AEW Double or Nothing Review: Owen Hart Tournament Finals

AEW Double Or Nothing
Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona

Mercedes Moné made her entrance to a big mixed reaction. Jamie Hayter got a big reaction from the crowd.

(1) Mercedes Moné vs. Jamie Hayter in Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Finals

Loud split chants of Hayter/CEO from the crowd. Mercedes took control rocking Hayter with forearms to the back. Hayter responded rocking Mercedes with corner clotheslines. Hayter connected with a running boot to Mercedes for a near fall. Mercedes caught Hayter with pinning combinations for near falls. Hayter and Mercedes both battled for position over the leg of each other. Hayter applied a Half Crab. Mercedes broke free sending Hayter into the ropes. Mercedes took control rocking Hayter with a Meteora against the ropes. Mercedes hit a flying Meteora from the ring apron sending Hayter crashing to the floor. 

Mercedes caught Hayter with a rollup for two. Mercedes hit a side slam for two. Mercedes caught Hayter with a back cracker. Mercedes applied a Straitjacket Hold. Hayter broke free sending Mercedes into the turnbuckle. Mercedes yanked Hayter down by the hair. Mercedes hit a flying Meteora onto Hayter for two. Hayter responded hitting a Woo Dropkick sending Mercedes crashing into the turnbuckle. Hayter rocked Mercedes with strikes on the ropes. Mercedes countered yanking off the turnbuckle for two. 

Mercedes went for a pair of Meteora but crashed into the turnbuckle with Hayter moving out of the way. Hayter battled back planting Mercedes with a back suplex. Hayter made a comeback rocking Mercedes with a Woo Dropkick. Hayter followed hitting a corner Meteora. Mercedes stopped Hayter attacking her back. Mercedes connected with a pair of Amigo Suplex. Hayter stopped Mercedes with a Stalling SuperPlex maintaining control of Mercedes on the landing. Mercedes reversed into a back cracker. Mercedes called for Mone Maker but Hayter blocked. Hayter rocked Mercedes with a SuperKick. Mercedes responded with a knee strike. Hayter responded right back with a lariat for double down. 

Hayter slipped off the ring steps but managed to hit a flying clothesline onto Mercedes. Excalibur on commentary mentioned the slip to protected Hayter. AEW production team still showed a replay of Hayter slipping. Just bad communication on their side. Hayter connected with a leg lariat for two. Mercedes responded catching Hayter with three straight back crackers. Mercedes placed Hayter in the Statement Maker. Hayter broke free nailing Mercedes with a series of head butts. Mercedes went for Mone Maker but Hayter broke free. Mercedes ran Hayter into the turnbuckle. Mercedes went for Super Mone Maker but Hayter blocked. Mercedes caught Hayter with a flying seated senton for two. 

Mercedes went for a European Bridge. Hayter countered into a Rear-Naked Choke. Mercedes countered into a reverse rollup for two. Hayter went for a springboard Hayter-Rade but Mercedes ducked. Mercedes hit a springboard into a rollup for two and then transitioned catching Hayter in the Statement Maker. Hayter powered out of the hold. Hayter placed Mercedes on her shoulder and connected with an Ushigorishi. Hayter followed with a sliding lariat but Mercedes kicked out for a strong two count. 

Hayter went for Hayter-Rade but Mercedes blocked. Mercedes went for Tombstone Piledriver. Hayter countered planted Mercedes with a Tombstone Piledriver for another strong two count. Hayter called for Hayter-Rade. Mercedes countered by trapping both of Hayter’s arms. Mercedes planted Hayter with a Spike Hammerlock DDT. Mercedes maintained control catching Hayter with a rollup for the 1-2-3 win. 

Mercedes Moné defeated Jamie Hayter in 21:17 to win the Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament 

➤Mercedes left the ring and ran to the Owen Hart Cup. There was a big firework display as Mercedes celebrated with the Women’s Owen Hart title belt.

Amin’s Thoughts — This is the kind of wrestling which I love watching that feels important, has stakes and tells a story. Really enjoyed the story here with Mercedes constantly working over Hayter’s back as she didn’t want to speak about much during the interviews leading into the match. Hayter worked a great match and had some nice believable near falls in the closing stretch. Hayter has recently got back into her groove during her tournament matches. A possibly switch in character with Hayter showing more anger and leading to a possible heel run could help bring back the old version of herself which the fans loved watching. I’m just going to keeping Mercedes to win in AEW until she actually loses a match. I don’t mind Mercedes winning as she’s one of the best Women’s wrestlers in the world. Mercedes vs. Toni Storm is a big match to have at All In Texas. I just think Mercedes on-screen character is just stale and uninteresting to watch. Hopefully, they will give some interesting story leading to Mercedes and Storm at All In Texas. The match was tremendous and a joy to watch. Strong conversation for the one of the best Women’s wrestling matches of the year (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)

FTR made their entrance to strong boos. FTR was accompanied by Stokely Hathaway. Daniel Garcia got a fine reaction. Garcia was accompanied by Daddy Magic. McGuinness got a strong reaction. 

