Quick Thoughts: AEW Double or Nothing 2026

Another rotation of AEW PPVs done and it brings us to the second biggest show in the AEW calander in Double or Nothing, the eight one in its history and you could argue the biggest one since that very first AEW show. Taking place in a packed stadium this should be a great match. I am glad this year that Double or Nothing isn't main evented by a match to get a title match at a different show. Instead, this year will be highlighted by a huge world title match and several grudges, so let's go match by match as ever. But you know who cares about wrestling really? ARSENAL WON THE LEAGUE!!!!!!

Buy-In

5-minute Tag Team Eliminator Match: Divine Dominion (Megan Bayne and Lena Kross) vs. Zayda Steel and Viva Van
I enjoy the set ups of this matches. Gets Divine Dominion over as dominant force and when someone eventually surivies or beats them it gets them over huge. Look if Brawling Birds are to win it at All In I'd still have someone before hand go the five minutes. Be it Maya World & Hyan or TayJay just show a  chink in the armour. Was gine not got anything else to add wonder if TayJay survive five. 2/5

Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, and Wheeler Yuta) (with Marina Shafir) vs. The Opps (Anthony Bowens, Hook, and Katsuyori Shibata)
An addition to the Ospreay and Joe match on the show I'd prefer this to be a tornado match but might take away from Stadium Stampede. Good for Bowens getting a new story he's solid enough and I think can be a good fit for The Opps. Good match surprised they won off an uppercut but good stuff throughout. Solid but not spectacular. 3/5

Boom & Doom ("Big Boom!" A.J. and Q. T. Marshall) and The Conglomeration (Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy, and Roderick Strong) (with Big Justice) vs. Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor, Anthony Ogogo, Capt. Shawn Dean, Carlie Bravo, and Lee Moriarty) (with Christyan XO)
I mean yeah sure whatever I guess. Just announce the Big Boom AJ match for All In please and thanks. Outside of Ogogo Shane Taylor Promotions are solid enough with Moriarty being the clear exception I mean time for him to get a better run on AEW get him into the C2 this year. I dunno should be a fine enough match I imagine a lot of crowd work. The fuck happened at the end Big Boom AJ busted open hard way, QT hurt badly just kinda all broke down. 2/5

Main Show

AEW World Tag Team Championship "I Quit" Match: FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) (c) (with Stokely) vs. Cage and Cope (Adam Copeland and Christian Cage)
Ok so this is where Cage & Cope win right? Felt it was last month but won't disagree with the shock hometown guys lose this is the bigger show for the bigger moment. Kinda wild that my thoughts went to FTR, Young Bucks and C&C at All In in a TLC match for the belts but now that could have New Day and Motor City Machine Guns as well just a wild idea. I'm all for more Christian title reigns so let's see how this goes. Good feud strong match really felt like the teams hated each other and good moments the flaming tables and the end. Good opener. 4.25/5

AEW International Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita
Wish I was more interested in this one I can't lie. Just feels like we've waited too long and with how the build has been I don't even know if this is the end of it. I like both men and I imagine this will be good on paper but still the build has been super lacking for how big of a match this should be. Oh man ok delivered big on the night super, amazing I need to rewatch it over and over again might be the best Okada match he's had since he joined AEW. Great to see Fletcher back I am now invested. 5/5  

Women's Owen Hart Foundational Tournament Quarterfinal: Athena vs. Mina Shirakawa
The curse of writing early is you have a whole thing about how you think Willow will win the tournament. That's now deleted I dunno what I'm writing Arsenal have won the league and my mind has no place for wrestling anymore. Anyway now I have no idea who's winning this tournament to face Thekla I first said Mercedes and she wasn't in it, then I said Willow and she's hurt so it's super open to me now which is an interesting tournament. This is the only match really with a story to start with given the history of these two with Athena injuring Mina last year I do wonder if Mina is tournament favourite with the long overhanging story of who killed Toni Storm I think the big reveal is she killed Toni or maybe someone costs her in the tournament for it. I dunno let's see I think this should be a good match regardless. This was fine enough a step down from the last two but always would be. Still fun. 3.25/5

