Mercedes Moné and Real Winners and Losers of AEW Double from Nothing 2024 Match Card
Kevin BergeMay 27, 2024Mercedes Moné and Real Winners and Losers of AEW Double from Nothing 2024 Match Card0 of 13
Mercedes Moné made her AEW in-ring debut and won the TBS Championship in an excellent match with Willow Nightingale.Credit: WWE.com.
All Elite Wrestling celebrated the fifth anniversary of its very first pay-per-view, Double or Nothing, with a show that will not soon be forgotten.
The show started hot with Will Ospreay capturing the International Championship in an unforgettable battle with Roderick Strong.
MJF returned with vengeance on his mind. Juice Robinson made sure The Bang Bang Gang remained Unified world trios champions in the battle with Death Triangle.
Toni Storm retained her AEW Women’s World Championship in an unexpectedly brilliant match with Serena Deeb. Trent Beretta fell once again to the unpredictable Orange Cassidy.
Chris Jericho survived a brutal fight against Hook and Katsuyori Shibata. Jon Moxley survived a tough fight with Konosuke Takeshita, thanks to a steel chair.
Adam Copeland barely made it through a bloody war with Malakai Black with a timely assist from Gangrel.
Mercedes Moné and Willow Nightingale had the best AEW women’s match ever, but only The CEO walked out with championship gold.
Swerve Strickland survived the best that Christian Cage could throw at him to remain AEW world champion. The Elite overcame the best efforts of Team AEW to end Double or Nothing standing tall.
These results on paper may have established winners and losers, but the following are the real winners and losers of the night, looking toward the long term.
Winner: AEW Women’s Division1 of 13
On The Buy In, Deonna Purrazzo and Thunder Rosa started the show off hot with an excited crowd behind an engaging grudge match.
Toni Storm delivered one of the best matches of her career alongside Serena Deeb, elevating a weak PPV build.
Mercedes Moné debuted with style and had arguably the greatest women’s match in AEW’s history with Willow Nightingale.
While many hoped this was the opportunity for the women’s first “true” PPV main event in AEW history, Willow vs. Moné was one of the three matches AEW declared as a main event for the night.
The division has never felt hotter with two strong champions and two personal rivalry only growing more intense without gold on the line.
Winner: Will Ospreay2 of 13
Will Ospreay continues to deliver in AEW, selling that he may just be the best wrestler in the world today.
His match with Roderick Strong, especially down the stretch, was better than just about everything on this Double or Nothing card.
More importantly for The Aerial Assassin’s future, he has captured his first championship, the International Championship.
All Elite Wrestling @AEW#AndNEW!#AEW International Champion
‘The Aerial Assassin’ @WillOspreay!!!#AEWDoN pic.twitter.com/wwHHgzvW10
While some were hoping to see Ospreay immediately jump to the world title, this is a perfect opportunity to keep him wrestling regularly, putting over arguably AEW’s number two men’s title and allow Swerve Strickland more time at the top.
This is a big moment for AEW as the company continues to set the foundation of its brand, focused on the repeated slogan: “where the best wrestle”.
Winner: MJF (and AEW)3 of 13
MJF is back!
All Elite Wrestling @AEWMJF is back AND HE’S GOING NOWHERE!
Order #AEWDoN on PPV right now!
💻: https://t.co/MpmTCyHt8n
🔗: https://t.co/GTkwK7GBIn@The_MJF pic.twitter.com/lrg0sliJlW
While the writing was on the wall last year, it is finally confirmed that MJF has re-signed with AEW long term.
That is an important signing for the company’s future, establishing another main event player at the top of the card.
Even when the booking was at its weakest, The Devil remained an important part of the AEW product, raising the fan interest in every show.
Hopefully, AEW can find a smart way to push the MJF vs. Undisputed Kingdom story forward at this point because it lost serious steam in MJF’s absence.
Loser: Death Triangle4 of 13
Pac, Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero M are three of the most important original AEW signings. As AEW looked back on its history with its fifth anniversary of Double or Nothing, Death Triangle had a chance to win big.
Despite a strong effort though, Death Triangle fell short while The Bang Bang Gang grew stronger with the return of Juice Robinson.
It seems likely Death Triangle’s Unified World Trios Championships challenge will be a one-off that leaves the entire group without direction once more.
Hopefully, there is a clear plan for Pac, Penta and Rey, but nothing is certain, especially in a trios division that has struggled in 2024.
Winner: Toni Storm5 of 13
Much has been made of “Timeless” Toni Storm in AEW. Her gimmick had seemingly hampered her in-ring work, leaving her in an odd situation in a women’s division that needs stars but also great workers.
Storm proved with Thunder Rosa and AZM in recent months that she could still be one of the best, but her match with Serena Deeb was the ultimate cherry on top.
This was by far the best in-ring work of The Timeless One’s title reign, helped by Deeb’s peerless technical work.
Even with a build that made this match feel like the least interesting of the night, Storm and Deeb pulled the fans in as the action escalated to a genuinely shocking pair of near-falls and an unforgettable super-finish from The Timeless One.
