| Double or Nothing | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuring various AEW wrestlers | |||
| Promotion | All Elite Wrestling | ||
| Date | May 30, 2021 | ||
| City | Jacksonville, Florida | ||
| Venue | Daily's Place TIAA Bank Field | ||
| Attendance | 5,200[1] | ||
| Buy rate | 135,000–150,000[1] | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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| Double or Nothing chronology | |||
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The 2021Double or Nothing was the third annualDouble or Nothingprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event produced byAll Elite Wrestling (AEW). It took place duringMemorial Day weekend on May 30, 2021. The event was primarily held atDaily's Place inJacksonville, Florida; however, portions of the main event match were pre-taped at the nearbyTIAA Bank Field. It was the first Double or Nothing event to be held on a Sunday. It was also AEW's last PPV to be held at Daily's Place during theCOVID-19 pandemic. Double or Nothing was originally scheduled to be held at theMGM Grand Garden Arena inParadise, Nevada on May 29, but was moved to Daily's Place and pushed back a day due to the pandemic. The event aired through traditional PPV providers, as well as onB/R Live in North America andFITE TV internationally.
Ten matches were contested at the event, including one on The Buy In pre-show. In the main event,The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho,Jake Hager,Sammy Guevara,Santana, and Ortiz) defeatedThe Pinnacle (MJF,Wardlow,Shawn Spears,Cash Wheeler, and Dax Harwood) in aStadium Stampede match; had The Inner Circle lost, they would have been forced to disband. In other prominent matches,Kenny Omega defeatedOrange Cassidy andPac in athree-way match to retain theAEW World Championship,Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. defeatedHikaru Shida by submission to win theAEW Women's World Championship,Sting andDarby Allin defeatedScorpio Sky andEthan Page, andThe Young Bucks (Matt Jackson andNick Jackson) defeatedJon Moxley andEddie Kingston to retain theAEW World Tag Team Championship. The event was also notable for the surprise appearances ofLio Rush andMark Henry, making their AEW debut, as well as a cameo appearance byKonnan during the Stadium Stampede match.
Double or Nothing drew 5,200 attendees, making it AEW's highest attended event since the start of the pandemic up to that point, and also making it the first AEW event to emanate with a full capacity crowd since the start of the pandemic. It also garnered an estimated 135,000 pay-per-view buys, and generated over $6 million in revenue, which in turn made it the third highest grossing non-WWE professional wrestling PPV event since 1999.
Double or Nothing is consideredAll Elite Wrestling's (AEW) marqueeevent, having first been held in2019, which was the promotion's firstprofessional wrestling event and firstpay-per-view (PPV) produced. It is held annually in May duringMemorial Day weekend and is one of AEW's "Big Four" PPVs, which includesAll Out,Full Gear, andRevolution, their four biggest domestic shows produced quarterly.[2] The event's name is a reference to itsLas Vegas theme, which was where the inaugural event was held. Announced on March 7, 2021, the third Double or Nothing event was scheduled to be held on May 30 at AEW's home base ofDaily's Place inJacksonville, Florida, with portions of the main event taking place at the nearbyTIAA Bank Field stadium.[3][4] As part of the Double or Nothing weekend,Dynamite airedlive onTNT on May 28 as aspecialFriday Night Dynamite (as it normally airs Wednesdays).[5] Additionally, AEW held a Double or Nothing Fan Fest on May 29, featuring live stage shows, exhibition matches, meet and greets, and more.[6]
AEW partnered withCinemark Theatres,Harkins Theatres, andMarcus Theatres to host Double or Nothing in select movie theatres.[7][8][9] On May 29, TNT aired a one-hour television special previewing the event calledCountdown to Double or Nothing.[10]
While AEW had plans to host the2020 Double or Nothing at theMGM Grand Garden Arena on theLas Vegas Strip, which was where the original show emanated, the venue canceled the event due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[11] In response, AEW announced that the 2020 event would still proceed as planned, which occurred at Daily's Place and the TIAA Bank Field stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. The announcement also confirmed that a third Double or Nothing event would occur at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 29, 2021; in addition to offering refunds, tickets purchased for 2020's show would be valid for 2021.[12] However, atRevolution on March 7, 2021, AEW announced that the 2021 Double or Nothing would instead be held at Daily's Place in Jacksonville due to the ongoing pandemic, and was moved back a day to May 30; as a result, the MGM Grand Garden Arena issued refunds for all originally purchased tickets.[3][4] On May 5, AEW President andChief Executive OfficerTony Khan announced that Daily's Place would be operating at full capacity for Double or Nothing, making it AEW's first show since the start of the pandemic to go ahead with a full crowd.[13]
Double or Nothing featuredprofessional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing feuds andstorylines.[14] Storylines were produced on AEW's weekly television program,Dynamite, the supplementary online streaming shows,Dark andElevation, andThe Young Bucks'YouTube seriesBeing The Elite.
