Post by sethisthegoat on Jun 2, 2023 7:38:22 GMT -5
AEW Double or Nothing
Live from Las Vegas
May 21, 2023
The Buy-In -
Pat McAfee and Coach run down the full show, as we get videos showcasing tonight’s card, interspersed between interviews with different competitors. They also reveal that the four-way UWA/AEW Women’s Championship match will close out the show tonight, as the show closes with back-to-back-to-back world championship matches. The Buy-In features a four-way tag team match to determine the next contenders for the tag team championships:
Buy-in match - Jurassic Express vs. LAX vs. The Acclaimed vs. American Wolves
The Wolves get the win with a pin on Homicide after 10 minutes of frantic action.
Main show -
A hype video showing Matt Riddle and Jeff Cobb’s unlikely friendship airs, highlighting that this match is the culmination of their year together. Riddle says the time for fun and games is over — for now — and they’re going to leave Double or Nothing as the champions.
Match 1 - AEW Tag Team Championships: Natural Selection © (9-0) w/ Cesar Duran vs. Chosen Bros (9-2)
Cedric Alexander and Matt Riddle traded kicks and strikes to start. Shelton Benjamin and Alexander isolated Riddle in their corner. Riddle tried to fight back and create an opening, but the champions cut him off every time.
After several minutes, Riddle finally escaped from a suplex attempt by Benjamin and hit him with a Pele kick. He crawled to his corner and tagged in Cobb, who came in like a house of fire. Cobb tossed around both Alexander and Benjamin with ease, showing off his strength. He hit Alexander with a Tour of the Islands, but Benjamin broke up the pin. Riddle came back in and took out Benjamin with a Bro Derek on the floor.
Cobb and Alexander were left alone in the ring, where they exchanged blows. Alexander hit Cobb with a Neuralyzer and went for a Lumbar Check, but Cobb countered with a German suplex. Cobb then lifted Alexander up for another Tour of the Islands, but this time Riddle joined him for a double-team version of the move. Cobb covered Alexander and got the three count, as Riddle fended off Benjamin from interfering. Winners and new AEW Tag Team Champions: Jeff Cobb and Matt Riddle - at 14:29.
Cobb and Riddle celebrated their victory with the titles, as the crowd cheered. They hugged each other and raised their arms in triumph, while Alexander and Benjamin looked on with frustration.
—
Match 2 - Jon Moxley (7-5) vs. Bray Wyatt (0-0)
Moxley was the first to strike, throwing a flurry of punches and kicks at Wyatt, who absorbed them and laughed maniacally. Wyatt then grabbed Moxley by the throat and threw him into the corner, where he unleashed his own barrage of strikes. He then whipped Moxley across the ring and followed with a running clothesline.
Wyatt dragged Moxley to the center of the ring and went for Sister Abigail, but Moxley countered with a snap DDT. He then got up and hit Wyatt with a running knee strike, sending him to the outside. Moxley followed him and continued his assault, slamming Wyatt’s head into the steel steps and the barricade. He rolled Wyatt back into the ring and climbed to the top rope, looking for a diving elbow drop.
As he was about to jump, the lights went out in the arena. A few seconds later, they came back on, revealing Malakai Black standing behind Moxley on the apron. Black hit Moxley with a Black Mass, knocking him off the turnbuckle and into Wyatt’s arms. Wyatt quickly hit Moxley with Sister Abigail and pinned him for the win at 8:10.
—
Match 3 - Steiner Bros. (11-3) vs. The Outsiders (5-2)
Scott Steiner and Scott Hall locked up, with Hall getting the upper hand with a knee to the gut and a clubbing blow to the back. Hall tagged in Nash, who hit Scott Steiner with a big boot and a standing elbow drop. Nash whipped him into the ropes and went for another big boot, but Steiner ducked and hit Nash with a belly-to-belly suplex. He tagged in Rick, who came in with a clothesline to Nash.
Rick hit Nash with a Steinerline and went for a cover, broken up by Hall. Scott came back in and attacked Hall, sending him to the outside. The Steiners double-teamed Nash with a double underhook powerbomb for another nearfall. Hall pulled Rick off the apron and threw him into the barricade.
Scott was going to go after Hall, but Nash recovered and hit Scott with a low blow behind the referee’s back. Nash lifted Scott up for the Jackknife Powerbomb and dropped him hard on the mat. He then covered him for the pinfall victory at 11:38.
—
Match 4 - AEW All-Atlantic Championship: Samoa Joe © (7-2) vs. Brian Cage (13-3) w/ Cesar Duran
Joe used his submission skills and striking prowess to wear down Cage, while Cage used his strength and agility to overpower Joe. Both men kicked out of each other’s finishers — Joe’s Muscle Buster, Cage’s Drill Claw.
