Is AEW at a bit of a crossroads? It was hard not to feel that way after the latest edition of Double or Nothing Sunday night in Las Vegas.
At the very least, the changing of the guard theme was prevalent throughout the night. That was especially true during the penultimate match on the card — and the best one, as it turned out — that saw MJF successfully defend his AEW World Championship against the other three so-called Pillars of the company.
While it was fair to question if everyone involved had earned a spot in a world title match on a PPV, no one who saw them work this bout would have doubted it. All four men got a chance to shine, with an especially nice showing by Sammy Guevara. In the end, however, MJF proved why AEW has made the right decision letting him run with its top title for now, combining smarts and in-ring precision to retain his beloved Triple B belt.
The other big news of the night came from the women’s division, which ended up with two new champions. Jade Cargill was able to get by Taya Valkyrie in an encounter that lived up to expectations, but she overreached by agreeing to another match afterward. Her open challenge was answered by a returning Kris Statlander, who proceeded to hand Cargill her first defeat. Fightful Select (subscription required) is reporting that Cargill is due for some time off soon, so the title change makes sense from that perspective.
AEW World Champion Jamie Hayter fared no better, losing her title in a relatively short match necessitated by her real life injury. Even so, it took cheating from Toni Storm and her Outcasts teammates to take her down, so Hayter should still be plenty over when she is healthy enough to return to regular competition. Meanwhile, Storm gets a chance for a second run as women’s champ, and is arguably more compelling now as a heel than she was the first time around.
The next AEW pay-per-view is Forbidden Door, a co-production with NJPW, which takes place June 25, 2023 in Toronto.
AEW Double or Nothing 2023 results:
- Orange Cassidy won the 21-man Blackjack Battle Royal to retain the AEW International Championship, last eliminating Swerve Strickland
- Adam Cole def. Chris Jericho in an Unsanctioned match with Sabu as special guest enforcer when referee Aubrey Edwards stopped the match
- FTR def. Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett by pinfall to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championship in a match with Mark Briscoe as special guest referee
- Wardlow def. Christian Cage in a Ladder match to retain the AEW TNT Championship
- Toni Storm def. Jamie Hayter by pinfall to become the new AEW Women’s World Champion
- The House of Black def. The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass by pinfall to retain the AEW World Trios Championship
- Jade Cargill def. Taya Valkyrie by pinfall to retain the AEW TBS Championship
- Kris Statlander def. Jade Cargill by pinfall to become the new AEW TBS Champion
- MJF def. Darby Allin, Jack Perry and Sammy Guevara by pinning Allin to retain the AEW World Championship
- Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley and Wheeler Yuta) def. The Elite (Hangman Adam Page, Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) by pinfall in an Anarchy in the Arena match after Konsuke Takeshita turned on The Elite and aided the BCC