It has been almost two years since I packed up my suitcase and took my trip Vegas. I was on my way to go see what I considered a huge part of professional wrestling history. Memorial Day weekend of 2019, AEW’s first Double or Nothing event!
Thanks to The Starcast Event, this major wrestling show was turned into a four-day experience. Starting on Thursday and ending on Sunday; but it tied together with the highlight being Double or Nothing on Saturday. The Starcast Event was a mixture of Legends, AEW Talent, and Independent talent. They all came together to put on an amazing experience for fans. There was some big matches on the card; which proved to lay some of the groundwork for AEW Dynamite to debut in the fall of that year.
With the next event coming up I wanted to highlight what turned out to be one of my favorite weekends. I also wanted to take a deep dive into the Double or Nothing event as a whole, and what it was like being in the crowd.
Starrcast
It took me about five hours to drive to Vegas (I have to admit that I was speeding due to pure excitement). I checked into my hotel and knew that the first step was to walk down the strip and head right to Caesar’s Palace. Starrcast was being held at their convention area.
To be honest, I had no idea what to expect from the experience and was just hoping that I could catch some wrestlers as they were walking around the hotel. My wife and I were in full vacation mode and had on matching banana outfits. The reason I mention this detail is that both Jungle Boy and Karrion Kross (FKA Killer Kross) separately, stopped us just to tell us how much they like them.
From the Ballroom
As I walked up to the ballroom, I saw Kevin Nash walking by. He has to be the tallest person I have ever seen up close. Completely, caught me off guard!
I was able to meet some of incredible wrestlers. It gave me the opportunity to have conversations with the likes of Mark Henry, Road Warrior Animal, Rikishi, and Hurricane Helms. I had a long conversation with Sean “XPAC” Waltman about dogs. Matt Striker was there as a fan just talking with other fans as well. Booker T was a humble guy as well. I enjoyed meeting Swoggle because I always enjoyed any segment he was a part of! Keep in mind; I am only naming a few people!
I was not able to participate in every event during the weekend, I did arrive on Friday and it was a nonstop experience from there.
Overall, spending Friday and Saturday at Starrcast was an amazing experience. My wife and I jumped in an Uber with some other fans and it was off to the MGM for Double or Nothing! Walking through the hotel with a large group of fans and the chants had already started! We passed by WWE Hall of Famer Pete Rose on the way there. He was signing baseballs in a memorabilia shop at the hotel. The gate attendant scanned our tickets and it was off to our seats.
Double or Nothing Event
At our seats, we could do nothing but admire the how cool the set looked. I thought the giant poker chips were a nice touch. “The Buy In” was going to start with the Casino Battle Royal.
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Casino Battle Royal
I wasn’t sure what to expect when this started. Being so used to WWE’s battle royals, I was expecting everyone to be in the ring at the same time. I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that this was not the case.
I popped when Tommy Dreamer out about because for me it was a sign that the night was going to be crazier than I thought! MJF was boo’d over and over again. Adam Page was the surprise entrant with the number 21 spot. The people I sat next to were upset that he won but I thought it was cool that they were spotlighting him.
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Sammy Guevara vs Kip Sabien
To be honest, I had never heard of either of these guys before this. It was fast paced which what was kept me interested. Overall, Sabien won, but I am convinced that this is what made AEW want to push Guevara in the future.
After, the buy in was the official start of Double or Nothing. The fans were ready! Chants were loud throughout the whole arena. A video package played and it was go time!
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SCU vs The Strong Hearts
It was a great choice to have SCU start out the official show. Like I said, the fans were hyped up but SCU took it to another level. They cut a promo about how Vegas was their favorite of the worst towns they have ever been to; then the match started. SCU came out victorious after a moonsault from Kazarian.
AEW had stated that they wanted to highlight tag team wrestling. Starting the official show off with a tag team match this exciting only foreshadowed what was to come.
