AEW returned to the city where it all began Sunday with its annual Double or Nothing pay-per-view, headlined by MJF defending the world title against "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry, Darby Allin and Sammy Guevara in a four-way showcase of the company's young pillars.

That match topped a card that also featured the culmination of the rivalry between The Elite and Blackpool Combat Club, a 21-man battle royal for the International Championship and both women's titles up for grabs in hotly contested matches.

Match Card

Announced in advance of AEW's flagship event are:

• AEW World Championship 4-Way Match: Darby Allin vs. "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry vs. Sammy Guevara vs. MJF (c)
• Anarchy in the Arena: The Elite (Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks and "Hangman" Adam Page) vs. The Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta)
• AEW World Women's Championship Match: Jamie Hayter (c) vs. Toni Storm
• AEW World Tag Team Championship Match: FTR (c) vs. Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal (Mark Briscoe as the special guest referee)
• 21-Man Blackjack Battle Royal for the AEW International Championship featuring Orange Cassidy, Jay White, Ricky Starks, Keith Lee, Swerve Strickland, Brian Cage, Juice Robinson, Penta El Zero Miedo, Dustin Rhodes, Rey Fenix, Kip Sabian, Butcher, Blade, Bandido, Kommander, Big Bill, Lee Moriarty, Ari Daivari, Tony Nese, Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta
• Ladder Match for the TNT Championship: Wardlow (c) vs. Christian Cage
• TBS Championship Match: Taya Valkyrie vs. Jade Cargill (c)
• AEW World Trios Championship defense by The House of Black
• Unsanctioned Match: Adam Cole vs. Chris Jericho
• The Buy-In: The Hardy Boys and Hook vs. Ethan Page and The Gunns

The Buy-In: The Hardys and Hook vs. Ethan Page and The Gunns

Stipulation: If the heels lose, The Hardys win Ethan Page's contract.

Even the presence of the perpetually over Hardys could not make up for a cold story and a match that did not have much in the way of real interest.

Matt and Jeff Hardy drew a big pop as the first big stars in the arena but it was a real struggle to get the fans to invest in the action in this opening match as they teamed with FTW champion Hook to defeat "All Ego" Ethan Page and The Gunns.

Page has earned the right to be involved in something better, more cohesive and important than this undercard program and it showed as he was very clearly the best worker in this match, despite the presence of the Hall of Fame brothers.

The stipulation of this one, though, does not encourage much faith that what awaits him following Double or Nothing will be much better, unfortunately.

Result

The Hardys and Hook defeated Page and The Gunns

Grade

C

Top Moments

• Jim Ross joined Excalibur and Taz at ringside as the commentary table was positioned there for the first time at a major AEW pay-per-view.
• Jeff Hardy exploded into the match, drawing the first real reaction of the contest aside from the entrances.
• Hardy slipped attempting the Whisper in the Wind but the commentary team did a great job of disguising it as the result of a year on the sidelines. Good cover by Excalibur, Taz, and JR. 
• Redrum put Page out with Redrum to score the win.

21-Man Blackjack Battle Royal for the AEW International Championship

Participants: Chuck Taylor, Trent Beretta, Ari Daivari, Tony Nese, Lee Moriarty, Big Bill, Komander, Kip Sabian, The Butcher, The Blade, "Switchblade" Jay White, "Rock Hard" Juice Robinson, Dustin Rhodes, Keith Lee, "Absolute" Ricky Starks, Penta El Zero Miedo, Rey Fenix, Bandido, Swerve Strickland, "The Machine" Brian Cage and Orange Cassidy

"Freshly Squeezed" Orange Cassidy spent months leading into Double or Nothing gutting out victory after victory, overcoming every challenger to his AEW International Championship. Faced with 20 different challengers in Sunday's opener, the king of sloth style once again emerged victoriously, outlasting Swerve Strickland to ensure his reign would continue.

There was some to like about the Blackjack Battle Royal, such as the booking of Big Bill as a monster giant and the calculating Strickland waiting to enter the ring until late, but this was very much one of those battle royals where lots happened without any lasting effect.

Cassidy winning at least makes sense but does beg the question: what's next for Freshly Squeezed?

