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AEW Double or Nothing saw a massive shift in the pace of matches from the initial ones to the main event. A new TBS and AEW Women's Champion was crowned, in addition to a wrestling legend going back to his old roots with his in-ring antics.
Fans were in for a treat with the PPV, which, towards the end, kept them on the edge of their seats.
Below is a list of the best and worst matches and events that happened on AEW Double or Nothing:
#9. Best- Sabu returns to in-ring action
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Sabu is considered one of the most daring stars of all time. Last week, Adam Cole announced that the ECW legend would be backing him up against Chris Jericho and his menacing faction.
The Ocho and Sabu are no strangers to each other and even competed on ECW early on in their careers. The 57-year-old was the special guest enforcer for the unsanctioned match between Cole and Jericho.
At Double or Nothing, as Adam Cole made his way to the ring, accompanied by Roderick Strong and Sabu, chaos ensued. The Jericho Appreciation Society, consisting of Matt Menard, Angelo Parker, Daniel Garcia, and Jake Hager, launched an attack on Strong and Sabu. Meanwhile, Cole focused his attention on Jericho, who awaited him in the ring.
As they made their way to the ring, JAS members attempted to attack them, but Sabu casually put one of them through a table before jumping off the top rope onto another member.
The wrestling world was elated with the 57-year-old's in-ring antics after so many years. While he may not compete quite often in an in-ring capacity, it remains to be seen what AEW has in store for him.
#8. Worst - Toni Storm's win to become a two-time AEW Women's Champion
At All Out last year, Toni Storm won the AEW Women's Championship, which had been vacated by Thunder Rosa. The former WWE star defeated Britt Baker, Hikaru Shida, and Jamie Hayter in a four-way match.
She started a feud with Jamie Hayter, who was hell-bent on winning the title and succeeded at Full Gear. The two women collided on multiple occasions due to Hayter teaming up with Baker going against The Outcasts.
A few weeks prior to the event, Hayter severely injured her right shoulder, which led to the uncertainty of her title match. But the 28-year-old persevered and was determined to have the match. During their bout, the injury was evident when Hayter kept nursing her arm.
Toni Storm eventually won the match with some assistance from her stablemates. The botchy and sloppy in-ring work by Storm did not work in her favor. The match lasted for barely three minutes; however, the limited time could have been a result of Hayter's injury.
#7. Best - Kris Statlander's return
Kris Statlander impressed the AEW administration since her association with the promotion a couple of years ago. Last year, she was set for a massive push for the TBS Championship, sparking a feud with Jade Cargill.
Unfortunately, during a match on AEW Dark in August, she suffered a torn ACL and lateral meniscus in her right leg. This led her to be out of in-ring competition for a good nine months.
Taya Valkyrie collided with Jade Cargill in her sights upon her AEW debut. The two took multiple shots at each other before their match at Double or Nothing.
Cargill completed her undefeated streak at 60-0 and laid out an open challenge for the women's locker room. This was responded by Kris Statlander, much to everyone's surprise. She knocked Cargill out and pinned her to win her first TBS Championship.
Her return to the roster and holding the title paves the way for blockbuster matches and possibly re-igniting old rivalries against the likes of Britt Baker and more.
#6. Worst - Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita joining BCC
Don Callis turned on Kenny Omega earlier this month. He was associated with Omega since the beginning of the promotion. The mind games continued to the extent that he assaulted his former associate with a screwdriver during his match against Jon Moxley on an edition of Dynamite.
At Double or Nothing, Don Callis disrupted the match to distract Kenny Omega while a masked figure attacked him. He was later identified to be Konosuke Takeshita.
BCC took advantage of the distraction resulting in The Elite's loss. Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson, and Wheeler Yuta celebrated their victory as they made their exit.
An exhausted Kenny Omega was still in the ring as Don Callis attempted to attack him with his belt. This was a long time coming, but for a promising star like Konosuke Takeshita to join forces with Callis and BCC seemed rather odd.
