Double or Nothing feels just a little less monumental on it’s own because it did up to now.
As a substitute it looks like a show with loads of great pro wrestling matches that can end just a few stories and hopefully push AEW forward right into a huge summer with Forbidden Door, All In and All Out.
Adam Cole has a likelihood to be elevated into the world title picture, The Elite can prove they’re again a dominant group by beating The Blackpool Combat Club in Anarchy within the Arena, Jade Cargill faces the most important threat to her TBS championship yet and the 4 Pillars of AEW get their likelihood to point out out within the major event.
CM Punk making an appearance isn’t likely, but not out of the query.
With so much to be decided, The Post’s Joseph Staszewski tried to predict how it should all go down at Double or Nothing at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday (8 p.m., Bleacher Report).
Orange Cassidy (c) retains the AEW International championship in a 21-man Blackjack Battle Royal
Cassidy has 22 successful title defenses and has really elevated the AEW International championship’s standing.
The story is he’s slowly wearing down from consistently putting it on the road.
But having his reign end in a Vegas-themed battle royale and not using a clear foil or surprise entrant would appear counterproductive to all of the cache Cassidy has built up.
Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy and Hook over Ethan Page, Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn
Truthfully, The Firm Deletion must have been the blow-off to this feud.
But now if Matt Hardy’s team wins he flips the tables and gets control of Page’s contract.
You don’t put in that variety of stipulation unless you intend on using it as a approach to keep this feud going.
FTR (Dax Harwood and Money Wheeler) (c) over Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal for the AEW world tag team championships (Mark Briscoe as special guest referee)
This has a likelihood to be certainly one of the night’s most fun matches with loads of storytelling and shenanigans.
Briscoe because the special guest referee is the important thing here — he already slapped Harwood for the pile driver he mistakenly gave him and doesn’t appear to like anyone on the opposite side outside of friend Jay Lethal.
Briscoe ultimately does the appropriate thing here and makes sure FTR retains.
Taya Valkyrie over Jade Cargill (c) win the TBS championship
This must be it for Cargill, doesn’t it? The 60-0 TBS champion already owns a win over Valkyrie at Revolution where the challenger was prohibited from using her finisher.
It’s in play this time and that ought to mean it should be the difference.
The shine has already come off Cargill’s run and pushing her to love 100-0 feels pointless. Valkyrie is actually someone who’s believable in beating her.
The run, finally, ends here.
Jamie Hayter (c) over Toni Storm to retain the AEW women’s world championship
Sadly this match — a rematch from Revolution — looks like a placeholder for larger things to return this summer for the 2 factions and Hayter.
Saraya told The Post she wants an enormous blow-off match for this feud.
Storm losing would allow Saraya to inform her to step aside after two probabilities so she will face Hayter at All In at Wembley Stadium.
Wardlow (c) over Christian Cage to retain the TNT championship (Ladder match)
AEW has played way an excessive amount of hot potato with the TNT championship of late and it damaged the title and Wardlow’s momentum.
AEW appears to be back behind him by pairing Wardlow with Arn Anderson.
It could feel very unwise to take Wardlow’s legs out from under him again this quickly.
The Elite (Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, and “Hangman” Adam Page) over Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta) in an Anarchy within the Arena match
Man oh man, it’s great to have The Elite back together.
With the group squashing the concept of there being any internal strife between Omega and “Hangman” during this week’s “Being The Elite,” it looks like they’re due for a feel-good win over The Blackpool Combat Club, right?
I’d lean yes because Anarchy within the Arena is a blow-off match and you may have Yuta or Claudio take the autumn.
But Don Callis is the wild card.
If he’s one way or the other working with the BCC, possibly he has a plan to make sure its win or possibly he just desires to see Omega keep losing.
My guess is The Elite win and Callis has a surprise up his sleeve to maneuver them into their next chapter, either after the match or on Dynamite.
Adam Cole over Chris Jericho, Unsanctioned match
Cole and Jericho have told an excellent story heading into this one.
Cole still must get revenge on Jericho for cuffing him to the ropes and making him watch Saraya beat real-life girlfriend Britt Baker (whom I expect to play a job on this match) with a kendo stick.
Making this an unsanctioned match allows it to have the brutality it needs and lets Jericho dismiss the loss as not counting.
Cole added ECW legend Sabu to observe his back but still doesn’t have the numbers to match the Jericho Appreciation Society.
Does Kyle O’Reilly return? Cole needs to begin being positioned for a world title shot and that is the beginning.
MJF (c) over Sammy Guevara, “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry and Darby Allin to retain the AEW world championship
Man, there may be a lot young talent on this match, with Allin being the oldest at 30.
As much as a multi-man could be a approach to protect MJF in defeat, it’s way too early in his “reign-of-terror” title run for him to lose here with the massive summer AEW has planned and CM Punk likely returning.
The opposite three pillars fighting amongst themselves opens the door for MJF.
Listen to who takes the pin and who comes near beating MJF.