Does Tony Khan and the AEW creative team have a long-term plan or are they content to let Cassidy continue his winning ways before acquiring a new star to take the title from him? Maybe there is a "wait and see" approach as the company seeks out an appropriate victor.

Whatever the case may be, this at least got the fans into the show and they remain solidly behind Cassidy, despite booking and a win-loss record that would get him "John Cena'd" five years ago.

Result

Cassidy retained

Grade

C+

Top Moments

• Several competitors opted to fight on the floor, apparently unfamiliar with the rules of a battle royal, as JR astutely pointed out on commentary.
• Strickland and Cage watched intently from the ramp, not yet having entered the squared circle. Swerve would enter the match much later and immediately target Lee, continuing the feud between former partners.
• Blackjack Battle Royal be damned, we got the mid-match hug from Cassidy and Best Friends because you have to give the people what they want.
• Cassidy inadvertently dodged buddy Taylor and watched as he was eliminated. Later, Beretta took a big boot from Big Bill to the floor, saving Freshly Squeezed despite it costing him a championship opportunity. 
• "Absolute" eliminated White moments later, gaining a measure of revenge for weeks of torment at the hands of Bullet Club Gold. The heels answered by pulling him to the floor and sending him into the guardrail.
• Cassidy and Strickland brought the action, and drama, in the closing minutes with exchanges that culminated with the babyface champion outlasting Swerve to retain his title.

Unsanctioned Match: Adam Cole vs. Chris Jericho

Justin Roberts announced ahead of the night's next match between Adam Cole and Chris Jericho that it was unsanctioned by AEW and that the company could not be held responsible for any injuries that occurred within.

One can see where there may be confusion around the decision to book a referee-stoppage victory for Cole.

Not only is it a cheap win for the babyface in that he never actually earned it, but it also flies in the face of the stipulation. It negates all of the hardcore action that preceded it, renders the already head-scratching involvement of Sabu pointless and left a bad taste in the mouths of the AEW faithful who were left booing as the bell sounded.

This was likely a concentrated effort to protect Jericho's heat for an eventual rematch but given everything that led to the match in the first place, he could have easily eaten a loss and got his revenge Wednesday to keep this progressing forward.

Instead, the finish here adversely affected the overall quality of a match that felt a step off for most of it but featured some good, hard-hitting action from the combatants. A major disappointment and a really questionable bit of booking early in this broadcast.

Result

Cole defeated Jericho via referee stoppage

Grade

C

Top Moments

• Sabu made his presence felt early, wiping out members of the Jericho Appreciation Society and driving "Daddy Magic" Matt Menard through a table. The brawl, also featuring Roderick Strong, headed to the back and left Cole and Jericho to have their match.
• Cole and Jericho utilized a fire extinguisher in a spot that, more than anything, helped wake up a somewhat subdued crowd in the first half of the match.
• Britt Baker hit the ring and unloaded on Jericho with a kendo stick, retribution for the assault she suffered at the hands of The Outcasts in the build to the match. When Saraya attempted to make the save for The Ocho, she suffered the same fate. 
• Cole pummeled Jericho late, pounding away at the heel, who failed to defend himself. Aubrey Edwards called for the bell and a referee stoppage. 

AEW World Tag Team Championship Match: FTR vs. Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal

If there is one thing FTR does not need, it is overbooking in their tag team title matches.

While there were elements of Memphis and Attitude in this one, there was far too much outside interference and shenanigans. There wasn't nearly enough of Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler proving why they are the best tag team in wrestling as they defeated Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championship.

Between Sonjay Dutt running around like a fool, Karen Jarrett using a guitar on a referee and the drama surrounding special referee Mark Briscoe, this had a little bit of everything and a whole lot that was not needed for this to be a success.

Double J is an all-timer, Lethal is a grizzled veteran and FTR are the best of this generation, so this was better sports entertainment than it would have been if left to others. Still, it felt wholly unnecessary and did not really help anyone involved in any way that a straight match would not have.