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Nyla Rose vs Britt Baker vs Kylie Rae vs Awesome Kong
In what originally was supposed to be a triple threat match, our first women’s match of the night soon turned into a fatal four way. Brandi Rhodes came out and introduced Awesome Kong as the fourth competitor of this match. The crowd lost it! Myself included!
The dynamic of Rose and Kong in the ring together perfectly evened out this match. Rose showed how dominate she could be, Rae was the fan favorite but ultimately, Baker would get the win. Not knowing much about Baker, it was cool to see that they were putting faith in what would turn out to be one of their top female talents.
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Best Friends vs Jack Evans and Angelico
This was a good match but it seemed like the crowd wasn’t really into it. As entertaining as both teams could be, this was an obvious filler match. The highlight of the match came after Best Friends won. This is where we saw the debut of The Dark Order (FKA The Super Smash Bros).
The lights went out and these mysterious men hit the ring. They stood tall in the ring after beating up both the competing teams…but again no one knew who they were.
Loud “who are you?” chants were being made by a large majority of the crowd. Looking back at it; I think they benefitted from no one knowing them. It set the stage for them to be one of the prominent tables in AEW today. They were able to build off that mystery for a while.
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Hikaru Shida, Ryo Mizunami, Rhio Abe vs Aja Kong, Emi Sakura, Yuka Sakazaki
Another match that I had no idea what to expect. Aja Kong was the only wrestler who I knew in the match. Kong’s team lost but Shida was really the stand out in this match. It shows that she has come a long way and in my opinion deserves her current position with the company.
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Cody vs Dustin Rhodes
This one of the best matches I have ever seen live! It had a great story, blood, and pure athleticism.
This match had big fight feels from start to finish. Cody’s entrance clearly mocking Triple H and his entrance music matched up perfectly with his display. This only made everyone in the crowd even more hyped for this match. The fans singing his entrance music also added to the atmosphere.
I heard a few fans discussing that if they had the opportunity at this story while both were in WWE, things would have worked out differently. Cody ended up defeating his older brother but not before leaving the fans with an emotional moment. When Cody talks to the Dustin at the end, asking him to go double or nothing with their tag team potential. It brought tears to many eyes in the arena because you could feel the pure emotion.
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AEW Title Presentation
This was one of the most shocking moments of the night. To present the championship to the crowd, AEW brought in WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart. I don’t think a single person in the crowd expected this and it was a true shock and awe experience.
Given the well-known history behind Hart and the McMahon family; if AEW was trying to add a metaphorical fuel to the fire, Hart was the one to bring in.
MJF coming back out to even more boo’s and his back and forth with Hangman Page just added to the craziness. The crowd was really into this segment.
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The Young Bucks vs The Lucha Bros for the AAA Tag Team Championships
I was legit on the edge of my seat the whole entire match. There is really isn’t much more to say other than that. Near fall after near fall; flip after flip. This had the crowd going back and forth not knowing who to cheer for. The Young Bucks won the match but it left everyone excited for what the future had for these teams.
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The Main Event: Chris Jericho vs Kenny Omega
It had nonstop action and was an excellent match. The back and worth chants for Jericho and Omega showed that the crowd was really into it. Jericho came out on top and this would officially set in stone that he was going to be a face of the company.
The highlight of night in my opinion came at the very end of this match. I was talking to some of the people in the crowd and we just were not ready for the show to be over yet. Thankfully, that’s when Jon Moxley started to walk out.
I was hoping he would be there since his contract in WWE very publicly just ended. I shouted out, “oh my god, it’s Dean Ambrose” and jumped in excitement! The fact that he attacked both Omega and Jericho showed he was just there to fight.
Overall, Double or Nothing was an unforgettable show! I’ll never forget the feeling I had walking out of that arena. I could not wait until the next show.
Two years later, and a full pandemic, here we are! Getting ready for another unforgettable Double or Nothing event with a full crowd! May 30th is going to be an exciting night for professional wrestling!
Were you at the first Double or Nothing event? What was your experience like? Or are what you most excited for in the upcoming Double or Nothing show? Let us know in the comments!