AEW Continental Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Kyle O'Reilly
Didn't we just do the draw on TV to set up a Mox win in the title match at PPV? We did the same song and dance with Takeshita at Revolution. I dunno I think the Mox title run has served its purpose especially if there's not Death Rider turn on him they're just kind faces I think I dunno dumb shades of gray. Dunno just don't care for this title run if we've just got the one story for title matches. I think other will like this match I dunno I get the story but just don't care for the feud. 3/5

Men's Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quarterfinal: Samoa Joe vs. Will Ospreay
Everybody wants Will Ospreay. Death Riders, United Empire & The Opps, they all want to have him in their groups and Ospreay just caught in the middle of wanting to find himself back to the level he was. Typical story to culminate as world champion under the arch at Wembley. I will say interesting to see Joe vs. Ospreay now considering their shared hisyory in fighting the Death Riders. Be interesting to see if The Opps and Death Riders get involved. My brain is cooked all I can say is 'pure death jitsu' or 'liquid death jitsu' I think my mind is gone Arsenal lifted the trophy and I didn't sleep before hand. But yeah great match, pure Death Jitsu. 4/5

Men's Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quarterfinal: Bandido vs. Swerve Strickland
Bandido got that Burnley syndrome, took good for the Championship (ROH) but always losing in the Premier League (AEW). I'm writing this just after Supercard of Honor and that wonderful vertebreaker on the steel chair was nasty but man up the anty why is this not for the ROH title (I said the same about Andrade). I like the idea of Swerve being so dangerous they're worried about putting him on TV but as the same time he needs to be getting heat for this heel run. Should be a good match regardless two of the best in the world. There's so many cool spots in this I dunno what to say insane chemistry from these two run it back for the ROH belt I wanna see it. 4.5/5

AEW Women's World Championship: Thekla (c) vs. Hikaru Shida vs. Jamie Hayter vs. Kris Statlander
Two of my favourite women in wrestling at this moment are Thekla and Hikaru Shida in what they are doing with Thekla just being Thekla and Shida being this disingenuous friend. I like the multiple stories merging into one title bout. What can I say I don't need the clout of being in the stopwatch brigade they can only measure quality though quanitity (I also don't have a podcast). I do think this match brings to an end the Thekla vs. Brawling Birds stuff as I think her defending against a Stardom wrestler at Forbidden Door makes sense and with further Shida's heel turn. Makes sense for this to be a multiple match to futher everything I'm just sad I won't get the reposts for speaking like this. Good fun match nice to see that Shida and Statlander finally started beefing, fun stuff and Thekla winning is always good. 3.75/5

Stadium Stampede: Jericho, The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin), and The Elite (Kenny Omega, "Jungle" Jack Perry, Matt Jackson, and Nick Jackson) vs. The Demand (Ricochet, Bishop Kaun, and Toa Liona), The Don Callis Family (Mark Davis and Andrade El Idolo), and The Dogs (Clark Connors and David Finlay)
Did someone say get everyone on the card match? I wish we had more for Omega and Andrade here. Should be wild and fun I prefer watching these at home to being live it was hard to keep track of everything at Wembley in 2023. Don't have much to add over that just nice that Mark Davis won the National title good to reward his good run this year. I didn't really enjoy this was too long and so one sided to the faces. Was eh worst one of the Stadium Stampedes. 2.5/5

AEW World Championship Title vs. Hair: Darby Allin (c) vs. MJF
Two things before we start, one this Darby run is one of the best AEW has ever had, superb match after superb match that it is a shame it will come to an end. Secondly, that MJF segment walking past all of the bald people was funny as fuck. This has been a great feud for seemingly the entirety of AEWs existence and following Darby quick and shock title win this feel the big get the win back moment for MJF. These two have a fantastic chemistry I think their match from Full Gear in 2021 is underrated so interested in what they do here. I have thought the main event for All In would be MJF vs. Ospreay since Ospreay's return (I did think it'd be Darby vs. MJF for the longest time just a few months off) so expecting an MJF win here. I did think Darby died after that initial dive out of the ring fucking hell. Loved this match superb stuff with how Darby's body gave up on him in the end and MJF stole it. Loved it gone how I thought it would and I will not complain. 4.25/5

I did not expect that heel turn for Kevin Knight that was surprising and interested where he goes with this. Overall I real good show I loved it with some fantastic matches that need a rewatch. Only thing I didn't enjoy was the Stadium Stampede but still super solid. 4.25/5