Double or Nothing (2024)

The 2024 Double or Nothing was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It was the sixth annual Double or Nothing event and took place during Memorial Day weekend on May 26, 2024, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada. AEW celebrated its five-year anniversary by returning to the MGM Grand Garden Arena, five years after the inaugural 2019 event was held.

Twelve matches were contested at the event, including two on the "Buy In" pre-show. In the event's final match, which was promoted as part of a triple main event, The Elite (Matthew Jackson, Nicholas Jackson, Kazuchika Okada, and Jack Perry) defeated Team AEW (Bryan Danielson, Darby Allin, Cash Wheeler, and Dax Harwood) in an Anarchy in the Arena match. The second main event, which was the penultimate match, saw Swerve Strickland defeat Christian Cage to retain the AEW World Championship, and in the first main event, Mercedes Moné defeated Willow Nightingale to win the AEW TBS Championship in her AEW in-ring debut. In another prominent match, Adam Copeland defeated Malakai Black by referee stoppage in a Barbed Wire Steel Cage match to retain the AEW TNT Championship. The event also featured the returns of MJF and Juice Robinson, as well as an appearance by Gangrel.

Production

Background

Double or Nothing is considered All Elite Wrestling's (AEW) marquee event, having first been held in 2019, which was the promotion's first professional wrestling event and first pay-per-view (PPV) produced. It is held annually in May during Memorial Day weekend and is one of AEW's "Big Four" PPVs, which includes All Out, Full Gear, and Revolution, their four biggest domestic shows produced quarterly. The event's name is a reference to its Las Vegas theme and it is traditionally held in the Las Vegas area in Paradise, Nevada. Exceptions from this norm occurred in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions that were in place at the time, but they maintained the Vegas theme.

On March 27, 2024, it was announced that the sixth Double or Nothing event would take place on May 26 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, marking a return to the venue after five years, which was when the inaugural 2019 event was held there. It was also announced that during Double or Nothing weekend, Saturday Night Collision the night before on May 25 would also be held at the venue.

Storylines

Double or Nothing featured professional wrestling matches that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing feuds and storylines. Storylines were produced on AEW's weekly television programs, Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision, and the YouTube series Being The Dark Order.

Starting in early 2024, The Young Bucks (Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson) turned heel for the first time since 2022 by embracing their roles as AEW's executive vice presidents. They started abusing their power by (kayfabe) suspending "Hangman" Adam Page and kicking Kenny Omega (who had been inactive due to legitimately suffering from diverticulitis) out of The Elite, while subsequently bringing in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) mainstay Kazuchika Okada into AEW and The Elite, which also established Okada as a heel after he attacked Eddie Kingston and won the AEW Continental Championship on the March 20 episode of Dynamite, which is his first championship since moving to the United States. The Bucks later won the vacant AEW World Tag Team Championship at Dynasty against FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) after receiving assistance from a returning Jack Perry, who had been off AEW television and competing in NJPW following his backstage altercation with CM Punk at All In, which led to Perry's suspension (and Punk's firing in which led to the arrival of Adam Copeland in AEW), and Perry officially joined The Elite after assisting them in attacking AEW president and CEO Tony Khan. Omega made an appearance on the May 1 episode of Dynamite to talk about his health and AEW's status, and would later be attacked by The Elite. The following week, Omega (via a pre recorded video from the hospital) used his own EVP power to book an Anarchy in the Arena match with The Elite going up against a "Team AEW" originally comprising FTR, Kingston, and Bryan Danielson. Kingston would be removed from the match after legitimately breaking his leg at NJPW's Resurgence, with his space in the match taken by Darby Allin, who returned from a broken foot on the May 15 episode of Dynamite to assist Team AEW in fending off The Elite.

In the main event at Dynasty, Swerve Strickland defeated Samoa Joe to win the AEW World Championship. After condemning The Elite for their actions against Tony Khan, Swerve found out they had chosen his Double or Nothing opponent to be a returning Christian Cage, whose Patriarchy stable would assault Swerve. During another confrontation with The Patriarchy on the May 8 episode of Dynamite, Swerve's Mogul Embassy stablemates would turn on him as well.

