AEW Double or Nothing 2025

AEW Double or Nothing 2025

Glendale, AZ - May 2025

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, Jon Moxley was the AEW World Champion, the TNT Champion was Adam Cole, the Continental Champion was Okada, the International Champion was Kenny Omega, the AEW World Tag Team Champions were The Hurt Syndicate, the World Trios Champions were The Opps (Samoa Joe, Tomohiro Ishii, and Will Hobbs), the TBS Champion was Mercedes Mone, and the AEW Women's World Champion was Toni Storm. 

The finals of the Women's Owen Hart Memorial Tournament was our opening contest - Mercedes Mone vs. Jamie Hayter. Mone came into this match undefeated. A dueling "Jamie Hayter/CEO" chant broke out early, the crowd very much into this match from the start. Not everything looked pretty, but the physicality was there to make up for some of the awkward transitions in the opening minutes. After some leg lock/crab exchanges, the first major shift of the match happened when Mone hit a Meteora in the ropes her  by double knees that drove Hayter from the apron onto the floor. Mone maintained control back in the ring, applying a rear chin lock and then a backstabber into a straight-jacket camel clutch. Mone hit another Meteora but only got 2. Hayter came back with a big dropkick and then a series of punches to Mone's skull in the corner. Hayter looked to do something off the ropes, but Mone pulled her foot out from under the second rope, causing her to neck to snap back onto the buckle in another cool spot. Mone hit a third Meteora, this one to Hayter's back, but missed the next attempt, allowing Hayter to hit a back suplex. Hayter hit a pair of dropkicks and then a Meteora of her own before attempting a fireman's carry. Mone escaped and hit Tres Amigos, but her cockiness and wasting of time allowed Hayter to meet her at the top rope for a superplex. Hayter went for another one but Mone delivered a second Backstabber. After some struggle, Hayter hit a superkick, Mone hit a knee, but then Hayter caught her with a huge clothesline! Cool sequence there. Mone rolled to the outside and Hayter followed her out there. Hayter went for a clothesline off the steps, slipped, but still connected. It looked ugly and definitely detracted a bit from the next sequence as, back in the ring, Mone hit three backstabbers and then applied  her signature crossface. Hayter escaped and delivered a series of headbutts. She went for some pins but couldn't get the 3. Mone went for her finish but Hayter backed her up into the corner. Hayter got caught once again and Mone went for a Money Maker off the 2nd rope. Hayter escaped and attempted a powerbomb, but Mone countered it by just dropping down on her and driving her to the mat. From here we got a brilliant sequence that resulted in Hayter applying a ridiculous rear naked choke that had the crowd going absolutely insane. Mone managed to escape, though, and eventually lock in her Statement Maker! Hayter wouldn't tap and got up onto her legs not once, but twice, and then connected with her Hayter-ade Lariat for an awesome nearfall. Hayter called for another lariat, but Mone blocked her attempt and got Hayter up for a piledriver. Hayter reversed it into a tombstone piledriver, but again only got 2.9! Hayter brought her up for another Lariat, but Mone managed to counter it into an incredible cradle DDT-ish thing that even the announcers weren't quite sure what to call. Excellent match worthy of being a tournament final. (4/5)

