By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
All Elite Wrestling held a Double Or Nothing ticket announcement party on Thursday in Las Vegas, Nevada at MGM Grand splash pool. The following are the highlights of the event, which is being broadcast on AEW’s social media accounts. Refresh the page for the latest updates below the video.
-There was a pre-show hosted by Conrad Thompson, Excalibur, and Alex Marvez. Excalibur said there would be a special Double Or Nothing opportunity for people in attendance and watching. They also played up who the Young Bucks and Britt Baker will face at the pay-per-view, what the main event will be, and whether the OWE wrestlers will be on the show.
-Maxwell J Friedman crashed the party and harassed “turkey tits” Thompson. Excalibur and Marvez stepped aside while MJF went into promo mode. MJF called the fans in attendance “losers” and the responded with an asshole chant. He mocked them by saying he’s the one being paid. MJF made another fat joke at Thompson’s expense and then left the set. Excalibur and Marvez returned. Excalibur asked fans to join them at the top of the hour (five minutes away) for the actual event.
-The main show show opened with Thompson and Marvez at a podium at poolside of the MGM Grand splash pool. Marvez noted that he hoped Excalibur will be carrying him for years to come.
-Music interrupted the broadcast team. Sonny Kiss made his entrance and threw t-shirts. One landed in the pool. He said he was specifically told not to throw a shirt into the pool and “look what I did.” He said he heard AEW is for everyone. He announced that he will be at Double Or Nothing. After Kiss left, Marvez said he was told that Brandi Rhodes was behind the Kiss signing.
-Cody was introduced by Thompson and made his entrance. A “Thank you, Cody” chant broke out. Cody noted that it was a little cold (it’s 44 degrees in Vegas), then showed off his coat and cracked that he already blew the executive money. Cody said it smells like a revolution.
-Cody mentioned the AEW partnership with OWE, and then touted the new partnership announcement with the AAA promotion. Cody said AAA’s emphasis on modern stars meshes with their goal of presenting the best “sports-centric” wrestling product on the planet.
-Cody said it was time to talk tickets. Cody said there is a pre-sale sign-up available at AllEliteWrestling.com. A graphic noted that the pre-sale runs through Sunday at 10 p.m. ET. The general public sale go on sale on Wednesday at noon ET.
-Sammy Guevara was introduced by Cody. Guevara brought out the AAA Cruiserweight Title belt with him. He pushed his Youtube page for those who are not familiar with him. He said the title means he’s one of the best damn wrestlers in the world. He said he wants (Tony) Khan, the Young Bucks, and Cody to understand that he’s their true superstar. Guevara told fans to get their Double Or Nothing tickets and watch him steal the show.
-One of the broadcast team members explained that a code will be sent to fans who sign up for the pre-sale, and then a code will be emailed for them to use on Monday.
-Adam Page was introduced by Thompson and Marvez. Page said he jumped the gun by referring to the fans as his bosses at the rally in Jacksonville. He played into a bit from the Being The Elite show about how he doesn’t have the body to show up in his ring gear. Page spoke about his desire to be the first AEW Champion. PAC interrupted “via satellite” and said Page was probably wondering why him. He said he has a penchant for humbling people who need it. PAC said Page isn’t on his level. PAC moved closer to the camera and said, “See you in Vegas, Cowboy.” Page said it’s too bad PAC couldn’t be there, but he was doing what he does best by sitting at home. Page dubbed their match “The Bastard vs. The Hangman.”
-Thompson and Marvez noted that Page vs. PAC is official for Double Or Nothing and hyped the pre-sale codes. Marvez recalled the Jackson 5 headlining a show in April of 1974. He asked if there could be more Jacksons headlining a show 45 years later.
-“The Young Bucks” Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson were introduced by Marvez. Matt wasn’t sure if his mic was working. “Excuse Matt, he didn’t go to college,” Nick said. Matt recalled wrestling in the living room and how one of them had a tooth knocked out. He recalled that they decided to become pro wrestlers and to become one of the best teams of all-time. He said it blows his mind that people say they are in the top five or top ten greatest teams of all-time. A “number one” chant broke out. Matt said it’s lonely at the top. Matt said tag team wrestling has become a lost art and you can’t even see tag team wrestling on wrestling programs anymore. He said that’s about to change. Matt said their goal is to give the fans the best tag team division in the world. Nick asked the fans if tag team wrestling can be the main event. Nick introduced one of their favorite teams to wrestle.
-“Best Friends” Chuckie T and Trent Barreta were introduced. They came out wearing denim jeans and vests. Chuckie introduced both men and played up coming to AEW for great tag team wrestling. Barreta said they are changing the world through the power of friendship. He and Taylor led the crowd in saying “best friends” and then they hugged before leaving the platform.