At NJPW Resurgence in 2023, Willow Nightingale defeated Mercedes Moné to become the inaugural NJPW Strong Women's Champion, a match in which Moné suffered a broken ankle. At Dynamite: Big Business on March 13, 2024, Moné made her anticipated AEW debut, and following the show's main event match, helped Willow Nightingale fend off an attack from AEW TBS Champion Julia Hart. On the April 3 episode of Dynamite, Moné declared that she would be challenging whoever was the champion at Double or Nothing, which would also be her AEW debut match. At Dynasty later that month, Nightingale defeated Hart to win the TBS Championship, thus scheduling Nightingale to defend the title against Moné at Double or Nothing.

At NJPW's Windy City Riot, Jon Moxley defeated Tetsuya Naito to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. He then began feuding with The Don Callis Family when Don Callis arranged a title match against Powerhouse Hobbs on the April 24 episode of Dynamite. Moxley won the match and would be called out by Konosuke Takeshita. Takeshita would attack Moxley on the following week's Dynamite, and an eliminator match for a future title shot would be scheduled for Double or Nothing.

At Revolution, Roderick Strong defeated Orange Cassidy to win the AEW International Championship. On the April 24 episode of Dynamite, Will Ospreay won a Casino Gauntlet Match to become the number one contender to the championship at Double or Nothing.

At Dynasty, TNT Champion Adam Copeland (along with Mark Briscoe and Eddie Kingston) lost a Trios match to House of Black after Malakai Black spit black mist into Copeland's face and hit him with the Black Mass for the win. In the weeks following, Copeland defeated Buddy Matthews and Brody King in singles matches in order to challenge Black at Double or Nothing to a Barbed Wire Steel Cage match with the title on the line. On the May 15 episode of Dynamite, House of Black attacked Copeland and stole his wedding ring which belonged to him and his wife, Beth Copeland. In a backstage promo, Black accepted the match, but on the condition that if he won, Copeland would have to bend a knee to the House of Black.

Chris Jericho began feuding with Hook when the latter refused to take on a mentor-student relationship. This led to a match between the two at Dynasty where Jericho won Hook's FTW Championship, turning heel, and adopting a sarcastic advice and guidance offering moniker "The Learning Tree". He took on Big Bill as a "student" when he assisted in Jericho retaining the title in a match against Katsuyori Shibata on the May 1 episode of Dynamite. Hook returned on the May 15 episode of Dynamite to demand a rematch for the title, but Jericho said he would have to earn his way back to contendership. Shibata also wanted another shot at Jericho, so a trios qualifying match was set up for the May 22 episode of Dynamite with qualifying matches on the May 18 episode of Collision. Hook, Shibata, and Bryan Keith won their respective matches against Johnny TV, Rocky Romero, and Boulder, and during the qualifying match itself, Keith tapped out to both Hook and Shibata's submission holds, causing the FTW Championship match to become a three-way match.

Serena Deeb returned to AEW after a fourteen-month hiatus due to seizures and set her sights on winning the AEW Women's World Championship from "Timeless" Toni Storm. She became the number one contender after Storm threw in the towel during Deeb's match with Mariah May on the May 1 episode of Dynamite.

Event

Pre-show

In the first match of the pre-show, Deonna Purrazzo faced Thunder Rosa. In the end, as Rosa attempted to lock in a submission, Purrazzo rolled her over and grabbed the ropes for leverage to secure the pinfall.

In the second and final match of the pre-show, The Acclaimed (Max Caster, Anthony Bowens, and Billy Gunn) faced Cage of Agony (Brian Cage, Toa Liona, and Bishop Kaun). Cage tried to introduce a steel chair to the match but had the weapon snatched by Vegas Golden Knights mascot Chance the Gila. Caster hit Cage with a Fameasser and Gunn rolled up Kaun in the confusion.