At theFull Gear event on November 7, 2020,MJF defeatedChris Jericho for the right to join Jericho's faction,The Inner Circle (consisting of Jericho,Sammy Guevara,Jake Hager,Santana and Ortiz).[15] However, on the March 10, 2021 episode ofDynamite, MJF betrayed The Inner Circle and revealed that he had been secretly building his own group, namedThe Pinnacle (consisting ofShawn Spears,Wardlow,FTR (Dax Harwood andCash Wheeler), and managerTully Blanchard).[16] At theBlood and Guts event on May 5, The Pinnacle defeated The Inner Circle in aBlood and Guts match,[17] and on the following episode ofDynamite, The Pinnacle challenged The Inner Circle to aStadium Stampede match at Double or Nothing, with the stipulation that if The Inner Circle were to lose, they would be forced to disband.[18] On the May 19 episode ofDynamite, The Inner Circle accepted the proposal.[19]
At Blood and Guts, a match betweenOrange Cassidy (#1) andPac (#2), the two top-ranked singles wrestlers in AEW, was announced for the following week's episode ofDynamite, with the winner receiving a match againstKenny Omega for theAEW World Championship at Double or Nothing.[17] However, their match ended in a double knockout, thus it was decided that Omega would defend the championship against both Cassidy and Pac in athree-way match at Double or Nothing.[18]
On the April 21 episode ofDynamite,Britt Baker, who was ranked #1 on the women's rankings, confrontedHikaru Shida after Shida retained theAEW Women's World Championship againstTay Conti.[20] At Blood and Guts, a championship match between the two was arranged for Double or Nothing.[17]
On the April 7 episode ofDynamite,AEW World Tag Team ChampionsThe Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) attackedJon Moxley andEddie Kingston, and aligned themselves with their longtime friend Kenny Omega, as well as Omega's alliesThe Good Brothers (Doc Gallows andKarl Anderson) fromImpact Wrestling.[21] On the May 12 episode ofDynamite, The Young Bucks challenged Moxley and Kingston to a match at Double or Nothing with the AEW World Tag Team Championship on the line.[18]
On the May 12 episode ofDynamite,Miro defeatedDarby Allin to win theAEW TNT Championship, and was afterwards confronted byLance Archer.[18] On the following week's episode ofDynamite, a match between the two for the championship was scheduled for Double or Nothing.[19]
On the March 31 episode ofDynamite,Cody Rhodes was attacked by his former friendQ. T. Marshall, who allied himself withNick Comoroto,Aaron Solow, and the newly debutedAnthony Ogogo to form a new faction dubbed The Factory.[22] At Blood and Guts on May 5, Rhodes defeated Marshall, but after the match was assaulted by Ogogo, who knocked Rhodes down before covering him with theflag of the United Kingdom.[17] On the May 12 episode ofDynamite, Rhodes challenged Ogogo to a match at Double or Nothing.[18]
On the April 28 episode ofDynamite,Ethan Page andScorpio Sky attacked Darby Allin andSting.[23] On the May 19 episode ofDynamite, a match pitting Allin and Sting against Page and Sky was announced for Double or Nothing, making it Sting's first match to take place in front of a live audience since competing atWWE'sNight of Champions in September 2015.[19]
On the May 12 episode ofDynamite,Christian Cage andMatt Sydal declared themselves as entrants for theCasino Battle Royale.[18] Seven more participants were revealed on the May 18 episode ofDark,[24] and the remaining eleven competitors were unveiled on the following night's episode ofDynamite.[25]
On the February 17 episode ofDynamite,Riho defeatedSerena Deeb during the first round of the AEW Women's World Championship Eliminator Tournament.[26] On May 26, a match between the two was set up for the Double or Nothing pre-show, with Deeb'sNWA World Women's Championship on the line.[27]
