Double or Nothing feels a little less monumental on it’s own as it did in the past.
Instead it feels like a show with plenty of great pro wrestling matches that will end a few stories and hopefully push AEW forward into a huge summer with Forbidden Door, All In and All Out.
Adam Cole has a chance to be elevated into the world title picture, The Elite can prove they are again a dominant group by beating The Blackpool Combat Club in Anarchy in the Arena, Jade Cargill faces the biggest threat to her TBS championship yet and the Four Pillars of AEW get their chance to show out in the main event.
CM Punk making an appearance isn’t likely, but not out of the question.
With a lot to be decided, The Post’s Joseph Staszewski tried to predict how it will all go down at Double or Nothing at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday (8 p.m., Bleacher Report).
Orange Cassidy (c) retains the AEW International championship in a 21-man Blackjack Battle Royal
Cassidy has 22 successful title defenses and has really elevated the AEW International championship’s standing.
The story is he is slowly wearing down from consistently putting it on the line.
But having his reign end in a Vegas-themed battle royale without a clear foil or surprise entrant would seem counterproductive to all the cache Cassidy has built up.
Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy and Hook over Ethan Page, Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn
Honestly, The Firm Deletion should have been the blow-off to this feud.
But now if Matt Hardy’s team wins he flips the tables and gets control of Page’s contract.
You don’t put in that type of stipulation unless you plan on using it as a way to keep this feud going.
FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) (c) over Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal for the AEW world tag team championships (Mark Briscoe as special guest referee)
This has a chance to be one of the night’s most fun matches with plenty of storytelling and shenanigans.
Briscoe as the special guest referee is the key here — he already slapped Harwood for the pile driver he mistakenly gave him and doesn’t seem to like anyone on the other side outside of friend Jay Lethal.
Briscoe ultimately does the right thing here and makes sure FTR retains.
Taya Valkyrie over Jade Cargill (c) win the TBS championship
This has to be it for Cargill, doesn’t it? The 60-0 TBS champion already owns a win over Valkyrie at Revolution where the challenger was prohibited from using her finisher.
It’s in play this time and that should mean it will be the difference.
The shine has already come off Cargill’s run and pushing her to like 100-0 feels pointless. Valkyrie is certainly someone who is believable in beating her.
The run, finally, ends here.
Jamie Hayter (c) over Toni Storm to retain the AEW women’s world championship
Sadly this match — a rematch from Revolution — feels like a placeholder for bigger things to come this summer for the two factions and Hayter.
Saraya told The Post she wants a big blow-off match for this feud.
Storm losing would allow Saraya to tell her to step aside after two chances so she can face Hayter at All In at Wembley Stadium.
Wardlow (c) over Christian Cage to retain the TNT championship (Ladder match)
AEW has played way too much hot potato with the TNT championship of late and it damaged the title and Wardlow’s momentum.
AEW seems to be back behind him by pairing Wardlow with Arn Anderson.
It would feel very unwise to take Wardlow’s legs out from under him again this quickly.
The Elite (Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, and “Hangman” Adam Page) over Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta) in an Anarchy in the Arena match
Man oh man, it’s great to have The Elite back together.
With the group squashing the idea of there being any internal strife between Omega and “Hangman” during this week’s “Being The Elite,” it feels like they are due for a feel-good win over The Blackpool Combat Club, right?
I’d lean yes because Anarchy in the Arena is a blow-off match and you can have Yuta or Claudio take the fall.
But Don Callis is the wild card.
If he is somehow working with the BCC, maybe he has a plan to ensure its win or maybe he just wants to see Omega keep losing.
My guess is The Elite win and Callis has a surprise up his sleeve to move them into their next chapter, either after the match or on Dynamite.
Adam Cole over Chris Jericho, Unsanctioned match
Cole and Jericho have told a good story heading into this one.
Cole still needs to get revenge on Jericho for cuffing him to the ropes and making him watch Saraya beat real-life girlfriend Britt Baker (whom I expect to play a role in this match) with a kendo stick.
Making this an unsanctioned match allows it to have the brutality it needs and lets Jericho dismiss the loss as not counting.
Cole added ECW legend Sabu to watch his back but still doesn’t have the numbers to match the Jericho Appreciation Society.
Does Kyle O’Reilly return? Cole needs to start being positioned for a world title shot and this is the start.
MJF (c) over Sammy Guevara, “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry and Darby Allin to retain the AEW world championship
Man, there is so much young talent in this match, with Allin being the oldest at 30.
As much as a multi-man would be a way to protect MJF in defeat, it is way too early in his “reign-of-terror” title run for him to lose here with the huge summer AEW has planned and CM Punk likely returning.
The other three pillars fighting amongst themselves opens the door for MJF.
Pay attention to who takes the pin and who comes close to beating MJF.