This Sunday the next chapter in AEW’s history will be written as the third annual Double Or Nothing pay-per-view will be taking place. I love the quarterly pay-per-view model that AEW has had since day one because it give time for stories to develop and since AEW actually cares about wrestling and doesn’t treat their fans like idiots, I always get excited for AEW shows, because every match on the show actually has meaning and they make you care about them. Being the world champion matters, being the TNT champion matters, and a feud that doesn’t involve a title matters. So let’s get right into the card and the predictions of the matches.
NWA World Women’s Championship: Serena Deeb (c) vs. Riho
This should be a hell of a match, but with no program in place, and Riho still living in Japan, I don’t see any way Riho wins here. Serena is more accessible, NWA is in bad shape as a whole and having an AEW star as their champ hasn’t really helped considering she’s never on NWA’s show, but it is what it is. Deeb will win and as mentioned this will be a very good match, and if you want evidence of that, watch Serena’s match this past week on Dynamite with Red Velvet.
Winner: Serena Deeb
Casino Battle Royale: For a Future AEW World Championship Match
These matches are always hard to call, especially since we don’t know who the Joker entrant is. The announced entrants are Jungle Boy, Isiah Kassidy, Matt Sydal, Christian Cage, Preston “10” Vance, Matt Hardy, Penta El Zero Miedo, Marq Quen, Will Hobbs, Evil Uno, Colt Cabana, Anthony Bowens, Nick Comoroto, Lee Johnson, Dustin Rhodes, Brian Pillman Jr., QT Marshall, Max Caster, Griff Garrison, and The Blade with Paul Wight on commentary. I find it odd Jungle Boy is in there but not Luchasaurus, The Blade is in there but not The Butcher. Either way the only person in this match that has gone on any kind of singles run is Christian whose had three matches since joining AEW and won them all. Depending on who the Joker entrant is, Christian Cage is the clear choice to win here. Now if the Joker ends up being Andrade or some big name that is coming in to stay, that person could definitely win, if it’s a one time appearance type deal like a Nick Gage (which people online have discussed based on the success of his Dark Side of the Ring Episode) they probably won’t win but add something to the match at least. Without really having a clear idea of who the Joker is to me the only logical choice is Christian Cage and that’s who I’m picking and the fact that he earns it is a good enough reason for me to see this match on a special episode of Dynamite or a Fyter Fest special show type deal.
Winner: Christian Cage
“Hangman” Adam Page vs. Brian Cage
Now WWE tries to condition us to believe, that two people need to face each other like seven times to settle their differences and then they just trade wins and it helps nobody. AEW doesn’t do the rematch thing very often if at all and if they do it’s never this close together. However this one makes sense for one reason, the story is Page has been building his way back up the singles ranks since Kenny Omega and him split as a team and two weeks before this show he was at the top of the rankings and it’s not time for Kenny’s reign to end just yet. So Hangman needed to lose a match to get him out of the top spot so when the time is right he will get his title shot and beat Kenny Omega because we know that’s where it’s been going from day one. So Page is out for revenge here, and that’s completely fine. Also Brian Cage beat him when Hangman was attacked by Team Taz and he received a powerbomb on the ramp, so they justified the loss as well. Hangman will most definitely get the win back and should move on from hear, won’t need a rubber match if they wanna continue it then continue to include The Dark Order and have combination tag matches hear and there to settle it.
Winner: “Hangman” Adam Page
Cody Rhodes vs. Anthony Ogogo
I’ve hated this story, a lot. It started with all the QT being jealous of Cody stuff, and then Cody beat him of course. It never worked because QT isn’t exciting, nobody cares to see him beat Cody which he didn’t and shouldn’t have. Enter Anthony Ogogo, whose been signed to AEW from day one and was basically the first “developmental” signing for AEW that they were preparing for this moment. He’s the one who should have been in the spotlight here from the beginning and now he is. Now to the problem, this storyline is stupid. They made this into an Englishman versus an American for country pride, and that doesn’t work in 2021 especially since we live in a different landscape these days, and if you look at the promos, and I am saying this as an American who hates this storyline, everything Anthony Ogogo has said is one-hundred percent correct, and everything Cody has said comes off as condescending and exactly someone you don’t want to cheer. It’s bad, especially since Cody’s “passionate” promo was very, very unwarranted, and really didn’t fit the storyline at all, him saying he’s gonna be the “American Dream” for one night, made me hate this even more. Ogogo didn’t say or do anything that made Cody’s promo make sense at all. With that said, and let me state again I hate this storyline, Ogogo needs to win. If Cody wins this match it will come off exactly how they don’t want it to, now sure they could use this as the catalyst to turn Cody heel which he absolutely needs to do, but that can be accomplished either way, Cody doesn’t need this win, if he wins I will consider it wrong.
Winner: Anthony Ogogo
Sting & Darby Allin vs. Ethan Page & Scorpio Sky
So I’ve actually really enjoyed this story. Scorpio Sky targeted Sting because he’s tired of people like Sting (older veterans) taking a spot away from people like him who deserve it, and he’s kind of right. Ethan Page, is determined to take out Darby Allin because of their history in Evolve, and how they have fought each other so much and nearly killed each other and he wants to finish the job. The story elements are there and I’ve enjoyed the build to get here. Also Ethan acknowledged how he played a part in costing Darby the TNT Championship giving Darby even more of a reason to get revenge. As for Sting, this will be his first actual wrestling match in a ring, in front of people in six years, and the fact that he has a history of neck issues and the fact that he’s sixty-two years old, I don’t expect him to work a lot of the match, and I’ve mentioned before that he will probably play the hits and Darby will work more then three quarters of the match. Which will ultimately be the thing that probably costs them because Sting will end up taking the pin, which is fine because he doesn’t need to win matches at all, and it protects Darby and gets Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky a big win, which is what needs to happen because they need it a lot more.