Result

FTR defeated Jarrett and Lethal to retain

Grade

C+

Top Moments

• Jarrett sent Wheeler into the barricade repeatedly, allowing the heels to seize control of the match.
• Wheeler attempted a much-needed tag to Harwood but the heels made sure to knock his partner off the apron, leaving Cash without any backup.
• Harwood broke out a diving headbutt, consecutive German suplexes and a brainbuster to Lethal as part of a hot babyface comeback but could not secure the win.
• Jarrett accidentally delivered a guitar shot to Briscoe and Karen Jarrett not at all accidentally leveled Aubrey Edwards with one of her own, drawing hearty, and unsavory, chants from the AEW faithful.
• Double J disrespectfully berated Briscoe for not counting his pinfall of Harwood. Mark responded, shoving him right into the Shatter Machine as FTR retained their titles.

Ladder Match for the TNT Championship: Wardlow vs. Christian Cage

There are few instances of Christian Cage being involved in a ladder match that can be best described as underwhelming and, at worst, plain bad.

Sunday's battle with TNT Champion Wardlow falls somewhere in between, with strong effort from both men but several spots did not click and the crowd was not nearly as with the competitors as one would expect.

That Arn Anderson played a key role late and looked every bit his age, while the monstrous new and improved Luchasaurus was neutralized rather easily by Wardlow, only enhanced the issues facing the match.

At least the creative forces resisted the urge to beat Wardlow again. The guy is the future of the company, but really needs some consistent booking to help him get there. Hopefully, this is a step in the right direction for the uber-athletic heavyweight.

Just leave the ladders out of it for a bit and save the gimmicks for a feud more deserving of them.

Result

Wardlow defeated Cage

Grade

C

Top Moments

• "...but how can Arn Anderson help Wardlow with ladder matches?" Excalibur asked, attempting to make sense of that storyline element. Of course, this ignored the fact that War Dog has fared just fine in the match type as he won the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match in March of 2022. 
• Cage split Wardlow's legs, causing him to crotch himself on a ladder bridging the ring and barricade.
• Arn Anderson and Luchasaurus got involved, with the former staving off a chokeslam by biting and bloodying the masked dinosaur's thumb. Now that sentence is pro wrestling. 
• Wardlow jumped from the ropes and onto the ladder, breaking a rung and nearly obliterating his leg in the process. 
• The champion launched himself off of one ladder, driving Luchasaurus through apair of tables at ringside.
• Anderson tipped the ladder, dropping Cage off and into the waiting arms of Wardlow. The babyface retained his title from there.

AEW World Women's Championship Match: Jamie Hayter vs. Toni Storm

AEW World Women's Champion Jamie Hayter was injured entering the event and even the booking preceding the pay-per-view suggested she may not be able to defend her title.

She did, albeit in a short match that protected her injured right arm and concluded with Storm benefiting from exposed turnbuckles, interference from The Outcasts and their trusty spray paint to score the win and title.

Storm winning the title was a great call given the circumstances and solidifies her as one of the most trusted members of the AEW roster. When things do no go according to plan, management has repeatedly felt comfortable asking her to carry things and she has excelled.

It is massively disappointing for Hayter, who has been one of the best wrestlers in the business this year, but she was booked in a way that made her look like a valiant and gutsy performer who still came within seconds of retaining until heel interference proved her downfall.

The women's division will need reshuffling in the coming weeks but The Outcasts are a quality heel act and both Britt Baker and Hikaru Shida will provide quality opposition for the time being.

Result

Storm defeated Hayter to win the title

Grade

B-, mostly for the best booking of the night to this point

Top Moments

• Saraya and Ruby Soho beat Hayter all the way down the ramp, further damaging her shoulder along the way.
• Soho blinded Hayter with spraypaint.
• Baker and Shida took the fight to the heels in support of their friend but Storm still managed to put Hayter away to win the title.

AEW World Trios Championship Match: The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass vs. House of Black

Like much of the show to this point, the Open House Rules Match for the AEW World Trios Championship failed to garner the level of fan engagement as one would have hoped for, despite two of the more over acts in the company

The House of Black's Malakai Black, Buddy Matthews and Brody King successfully defended their titles, knocking off mystery opponents Anthony Bowens, Max Caster and Daddy Ass of The Acclaimed.

To do so, the heels overcame a late babyface comeback from the latter before Black shut him down and scored the uncontested pinfall.

A lack of story, despite some teases here and there in recent weeks, hurt this one and led to a match that was merely OK and did not have the crowd investment to really enhance it beyond that.

