AEW Double or Nothing: Ranking each match from worst to best

AEW inaugural event, Double or Nothing, is now in the books, and it's safe to say that the event lived up to the hype and then some. Though there were some problems, most notably a few glaring production issues, the show was still a spectacular success. The upstart promotion needed to make a big impression, and it did just that, even exceeding high expectations.

Jon Moxley's (aka Dean Ambrose) debut was obviously the most noteworthy thing, but the card was solid and particularly built up steam in the second half.

9 matches made up this card, so which were the worst? Which the best? Let's take a look.

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#9 The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Bros

A self-indulgent spotfest that went on way too long.

This will no doubt be controversial, but I simply hated this match.

That's not to say that the four guys weren't athletic as the day is long, delivering an action-packed pace. The problem was that there was just too much of it.

Towards the end of the contest, The Young Bucks and Lucha Bros were kicking out of double team jumping piledrivers repeatedly. It just rattled the entire narrative of the match, breaking any sense of realism or investment. It felt like an episode of Loony Tunes. Suspension of disbelief was broken entirely.

The fact that the match went on way too long for such a pace didn't help things either. Had this been 10 minutes shorter, it would have been a fun sprint with a less cartoonish ending, but it lingered far longer than it should have and threw out any coherence it had as a result.

A dud for me. If there is such a thing as trying to do too much, this match was it.

Fortunately, there were no other duds to be found on this card.

#8 Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose vs. Kylie Rae vs. Awesome Kong

An "awesome" return.

They almost had me.

They almost made me think that Brandi Rhodes was going to imitate a WWE style authority figure angle, only to make the crowd come unglued with the appearance of Awesome Kong.

WWE, with its fondness for swerves, should take notice. That's how you do them.

Unfortunately, in other respects, this match didn't live up to its hype. For all the star power and presence she brings, Awesome Kong isn't the competitor that she once was, and spent a good deal of the match outside the ring. Nyla Rose also still has a lot of work to do in the ring.

Britt Baker and Kylie Rae gave the match a faster pace when they were in the ring together. Kylie in particular looks to have a good future as a babyface, but hopefully it will be explored in a better environment.

#7 Casino Battle Royale

Show-opener.

It's hard for battle royals (other than the Royal Rumble) to be truly great, but this made the most of the stipulation. There were some funny or crazy spots, such as a showcasing of Tommy Dreamer's greatest hits with the trash can lid and the hilarious sequence he had with Sonny Kiss.

More importantly, a shot at the future AEW World Championship was on the line, so this match was crucial in building up the emerging stars within the company. The final two were "Hangman" Adam Page and MJF, who believed he won, only to be eliminated by the former.

That victory would have implications for the main event later that evening. Either way, Page came out of the contest as one of the rising stars in the upstart company, and we'll have to see how his coming title match goes.

This was nothing brilliant, but it did what it needed to do.

#6 Sammy Guevara vs. Kip Sabian

Pre-show main event.

This was a fluid, fast-moving match that gave us an idea of what All Elite Wrestling was going to be all about in terms of its singles action. The excitement kicked up a notch when Sammy Guevara hit a standing shooting star press on Kip Sabian when he was draped over the security railing at ringside.

Nevertheless, Kip Sabian got back into the action and hit his finisher, the "Deathly Hollows," to secure the victory in All Elite Wrestling's first ever proper wrestling match.

The match never quite felt like it accelerated beyond a certain point, ultimately limiting its effectiveness, but if you watch this again, it will nevertheless be about 10 minutes well spent.

Both of these guys should have big futures in the new wrestling promotion. They did what they needed to do to close out the kickoff show.

#5 Best Friends vs. Angelico and Jack Evans

Neon everywhere!

Aside from the overuse of greenish-yellow neon, this was a very good way to start off All Elite Wrestling's tag team division, even if it wasn't quite the kind of knockout match we would have wanted.

Nevertheless, this was 12 minutes of stiff action with some humorous spots. The hugging amidst the hard shots made for a nice contrast.

More notable than the action itself, though, was the lights going out and the Super Smash Brothers emerging out of the darkness. That should add a new wrinkle into the tag team equation. AEW's tag team division already looks like it could be the best in the world, and this match was the first real taste of what could come out of a company that has pledged to take tag team wrestling more seriously than its gargantuan rival in Stamford, Connecticut.

#4 SCU vs. Strong Hearts

The main show begins.

This match wasn't anything special, but it was a great way to get the crowd amped up as the main show kicked off. SCU started off with a humorous, ironic promo lauding Las Vegas as the best worst city they've ever been to. That got the crowd amped up.

Strong Hearts weren't in the mood for that sort of thing, though, and the match got started off stiffly. It was all business as far as they were concerned. Cima showcased his speed trading arm drags with Christoper Daniels, and there was strong teamwork throughout the contest. Notably, Strong Hearts showcased their immense pound for pound strength during the match, lifting the SCU members into slams with high torque and high impact.

Nevertheless, that wasn't enough, as SCU would eventually end the match with a moonsault and tombstone combination from Christopher Daniels.

#3 Hikaru Shida, Riho Abe, and Ryo Mizunami vs. Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki, and Emi Sakura

Pay no attention to the timekeeper.

Exceeding the earlier Women's Fatal Four way match and performing well in its role to showcase Japan's joshi scene, this match put everyone on notice that AEW will seek the best talent from around the world for its women's division.

Much like the joshi scene is notorious for in Japan, this match was worked supremely stiff, with smacks and knee strikes galore. For once, we can forgive referee incompetence, as it allowed Aja Kong and Hikaru Shida to have a fun sequence with a miniature garbage can and a kendo stick.

Unfortunately, the timekeeper botch near the end will be one of the things this match is most remembered for, but it was a blistering, well-told story before that, and will be notable enough to stand on its own.

#2 Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho

Fallen ace.

While it didn't quite live up to their classic in Japan, this was a great way to close the show. The selling between these two was excellent. It was a brutal fight where both men battered each other in a war of attrition until only one of them was left standing. In the end, Kenny Omega couldn't land the One Winged Angel, but Chris Jericho pulled out his secret weapon, a new elbow finisher called the Judas Effect, to put his obstinate opponent away.

Honestly, that finish was a bit underwhelming, as the Judas Effect doesn't look particularly powerful compared to the Codebreaker. That was the only flaw with the match itself.

Nevertheless, all of that was blown out the window when Jon Moxley arrived and threw All Elite Wrestling into chaos.

This was the main event the show needed. Now Jericho is poised to be the company's first world champion heading into its fall TV deal.

#1 Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes

The match of a lifetime.

On a night full of surprises, this one might have been the biggest surprise of all. The former Goldust was released from WWE just weeks ago and landed in what just might have been the best match of his career at the ripe age of 50. Cody, too, had possibly the best match of his career last night.

As a matter of fact, this might have been the best wrestling match of 2019 to date.

Everything about this was nearly flawless. Brandi Rhodes' interference toward the start of the match. The cameo from DDP to get her out of there. The blood, with Dustin fighting purely by instinct and yet coming so close to victory.

Finally, there was that reconciliation, Cody figuring out that he needed his older brother after all.

Blood, sweat, and tears were all left in that ring.