Joe locked in the Coquina Clutch on Cage, looking to put him to sleep. Cage tried to fight out of it, but Joe had it cinched in tight. Cage was almost out, but got a second wind and rolled over. He crawled to the ropes to break the hold, spilling to the outside for a breather. Joe followed; Cage slid back in the ring, and stomped on Joe as he re-entered the ring.
Cage then controlled the match. He caught Joe with a surprise European Uppercut, and hit Joe with another Drill Claw, this time for the three count at 11:30.
Cage celebrated his win with Duran, who handed him the title belt as the crowd booed.
—
Match 5 - No-DQ: Cody and Dustin Rhodes vs. The Young Bucks (3-3)
The Young Bucks used their speed and agility to outwit and outmaneuver the Rhodes brothers, while Cody and Dustin used their experience and power to ground and punish the Bucks. Both teams hit their signature moves — the Cross Rhodes, the Final Cut, the Meltzer Driver, and the BTE Trigger, but pinning attempts were broken up.
The turning point came when Cody had Matt Jackson locked in the Figure Four Leglock, while Dustin had Nick Jackson trapped in a sleeper hold. It looked like the Bucks were about to tap out until some electronic music started playing. Cody and Dustin looked at each other with puzzled looks on their faces. Kenny Omega emerged from backstage with a steel pipe in his hand.
Omega ran down to the ring and attacked Cody and Dustin with the pipe, breaking up their submissions. He then handed the pipe to Matt, who hit Cody in the head with it. Nick then hit Dustin with a superkick, knocking him out of the ring. The Young Bucks hit Cody with another Meltzer Driver and pinned him for the win after about 15 minutes.
The Bucks and Omega celebrated up the ramp smirking back at the fallen Rhodes brothers.
—
Match 6 - Cage Match: Rey Mysterio (4-2) vs. Sammy Guevara (16-6) w/ Tay Melo
Mysterio and Guevara traded aerial moves, such as hurricanranas, dives, and springboards. They also slammed each other into the steel cage multiple times, eventually busting each other open.
The match went back and forth for over 20 minutes, with both men coming close to victory several times. Mysterio almost grabbed the win with a West Coast Pop that Guevara kicked out of. Guevara hit his 630 splash, which Mysterio also kicked out of.
The climax came when Mysterio climbed to the top of the cage, looking to hit a splash on Guevara. However, Guevara followed him up, catching him with a punch. Guevara hooked Mysterio’s head and delivered a devastating Spanish Fly off the top of the cage, crashing down to the mat. Guevara then covered Mysterio and got the three count at 23:49.
The crowd gave both men a standing ovation, as Guevara celebrated with Melo.
—
Match 7 - AEW Men’s World Championship: Goldberg © (6-0) vs. Big E (7-1)
Goldberg pushed Big E to the corner after a test of strength, but Big E pushed him back to the center of the ring. They exchanged shoulder blocks, neither man budging, and traded punches and chops, with Big E getting the upper hand. He whipped Goldberg into the ropes and hit him with a clothesline, sending him to the outside.
Big E followed him and continued his assault, slamming Goldberg’s head into the steel steps and the barricade. He rolled Goldberg back into the ring and climbed to the apron, looking for a splash. Goldberg got up and speared Big E through the ropes, knocking him off the apron and to the floor. Goldberg rolled out of the ring and threw Big E back in. He then hit him with another spear and went for a cover, but Big E kicked out at two.
Goldberg was shocked, but didn’t waste time. He lifted Big E up for a jackhammer, but Big E slipped out and hit Goldberg with a belly-to-belly suplex. He then hit him with another one, followed by a third one. He ran to the ropes and hit Goldberg with a running splash for a near fall. He then signaled for the Big Ending, but Goldberg countered with a back body drop. He hit Big E with a third spear and covered him again, but Big E kicked out at two again.
Goldberg lifted Big E up for another Jackhammer, but this time Big E countered with a DDT. He then got up and hit Goldberg with a Big Ending for a nearfall. He couldn’t believe it, but he didn’t lose focus. He lifted Goldberg up for another Big Ending, but Goldberg elbowed him in the face. Goldberg hit Big E with a fourth Spear and finally nailed him with a Jackhammer for the three count at 11:38.
—
Match 8 - UWA Universal Men’s Championship: Chris Jericho © vs. Jeff Jarrett (12-4)
Jericho had the upper hand for much of the early part of the match. Jericho kept Jarrett grounded with a variety of submission moves, and even got a nearfall on a Judas Effect at the 5-minute mark. The tide turned when Jericho went for a springboard lariat on Jarrett, but the challenger pulled the ref in the way, and the ref went down.