Winner: Ethan Page & Scorpio Sky
TNT Championship: Miro (c) vs. Lance Archer
Lance Archer’s role has been kind of odd to me, for weeks he was coming out interrupting Sting begging for time, then out of nowhere he started helping Sting and Darby, and they sort of been building to this match anyway even before Miro won the TNT championship. So now we have this match, two big guys who are sure to have a hell of a match. I’ve loved the transformation Miro has made in his character and should have been what he was doing from the beginning, beating people, winning matches and being the dominant force he should have been from day one. Exactly one year since Cody beat Archer to become the first TNT Champion at Double or Nothing Archer is here again, and he’s gonna lose again. Miro is on too big of a roll right now to lose. I don’t know what Archer does after this, maybe he goes back to targeting Sting, or he just has matches on Dark for a while, Miro needs to keep the momentum keep beating bigger names and moving up the ladder to when he eventually loses the TNT Championship and it’s an even bigger deal, then he can go on a roll again after that to get him in the world title picture.
Winner: Miro
AEW Women’s World Championship: Hikaru Shida vs. Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D.
Nobody has been more over in literally the last year in AEW then Britt Baker. She has been the star of this division even before it got as good as it is now, and she’s finally getting her opportunity to shine. Hikaru Shida got a very rough deal as champion and it’s not her fault obviously, this is going to be her first title defense in front of a full house and she’s most likely gonna lose. Shida had a hell of a reign and she beat everyone that was put in front of her, but it’s Britt Baker’s time, she needed to be champion like three months ago and when AEW did that tournament to pick a new contender, when she didn’t win the entire wrestling community knew it was wrong. Also the history between Shida and Baker has been acknowledged as it should be, and despite Shida being responsible for breaking Baker’s nose, that visual made Baker a bigger star. With that said Britt Baker will win, she has to win, if she doesn’t it’s wrong, this is her moment her crowning moment.
Winner: Britt Baker
AEW Tag Team Championship: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston
I’ve loved everything that has got us to this match. The story of how Moxley and Kingston got back together, the way the Young Bucks have been over confident and over cocky and it resulting in them ramping up their in ring personas. This has been building for a while and Moxley and Kingston went about it the right way to earn this title opportunity by beating three top contenders and The Good Brothers. The promos by both teams have been absolutely great, I loved the segment from the show before where Mox and Kingston came out during the Bucks celebration of successfully defending their titles only to be choked out and have their sneakers stolen by Mox and Kingston. The Bucks reaction to that happening and the follow up on Being The Elite was great. I’m very excited to see how these teams work in the ring, The Bucks are very good at adapting to the style of whoever they face, and Mox and Kingston are a very brawler/technical style. I hope there isn’t any shenanigans in this match because it would be completely believable for Moxley and Kingston to win here, but if there’s interference that certainly won’t happen. This is the hardest match to call on the card but, I’m still gonna pick Moxley and Kingston because I think it would be a good touch on the story, they stole the Bucks shoes and then they can “argue” they stole the titles, it writes itself and who wouldn’t want to see Mox and Kingston as tag champs for a while.
Winner: Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston
AEW World Championship: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Orange Cassidy vs. PAC
This is going to be a hell of a match. PAC and Cassidy were at the top of the rankings because they both were winning matches and earned there spot here and Kenny Omega ruined the contender’s match which was supposed to be a time limit draw but was changed due to Cassidy’s apparent injury in said match. Omega has been slighting Cassidy the whole time and saying that he’s a joke and doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near the world champion. PAC feels he’s being slighted because Omega is spending too much time focusing on Cassidy, trying to get him to bow out of the match and all. Claiming that him and PAC would have a classic without Orange, and PAC doesn’t want to hear that, he feels slighted because Omega is taking him lightly. It has the potential to be the best match on the entire card and I can’t wait to see it but we all know whose winning Kenny Omega retains, simple as that.
Winner: Kenny Omega
Stadium Stampede: Inner Circle vs. The Pinnacle
I don’t know how a Stadium Stampede match is going to work with crowds being present, I don’t know if it’s gonna be pre recorded and played on the screen, I don’t know if they are going to allow the crowd to switch venues for one match (probably not), I don’t know any of that. What I do know, this can’t be like the previous Stadium Stampede match, no comedy, no shenanigans, this needs to be a big fight feel and it needs to be definitive and the end of this story. The Blood and Guts match was great and I felt they could have just had that match here, instead of having another match three weeks later. The promos by both teams have been great in there own way, The Pinnacle is all going in knowing they are better because of the previous win, and The Inner Circle is going in fully united hoping to use that to their advantage and get it done. Now based on the stipulation, of if The Pinnacle wins, The Inner Circle must disband, I don’t want to say that telegraphs the result but, there’s a few different elements at play here, The Inner Circle has kind of run it’s course, everyone involved can benefit from going on to there own thing, and getting out of each other’s shadow so to speak, The Pinnacle is the new group on top and they shouldn’t lose even in this environment, I’m sure Jericho will be taking a little break for a Fozzy tour in the near future as well. So with all of that said, you need to keep the momentum in The Pinnacle’s corner for all of those reasons stated, they are the future now, the Inner Circle is past its prime as a group, time to move on.
Winner: The Pinnacle
What are your thoughts on the card for AEW Double Or Nothing 2021? Who do you think is going to win each match on the card? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @SLTDWrestling.
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