I really appreciated the pre-match video package they aired before the next match because, save for the initial FTR/Stokely Hathaway promo, I have not kept track of what they've been up to since their heel turn and had no idea they were feuding with Nigel McGuinness and Daniel Garcia. I really liked Cash Wheeler's heel shtick early on, really trying to humiliate Garcia. When Dax came in, he called out Nigel and gave him some super stiff chops in the corner before things fell apart and FTR needed to take a powder. Back in the ring, Nigel hit one of his signature combos in the corner but only got a 1 count. McGuinness got tossed to the outside soon after and looked to be in trouble but caught Dax with an awesome elbow to the jaw before getting sent hard into the desk repeatedly. Cool stuff. Wheeler then got even more heat by brushing Tony's hair before rolling Nigel back into the ring. Nigel played the face-in-peril for the next few minutes, even eating a Tower of London onto the floor by Wheeler, who capped it off with some more brilliant heeling, mocking the announcers and the fans in the front row. An uppercut by Cash got countered by Nigel, though, and he managed to land a HUGE clothesline off the ropes to stay alive. Nigel got the hot tag to Garcia, who ended up getting both guys in the corner and raining down on them with big right hands before clotheslining Cash out of the ring. Garcia was able to hit a back suplex for 2 and then went for the Dragon Tamer (Sharpshooter) but Cash broke it up. Nigel went for the Tower of London on Dax but Dax escaped and went for one himself only to end up eating a big forearm. A 2-man Tower of London got a 2 count and all four men did some brawling in the ring. Unfortunately, they botched a spot where Dax and Cash ended up clotheslining each other as Nigel did not move (and got inexplicably shoved out of the way and into position by Hardwood). There was a fun moment as Nigel forced Wheeler to apologize to Tony but then, as soon as he was back on top, Wheeler took back his apology (and threw in some extra curse words as a bonus). In the ring, Garcia hit a superplex and then hit another, essentially a Tres Amigos but with even less logic. Hardwood countered the superplex attempt and brought Garcia down to the mat, where he then got squashed by Cash. Nigel broke up the pin attempt to a loud pop. Back on the outside, FTR hit the Shatter Machine onto Nigel on the floor while Garcia continued to sell in the ring. Schiavone went to check on Nigel but FTR got in his face and kept him from helping his colleague. They turned their focus onto Garcia, who fought valiantly for a little while, slapping the hell out of Dax's chest, but ultimately fell prey to a nasty piledriver and then a two-man piledriver for an awesome 2.9 nearfall when Garcia managed to get his foot on the bottom rope. Dax applied a Sharpshooter and looked to have the match won as Wheeler touch out "Daddy Magic" and then stomped on Nigel's hand as he tried to make his way back into the ring to help Garcia. There were a few not-so-hot moments, but, overall, this was a really strong match and an excellent performance out of FTR, who proved here that they are still in the conversation for being the best tag team in the US (if not the world). (3/5)

Ricochet faced Mark Briscoe in an Ambulance Match next. This was a wild brawl right from the start with Briscoe in full control until Ricochet managed to escape and run to the relative safety of the ring. Ricochet was an awesome chickenshit heel in this match. Highlights included Ricochet attempting a Shooting Star Press off the apron but crashing into the stretcher, Briscoe hitting an elbow drop from the barricade to the floor, Briscoe spraying Ricochet's head with cleaning spray and then bashing him with a metal bucket, and Ricochet blasting Briscoe with a chair from the floor as he attempted a springboard dive. Briscoe ended up sporting a full crimson mask, the first of the night. Ricochet looked to have the match won but Briscoe fought out of the back of the ambulance and sprayed Ricochet with the fire extinguisher. Briscoe hit his brother's signature double-underhook piledriver and then dumped Ricochet back onto the floor. Briscoe put Ricochet on a table and then hit him with a HUGE elbow drop from the top rope. With how much blood Briscoe was covered in, it made for quite a visual. Briscoe brought Ricochet closer towards the ambulance and seemed to be going for another piledriver but Ricochet countered it into a back body drop. The crowd started a "This Is Awesome" chant as the two men made their way closer to the ring. Ricochet pulled out a pair of scissors out of nowhere and nailed Briscoe in the head with it. He went for another stab but Briscoe blocked him and got a hold of the scissors himself. Ricochet ran towards the ambulance and grabbed an additional pair and jabbed Briscoe in the head with them. Ricochet hit a low blow and then the Spirit Gun before tossing Briscoe into the ambulance to win a very violent, very good match that may have actually been Briscoe's best overall performance in AEW. (3.5/5)

The Hurt Business (Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin with MVP and new recruit MJF) defended their AEW World Tag Team Championships against Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara in the next match. Rhodes and Guevara are the ROH World Tag Team Champions but those belts were not on the line. Solid match, but nothing really special. I liked MJF trying to get involved but not being allowed to by Lashley and Benjamin, who felt like they had things under control. (2.5/5)

The AEW Continental Championship was on the line in the next match - "Speedball" Mike Bailey vs. Kazuchika Okada. I still don't necessarily see Okada as being an all-time great, but will admit to having seen none of his vaulted work so I know I'm judging him based on an AEW run that is widely considered a step down from his better work. That being said, even if Okada is not near peak, he is still a very smart worker who is an expert at building a match towards a crescendo of dramatic false finishes and high-impact moves. This wasn't as wild and crazy as the Omega/Bailey/Ricochet three-way from the last PPV, but Bailey still hit some really cool high-flying moves, double knees, and kicks. Okada, meanwhile, worked to cut him down whenever he had momentum, dishing out some of his trademark dropkicks and lariats to great effect. (3/5)

