AEW Double or Nothing recap from 5/29/2022

 

AEW Double or Nothing was a good show! It was also VERY long, which some folks see as a negative. Personally, as someone who gets all the WWE pay per premium live events free with Xfinity, I'm all for getting my money’s worth for a show that costs me fifty bucks. Let’s run down the show, with my predictions that were mostly right but also slightly off!

HOOKhausen vs Tony Nese and Smart Mark Sterling

My guess: HOOKhausen wins - I WAS RIGHT!

Well, they sure did. It was exactly what I wanted - Danhausen got beat up some, HOOK got to look great, Nese ran the match well, and Sterling lost to the Cursed Pin after HOOK destroyed him and tagged his buddy Danhausen in.

MJF vs Wardlow - If Wardlow loses, he can never sign an AEW contract, but if Wardlow wins he is released from contract with MJF

My guess: If the match happens at all, Wardlow wins by violence. So much violence. - I WAS RIGHT!

This match, which was in doubt to even happen due to the MJF contract issues, ended up being what I think we were all hoping for. MJF avoided Wardlow as long as he could, but in the end ate ten powerbombs on his way to taking the loss. At one point, MJF pulled his Dynamite Diamond Ring from his trunks and very sneakily put it on. During that moment, both Wardlow and the referee watched him perform the act, and the ref very dramatically took the ring. It was fun, and a good way to open the show and put the rumors to rest.

The Hardys vs The Young Bucks

My guess: Matt and Jeff > Matt and Nick, one night only - I WAS RIGHT!

This was about what I expected, for whatever that’s worth. I wish it went a little shorter, honestly. I have no idea if anyone got hurt or what, but Jeff looked a little out of it for a good portion of the match. That being said, Matt Hardy really took over when he knew he needed to, and the Bucks had plenty of times where I was sure they were going to walk out with the win. The Hardys did hit their signature finishers and were victorious. I just feel like they would have looked even better if they didn’t need to go so long.

Anna Jay vs Jade Cargill © for the TBS Championship

My guess: Jade Cargill wins, quickly and without mercy - I WAS (mostly) RIGHT!

Well, I didn’t anticipate this being the match that would feature TWO debuts from former WWE talents, but here we are. The match itself was pretty good, and Jade looked fantastic as my friend and I mentioned how much Jade has improved since her debut. Interference from Keira Hogan and Red Velvet was fought off by Anna Jay, and more interference by Mark Sterling was handled by John Silver assisting his Dark Order pal. Sterling’s crutch, tossed in the ring to help Cargill, was used in an assisted Russian leg sweep for Jay, resulting in a near fall.

Sterling was quickly replaced by, I assume, Jade’s new manager, Stokely Hathaway! He was Malcom Bivens, leader of NXT’s Diamond Mine, as well as being Two Star Bivens on the amazing Battle of the Brands on Xavier Woods’ YouTube channel, UpUpDownDown. Hathaway’s distraction led to Cargill hitting Jaded from the top rope and retaining the TBS championship.

After the match, a Baddie beatdown of Anna Jay was prevented by Kris Statlander heading to the ring to stare down Cargill. Jade could not contain her excitement when her IRL Twitter nemesis, Athena (formerly Ember Moon), headed to the ring next! It led to the bad guys hauling ass and the good guys posing in ring.

I thought the match was good, considering there was zero build for it. Both women did alright, and the addition of a fantastic manager in Stokely Hathaway and one of the best wrestlers out there in Athena are really exciting.

House of Black vs Death Triangle

“I think House of Black comes out on top, even with Blond-terference. Maybe they claim Julia as a manager!”

My guess: House of Black, possibly with shenanigans and mist - I COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE RIGHT!

For me, this was the most exciting match of the night. From the entrances, to the ring gear, to the match itself, all the way to the finish, I loved everything about this. The wait was a hundred percent worth it!

The counters to open the match were amazing, as everybody was out to establish that they knew everyone else’s moveset. Which makes sense, House of Black and Death Triangle have been at each other’s throats for months!

Things progressed at breakneck speed, and I thought Buddy Matthews was highlighted really well tonight. In the end, Pac got his hands on Malakai Black and kicked him square in the junk to set him up for the Black Arrow and end this match. He went to the top rope, when the lights went out! When they came back up, Julia (sans eyepatch but with dope Malakai-esque eye makeup) used the same black mist that blinded Pac several months ago, causing him to fall from the turnbuckle. That led to Black Mass (is it still called that?), a pinfall, and the House of Black leaving with their newest member.

Dr. Britt Baker, DMD vs Ruby Soho - Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Final

My guess: Ruby Soho, definitively, not by rollup

Adam Cole vs Samoa Joe - Owen Hart Foundation Tournament FInal

My guess: Adam Cole BAYBAY!

Well, I was half right. The thing I didn’t really want to happen, happened, as we ended up with the heel couple (in matching pink outfits, in case you were wondering if this was telegraphed) winning their matches over Ruby Soho and Samoa Joe. The Joe/Cole match featured some interference from Bobby Fish, who yanked on the injured arm of Joe to cause a distraction. Joe worked his way out of that only to get distracted a second time, leading to a knee to the back of the head and a Cole pinfall victory.

Britt and Ruby, both played to the ring by Fozzy’s guitarist and FREAKIN’ RANCID, respectively, were less reliant on outside interference. They had some good back and forth, and I really thought Ruby was finally going to get the win and the push she deserves. The fact that the Cole match went on first, and both Britt and Cole wore pink, led me to wrongly believe AEW wouldn’t really make it that obvious that Britt would win. But a victory roll by Soho was rolled into the pin and the win for Britt Baker. I don’t know…I like both these matches! I was just really disappointed by Baker winning. 