Result

The House of Black defeated The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass to retain

Grade

C+

Top Moments

• Caster obliterated Matthews on the mic with a pre-match rap lyric referencing Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley.
• "Who's your mami" chants broke out in the stands, directed at Matthews, mid-match.
• Bowens endured a long, leg-focused attack at the hands of the heels but finally made the hot tag to Daddy Ass, who exploded into the match and took the fight to the heels.
• Black put an end to the veteran competitor's onslaught and pinned him for the successful title defense.

TBS Championship Match: Taya Valkyrie vs. Jade Cargill; An Unexpected Challenge

Jade Cargill had been one of the few constants in AEW leading into Double or Nothing. Sunday night, her run as TBS champion came to an end, but not before winning match No. 60.

Cargill successfully retained her title in a grueling match, defeating Taya Valkyrie with Jaded and doing so in a relatively clean fashion. Then, as he has done numerous times in the past, "Smart" Mark Sterling let his mouth get him in trouble as he issued an open challenge on behalf of the victor.

Kris Statlander returned to the squared circle after a year away and proceeded to do what no one else has been able to: defeat Cargill for the title. The moment, a great one for the performer herself and fans that have waited patiently to see her back in the ring, brought an end to Cargill's title reign with an exclamation point.

There is very much an argument to be made that a babyface storming back to defeat a champion who just had a grueling match is not the most, well, babyface way to book things but it is something we see elsewhere and it tends to work out OK.

Cargill is still the star of the future but this was a wonderful moment for Statlander and the change for the TBS Championship picture that the women's division needed.

Big props to Valkyrie, who was fantastic here and worked well with Cargill.

Result

Cargill defeated Valkyrie to retain; Statlander defeated Cargill to win the title

Grade

B

Top Moments

• Big Boss Vette played Cargill to the ring in an entrance befitting the star that the champ is. 
• Valkyrie overcame a match-long attack to trap Cargill in a submission, then deliver a big stomp that bounced the champ's head off the mat.
• The challenger delivered Road to Valhalla for the closest near-fall of the match and one of the better fan reactions of the night. Cargill responded with Jaded for the successful title defense. 

4-Way Match for the AEW World Championship

AEW World Champion MJF successfully retained his title in a legitimate Match of the Year Candidate Sunday night in Las Vegas, defeating "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry, Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin in a match that solidified why those four men have been considered the pillars of the company.

Easter eggs, high spots, pro wrestling psychology, storyline callbacks, and a brilliant finish from the best and slimiest villain in wrestling today came together to create one of the best matches in company history.

Guevara was remarkably great, no doubt riding an emotional high from the revelation that he and his wife, Tay Melo, are expecting a child. Sometimes criticized for being too spot-happy, everything he did was crisp and on point, with low-key additions to his work that suggested he ware very aware of the enormity of the match.

It was MJF, though, who continued to assert his greatness with a performance that was excellence personified.

He was brilliant, using the sort of pro wrestling psychology we are not privy to often enough in today's wrestling landscape and put an exclamation point on things by sliding the world title in the way of Allin's Coffin Drop. He then pinned his sworn enemy with the same insulting headlock takeover that he infamously used at Full Gear 2021.

At a time when the AEW product is as uneven, creatively disjointed and ever-changing (for better and worse), MJF is consistent excellence.

Result

MJF defeated Allin, Guevara and Perry

Grade

A+

Top Moments

• Guevara and wife Tay Melo announced, via cue card, that they are expecting their first child during the former's entrance.
• Guevara with the ode to Eddie Guerrero and frog splash for two.
  
• MJF utilized the Cross Rhodes to score a dramatic near-fall.
  
• MJF told Guevara to think about his upcoming baby and to lay down, referencing the business deal they previously had.
  
• Guevara applied the Liontamer and Allin executed a Scorpion Deathlock, odes to their respective mentors. 
  
• MJF with a nod to Mikey Whipwreck by way of a Storm Cradle Driver to Allin. 
  
• Guevara delivered a Spanish Fly from the top rope, onto the floor, wiping out MJF and Perry on the floor. 
  
• MJF used Chris Candido's Blonde Bombshell powerbomb from the top rope. 
  
• Allin nearly won the title with a headlock takeover, a callback to his prior feud with MJF.
  