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Commentators | Jim Ross(PPV) |
| Excalibur(Pre-show and PPV) | |
| Tony Schiavone(Pre-show and PPV) | |
| Taz(Page vs. Cage) | |
| Paul Wight(Casino Battle Royale) | |
| Don Callis(World and Tag Title matches) | |
| Spanish commentators | Alex Abrahantes |
| Dasha Gonzalez | |
| Rey Fenix | |
| French commentators | Alain Mistrangélo |
| Norbert Feuillan | |
| German commentators | Günter Zapf |
| Mike Ritter | |
| Ring announcer | Justin Roberts |
| Referees | Aubrey Edwards |
| Bryce Remsburg | |
| Frank Gastineau | |
| Mike Posey | |
| Paul Turner | |
| Rick Knox |
On The Buy-In pre-show, Serena Deeb defended the NWA World Women's Championship against Riho. Deeb forced Riho to submit to a "Serenity Lock" to retain the title.[28]
The actual pay-per-view opened with "Hangman" Adam Page facing Brian Cage. After Cage was involved in a miscue with his alliesRicky Starks and Hook, Page performed the "Buckshot Lariat" on Cage to win the match.[28]
Next, The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (accompanied by Brandon Cutler) defended the AEW World Tag Team Championship against Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston. In the climax, The Young Bucks performed four consecutive "BTE Triggers" on Moxley to retain the title.[28]
After that, the Casino Battle Royale, with the winner receiving a future AEW World Championship match, was contested. FormerWWE wrestler and currentNew Japan Pro-Wrestling wrestlerLio Rush was a surprise entrant, drawing the joker card. Jungle Boy last eliminated Christian Cage to win the match.[28]
In the next match, Cody Rhodes (accompanied by Arn Anderson) faced Anthony Ogogo (accompanied by Q. T. Marshall). Rhodes performed the "Vertebreaker" on Ogogo to win the match.[28]
Next, Miro defended the AEW TNT Championship against Lance Archer (accompanied by Jake Roberts). Miro forced Archer to submit to the "Game Over" to retain the title.[28]
Afterwards, Hikaru Shida defended the AEW Women's World Championship against Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D (accompanied by Rebel). Baker forced Shida to submit to the "Lockjaw" to win the title and end Shida's record-setting reign at 372 days.[28]
Next, Darby Allin and Sting took on Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky. Sting performed the "Scorpion Death Drop" on Sky to win the match.[28]
In the penultimate match, Kenny Omega defended the AEW World Championship against Pac and Orange Cassidy in a three-way match. Cassidy pinned Omega after performing the "Orange Punch", but Omega hooked Cassidy into a crucifix pin to retain the title.[28]
After this, commentatorTony Schiavone announced thatWWE Hall of FamerMark Henry would be joining AEW as an analyst for their upcoming showRampage, which would begin airing in August on TNT.[28]
In the main event, The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Santana and Ortiz) faced The Pinnacle (MJF, Shawn Spears, Wardlow, Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) in a Stadium Stampede match. If The Inner Circle lost this match, they would be forced to disband. The match started as a cinematic match, pre-recorded over a few days earlier in the week, at TIAA Bank Field, before slowly making its way to nearby Daily's Place, where the match finished live in front of the paying audience. In the end, Guevara performed the "630 Senton" on Spears inside the ring at Daily's Place to win the match.[28]
Double or Nothing received generally positive reviews from critics. ForCBSSports.com, Brent Brookhouse described the event as "one of AEW's strongest pay-per-view cards in their short history", and giving praise to the main event Stadium Stampede match, the three-way AEW World Championship match, the AEW World Tag Team Championship match, and the opening match between Adam Page and Brian Cage. However, he directed criticism to the Rhodes-Ogogo match, and the Casino Battle Royale.[29]