Martha Hart was out next, and the presentation of some belts and a Stanley Cup-esque trophy followed.

Paige VanZant, Scorpio Sky, and Ethan Page vs Tay Conti, Sammy Guevara, and Frankie Kazarian - if they lose, Guevara and Kazarian can’t challenge for TNT championship

My guess: Please for the love of God Men of the Year and VanZant and we move on - HEY I WAS RIGHT AGAIN

I thought this was a decent match, everyone looked okay. Guevara started out hot, hitting Scorpio Sky with a springboard cutter while Tay Conti kept VanZant out of the ring. Conti took a breather and left Kaz to fend for himself, and the team fell apart after that. VanZant got to hit Conti with a Theisz press and backflipped into a tornado DDT, and she knocked the wind out of Guevara with a punch to the stomach. Sammy and Tay got a little comeuppance when Sammy missed a kick to Kaz and hit Tay in the face. That led to Kaz taking a cutter from Sky, and the pin. 

Darby Allin vs Kyle O’Reilly

My guess: Allin wins after jumping off something - WRONG

This was fine for a short, hastily added match. Allin did his thing, flying around the ring and taking strikes from O’Reilly. There were some fun moments, but without any stakes this really just felt like a Dynamite one off match. A knee drop onto Allin’s back led to the pin and the win for Kyle O’Reilly.

Serena Deeb vs Thunder Rosa © for the AEW Women’s World Championship

My guess: Thunder Rosa retains, maybe moves on - RIGHT AGAIN!

There were three matches I wanted to rewatch without feeling obligated to take notes. The House of Black vs Death Triangle trios match, the main, and this one. It was so well done, with these talented wrestlers putting on a clinic the whole time. I saw a pendulum submission hold that I honestly have never seen in my thirty plus years watching this sport! Top to bottom, an amazing match. I didn’t think Deeb had a chance going in, and I really never felt like she was going to win during the match, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the skill of both competitors in this contest. Thunder Rosa retained with a superplex and a fire thunder driver to get the pin, but I would aggressively suggest you watch this match if you have a chance.

Jericho Appreciation Society vs Blackpool Combat Club w/Eddie Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz - Anarchy in the Arena match

My guess: Blackpool Combat Club, Eddie, Santana, and Ortiz by submission(s) - NOPE

I don’t know what I expected going in, but this was a bloodbath. Jericho’s crew came out in all white, and they were covered in red by the finish. Moxley and crew came into the arena from several different spots, and just engaged with whoever they got their hands on first. Kingston went into a freight elevator at one point. Santana and Ortiz went through multiple tables, off multiple ladders. Eddie Kingston walking out from backstage with a gallon of gasoline was a terrifying visual! 

Moxley’s music played for the first half of the match, as he was paired with Jericho. They made their way to a production area, where Jericho was able to unplug the audio and end the song. There were some silly parts, but overall it was a brutal match that ended with Bryan Danielson getting choked out by a disassembled ring rope. A great time if you don’t mind a little blood in your sports entertainment.

Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee vs Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks vs Jurassic Express © for the AEW Tag Team Championships

My guess: Swerve Scott and Keith Lee become our NEW AEW Tag Team Champions - WRONG AGAIN

This match was another great time. Three really good tag teams, any of whom could have walked out champion, put together a great contest with very little in the way of shenanigans or goings on. Everybody had a chance to shine, and I thought Lee and Swerve really deserved to win based on their showing tonight and how much the crowd adored them. But I’m not the one booking this show, and even though Luchasaurus hit Jungle Boy with an errant kick that led to a near fall by Swerve in my Glory, the champs hit their finisher and retained.

C.M. Punk vs Hangman Adam Page for the AEW World Championship

My guess: C.M. Punk does something underhanded, wins the championship - MOSTLY RIGHT, PUNK STRAIGHT UP WON

Full disclosure: I am a HUGE Punk fan. Grew up outside Chicago, wore the shirts, know all the words to Cult of Personality…LITERALLY OWN A DOG NAMED CM PUG.

That being said, I can admit that this wasn’t his best work. You get older, maybe you start saying you’re the best in the world a little more often, just so you believe it. The story they told in the ring was not that Punk was overconfident, but that Hangman just wasn’t. The match itself was good, although Punk looked awkward in his attempts at the Buckshot Lariat. Hangman, however, did hit Punk with a nice looking GTS.

Punk got Hangman up for the GTS and hit the ref, leading to Hangman in the ring with an unconscious ref, a stunned Punk, and the AEW Championship title. After a LONG crisis of conscience, Hangman decided to forego the easy attack and tossed the belt aside. Page went for the Buckshot again, but Punk did that floatover reversal that usually ends in a DDT, but this time led to the Go To Sleep. Punk got the pin and the championship. I was delighted.

Overall I had a blast with this show. Sure, there were a couple matches that would have been better served on an episode of regular TV. But if you only run four big pay per views a year, should you not err on the side of overstuffing? I say no, but then again, I’m not waking up at six the next morning to get to work, and many folks are! 

I have some questions about the booking as well, but we’ll save that for another edition of the blog. It’s late in the day and I have some grilling to do before Raw starts!

I appreciate you stopping by, dear reader. You can also follow me on Twitter @ElOsoPequeno, where I try to remember to post whenever I update the blog. I recap Raw, Dynamite, and Rampage weekly, and also plan to write about any other wrestling that I happen to watch. There’s also a weekly wrap up on Fridays, and I’ll do predictions before any big AEW or WWE pay per premium live events. I hope to see you tomorrow for the Double or Nothing recap! Have a great Sunday, and enjoy the show tonight!

Have a good one!