411’s AEW Double or Nothing 2021 Preview

Hello 411 guys, gals, enbies, and everyone else! Welcome to 411’s AEW Double or Nothing preview! I’m Jeremy Thomas as always, and Sunday sees AEW’s latest PPV extravaganza. AEW has had a big couple of months between Blood & Guts, their new deal with WarnerMedia, and more. Double or Nothing could continue their success as we have a big card with nine matches and a ton of potential. Without further ado, there’s a lot to cover so let’s jump right in, shall we?

Casino Battle Royale

The Casino Battle Royale is a staple of Double or Nothing, and this year’s iteration is as stacked as it usually is. We have a host of names in here, but as usual we can boil it down to a few people. Nothing wrong with a match that gets a lot of people on the card, but with all due respect I don’t think anyone expects Evil Uno or Griff Garrison to take this win for example. When we look at potential winners here I think it largely boils down to Christian Cage, the mystery entrant and maybe Penta. Penta is an outside pick and the mystery entrant depends largely on who it is; there’s a fair amount of speculation that it could be Andrade which would potentially play Andrade’s match with Kenny Omega for the AAA Mega Championship. I’m going to go with Christian though, who came in teasing a match with Omega right away. Having him earn a title shot here would show that they’re not just giving out main event matches to every big name that they sign and it seems like the smartest play to capitalize on him.

WINNER: Christian Cage

Hangman Page vs. Brian Cage

Hangman is another guy who, like Christian, seems to be mostly biding his time until he gets a World Championship feud. As of late, that’s meant a feud with Brian Cage who stopped Page’s run toward a match with Kenny Omega. This has been a decent little feud and should lead to a pretty enjoyable encounter between them at Double or Nothing. Cage is a guy that has been just sort of hanging out in the middle of the card, in his case as part of Team Taz. He’s got a world of potential, but Page is the guy who needs the win here to get back on track in the storyline rankings and it’s not like a loss to Hangman will hurt the FTW Champion too badly.

WINNER: Hangman Page

Sting and Darby Allin vs. Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page

I was very happy to see Ethan Page sign with AEW. “All Ego” was a highlight in his Impact Wrestling run over the past year-plus, and it’s nice to see the guy get an opportunity on a bigger stage. Thus far, he’s been easing in by forming an alliance with Scorpio Sky, which lead into a feud with Darby Allin and Sting. As much as I like Page (and Sky), there probably isn’t much question where this is going. This is Sting’s first actual (non-cinematic) match in six years, and Allin is someone that AEW is obviously positioning for the main event. Those are the bigger stories right now than Page and Sky. The other big question here is how well Sting will perform, and while they’ll obviously be booking around his limitations at this point I imagine he’ll do just fine. This should be a solid match that allows Page and Sky to get a lot of heat off beating on the former TNT Champion and a 62 year-old icon, but this will end with Sting and Allin’s hands raised.

WINNER: Sting & Darby Allin

Cody Rhodes vs. Anthony Ogogo

Here we have a match that is actually kind of tricky to predict, as there’s two ways they could go about it. The question for Cody Rhodes vs. Anthony Ogogo is, how does AEW view Ogogo? Is this a match intended to push him as a viable star in his own right, or is he a first obstacle for Cody to move onto QT Marshall as the leader of The Factory. I can’t say I’m deeply invested in this feud; it’s had its moments but then you’ve also had things like Cody’s strange “America Rah Rah Rah” promo. Given that Cody’s appearing as “The American Dream” for one night only, the smarter money seems to be not on Ogogo knocking Cody out but rather Cody picking up the win, then moving on toward a match with Marshall.

WINNER: Cody Rhodes

TNT Championship Match
Miro vs. Lance Archer

It took them a hot minute, but AEW has figured out how to book Miro and it’s been a massive improvement over how he started. Don’t get me wrong; I appreciate Miro trying to present himself as something beyond just the typical muscular monster. But it didn’t work the way it needed to and since he became unleashed it’s been a lot more fun to watch him. Now that he’s TNT Champion, I expect him to have a solidly long reign and that makes Lance Archer a clear first sacrifice. This should be a solid powerhouse vs. powerhouse match, and I feel like these two will match up well in intensity and big moves. That said, even Jake Roberts’ guidance won’t be enough for Archer to dethrone the champion this early into his run.