(2) FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) (w/Stokely Hathaway) vs. Nigel McGuinness and Daniel Garcia (w/Daddy Magic)

Wheeler hugged Garcia who shoved him away. Garcia rocked Wheeler with a shoulder tackle. Garcia went for a punch but Wheeler ducked away. Garcia did his dance. Harwood wanted Nigel in the match. The crowd cheered as Nigel tagged in against Harwood. Harwood rocked Nigel with chops and punches in the corner. Nigel responded rocking Harwood with throat thrusts. FTR broke free as Nigel and Garcia went for double submissions. FTR regrouped outside the ring with Hathaway. 

Nigel caught Wheeler with a corner Final Cut for two. Nigel went for a charge but Harwood pulled Wheeler out the way. Harwood and Wheeler shoved Nigel into the announcer’s table. Wheeler went over to Tony Schiavone on commentary. Harwood ran Nigel into the turnbuckle. Wheeler planted Nigel with Tower of London on the floor. Wheeler placed his foot on the ropes for leverage on a submission hold. Nigel responded rocking Wheeler with a Rebound Lariat for a double down.

Garcia ran wild rocking both Harwood and Wheeler with corner punches. Garcia rocked Harwood with a running lariat. Garcia planted Harwood with a backdrop suplex for two. Garcia planted Harwood in a Dragon Tamer. Wheeler made the save. Nigel yanked Wheeler down by the arm. Nigel and Garcia hit a combo Tower of London on Harwood for two. Nigel and Garcia went for Shatter Machine on Harwood. Wheeler shoved Nigel into Garcia. Nigel ducked as Harwood and Wheeler collided with each other. Garcia placed Harwood in the Dragon Tamer. Nigel placed Wheeler in Shangly Gates. Daddy Garcia stopped Hathaway from getting into the ring. Harwood grabbed the ropes forcing a break. 

Nigel grabbed Wheeler and told him to say sorry to Schiavone. Wheeler ran Nigel into the barricade. Wheeler told Schiavone he crossed his fingers. Garcia delivered a double SuperPlex spot to Harwood in a nice spot. Wheeler stopped Garcia from hitting a third SuperPlex. Harwood planted Garcia with a Super Twisting Suplex. Wheeler followed hitting a Super Splash onto Garcia. Nigel made the save. Harwood and Wheeler caught Nigel with Shatter Machine onto the floor. Schiavone left the announcers table to check on Nigel. They did same spot with Michael Cole leaving the announcer table to check on Pat McAfee in his match against Gunther at WWE Backlash. 

Garcia made his own comeback against Harwood. That was stopped as Harwood delivered a PileDriver to Garcia for two. Harwood and Wheeler delivered a Spike PileDriver to Garcia. Garcia placed his foot on the ropes stopping the count. Harwood placed Garcia in a Sharpshooter. Wheeler delivered a tope to Daddy Magic on the floor. Wheeler stomped on Nigel’s face. Harwood maintained hold of the Sharpshooter. Garcia passed out to the Sharpshooter giving FTR the win. 

Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler defeated Daniel Garcia & Nigel McGuinness in 23:31 via Submission

Amin’s Thoughts — A very mixed feeling and thoughts watching this match. As a wrestling match it was solid and you could even say good. It was fun seeing Nigel wrestling again. FTR are the more focused team and they needed the win which they got. FTR were great working a great heel style. That’s all the good coming from the match. Here’s the stuff that’s not so good. AEW PPV usually run way too long and this match was the prefect example of that going about 22 minutes in run time. I watched a wrestler vs. commentator match in Gunther vs. Pat McAfee at WWE Backlash which was not the better match but more enjoyable to watch in lesser time. The bigger problem here is Garcia as a babyface. Garcia not tapping but passing out to the Sharpshooter didn’t do anything for me. Garcia still took the loss for his team in the match. Garcia is a solid wrestler but as an on-screen character is a charisma vacuum as a babyface. A switch in character is very much needed for Garcia. Overall, a solid tag match. Let’s now move FTR into something more important like the tag team title picture (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Ricochet got a strong heel reaction. Mark Briscoe got a strong babyface reaction. 

