One of AEW's biggest shows of the year is officially underway this weekend as ten matches are on the pay-per-view. There's plenty of potential match-of-the-year canidates for Sunay's event. Let's get started with the first match.
Kenny Omega, Swerve Strickland, Powerhouse Hobbs, Samoa Joe, Katsuyori Shibata, and Willow Nightingale vs. Jon Moxley, Matthew Jackson, Nicholas Jackson, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, and Marina Shafir in an Anarchy in the Arena match
Interesting match. While the forced nature of having an Anarchy in the Arena match provides awkward builds (I'm curious to know why this is a Double or Nothing special), this should be a great match nevertheless.
There’s so many move parts here - Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, Jon Moxley and The Bucks, Willow and Marina, Gabe Kidd (who is mysteriously not in the match) so I expect there to be layers of story incorporated into this bout.
It would surprise me if the babyface team won here. Jon Moxley needs to head into All In strong. Plus, The Death Riders have looked weak for quite some time and they need to come out as a badass unit if this story is going to continue. But it’s also not just Moxley; The Bucks will likely have a date with Swerve and a mystery partner at All In (that’s just an educated guess) and AEW may use this match to heat up the Okada/Omega feud with the former interfering.
If the babyface team wins then what’s the purpose of the Death Riders? Both Will and Hangman talked about how much of a threat this group is to AEW and that needs to remain true (even though it really isn’t). There’s a slim chance that the babyface team wins, but I just don’t see the purpose in giving them a win here.
Winner: Jon Moxley, Matthew Jackson, Nicholas Jackson, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, and Marina Shafir
Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Final: Will Ospreay vs. Hangman Page
AEW did an excellent job with the Owen Hart Foundation tournament this year. I can easily see Will or Hangman fight Jon Moxley at All Out. Both men also make believable contender’s who could beat Moxley. The Hangman has history on his side as Page and Moxley had their rivalry in 2023 where the former came out on top.
AEW can easily play off of that. Ospreay and Moxley don’t have much history with one another. They’ve had TWO matches, but that was during the time Ospreay was still in New Japan. AEW has done a great job of keeping Ospreay hot and him being the classic babyface taking on this evil heel should make for a compelling story.
However, I can’t forget about that “I’m sorry” from Swerve last month. The former AEW World Champion has struggled to beat The Young Bucks and I can see him and Page teaming together just to take down the former AEW World Tag Team Champions. Ospreay doesn’t have a secondary story circling at the moment. I guess the Don Callis stuff, but he seriously needs to move on from that. I’m confident in Mox vs. Ospreay at All In, though I wouldn’t be surprised if Page was the winner.
Winner: Will Ospreay
Owen Hart Foundation Final: Mercedes Mone vs. Jamie Hayter
Another hard to predict match. Mercedes Mone vs. Toni Storm is a dream match. But Jamie Hayter vs. Storm has history. The AEW World Women’s Champion was the one who put Hayter out of commission, so there’s complexity within that as Storm is now a babyface. Plus, it’s clear that AEW has been trying to rebuild Hayter since her return for a big title match.
I also don’t get the feeling that Athena vs. Mone is over. My guess, Athena will likely cost Mercedes the match, setting up a rematch between the two at All In. It’s always possible that a title vs. title match happens between Mone and Storm, but I don’t think that’s the direction AEW is going in. I don’t know if Athena is the woman to finally beat Mercedes. It would be cool if she was. However, it would genuinely shock me if that match on Dynamite was one and done.
Winner: Jamie Hayter
Toni Storm vs. Mina Shirakawa for the AEW Women’s Championship
I like Mina Shirakawa, but it’s Toni Storm. Even if Mercedes wins the Owen Hart, Storm is not dropping that belt until she fights Jamie Hayter. Shirakawa is just the challenger of the month. Of course, AEW could throw a curveball and give Shirakawa the world title and have Mercedes win the Owen. But, I wouldn’t bet my house on that result.
Winner: Toni Storm
Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin vs. Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara for the AEW World Tag Team Titles
Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guervara are the ROH World Tag Team Champions, yet they still don’t feel like worthy challengers for Bobby and Shelton. To be honest, I don’t know where the AEW World Tag Team Champions go because they’re so wrapped up in the MJF saga. That's a big part on why Sammy and Dustin don't feel like credible threats. I don't know where Bobby and Shelton go after this. It would be cool if Private Party got a rematch. I'm sorry, but they were done dirty during their title reign and deserve a comeback story against Shelton and Bobby. Likely won't happen, but a man can dream.
Winner: Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin
“FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler vs. Nigel McGuinness and Daniel Garcia
FTR. It would be nice if Nigel got some credible wins, but there’s no way they’re beating the newly turned Dax and Cash. The former AEW World Tag Team Champions have a date with Adam Copeland and a mystery opponent. The money is on Christian Cage, but AEW doesn’t seem to be in a rush in turning the former TNT Champion babyface. In fact, he seems like a heel in this Nick Wayne saga.
Whatever the case may be, Dax and Cash have a big match at All In, so they have to win here. There’s a possibility that Copeland returns and costs FTR the match, but I like to think that AEW understands the importance of putting over FTR and Stokey in their first official match as a heel trio.
Winner: FTR
Ricochet vs. Mark Briscoe in a Stretcher match
It would be nice if Mark Briscoe got a solid push in AEW. However, Ricochet is coming off some big losses, especially against Mr. Briscoe himself. Ricochet NEEDS this win as him beating Zach Gowen wasn’t enough. I don’t know where either man goes from here; maybe AEW will pick that Kevin Knight feud back up with Ricochet, but as of now, Ricky’s heel character has more of an upside that should be protected.
Winner: Ricochet
Kazuchika Okada vs. Mike Bailey for the AEW Continental Championship
I’ll save you the time: Kazuchika Okada. You, me, and everyone in the world knows that Okada is not dropping the belt to anyone not named Kenny Omega. On the bright side, this could be the darkhorse match that steals the show.
Winner: Kazuchika Okada
The Paragon (Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, & Roderick Strong) vs. Don Callis Family (Josh Alexander, Konosuke Takeshita, & Kyle Fletcher)
This match is likely going to determine the next challenger for the TNT title. AEW seems to be really high on Kyle Fletcher at the moment, who doesn’t have anything to do right now. Being Adam Cole’s first real challenger likely means that the TNT Champion is retaining. Then again, Adam Cole has been so cold in the last few months that I can genuinely see him losing the belt. That’s on AEW’s booking, not Cole himself.
I feel someone is pinning Cole. Josh Alexander seems to be the fall guy at the moment, so it could be him as the next challenger, though Takeshita isn’t exactly doing much beyond the Don Callis stuff either. Should be a good match, but it would just be nice to give both teams something that they can sink their teeth into.
Winner: Don Callis Family (Josh Alexander, Konosuke Takeshita, & Kyle Fletcher)
(Buy In) Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford vs. Harley Cameron & Anna Jay at AEW Double or Nothing.
Ford is in this match so it wouldn’t surprise me if the babyface team got the win. It’s possible that AEW might want to keep her aura intact by giving her a dominant win, but I suspect that they may throw Harley and Anna a bone here. It won't killed Bayne if Ford took the loss, though I hope she can move on to someone like Deonna Purrazzo or Taya Valkyrie (who is vastly underrated).
Winner: Harley Cameron and Anna Jay