By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Double Or Nothing Pre-Show
Streamed live May 25, 2025, on AEW YouTube
Glendale, Arizona at Desert Diamond Arena
-Renee Paquette, Jeff Jarrett, and RJ City hosted the pre-show from a suite. The trio wished Jim Ross well in his battle with colon cancer.
-Prince Nana joined the pre-show panel. Nana put over the danger of the Anarchy in the Arena match. Jarrett told Nana that he didn’t like his team’s chances because the Death Riders and Young Bucks have more experience in Anarchy in the Arena matches.
-Madison Rayne joined the panel to discuss the women’s matches. Footage aired of Mercedes walking backstage.
-Matt Menard stepped in and spoke about the FTR vs. Nigel McGuinness and Daniel Garcia match. Menard assured the panel that Stokely Hathaway would not be a factor in the match.
-Footage aired of EMTs unloading a stretcher and wheeling it toward the building for the stretcher match.
-Ricochet was interviewed in the backstage area by Lexi Nair. Ricochet acknowledged that he’d be competing in his first stretcher match. Ricochet explained that the goal is to wheel a wrestler on the stretcher into the ambulance and close the doors. He added that rule number two is that there are no rules “except for rule number one.”
-Excalibur, Taz, and Tony Schiavone checked in from the broadcast table at ringside.
-Ring announcer Arkady Aura delivered the introductions while entrances took place for the first pre-show.
1. Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford vs. Anna Jay and Harley Cameron. The ring had the AEW logo on the canvas. Two turnbuckle pads had advertising, and a third had the Double Or Nothing logo. Cameron took a hot tag and had a flurry of offense on Ford. Cameron also performed a satellite head-scissors takedown on Bayne. Cameron used a tornado DDT on Ford to get a near fall.
Bayne suplexed Jay and Cameron. Bayne tagged herself into the match and then hoisted up Ford and tossed her from the ring onto Jay and Cameron at ringside. A short time later, Bayne put Jay down with a clothesline. All four women stayed down on the mat for a moment.
Jay and Cameron teamed up for a double superplex on Bayne. Jay covered Bayne for a two count. Moments later, the camera showed Bayne running Jay into the barricade at ringside, and completely missed Cameron hitting Ford with My Finishing Move for the win. There was a replay of the finisher…
Anna Jay and Harley Cameron defeated Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford in 12:40.
Powell’s POV: A fine pre-show opening match. The live crowd liked the babyface duo, and the wrestlers didn’t give too much away during a pre-show match. I suspect I won’t be able to say the same about the other pre-show match, but we’ll see. Tony Khan spoke about the likelihood of adding AEW Women’s Tag Team Title, and I could see both of these teams being a part of that division.
-Alex Marvez stood backstage and said he’s a proud Day One Guy in AEW. He said the same is true of his guests, ROH Tag Team Champions Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara, who spoke about challenging Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin for the AEW Tag Team Titles. Dustin said there’s nothing The Hurt Syndicate can do to hurt him that he hasn’t been through before.
Powell’s POV: Congratulations to Dustin for not calling anyone a son of a bitch during a promo! I love Dustin’s work, but he ran that one into the ground.
-Lance Archer joined the panel and discussed his fellow Don Callis Family members’ matches, Anarchy in the Arena, and the stretcher match.
-City announced that the Mercedes Mone vs. Jamie Hayter match would open the pay-per-view. Jarrett said that meant that the Owen Hart Foundation matches would open and close the show.
2. Bandido, AR Fox, Hologram, and Komander (w/Alex Abrahantes) vs. Lio Rush, Action Andretti, Rocky Romero, and Trent Beretta. Don Callis did not accompany his team to ringside. The heels jumped the babyfaces to start the match.
Fox was isolated by the heels for a stretch. He was close to making a tag, but Rush and Andretti pulled his partners off the apron. Beretta and Romero hit a double team move on Fox for a near fall. Fox eventually made a hot tag to Hologram, who worked over Rush and Andretti.
Komander tagged in and jumped from the ropes and hit Andretti with a huracanrana, which drew “lucha” chants from the crowd. A short time later, the babyfaces hit simultaneous dives. Andretti had a bloody nose, and Taz insisted that it was broken. The babyfaces hit another combination of 450 splashes and shooting star presses, but legal man Andretti was able to kick out. Bandido hit the 21 Plex on Andretti and pinned him…
Bandido, AR Fox, Hologram, and Komander beat Lio Rush, Action Andretti, Rocky Romero, and Trent Beretta in 13:25.
Powell’s POV: There was a clunky spot with Andretti and Hologram that looked fairly harmless compared to a lot of the bigger spots. Unfortunately, Hologram’s elbow appeared to strike Andretti’s nose, which bled heavily. Andretti was struggling, but he got through the match. Here’s wishing him the best. The match was the expected spot-fest, but they didn’t go overboard on the near falls. Going with two pre-show matches should help prevent the live crowd from burning out. Now if they would just go back to holding 60-minute pre-shows.
Join me for my live review of the AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view via the main page.
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