(3) Ricochet vs. Mark Briscoe in a Stretcher Match

The rules are apparently you have to send your opponent into the ambulance to win the stretcher match. This technically wasn’t a stretcher match. Ricochet ran back to the ring like a great comedic geek as Briscoe went to put him inside the ambulance. Briscoe ran the stretcher into Ricochet. Briscoe went for a flying elbow but Ricochet rolled away. Ricochet went for a Shooting Star Press but crashed onto the ambulance as Briscoe moved. Briscoe hit a Mick Foley elbow drop to Ricochet onto the stretcher. 

Briscoe tossed a flying chair into Ricochet’s face. Briscoe pulled out a bucket with cleaning products. The crowd cheered as Briscoe sprayed Ricochet’s bald head. Briscoe smashed a bucket into Ricochet’s head. The crowd cheered as Briscoe did Sabu’s signature pose. Briscoe went for a Sabu dive. Ricochet stopped Briscoe tossing a flying chair into his face. Ricochet sprayed cleaning products into Briscoe’s eyes. Ricochet slammed Briscoe onto the exposed stretcher. Briscoe was busted open. Briscoe used a crutch stopping Ricochet from closing the ambulance door. 

Briscoe sprayed fire extinguisher into Ricochet’s face. Briscoe spiked Ricochet with a Jay Driller. Briscoe delivered a Froggy Bow sending Ricochet crashing through the table in a cool spot. Briscoe went for a Jay Driller on the stage. Ricochet countered by backdropping Briscoe onto the stage. Ricochet stabbed Briscoe in the face with his golden scissors. Briscoe grabbed the golden scissors. Ricochet stabbed Briscoe with a second pair of scissors. Ricochet kicked Briscoe in the balls with a low-blow. Ricochet hit the Spirt Gun on the floor. Ricochet placed Briscoe in the ambulance. Ricochet closed one door. Ricochet gave Briscoe the middle finger. Ricochet closed the second ambulance door to win the stretcher match. 

Ricochet defeated Ricochet in 16:11 to win the Stretcher Match 

Amin’s Thoughts — This was a vicious match as both Briscoe and Ricochet worked their tails off. There were also some crowd pleasing spots as well. Forget the rules of the match which itself was strange. The big program here is AEW has had way too many weapon matches so the specialness just isn’t there anymore. The other problem was this match lacked any sort of build to be on a PPV card. This would’ve been a great main event on an episode of Dynamite. I will say Ricochet has really found something playing this onscreen heel role. The match itself delivered if you like the violence. Ricochet getting the win on PPV was the right move (⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2) 

Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara got a fine reaction. Dustin and Sammy got a firework display. The Hurt Syndicate made their entrance. MJF and MVP accompanied Hurt Syndicate to the ring. The crowd sang “We Hurt People!” Hurt Syndicate got a strong reaction. MVP joined commentary for the match. 

(4) The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin) (c) (w/MVP & MJF) vs. Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara for the AEW World Tag Team Titles

Benjamin sent Dustin flying with a pair of German Suplex for near fall. Dustin no-sold it rocking Benjamin with a running knee lift. Benjamin launched Guevara with a pair of German Suplex. Benjamin caught Lashley with a running knee strike. Lashley caught Guevara charging with a huge SpineBuster. MJF nailed Guevara with a cheap shot on the floor. MJF taunted the crowd as they cheered. Lashley hit a Dominator on Guevara for two. 

Guevara caught Benjamin with a Popup Cutter. Dustin ran wild catching Benjamin with a snap PowerSlam. Dustin hit Code Red on Benjamin for two. Dustin placed Benjamin in position for Shatter Dreams. Guevara nailed Lashley with a SuperKick. MJF stood on the ring apron. Aubrey Edwards argued with MJF. This led to Dustin giving Benjamin the Shatter Dream. Dustin hit a running bulldog on Benjamin. Lashley made the save. Benjamin caught Dustin in an Ankle Lock. Guevara made the save. Guevara hit a Shooting Star Press onto Lashley to the floor. The camera missed Dustin hitting the Cross Rhodes on Benjamin for a two count.

Benjamin caught Dustin with a Super Overhead Suplex for two. MJF wanted Benjamin to use the Dynamite Diamond Ring. Lashley stopped MJF.  Lashley rocked Guevara with a Spear. Dustin pulled Benjamin outside the ring. Lashley again stopped MJF from using the Dynamite Diamond Ring against Dustin. Lashley smiled at MJF. Lashley and MJF bumped fists. Lashley delivered a Spear sending Dustin crashing through the barricade. Lashley and MJF shared a hug. Lashley raised MJF’s hand. Guevara went for a dive onto Lashley and MJF to the floor. Benjamin stopped Guevara with a running knee strike. Benjamin nailed Guevara with a corner rising knee strike. Benjamin rocked Guevara with a SuperKick for the 1-2-3 win. 

Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin defeated Sammy Guevara & Dustin Rhodes in 12:38 to retain the AEW World Tag Team Titles 

Amin’s Thoughts — The highlight here was MJF interaction with Lashley in the match. Lashley twice stopped MJF from using the Dynamite Diamond Ring. I could see a scenario where the Dynamite Diamond Ring comes into play and that leads to Hurt Syndicate losing the tag titles. Still feels watching the direction is leading to MJF vs. Lashley for All In Texas. This was a perfectly fine tag team match that would’ve been better served on an episode of Dynamite. Nobody believed Dustin or Guevara had any chance of winning the titles. This match actually felt like time filler on a PPV card. That’s the feeling you don’t want to have when watching a PPV card (⭐️⭐️1/2)

Mike Bailey made his entrance first to a fine reaction. Kazuchika Okada made his entrance to a pretty strong reaction. Okada got a big firework display. 

(5) Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Mike Bailey for the AEW Continental Title

Bailey shined early catching Okada with a head scissors. Okada moved as Bailey kicked his knee into the ring steps. Okada turned away smiling thinking Bailey was hurt. Bailey no-sold it doing a crane pose. Bailey nailed Okada with a Crane Kick. Bailey hit a Triangle Moonsault to Okada on the floor. Bailey for his combination kicks. Okada stopped Bailey with a Dragon Screw. Okada took control launching Bailey with a huge flapjack. Okada planted Bailey with a DDT on the floor. Okada hit a second DDT inside the ring for two count. 

Okada hit a sliding boot sending Bailey to the floor. Bailey used Okada’s momentum to hit a springboard Moonsault on the floor. Bailey battled back hitting a missile dropkick. Bailey connected with a running Shooting Star Press for two. Okada caught Bailey with a running Air Raid Crash. Okada hit a stalling flying elbow drop. Okada did his Rainmaker pose with a middle finger to the crowd. Bailey caught Okada with a reverse rollup for two. Okada avoided a SuperKick and gave Bailey the middle finger. 

Bailey planted Okada with a Falcon Arrow. Bailey went for a flying Shooting Star Press. Okada got his knees up. Bailey rocked Okada with a 360 Kick. Okada respond hitting a standing dropkick sending Bailey to the floor. Bailey caught Okada with a leg sweep on the ring apron. Bailey hit a backflip double knee drop onto Okada’s gut. Bailey rocked with a 360 Kick. Okada avoided the Ultimo Weapon rocking Bailey with a wicked Woo Dropkick. Okada went for a standing dropkick. Bailey hung onto the ropes. Bailey hit a backflip double knee onto Okada’s gut. Bailey went for 360 Kick. Okada intercepted with a standing dropkick. 

Okada called for Rainmaker. Bailey countered into a 360 Kick. Bailey hit a second 360 Kick. Okada grabbed the ropes to stop the count. Bailey maintained wrist control hitting combination kicks. Okada responded hitting a pair of lariats. Bailey caught Okada with a Hammerlock Flip for two. Bailey rocked Okada with a reverse spin kick. Bailey went for Ultimo Weapon. Okada caught Bailey with a mid-air dropkick which looked great. Okada hit a Rainmaker for the 1-2-3 win. 

Kazuchika Okada defeated Mike Bailey in 16:02 to retain the AEW Continental Title 

Amin’s Thoughts — You can look at this match from two points of view. As a standalone wrestling match this was really strong that could belong on a PPV card. There were moments where the crowd was getting behind Bailey but not fully which you want from a babyface. Bailey does standout as someone with a unique move set. Here’s the other point of view. This was the second straight match on the show where you knew Bailey wasn’t going to win. It was hard to get interested because you knew the outcome before the match began. Okada is my favourite in-ring wrestler when he was in NJPW. Okada isn’t giving it all in these AEW matches. I’m now grading Okada matches on the AEW scale. Here’s a positive. This was one of Okada’s better PPV matches since coming over to AEW. Okada winning was the obvious choice. A strong match that would’ve been suited better for Dynamite or Collision (⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2) 

Mina Shirakawa made her entrance to a strong reaction. “Timeless” Toni Storm made her entrance receiving a tremendous reaction. Storm was accompanied by Luther. 

(6) “Timeless” Toni Storm (c) (w/Luther) vs. Mina Shirakawa for the AEW Women’s World Title

Mina went for a seated head scissors but Storm broke free and danced to the crowd’s approval. Mina and Storm exchanged rollups for near falls. Mina took control stomping away a Storm’s leg. Mina applied a seated leg scissors but Storm grabbed the ropes. Storm responded rocking Mina with mounted strikes. Mina quickly stopped Storm with a basement dropkick. Storm stopped Mina running her into the ring post. Storm planted Mina with a suplex on the floor. Storm hit a Fisherman’s Suplex for two. 