The Apex came down to the ring to help Jarrett. Spears hit him with a clothesline, then Wardlow hit a big boot. JBL lifted Jericho up, holding him still while Jarrett went to get his guitar. Jarrett swung the guitar, but Jericho ducked and Jarrett broke the guitar over JBL’s head. This gave Jericho a second wind. He dropkicked Spears through the ropes, then ducked as a charging Wardlow came after him, sending the big man also spilling to the floor.
This is when the ref recovered and looked at the carnage, seeing the Apex members strewn about and the guitar broken. He looked at Jericho, who shrugged. He then locked Jarrett in the Walls of Jericho in the middle of the ring, looking to make him tap out. Jarrett reached the ropes and broke the hold.
Jarrett slid to the apron, then hit Jericho in the midsection and did a sunset flip for a pinning attempt. Jericho kicked out. Jarrett ducked a Judas Effect attempt and hit the Stroke! Jarrett went for the pin. 1…2…no! Jericho just kicked out. This sent Jarrett to the top rope, where he tried for a cross body block as Jericho ducked out of the way. Jarrett rolled through and turned straight into another Judas Effect. Jericho pins Jarrett for the 1…2…3, at 14:19, to retain the UWA Universal Championship.
—
Before the main event, we get a lengthy promo video commemorating Cargill’s year-plus AEW Women’s Title reign and undefeated streak. The video also covers Ronda Rousey and Beth Phoenix’s introductions in AEW and their status as women’s wrestling legends, and Paige VanZant’s transition from MMA into AEW, where she has had a lot of success, but hasn’t been able to defeat Cargill yet.
Main Event - AEW/UWA Women’s Championship Match: Jade Cargill © (26-0) vs. Paige VanZant (13-4) vs. Ronda Rousey (7-3) vs. Beth Phoenix (6-3) (2 falls: 1st fall for UWA Championship; 2nd fall for AEW Women’s Championship)
The match was a chaotic and physical affair, with all four women trying to score the first fall and win the Universal Women’s Championship. It was Cargill’s strength and athleticism; Phoenix’s power and experience; Rousey’s judo and VanZant’s striking and submission skills.
VanZant and Rousey paired off early, continuing their feud from earlier in the year. Neither woman could get the upper hand. Phoenix and Cargill matched strength against strength, with Phoenix bodyslamming Cargill and hitting a running leg drop. Her pin attempt is broken up by an axe-handle slam from VanZant, and she and Phoenix spill to the outside.
Rousey uses her MMA background to take Cargill to the mat, and it really looks like Cargill is in trouble. Rousey locks in a sleeper hold in the middle of the ring, as Phoenix hits the Glam Slam on VanZant on the outside! Phoenix sees Cargill start to fade and slides in to break up the hold. Phoenix and Rousey trade blows; Rousey rushes after her, and Phoenix back-body-drops Rousey over the ropes and to the floor.
Cargill and Phoenix are alone in the ring; they lock up in a test of strength, with the champion shoving Phoenix into the corner and kneeing her midsection. She lifts Phoenix to the top rope and hits a superplex, crawling over for the pin attempt, which Phoenix kicks out of at 2. Outside the ring, VanZant hits a Pedigree on Rousey and slides back in the ring to find both Cargill and Phoenix struggling to stand. She locks in an armbar on Cargill, but the champ rolls over and lifts VanZant high over her head, only to be hit by a Spear from Phoenix! VanZant crashes to the outside of the ring, while Phoenix pins Cargill for a 2-count.
Cargill gets a second wind. She whips Phoenix to the ropes and hits a big boot. She follows that up with the Jaded! Cargill pins Phoenix. 1…2..3…and retains the UWA Universal Women’s Championship!
Before the second fall could begin, Bianca Belair made her surprise debut in AEW, attacking Cargill from behind. She hit Cargill with a K.O.D. on the floor, then whipped her with her hair. She then dragged Cargill to the backstage area, where they continued to brawl.
With Cargill out of the picture, the match became a three-way contest for the AEW Women’s Championship. VanZant hit Rousey with a flying armdrag from the top rope, but Rousey rolled through and locked in her own armbar. Phoenix broke it up with a leg drop, then hit VanZant with a Glam Slam for a two count. Rousey hit Phoenix with the Piper’s Pit for another two count.
VanZant hit Rousey with a Switch Kick, then dodged Phoenix’s clothesline and rolled her up for a two count. She then hit Phoenix with a roundhouse kick, sending her to the floor. VanZant focused on Rousey, who tried to lock in another armbar, but VanZant countered with an armbar of her own. Rousey hung on as VanZant wrenched the armbar and locked it further in. Eventually, Rousey tapped to give VanZant the win, as she became the new AEW Women’s Champion at 26:18. Phoenix had recovered and was just sliding into the ring as Rousey tapped. Phoenix looked like she might attack VanZant, but eventually held out her hand, which VanZant shook.
Rousey and Phoenix left the ring, while VanZant celebrated her win with the title belt and the show came to a close.