#5. Best - Battle of the 'four pillars' for the AEW World Championship
The four pillars of AEW - Jungle Boy Jack Perry, Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, and MJF competed in a four-way match for the championship. Initially, the three competitors teamed up to take on the Champion.
The match left everyone in awe. It enabled the show to pick up the pace as compared to the previous matches. The impressive match concluded with MJF using his antics to get the best of his opponents.
While Darby Allin was setting up for the coffin drop on Jungle Boy, MJF threw the belt on top of him, resulting in Allin falling back first on it. The Salt of the Earth then pinned Allin to retain the title.
All four stars displayed their focus on winning the title. They used high-flying moves and worked in unison on a few occasions to the best of their advantage. At one point, Guevara and Jungle Boy countered each other's roll-up pins for the two count as fans looked on with fervor on whether a new AEW Champion was to be crowned.
#4. Worst - Karen Jarrett botching the guitar strike on referee Aubrey Edwards
FTR defended the AEW Tag Team titles against Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal. ROH veteran Mark Briscoe was the special guest referee for the bout.
Jarrett teamed up with Lethal upon his AEW debut last year and aligned himself with Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh. A couple of weeks ago, his wife, Karen Jarrett, made her first appearance in the Jacksonville-based promotion showcasing support for her husband.
At the PPV, Jeff Jarrett brought out his guitar to hit his opponents in his signature style. Things took a turn when Dax Harwood dodged the hit, and he accidentally knocked out Mark Briscoe. Referee Aubrey Edwards ran out to create some order in the chaos but was interrupted by Sonjay Dutt.
In the meanwhile, Karen Jarrett assaulted her with a guitar shot to the head. As she continued her trash talk on the official, she tripped but got up to her feet. The move seemed a bit sloppy despite many applauding her actions against Edwards.
#3. Best - Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo's pregnancy announcement
Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo started dating in January last year. The two got engaged in June and tied the knot a couple of months later. They took their relationship on-screen and competed in multiple mixed tag team matches. Guevara and Melo held and defended the AAA Mixed Tag Team Championship.
At Double or Nothing, Sammy Guevara went up against Jungle Boy Jack Perry, Darby Allin, and MJF for the AEW World Championship. The stars gave it their all, and the world almost witnessed the crowning of a new championship.
As Guevara made his entrance for the match, he was accompanied by his wife. The couple held up cards citing that they had an important message to share before announcing the pregnancy.
#2. Worst - Live band playing during the Anarchy in the Arena match
Having a live band play entrance music for stars is not uncommon. In most cases, as soon as said star reaches the ring, the band stops playing. However, in this case, the music continued as the bell rang while Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta, Claudio Castagnoli, and Bryan Danielson pounced on Kenny Omega, Matt and Nick Jackson, and Hangman Page.
While the concept seemed interesting to a few, it created quite a diversion and chaos from the events transpiring in the arena.
Over and above that, the band's vocalist did not do a good job with Moxley's signature 'Wild Thing' theme covered by the popular all-female band Elektra. As the AEW stars brawled in, outside and backstage, the addition of the music added to the tumultuous environment.
#1. Best - Matt Jackson's 'exploding superkick' in the main event
The main event saw Blackpool Combat Club take on The Elite and Hangman Page in an intense, hard-hitting bout. The two factions have been at loggerheads for the past couple of years, and it was only a matter of time before all members clashed in the 'anarchy in the arena' style match.
As Jon Moxley had Nick Jackson in a submission maneuver, his brother Matt Jackson superkicked him in the head. As soon as it happened, sparks flew, and a dazed Moxley was left fumbling. Fans leaped to their feet as gasps were heard all around.
Wheeler Yuta jumped up to his feet to avenge his stablemate and found himself on the receiving end of a vicious superkick. However, this time around, there were no sparks involved.
Many theorized that The Elite member had a firework in his shoe. He was seen nursing his leg post the kick and proceeded to take off his sneaker later on. This was evident when Moxley attempted to suplex him, but he ended up (bare) foot first into the thumbtacks spread across the mat.