WINNER: Miro (STILL TNT Champion)

AEW Tag Team Championship Match
The Young Bucks vs. Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston

The Young Bucks have been AEW World Tag Team Champions for just over 200 days at this point. As such, you might think that AEW is ripe for a title change, especially considering how well Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston have (unsurprisingly) done as a team. However, you also have to consider that Nick and Matt Jackson would be losing their first big match since their heel turn, which also doesn’t seem like it would make a lot of sense. There’s a lot that you could do here to play out the finish to the match, either with the Bucks retaining thanks to help from their Elite brethren or Moxley and Kingston beating the odds to valiantly capture the title and cause a few cracks in Team Omega’s foundation. It almost goes without saying that this should be an exciting match and that all four of these guys can and probably will deliver big-time. In the end, I’m leaning toward a Young Bucks retention but I’m not as certain of that pick as I am about most of the matches on the card.

WINNER: Young Bucks (STILL AEW Tag Team Champions)

AEW Women’s World Championship Match
Hikaru Shida vs. Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D.

As much as the AEW women’s division has had some bumps in the road as it grows, there are a couple of people who deserve a lot of credit for carrying it and they’re both in this match. It’s true that Shida’s title reign hasn’t been the most exciting, but it’s been a point of consistency that has allowed AEW time to build up the other women of the division. Meanwhile, Britt Baker has absolutely come into her own as the top heel among AEW’s women. That makes this a match that has been building for some time now, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they bring. Shida just crossed a year as champion and was presented with a new title belt on Friday’s episode of Dynamite, which seems like a perfect time for Baker to come in and take it from her for maximum heat. Baker’s coronation has clearly been destined for some time now and the idea that it doesn’t happen here is inconceivable to me.

WINNER: Britt Baker (NEW AEW Women’s World Champion)

Stadium Stampede
The Pinnacle vs. The Inner Circle

This is honestly the hardest one to pick for me, mostly because the Inner Circle seems like they’ve accomplished about everything that they could at this time. While it would seem inconceivable that the oldest on-screen stable in AEW would go their separate ways, there are a lot of signs and notions that make it likely. Sammy Guevara has been hinting at being more focused on individual goals in AEW, and Chris Jericho is gearing up for Fozzy’s summer tour. That won’t stop him from appearing on Dynamite, but it still means that perhaps he could take some on-screen time off or go in a new direction. Meanwhile, The Pinnacle has supplanted the Circle as a top heel stable in the company and a win here would put them on the next level. The “match,” such as it is, will no doubt be entertaining while also sending Jim Cornette into another fit. While I could be way wrong if AEW wants to keep the Circle together, I feel like this one ends with MJF’s alliance coming out on top and the Circle going their separate ways.

WINNER: The Pinnacle

AEW World Championship Match
Kenny Omega vs. Pac vs. Orange Cassidy

The main event here should be an absolute blast of a match, albeit one with a pretty clear ending. Kenny Omega, PAC, and Orange Cassidy are three of the top wrestlers in the company and they should put on a phenomenal contest here. Cassidy works as the ultimate underdog in this match and the guy seen as a potential spoiler for Omega, while PAC is the threat that Omega needs to take seriously. And Omega is, of course, the egotistical champion who can back up his braggadocio. That all said, I don’t see any realistic way that this sees a title switch. Omega is still in the midst of his Belt Collector thing and should probably lose one of his other titles first. While I think it would be interesting to have PAC or particularly Cassidy get the upset win, it seems pretty unlikely. Omega still has too many potential feuds with the likes of Christian and Hangman Page to not be champion when the dust settles here, but it’ll be a fun match at the very least.

WINNER: Kenny Omega (STILL AEW World Champion)

And that’s all we have for AEW Double or Nothing! It’s a big card for AEW and there’s no match that looks bad on paper, so my expectations are high. Thanks once again for reading, and remember that we will have live coverage of the show courtesy of the one and only Tony Acero right here on 411mania.com. I gotta go, I hear a ticking and I don’t want the ring to explode while I’m in it…