Mina Shirakawa vs. Toni Storm for Storm's AEW Women's World Championship was next. This match suffered a little bit from having a predictable outcome as it has become clear that we're heading towards a Storm/Mone showdown at All In. There wasn't much build to this match despite Shirakawa and Storm having plenty of history to pull from. This wasn't as incredible as Storm/Bayne from the last PPV, but part of that is because Bayne was relatively unproven so I'm not sure anyone expected a match as great as the one they put on. This was expected to be good and was good, with some excellent exchanges between the two that played on how well they know eachother's movesets. I'm not sure what to make of the post-match kiss. On one hand, it plays into the idea that her and Mira have this sort of weird relationship where they will try to beat the hell out of eachother to win a match but also are attracted to eachother and that is a unique relationship to see in pro-wrestling. On the other hand, the tropes exist because they help tell fundamental heel/face storylines that make matches and rivalries heated and part of me does want to see this story continue with betrayals and mind games and all the things that create drama and tension. (2.5/5)

Anarchy in the Arena followed as the team of Samoa Joe, Shibata, Hobbs, Kenny Omega, Swerve Strickland, and Willow Nightingale took on Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta, Claudio Castignoli, The Young Bucks, and Marina Shafir. This was as chaotic as advertised, a wild brawl that went all over the arena, but had its best moments happen in the ring. "I'm So Excited" and "Let The Bodies Hit The Floor" were the soundtrack for the first third or so, something of a tradition for these matches that Kenny Omega clearly gets a huge kick out of. These guys did absolutely everything to each other - tables, thumbtacks, barbwire, dives from balconies, even an explosion at the end. This has a rather ridiculous 9.31 rating on Cagematch as I type this, which seems very high for what is essentially a stunt show and not an actual wrestling match. A very hot crowd helped things too as there was a particular sweetness to the way they chanted "Please Help Willow" when she was locked to the post by her ear. Most everybody got a chance to shine, but I really liked the performances of Hobbs, the Bucks (whose "Founding Fathers" bit at the start of the match was absolutely loathsome but helped the set the tone for what this match is: a half-goofy/half-ultra-violent spotfest that is not meant to be taken too seriously), Swerve, Omega, and, maybe most surprisingly, Marina Shafir. It was almost shocking how "lost in the mix" Moxley was, which really tells you all you need to know about how successful this title run has been for him. Entertaining from beginning to end but not necessarily a match I'd ever want to watch again or even recommend if you're not invested in this storyline. (3.5/5)

Poor Paragon (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O'Reilly) and, to a lesser extent, the Don Callis Family (Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, and Josh Alexander) as they had the unenviable task of having to follow a 40+ minute war filled with every wild spot under the sun. Even Cole's entrance got a bit of a muted response from the clearly exhausted crowd. I'm a big enough fan of Takeshita and Fletcher to have enjoyed much of this even if it was in the "death spot." This felt very much like a Collision-level match, which it essentially was. I really liked the exchange between the Kyles as they showed tremendous chemistry with their counters at one point. The post-match got a huge response as not only did we see Ishii and Brody King come out to even the odds against the extended Callis Family but also the AEW return of Hiroshi Tanahashi, current President of NJPW. Tanahashi delivered a slingblade that didn't look too great, but the crowd dug it so whatever. The action in this match was all good, but this was clearly the "piss break" match because the build occurred on the lesser-watched AEW program and there were no real stakes. Fine for what it was. (2.5/5)