Mina responded catching Storm with a Tornado DDT. Mina rocked Storm with a running lariat. Mina connected with a Dragon Screw. Mina hit a second Dragon Screw against the ropes. Luther stood in Mina’s way. Mina gave Luther a low-blow by kicking him in the balls. Mina leaped over Luther hitting a corkscrew splash onto Storm. Storm shoved Luther in the way as Mina went for a flying crossbody to the floor. Mina caught Storm with another Dragon Screw against the ropes. Mina went for a Figure-4-Leg Lock. Storm rolled grabbing the ropes. Mina and Storm connected with a stereo spinning back fist for a double down. 

Mina and Storm exchanged strikes. Storm hit Mina with a pair of German Suplex. Storm’s leg gave out charging for a hip attack. Storm caught Mina with Sky High for two. Mina placed Storm in an inverted Figure-4-Leg Lock. Storm grabbed the ropes. Mina hit a flying SlingBlade for two. Mina hit the Glamours Driver for two. Storm battled catching Mina with a hip attack. Mina caught Storm back in a Figure-4-Leg Lock. Storm grabbed the ropes. Mina and Storm exchanged rollups for close near falls. Storm rocked Mina with a head butt. Storm hit Storm Zero on Mina for the 1-2-3 win. 

“Timeless” Toni Storm defeated Mina Shirakawa in 15:52 to retain the AEW Women’s World Title

Amin’s Thoughts — This was pretty interesting to watch as the crowd treated both Storm and Mina as babyface in the match. We’ve seen in previous matches where the crowd would not side with the babyface and go against Storm who was playing subtle heel at the title. Mina has this special charisma about her as she will get over with the crowds so this loss won’t hurt her. The slight problem with the match was Mina wasn’t going to win the title going into the match. Mercedes won the Owen Hart Tournament Finals there was absolute no chance Mina had of winning. To the credit of Storm and Mina they worked a pretty strong and enjoyable babyface title match on the PPV card (⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)

➤Storm and Mina had a chat after the match as they both got to their feet. The crowd cheered as Storm and Mina shared a kiss on the lips. They showed a graphic for “Timeless” Toni Storm vs. Mercedes Moné for the AEW Women’s World Title for All In Texas. 

Amin’s Thoughts — They wasted no time at all getting that Storm and Mercedes graphic for All In Texas on the screen. They have just been having Mercedes and Storm run thought everyone in the division to get to this match. AEW already has too many titles on the show. Creating new Women’s Tag Team Titles for the rest of the division to fight over isn’t the solution. My idea would be to have a Women’s Casino Gauntlet and have the winner challenger either Mercedes or Storm for one of the belts at All Out in September. Storm and Mercedes is the biggest Women’s match they can do right now for All In. The question is to what expense of the rest of the Women’s division

“Swerve” Strickland made his entrance to a huge reaction and firework display. Swerve was accompanied by Samoa Joe. Willow Nightingale got a strong reaction. Powerhouse Hobbs and Katsuyori Shibata made their entrance. The crowd chanted for Samoa Joe who didn’t come out. Kenny Omega got a huge reaction and firework display. Jon Moxley and Marina Shafir made their entrance through one side of the crowd to boos. Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta made their entrance from the crowd opposite side to boos.. Ring announcer Justin Roberts gave a long and ridiculous introduction for Matthew and Nicholas Jackson. Matthew and Nicholas were introduced as the Founding Fathers of AEW as they got a firework display. Young Bucks waved their flags.

(7) Death Riders (AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta and Marina Shafir) & The Young Bucks (Matthew and Nicholas Jackson) vs. AEW International Champion Kenny Omega, “Swerve” Strickland (w/Prince Nana), Willow Nightingale & The Opps (Samoa Joe, Powerhouse Hobbs & Katsuyori Shibata) in Anarchy in the Arena

Omega and Swerve went after The Bucks. The crowd cheered as Samoa Joe attacked Claudio in the crowd. They showed a split-screen shot of the match. Shafir planted Willow onto the barricade. Omega asked for music to play. They played some funky pop song. Swerve’s reaction was hilarious. Omega said that music doesn’t fit the mood. Omega asked to play some alternative 2000 rock music. The crowd went WILD as “Let’ The Bodies Hit The Floor” played. 

Hobbs launched Yuta off the bleachers onto the security guards. Omega hit an awesome flying Moonsault from the bleachers onto the security. Moxley stabbed Hobbs with a fork. Hobbs was busted open. The crowd went wild as Hobbs delivered a tackle sending Moxley crashing through a table. Omega hit You Can’t Escape onto Matthew for two. Willow smashed a bottle onto Shafir’s head. Shafir was busted open. Shibata wrapped his knee with barbed wire rocking Yuta with a PK. The Bucks hit a double DDT on Swerve. The Bucks mocked Swerve’s dance. LOL! Swerve hit a rolling flatliner on Matthew. Nicholas hit a Canadian Destroyer on Swerve. This was cool as Swerve no-sold nailing Nicholas with House Call. Claudio swung Swerve sending him crashing into the speaker to stop the music. 

