10 Things You Didn't Know About AEW Double Or Nothing
Not to be clickbait-y, but you won't BELIEVE who has wrestled on every Double or Nothing...
The first descendant of All In - itself hilariously a descendant of an otherwise innocuous tweet - Double or Nothing is the subjective foremost event on AEW's calendar.
Inaugurating in 2019 as the launchpad for All Elite Wrestling, Double or Nothing was earmarked for success instantly by surrounding itself with a diverse assortment of household stars, major-league independent names, and ultimate breakthrough acts. AEW had the sort of requisite roster needed for an immediate triumph that coupled well with the company's social media-heavy marketing strategy. It all reads as being very AEW - and it indeed was an instant hit.
Jon Moxley's arrival garnered both a superhuman reaction and a superhuman online response. The night's other surprise appearances - 'Hangman' Adam Page, Bret Hart, Awesome Kong, et al - received good-to-great ovations. Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes, Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho, and The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Bros showcased the upstart promotion in its finest state, an honest amalgamation of professional wrestling's various strands.
Now approaching its fifth incarnation, Double or Nothing has such a rich history behind it in such a short timeframe. It's full of incredible matches and miraculous moments - and it's an event already marred by controversy...
10. What REALLY Happened With MJF
Rarely does interest in a pro wrestling pay-per-view peak before the show has started.
This was precisely the case with Double or Nothing 2022, a subjectively excellent show with an objectively abhorrent build. Neither side of that two-sided statement was of much relevance by the time of the first bell, the attention instead being solely on MJF who, after no-showing a meet and greet and reportedly possessing a plane ticket ready to fly him out of Las Vegas, was the talk of the town.
So much of the story went unknown, such was the abruptness of it. MJF indeed did show up to the T-Mobile Arena to get the ever-loving p*ss beaten out of him by Wardlow - but there's more to it than meets the eye.
Per PWInsider's Mike Johnson, MJF didn't rock up to Double or Nothing until after the Buy-In pre-show had begun, being "sequestered into a room". Less than an hour later, as MJF's music began to play, he wasn't ready in the Gorilla Position, leading many who knew he was there to believe he'd walked out. MJF, suppressing these rumours, walked out, did the job to Wardlow, and was stretchered to the back where, alongside Pat Buck, he left the show "immediately".
Was it a work?
Was it a shoot?
For the time, nobody truly knew.