-The Bucks returned to the platform. Rey Fenix and Penta EL Zero M (Pentagon Jr.) walked out and confronted them. Fenix superkicked Nick, and then Penta gave Matt a Penta Driver on the platform. Fenix took the mic and took offense to being considered the second best team in the world. He told the AEW fans to be ready for the Lucha Brothers. He said they are the best team in the universe. Penta spoke in Spanish and was cheered.
Powell’s POV: Based on what the Bucks said, it would appear as though they will be headlining the Double Or Nothing show against Penta and Fenix. It should be a hell of a match.
-Excalibur noted that the AEW website may have crashed, but fans will have until Sunday night to sign up. Excalibur threw it to Thompson and Marvez, who tried to sell the idea that what happened with the Lucha Brothers were not supposed to happen. They also played up the possibility of it headlining the show. Thompson turned the focus to the women of AEW.
-Brandi Rhodes was introduced. She stood at the podium and had the fans say “happy birthday, Jason” for her brother. She recalled making a lot of promises about the women’s division and how they were talking with fantastic Japanese wrestlers. She said they had two Japanese wrestlers to focus. She hyped Yuka Sakazaki and said she was a budding star in Japan and would be at Double Or Nothing. Brandi added that the legendary Aja Kong will also be at Double Or Nothing. She said she wished both women could have appeared in Vegas, but she didn’t come alone.
-Kylie Ray was introduced by Brandi. She said she bought a dress specifically for this event, but she couldn’t use it because it was too told. She removed her jacket and showed off the dress anyway for a pop. Ray said she can’t wait to take the women’s division by storm. Brandi took the mic back and hyped up Ray. The music played and Brandi said she had one more thing to say. She said she brought somebody else.
-Nyla Rose made her entrance. Ray offered a handshake, but Rose wasn’t interested. They jawed at one another while Brandi tried to get between them. Security eventually intervened.
-Excalibur spoke about Cima going to China to “spread the gospel of professional wrestling.” Excalibur set up a video package on OWE (Oriental Wrestling Entertainment). Excalibur introduced a pair of OWE executives and Cima. One of the executives said they would bring 5,000 years of kung fu to the U.S. He hyped it as something that has never been done in the history of pro wresting. The second executive stepped up and spoke about how the U.S. and China will stand together. Daniels said legendary doesn’t even begin to describe Cima. Daniels called him a pioneer, a trailblazer, and a leader of men. Daniels called for Cima to get two of his best men to face SCU. Cima applauded and then shook hands with Daniels, who raised his arm.
-Thompson and Marvez once again noted that the website had crashed and reassured viewers that they had until Sunday to get their code. Thompson said there had been plenty of announcements, but there might be one more announcement still to come. The fans chanted “Kenny” and then Thompson and Marvez left the platform. A video played.
-Kenny Omega made his entrance. Omega walked out wearing a suit and was smiling. Omega signed some autographs before going to the platform. Omega said he made the fans wait a long time for him to make the announcement. He said it was never his intention and said it was strange the way the world works with legalities. Omega said he didn’t put pen to paper until this morning. “I am now a full-time member of the AEW roster,” Omega announced. Omega said The Elite did everything in their power to change the world. He said the journey is never ending, but it had to come to an end in Japan. Omega said that with the platform they’ve been given by the Khan family they can push things forward. Omega said he’s been asked what it means when he says he wants to change the world. Omega said he couldn’t explain it eloquently, but he always felt it in his heart. He said he could tell the fans felt it at All In last year and he wondered why it couldn’t be that way all the time. “Well, guess what, everyone, now it can,” Omega said. Omega said the cast and crew of AEW can finally show everyone just how they will change the world.
-Fozzy’s “Judas” interrupted Omega. Chris Jericho walked out wearing a hat and leather jacket. Jericho stepped onto the platform and jawed with Omega while the fans chanted “holy shit.” Omega and Jericho shoved each other and then had to be pulled apart by Cody, SCU, agents BJ Whitmer and Billy Gunn, and others. Jericho was dragged away while yelling about changing the universe and he called Omega a son of a bitch.
-Omega put on Jericho’s hat and said he’d been waiting two months to say his favorite line. Omega closed things out with his “goodbye and goodnight, bang” line. A camera showed the MGM Grand hotel sign. Omega slapped hands with fans by poolside.
-Thompson asked fans if they could believe Omega and Jercho at Double Or Nothing. Thompson closed the show by hyping the pay-per-view one last time.
Powell’s POV: A good event. There weren’t any earth shattering surprises, though the confirmation of Omega signing with AEW is obviously huge, albeit expected at this point. They did a nice job of setting up some pay-per-view matches and introducing some incoming talent. And we actually go through a poolside pro wresting event without anyone being shoved into a pool. I will be talking about this event and the future of AEW with Dot Net staffer Will Pruett in a special Friday edition of the Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast.
Check below for the new Pro Wrestling Boom with Jason Powell and his guest Rich Bocchini (f/k/a Rich Brennan) discussing his work with Tony Schiavone in MLW, working for Michael Cole in WWE, his trial by fire in NXT, being produced by Vince McMahon, and much more.
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