• MJF, one-upping his rival, revived the headlock finish, pinning an unconscious Allin for the win. "I'm getting bored," the champ said as made his way up the ramp, imploring AEW officials to find him more competition.

Anarchy in the Arena

Konosuke Takeshita has aligned himself with Don Callis, as AEW fans found out in the closing minutes of the Anarchy in the Arena Match.

The international star, once considered by many to be one of the future can't-miss prospects in the company, betrayed Kenny Omega and contributed to The Blackpool Combat Club's Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson and Wheeler Yuta picking up the victory over The Elite.

Hangman Page and The Young Bucks' Matt and Nick Jackson were able to avenge some of the agony dealt them by the heels in the weeks leading up to the show in a match that was uber-violent, bloody and featured some stomach-churning spots involving thumbtacks.

Even with that said, the match itself was an exhausting heap of spots that would have meant so much more had we not been desensitized to them on free television over the last month.

Barbed wire and blood? We got those in the steel cage match between Omega and Moxley. The arena brawl? Had that too, in the Falls Count Anywhere Match between Roderick Strong and Chris Jericho.

The constant need for excess in AEW has hurt its ability to tell stories and engage audiences without going so over the top that they venture into eye-roll territory, which this main event flirted with on occasion.

The most effective stuff came late, with the turn of Takeshita, which is a storyline development that demands answers and should set up a match between he and Omega that plays to both of their strengths.

If you like deathmatch wrestling or were a big fan of the Attitude Era brawls that dominated the late 1990s, you probably thought this was awesome. If you are a fan of the guys involved, ditto, and good for you. Everyone is entitled to like what they like.

It would be easier for others to appreciate and acknowledge the value of if they were not fed it every week by a company that is often to turn to gimmicky matches, sometimes for no apparent rhyme or reason.

Result

The Blackpool Combat Club defeated The Elite

Grade

C

Top Moments

• The Elite took the fight to the Blackpool Combat Club, fighting up into the stands while Violent Idols played the heels to the ring with their rendition of "Wild Thing." Then, the song continued. And continued. And continued some more until the Young Bucks superkicked the lead singer.
• Castagnoli delivered a piledriver in the bed of a pickup truck.
• The Bucks delivered an exploding superkick to Moxley.
• The BCC put a barefoot Matt Jackson into a pile of thumbtacks and Danielson applied a heel hook for good measure.
• Nick Jackson took a face-first trip into the tacks.
• Don Callis gave Yuta a screwdriver and he used it on Page. He attempted to do the same to Omega but ate a V-Trigger.
• Takeshita appeared from out of nowhere, wiped Omega out and Yuta scored the win with a seatbelt pin.

Final Thoughts and Overall Grade

AEW unofficially turned four Sunday night with Double or Nothing 2023 and it is more apparent than ever that the company that exists today no longer resembles what it did back in 2019. At that time, it was seen as a group of revolutionaries and promising young talent that took to the Las Vegas Strip for a show that would introduce the pro wrestling landscape to the first true alternative since the height of WCW during the Monday Night Wars.

There are bits and pieces that are familiar, which we saw on full display in the AEW World Championship 4-Way Match, and the women's division is healthier than ever despite a key injury to Jamie Hayter, but it is otherwise a promotion that appears to have sacrificed vision for excess.

The main event reflected as much when it did not have to and the undercard sacrificed story and emotion for gimmicks that did not generate the engagement that one would hope for at one of the premier events of the year.

There is still plenty to be excited about with AEW, in particular, the young stars hovering around the top of the card, the raw athleticism that some of them possess, and an aforementioned women's division that has momentum on its side and a champion in Toni Storm that is as good a version of the Aussie competitor as we have ever seen.

Until those in power stop leaning on excessive gimmickry and understand that ladder matches, battle royals and ultraviolence work in moderation, the best parts of the company will be overshadowed by the head-scratching nature of everything else.

Double or Nothing 2023 had a solid card going for it on paper but failed to live up to it as a whole, ranking among the lesser of the AEW pay-per-views.

Hopefully, Tony Khan and his team recognize what worked, understand what did not and why, and make the changes necessary to really thrive in what will be a historically significant summer given the rash of high-profile events upcoming in Forbidden Door, All In and All Out.

Grade: C