Matthew hit a flying dive to Hobbs off the stage. The Bucks hit a slingshot PowerBomb combo sending Omega crashing through a table. Shafir chained Willow’s ear with a lock against the ring post. This looked nasty. The Bucks hit a TK Driver to Shibata on the floor. The crowd chanted “Please Help Willow!” Nicolas delivered a Swanton Bomb off the stage sending Hobbs crashing through the table. This looked cool. Nicholas tossed a flying chair into Hobbs face. The crowd cheered as Swerve was standing on a forklift platform. Swerve hit a Swerve Stomp to The Bucks off the forklift platform. This looked awesome. 

Prince Nana freed Willow from the ring spot. Hobbs delivered huge SpineBuster to The Bucks. Hobbs no-sold a chair shot from Claudio and Willow. Willow gave Shafir a big SpineBuster. Everyone was placed in choke holds. Swerve and Nicholas hit 450 Splashes onto Joe and Moxley to free their respective teammates. Nicholas went to use the stapler gun. Hobbs no-sold it in a great spot. This was awesome as Swerve used the stapler gun on the heel side. Swerve using the staple gun on Yuta as he was going for the Buizuke Knee was hilarious. Swerve used the staple gun on Matthew balls. LMFAO! Shafir gave Swerve a low-blow. Shafir grabbed Swerve’s tongue. Shafir then stapled Swerve’s tongue. This was beyond disturbing.

The crowd went wild as Willow gave The Bucks a double Spear. Moxley gave Willow a Cutter. Shafir spat in Omega’s face. Omega gave Shafir a Snap Dragon Suplex in an awesome spot. The Bucks welcomed everyone to The SuperKick Party. The Bucks went for the TK Driver on Willow. Swerve launched Nicholas who went flying crashing through a table. The crowd went nuts as Swerve and Willow hit a TK Driver on Matthew. Claudio made the save. Joe ran wild on everyone. Claudio grabbed a chair. Hook returned attacking Claudio with a golf club. Joe asked Hook to come into the ring. Hook walked to the back. LOL 

Joe hit a Muscle Buster on Moxley. Joe placed Moxley in a Coquina Clutch. Gabe Kidd attacked Joe with the briefcase. Yuta placed thumbtacks into Omega’s mouth. The Bucks hit an EVP Trigger on Omega. Claudio and Yuta hit a Giant Swing/Woo Dropkick combo on Omega. Moxley placed Omega in a Bulldog Choke. Joe made the save. The heels took Joe to the stage. Mark Briscoe appeared hitting a stage dive onto Claudio. A brawl broke out at the stage. The babyface locked The Death Riders and Kidd into the ambulance. 

Omega and Swerve delivered a House Call and V-Trigger combo onto The Bucks. Omega delivered a Super One Winged Angel off the stage sending Matthew crashing through an exploding table on the floor. This spot looked Crazy! Prince Nana handed Swerve his new branded sneakers. There were thumbtacks on the sneaker sole. Swerve placed on the sneakers. Swerve delivered a Swerve Stomp onto Nicholas with the sneaker sole thumbtacks for the 1-2-3 win. 

“Swerve” Strickland, Kenny Omega, Samoa Joe, Powerhouse Hobbs, Katsuyori Shibata & Willow Nightingale defeated Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Marina Shafir, Matthew & Nicholas Jackson in 35:19 

➤Swerve looked into the camera laughing showing his tongue with a staple. The crowd cheered as babyface team celebrated together. Omega kicked Moxley’s briefcase away. 

Amin’s Thoughts — I don’t even know where to begin after seeing the match that took place. This was completely wild, crazy, outta control and awesome in the absolute best way possible. Having the right song playing so the crowd can cheer along sets the right tone for the match. I liked Swerve getting the win for his team after The Bucks cost him the AEW World Title at the Dynasty PPV. Royal Rumble is still my favourite match type because you get World Title at WrestleMania which is WWE biggest show of the year. Anarchy in the Arena is my favourite gimmick match with no stakes. This was a joy to watch. I was Sports Entertained and had the most fun watching this match on the show (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) 

—“Hangman” Adam Page and Will Ospreay were shown getting ready separately for the Men’s Owen Hart Tournament Foundation Finals match. 

The Don Callis Family made their entrance first. You can hear crickets in the crowd. The Paragon made their entrance. The crowd only chanted along to Adam Cole’s Bay Bay pose. 