Main event time - Will Ospreay vs. "Hangman" Adam Page in the finals of the Owen Hart Tournament (with the winner going on to challenge Jon Moxley at All In: Texas for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship). Page and Ospreay started things off with some good ol' fashioned chain wrestling, arm drags and wristlocks and whatnot. It was intense stuff. Both guys went for their finish early but couldn't connect as their opponent was still too quick and composed not to evade the attempts. Ospreay hit a standing twister that looked wild but only got a 1 count. Page rocked him with a huge forearm that Ospreay sold like a shotgun blast. Ospreay returned fire with an excellent flying forearm from the top rope. To the outside they went and Page delivered a fallaway slam into the barricade (and then another one back in the ring into the second buckle). Page controlled for the next few minutes, even hitting two big back suplexes. He applied a headlock to keep the pressure on, but Ospreay fough out. Page hit Ospreay with some weak kicks, which only fired him up and we got a strike exchange sequence. Hangman floored Ospreay with a forearm but Ospreay countered a vertical suplex into a Slumdog Millionaire and then sent him to the outside with a nifty Pele Kick. Ospreay then hit a huge Sasuke Special, an insane cartwheel backflip moonsault. Ospreay delivered a big kick in the corner and then turned a Torture Rack into a Blue Thunder Bomb for 2. A dueling "Let's Go Ospreay/Cowboy Shit" chant started up before Page got back dropped to the floor. Before Ospreay could hit him with another splash, Page caught him on the apron and then a huge moonsault from the top to the outside! Page followed it with a pop-up powerbomb for 2 and then went for a Sharpshooter, a nice nod to Owen Hart. Ospreay reached the ropes and Page looked dejected as the crowd resumed their dueling chants. Ospreay hit Page with some chops, but Page no-sold them, rocking Ospreay with a big right hand and then hitting him with yet another back suplex. Page went for a boot but Ospreay no-sold it and hit him with one of his signature enziguiris and then a spin kick to the gut. Ospreay went for a springboard back elbow but Page blocked it and...well...they did a whole bunch of other stuff before it ended with a double clothesline/Spanish Fly thing brought both guys to the mat. People can hate on the sheer number of counters and reversals and "gymnastic routine" spots of this match, but when you execute it this well, it is really hard to criticize. Plus, because the intensity was there, it did feel like a legit fight with high stakes. Page caught Ospreay with a Buckshot Lariat from the corner, but Ospreay countered a second attempt and then delivered a Shooting Star Press to Page's back as he hung over the top rope. Nifty. A "Fight Forever" chant started up and I was in full agreement as these two were delivering the goods. Page almost got a 3-count with a tombstone but couldn't seal the deal. Page went for an Alabama Slam but Ospreay tried to hit him with a Styles Clash. Page escaped and hit him with the Angel's Wings, an homage to Christopher Daniels. Page then tried for a BME but got caught up in the ropes - on purpose? - allowing Ospreay to recover and connect with a Hidden Blade!...But Page got to the apron and nearly out of the ring before he could make the cover. The two men did some brawling on the apron before trading strikes, leading to Ospreay delivering a stiff powerbomb on the apron and then a Styles Clash from the apron to the floor! Insane. I'm not sure I've ever seen that spot before and I'm not sure it was a good idea for them to even attempt it. My biggest gripe is that Page did the overdone "wait until 9 and then roll into the ring" thing when I think a wrestler should show more signs of life around 6 or 7 before beating the count. Ospreay hit the Os-cutter and then a Hidden Blade, but still only got 2! Ospreay delivered a series of strikesout of frustration but left Hangman in position to hit a Buckshot Lariat. Before he could, though, Ospreay booted him off the apron and into the Spanish Announce Table. Ospreay bashed Page's head into it repeatedly and double-underhooked him, but before Page could really counter it into the Deadeye, the table fell apart and both guys went down into it. On one hand, it was a clear botch - but on the other hand, it is these sort of unscripted moments that make a match even more memorable. Page ended up hitting him with the Deadeye anyway and then rolling him into the ring, setting him up for a Buckshot Lariat. Ospreay stumbled, though, falling into the bottom rope. Ospreay managed to get to his feet and pulled off his elbow pad. This led to a staredown, Ospreay flipping off Page, and both guys basically going for their finisher at the same time but Page catching him full-on with the Buckshot Lariat for 2. Great moment there that arguably could've been the finish. When Page went for another, Ospreay caught him with the Hidden Blade and then hit him with the Stormbreaker...but only got 2.9! Holy cow. Ospreay went for another Hidden Blade but Page somehow sensed it and dodged it, sending Ospreay flying across the ring and onto the mat. Ospreay called for a V-Trigger and hit it and then went for Omega's One-Winged Angel, but Page countered it into a crazy piledriver move lifted from Swerve Strickland and seemed to have it won...until Ospreay got his foot on the rope. NUTS. A "Both These Guys" chant started up as Page went for another Buckshot Lariat but had it countered only to end up nailing Ospreay with a lariat into yet another Buckshot for the win! Unbelievable match. As I've written countless times before, Will Ospreay is a "fireworks show" wrestler, but he's the best "fireworks show" wrestler going today. If you don't like the style, that's fine. Most of the time I don't like it. But he's so dang good at it, his matches have become must-see for me. This also felt like something of a redemption match for Page, who has never stopped being good, but is now back to being in the conversation as one of the best performers today. An excellent match. (4/5)

With an overall Kwang Score of 3.17-out-of-5, Double or Nothing 2025, with its 4+ hour runtime is a show that is best watched over a series of "sessions" rather than as a whole, but without a single outright bad match on it, I'd consider it an overall excellent show, easily the best since World's End 2024 (with its staggering 3.38 Kwang Score). The main event was a potential Match of the Year candidate, while the opener was not only the best Jamie Hayter match since her return from injury but more proof that Mercedes Mone is as good as once-advertised after a somewhat rocky start to her AEW run. I really liked Briscoe/Ricochet as well and thought the FTR match was very strong too (if maybe a tad too long). 

FINAL RATING - Watch It