Justin Barrasso ofSports Illustrated wrote that the event had "more than exceeded its mission by showcasing the strength of the AEW brand." He stated that AEW World Tag Team Championship match was his favorite of the night, and also commended the AEW World Championship match, the Darby Allin-Sting vs. Ethan Page-Scorpio Sky tag team match, and the opening match between Adam Page and Brian Cage. On the contrary, he disliked the main event, feeling that it was "built for a movie, not a wrestling card." He also commented that Cody Rhodes's win over Anthony Ogogo was "likely to draw some negative reactions".[30]
Writing forPro Wrestling Torch,Wade Keller also liked the event and mused that the show "will be remembered for years for many reasons", and also enjoyed the show's short length, stating that it "flew by". Adam Page-Brian Cage was a "really good match", the AEW World Tag Team Championship match was "great", and the Casino Battle Royale was "really fun". He also gave praise to the pre-show match between Serena Deeb and Riho, but criticized several aspects of the show, including the "convoluted finish" of the AEW World Championship three-way, the match between Cody Rhodes and Anthony Ogogo, the main problem of which was that "the crowd just didn't care that much", and also the Stadium Stampede match, which he described as "a mix of good and bad".[31]
Sports journalistDave Meltzer of theWrestling Observer Newsletter assigned star ratings to the event, with the highest rated match being the AEW World Tag Team Championship, which was rated 43⁄4 stars. The next highest rated matches were the AEW World Championship three-way match, and the Adam Page-Brian Cage match, both of which received a 41⁄2 star rating.[1]
Meltzer would also report that the event drew 4,700 paid fans, with a total of 5,200 people in attendance. He also estimated that Double or Nothing received anywhere from 135,000 to 150,000 pay-per-view buys, with a total revenue of $6.3 million, and a $300,000gate.[1]
On June 4, it was announced that the Casino Battle Royale winner Jungle Boy would challenge Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship on the June 26 episode ofDynamite.[32] Omega defeated Jungle Boy to retain the title.[33]
After losing to The Young Bucks, Jon Moxley went on paternity leave for the birth of his daughter.[34]
Double or Nothing would be AEW's last pay-per-view to be held at Daily's Place during the pandemic. In July, the promotion resumed live touring with their next PPV,All Out, scheduled to be held in September inHoffman Estates, Illinois.[28]
| Draw | Entrant | Order | Eliminated by | Eliminations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clubs | Christian Cage | 20 | Jungle Boy | 4 |
| Matt Sydal | 1 | Max Caster | 0 | |
| Powerhouse Hobbs | 15 | Christian Cage | 1 | |
| Dustin Rhodes | 6 | Powerhouse Hobbs | 2 | |
| Max Caster | 2 | Christian Cage | 1 | |
| Diamonds | Isiah Kassidy | 17 | Jungle Boy | 2 |
| Matt Hardy | 19 | Christian Cage | 3 | |
| Preston Vance | 5 | Dustin Rhodes | 1 | |
| Nick Comoroto | 4 | Dustin Rhodes | 0 | |
| Serpentico | 3 | Preston "10" Vance | 0 | |
| Hearts | Brian Pillman Jr. | 10 | Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen | 1 |
| Griff Garrison | 9 | Matt Hardy | 1 | |
| Colt Cabana | 7 | Isiah Kassidy | 0 | |
| Anthony Bowens | 8 | Brian Pillman Jr. and Griff Garrison | 0 | |
| Penta El Zero Miedo | 14 | Jungle Boy | 1 | |
| Spades | ||||
| Jungle Boy | — | Winner | 3 | |
| Marq Quen | 18 | Christian Cage | 1 | |
| Aaron Solow | 11 | Lee Johnson | 0 | |
| Evil Uno | 13 | Penta El Zero Miedo | 0 | |
| Lee Johnson | 12 | Matt Hardy | 1 | |
| Joker | Lio Rush | 16 | Matt Hardy | 0 |