(8) The Don Callis Family (Kyle Fletcher, Konosuke Takeshita and Josh Alexander) (w/Don Callis & Lance Archer) vs. The Paragon (TNT Champion Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reily and Roderick Strong)

Cole wanted to start with Fletcher but tagged Takeshita into the match. Takeshita nailed O’Reilly with a jumping clothesline. O’Reilly responded rocking Alexander with combination strikes. O’Reilly connected with a flying knee drop onto Alexander for two. Alexander ran Strong into the corner. Cole and O’Reilly nailed Fletcher with a double strike for a near fall. Alexander nailed Strong with a cheap shot. Alexander delivered a sliding crossbody sending Strong to the floor. Callis nailed Strong with a cheap shot outside the ring. 

Strong avoided the Blue Thunder Bomb catching Takeshita with an Olympic Slam. Strong nailed Alexander with a running clothesline. Cole ran wild nailing Takeshita with a SuperKick. Cole caught Alexander with a back cracker for two. Archer now joined commentary for the match. O’Reilly nailed Fletcher with a flying knee strike. O’Reilly went for an arm-bar. Alexander and O’Reilly exchanged Ankle Lock spots. Alexander and O’Reilly connected with a double clothesline. Fletcher caught Cole flying off the ropes with a SuperKick. Alexander launched Cole with a German Suplex. Fletcher and Takeshita rocked Cole with a combo kick. Takeshita hit a Super PowerBomb on Cole. O’Reilly and Strong made the save. 

The action broke down with O’Reilly hitting a flying Woo Dropkick to Takeshita on a seated chair. Strong planted Alexander with a Blue Thunder Bomb on the barricade. Cole caught Fletcher with a Panama Sunrise on the floor. Cole, Strong and O’Reilly hit a triple strike on Fletcher. Takeshita made the save. Fletcher caught Cole with a Half-and-Half Suplex. O’Reilly went for a Guillotine Hold. Takeshita rocked O’Reilly with a forearm smash. Fletcher hit a running BrainBuster onto O’Reilly for the 1-2-3 win. 

Kyle Fletcher, Konosuke Takeshita & Josh Alexander defeated Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong in 12:48

➤A brawl broke out after the match. Roppongi Vice ran joining the brawl. The music played as Brodie King and Tomohiro Ishii stood on the entrance ramp. The music played as Hiroshi Tanahashi came out. The babyface team made the save for Paragon. Tanahashi hit a SlingBlade on Fletcher. Cole then Lowered the Boom onto Fletcher. The babyface side celebrated. 

Amin’s Thoughts — The problem is AEW PPVs have a really long run time. This was just a trios match that was placed as filler before the main event. I was waiting for this match to end. This was a trios match that would’ve been fitted better for an episode of Dynamite. The post-match angle seeing Hiroshi Tanahashi who’s one of my favourite wrestlers to watch didn’t help this at all. My question is if they are presumably building Fletcher for a TNT Title match against Cole. Why would you take the heat away from Fletcher after getting a PPV win. This just dragged to no end (⭐️1/2) 

They aired a special “Hangman” Adam Page highlight promo speaking about how we allow what people do to us to chance who we are. Hangman said sometimes it gets to a point where you don’t recognize who you are anymore. You look like the people who pained you. Hangman said he can’t change what he has done. He needs to be the champion that he was before to become the man he should be. Hangman said he needs this. “Hangman” Adam Page made his entrance to a big reaction. Hangman got a big firework display. Will Ospreay also got a special entrance. They aired clips of Ospreay’s promo speaking about his ascension. Ospreay made his entrance to a tremendous reaction. 

(9) “Hangman” Adam Page vs. Will Ospreay in Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Finals

Strong reaction from the crowd at the start of the match. Hangman and Ospreay were evenly matched at the start. The action picked up as Hangman and Ospreay went for their big moves which led to a stalemate. Ospreay caught Hangman with a head scissors. Ospreay hit a standing Sky Twister Press for one count. Ospreay caught Hangman with a springboard forearm. Hangman caught Ospreay flying sending him crashing into the barricade. Hangman hit a second Fallaway Slam sending Ospreay crashing into the turnbuckle for a two count. Hangman planted Ospreay with a pair of backdrop suplex for two count. Hangman taunted Ospreay to challenge him. 

Ospreay battle back nailing Hangman with a handspring kick. Ospreay connected with a Sasuke Special to the floor. Ospreay hit a spinning Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Hangman stopped Ospreay from climbing the ropes. Hangman planted Ospreay with a flying clothesline onto the ring apron. Hangman hit a flying Moonsault to the floor. Hangman planted Ospreay with a Popup Powerbomb for two count. Hangman applied a Sharpshooter. Ospreay grabbed hold of the ropes. Hangman no-sold Ospreay’s strikes. Ospreay nailed Hangman with a hook kick. Hangman responded with a big lariat. Ospreay caught Hangman with a standing Spanish Fly to reset the match. 

