournament". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  46. ^ Barnett, Jake (April 8, 2020). "4/8 AEW Dynamite TV results: Barnett's live review of Cody vs. Shawn Spears in a TNT Title tournament quarterfinal match, Hikaru Shida vs. Britt Baker, Lance Archer and Brodie Lee in action". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  47. ^ a b Powell, Jason (April 22, 2020). "4/22 AEW Dynamite TV results: Powell's live review of Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara and Dustin Rhodes vs. Kip Sabian in TNT Title tournament matches, Orange Cassidy vs. Jimmy Havoc, Kenny Omega and Wardlow in action". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  48. ^ Barnett, Jake (April 15, 2020). "4/15 AEW Dynamite TV results: Barnett's live review of Jon Moxley vs. Jake Hager in a No Holds Barred empty arena match for the AEW Title, Colt Cabana vs. Lance Archer in a TNT Title tournament quarterfinal match, Chuck Taylor vs. Kip Sabian, Sammy Guevara vs. Sugar D". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  49. ^ a b Powell, Jason (April 29, 2020). "4/29 AEW Dynamite TV results: Powell's live review of Cody vs. Darby Allin and Dustin Rhodes vs. Lance Archer in TNT Title tournament semifinal matches, Best Friends vs. Jimmy Havoc and Kip Sabian, Brodie Lee vs. Marko Stunt, AEW Champ Jon Moxley's promo". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 30, 2020.

External links