Hey, hey Good brother’s Nation! Money in the Bank brought us what I think most fans have come to expect from WWE ala late 2010’s. In case you were wondering, that means seeing fantastic athleticism (though somewhat throttled) and results that leave you scratching your head. While AEW has yet to stake claim on competing with “The Empire”, now is certainly a great moment in time to make an impression.

My Hopes

This card is stacked with some of the best talent in the world. There should be no shortage of action and unbelievable aerial offense. If that’s not your thing, there are also several technicians and ring generals featured! The match-ups on paper promise unique clashes of style, which always makes for a great night.

On his podcast this week, Jericho made clear that the talent will have complete control over what they do in the ring. This seems to promise unique matches and a clear contrast to the cookie cutter, getting your stuff in approach of WWE.

The announce team looks very solid. Good Ole JR will head up the team including (formerly?) PWG’s Excalibur and NFL insider Alex Marvez. Justin Roberts brings a wealth of experience as ring announcer and the very capable Alicia Atout will handle the back stage interviews. Having a hall of fame level talent like Ross will go along way in getting the talent and action “over”.

While the card features some names I’ve known for years, there are also some competitors That will be new to me. I hope to see some new stars break out and help to drive this new brand.

My Fears

As with anything new and unknown, there are always fears and concerns. G1 Supercard of Honor was a great example. On paper, it looked like it could trump both of the WWE shows but the execution was greatly lacking. I see this card and I think this will be great but I am trying hard to temper my enthusiasm. I worry the competitors will lack chemistry and others may have ring rust, so while it could be great, it could also be disappointing.

Wins and losses meaning something sounds great but there must be a winner and a loser. I’m concerned on how this will play out and if it unintentionally hurts some talent.

Wow, got a tad long winded with the intro, so let’s take a dive into this card:

Casino Battle Royale

The stakes really jumped for this event, as the winner will get a shot at the AEW title. We’ll have 5 competitors start the bout followed by 3 additional groups of 5 every 3 minutes, culminating in the “lucky 21” as the final entrant. The announced list of entrants are:

Sonny Kiss, Brandon Cutler, Ace Romero, Glacier, Brian Pillman Jr., Sunny Daze, MJF, Joey Janela, Dustin Thomas, Billy Gunn, Jimmy Havoc, Michael Nakazawa, Jungle Boy, Isaiah Kennedy, Marq Quen, Luchasaurus, Shawn Spears and more

There are some big names announced, Pillman Jr, Spears, MJF or Janela would all be solid picks to win this but, there are some big names yet unannounced. If offered unannounced vs the field, I’ll take unannounced.

Excitement level: 4.1

Prediction: Unannounced Competitor

Kip Sabian vs Sammy Guevara

Remember how I said there are competitors I just don’t know yet, well, here we go. They both have great looks and from the few clips I’ve seen, they are exciting performers. Sabian has been featured on The Road to Double or Nothing segments, which weighs heavily on my choice.

Excitement level: 2.5

Prediction: Sabian

The Best Friends vs Angelico and Jack Evans

I love the attention AEW gives to tag teams. Evans and Angelico are high flyers where Chuckie T and Beretta have a more grounded offensive style.

Excitement level: 3.25

Prediction: The Best Friends

Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki, Emi Sakura vs. Hikaru Shida, Riho Abe, Ryo Mizunami

This will highlight the type of action we can expect to see from the AEW Women. Kong is a well established veteran overseas and Shida is an up and coming superstar! All these ladies can go and this will be a great introductory match.

Excitement level: 3.4

Prediction: Shida, Abe and Mizunami

SCU vs The Strong Hearts

Since Scorpio Sky joined up with Daniels and Kazarian, SCU has been one of the most entertaining acts available. When they lock horns with Cima, T-Hawk and Lindaman, it will be great for all!

Excitement level: 3.0

Prediction: SCU

Triple Threat Match: Britt Baker vs. Kylie Rae vs. Nyla Rose

Dr. Britt Baker looks to be the face of the AEW Women’s division and why not? She’s a talented performer who could carry the brand. Nyla Rose and Kylie Rae are each very talented and while only one lady can win, they could all come out looking great.

Excitement level: 3.0

Prediction: Dr. Baker

AAA World Tag Team Championship Match: The Young Bucks (c) vs. The Lucha Bros

This match features two well known, well established veteran superstar teams. This match should be crazy good and I for one cannot wait.

Excitement level: 4.8

Prediction: Lucha Bros

Cody vs Dustin Rhodes

The Nightmare vs The Natural, brother vs brother! This will be the match we should have go years ago, but good things come to those who’s wait, right?

Excitement level: 3.5

Prediction: Cody

Kenny Omega vs Chris Jericho

This Wrestle Kingdom 12 rematch headlines our evening. These two really tore it up for their first meeting and with the possible success of the entire promotion on their backs, they’ll have to meet or exceeded that effort.

The winner will meet the winner of the Casino Battle Royale at a later date to determine the first AEW Champion!

Excitement level: 4.5

Prediction: Jericho

That concludes my first looks into AEW. Be part of history and tune in to AEW Double or Nothing Live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the Buy-In pre-show kicks off at 7 pm edt. You can tune in via traditional PPV through your TV Provider or Stream via Bleacher Report Live!