They battled as Ospreay slipped off the ropes. Ospreay recovered catching Hangman with a Cheeky Nando Kick. Hangman battled knocking Ospreay off the ropes. Hangman rocked Hangman with a slingshot Buckshot Lariat off the ropes. Hangman went for a second Buckshot Lariat. Ospreay intercepted Hangman with a SuperKick. Ospreay hit a Shooting Star Press for two count. Hangman blocked as OsCutter. Hangman caught Ospreay flying off the ropes with a Tombstone PileDriver for two count. Ospreay went for Styles Clash. Hangman countered hitting Angels Wings for two count. Hangman pointed at the turnbuckle. Hangman went for Best Moonsault Ever but lost his positioning. This led to Ospreay moving out the way. Ospreay rocked Hangman with a Hidden Blade. Hangman rolled away from the ring. 

They exchanged strikes on the ring apron. Ospreay caught Hangman with a PowerBomb on the ring apron. Ospreay caught Hangman with a Styles Clash from the ring apron to the floor. This was nasty as Hangman landed on his head. Ospreay jammed his knees on the landing. Ospreay caught Hangman coming into the ring with an OsCutter for two count. Ospreay rocked Hangman with a Hidden Blade for two count. Hangman gave Ospreay a slap. This led to Ospreay nailing Hangman with openhanded strikes. This was a callback to what Kota Ibushi’s does when he gets into that zone. The referee Bryce Remsberg had to pull him Ospreay away from the ropes. Ospreay argued with the referee. The crowd cheered as Hangman had Ospreay in position for Buckshot Lariat. Ospreay booted Hangman to the floor. 

Ospreay slammed Hangman repeatedly onto the announcers table. Ospreay went for Storm Breaker on the announcers table. Hangman reverses into the Dead Eye. The announcers table collapsed as Hangman and Ospreay splatted on the floor. The crowd was silent. Hangman called an audible hitting Ospreay with a Dead Eye onto the broken announcers table. Hangman called for Buckshot Lariat but Ospreay stumbled away. Ospreay removed his elbow pad. Hangman removed his elbow pad. Ospreay gave Hangman the middle finger. They both charged. Hangman drilled Ospreay with a Buckshot Lariat for a great two count. Hangman went for a second Buckshot Lariat. Ospreay intercepted with Hidden Blade. Ospreay hit Storm Breaker. Hangman kicked out for an awesome two count. 

Hangman moved as Ospreay went for Hidden Blade. Ospreay saw Hangman against the ropes. Hangman did Kenny Omega’s pose as hit a V-Trigger. Ospreay called for One Winged Angle. Hangman reversed hitting “Swerve” Strickland’s Big Pressure. Ospreay placed his foot on the ropes in a tremendous spot. Hangman called for Buckshot Lariat. Ospreay blocked catching Hangman in position for Storm Breaker. Hangman reversed rocking Ospreay with a huge lariat. Hangman hit a Buckshot Lariat for the 1-2-3 win. 

“Hangman” Adam Page defeated Will Ospreay in 36:59 to win the Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament 

➤There was a big confetti and firework celebration for Hangman’s win. The referee Bryce Remsberg placed the Owen Hart Tournament belt around Hangman’s waist. They showed a graphic for Jon Moxley vs. “Hangman” Adam Page for the AEW World Title at All In Texas. Hangman looked at the Owen Hart Trophy. Hangman turned back seeing Ospreay sitting inside the ring. They showed the same camera shot of when Cody Rhodes to lost to Roman Reigns at WWE WrestleMania 39. Hangman entered the ring. The music stopped. Hangman offered Ospreay a handshake. They shook hands. The crowd cheered. Hangman left the ring. Hangman posed beside the Owen Hart Trophy. This long AEW Double or Nothing PPV ended. 

Amin’s Thoughts — This match more than delivered and deserved the main event spot for the Double or Nothing PPV. The announcers table collapse was the only bummer but didn’t take away from the match at all. I really liked how Hangman and Ospreay brought out the biggest moves from their top rivals in Omega and Swerve. Just tremendous stuff all around here as they had you bitting on the finish with those near falls in the closing stretch. The best part was the tournament finals wasn’t predictable as either Hangman or Ospreay would’ve been a perfectly fine winner. Curious to see what Ospreay does at All In Texas after not winning a tournament which felt like it was his to win. This was a tremendous win for Hangman in an awesome match. The question is will Hangman finally be the one to dethrone Jon Moxley. We have to wait and see. A tremendous main event PPV match. This was awesome to watch (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

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