She remains the absolute face of the AEW women’s division, and if she can continue deliver in the ring, The Timeless One’s reign could go down as the best in the company’s history.
Loser: Trent Beretta6 of 13
However, it feels like the former Best Friend has never been able to buy a win in AEW. At every stage, he has been the runner up when it mattered most.
His match with Orange Cassidy was an opportunity to truly push him to the top. Instead, even with one of the best performances of his career, he fell short.
Freshly Squeezed has more wins than anyone in AEW history. He did not need to win this match when it mattered so much for his rival to win.
Given Beretta’s post-match declaration that he is “done”, this may be fueling a further character change and evolution, but at the moment, it feels like his new heel run is dead in the water.
Loser: Hook7 of 13
2024 is an important year for Hook. He opened the year feuding with Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship but lost. He feuded with Chris Jericho and has now lost twice.
Moreover, The Learning Tree continues to carry around the FTW Championship, a title that only truly makes sense in the hands of Taz’s son.
While it was not a clean loss to Jericho as “The Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith earned his pay check to save The Learning Tree, Hook still fell short.
All Elite Wrestling @AEWWho is in the mask?!!!
Order #AEWDoN on PPV right now!
💻: https://t.co/MpmTCyHt8n
🔗: https://t.co/GTkwK7GBIn@IAmJericho | @730hook | @K_Shibata2022 pic.twitter.com/Af5mAHY9Nn
Hopefully, there is a greater plan for Hook coming. That said, Michael Shalik of SEScoops reported earlier in the year that Hook is considering exploring free agency when his contract expires later in the year.
If so, this could be nearly the end of Hook’s time in AEW, which would be a real shame.
Loser: Konosuke Takeshita8 of 13
Konosuke Takeshita walked into his match with Jon Moxley fighting an injured man. The IWGP world champion was taped up.
It should have been a perfect opportunity for The Alpha to pick up a definitive victory on PPV and earn himself a future world title opportunity.
Instead, a miscommunication cost Takeshita the match and may send The Alpha to the back of the line in title contention.
There is an obvious story to tell with Don Callis getting in the way of his own client’s success, following up on Will Ospreay winning in spite of Callis.
This does not mean that Takeshita is left in a good spot. He will need some major wins, and there are no guarantees that The Alpha will ever leave Callis.
Winner: Gangrel9 of 13
It may be silly to call a late-match cameo a win, but Gangrel’s appearance to save Adam Copeland was a culmination of years of teases.
All Elite Wrestling @AEWGANGREL IS HERE TO EVEN THE ODDS!
Order #AEWDoN on PPV right now!
💻: https://t.co/MpmTCyHt8n
🔗: https://t.co/GTkwK7GBIn@RatedRCope | @Gangrel13 | @MalakaiBlxck | @SNM_Buddy | @BrodyXKing pic.twitter.com/44ORLd4EKc
The leader of The Brood was left forgotten when “Brood Edge” worked WrestleMania 39. Possible AEW appearances in the past amounted to a beatdown from The Young Bucks.
With Copeland bringing back The Brood, this needed to be Gangrel’s moment. Even if he never appears again, it was an important moment remembering his legacy in wrestling.
Gangrel should appear again though. He hit those Impalers well enough to prove he can still deliver in one last match.
Winner: Mercedes Moné10 of 13
Mercedes Moné had a monumental task in front of her, making her AEW debut after a year off from wrestling. She needed to live up to hype that was built by fans and herself.
Luckily, with all those expectations set, The CEO delivered. She had one of the best matches of her career in a rematch with Willow Nightingale and arguably the best women’s match in AEW’s history.
It was a special performance to behold. She flew around the ring, selling big time for Willow before finally finding her opening to pick up an unforgettable win.
All Elite Wrestling @AEW#ANDNEW TBS Champion The CEO Mercedes Moné!
Order #AEWDoN on PPV right now!
💻: https://t.co/MpmTCyHt8n
🔗: https://t.co/GTkwK7GBIn@willowwrestles | @MercedesVarnado pic.twitter.com/pBMY2QCSgk
She has a chance to elevate the TBS Championship to new heights while continuing to set a new standard for women’s wrestling.
Loser: Willow Nightingale11 of 13
While Willow Nightingale did deliver her greatest match tonight, she also lost the TBS Championship just one month after capturing it.
Mercedes Moné walked in the top star of other companies while Willow had finally reached the mountaintop of the sport.
This was a chance for AEW to show confidence in the homegrown talent. Instead, she fell short when it mattered most.
This does not have to be the end for Willow by any measure. She was a fighting champion during her short run. She cut her best promos during that time and became more popular than any other woman in the company.
A shocking betrayal by Kris Statlander will keep her on fan’s minds for months to come. These two can keep each other relevant and hopefully get back to the championship picture.
All Elite Wrestling @AEWWillow Nightingale just lost the TBS Title…now this?!
Order #AEWDoN on PPV right now!
💻: https://t.co/MpmTCyHt8n
🔗: https://t.co/GTkwK7GBIn@willowwrestles | @callmekrisstat | @StokelyHathaway pic.twitter.com/XNmIp2HOKn
Winner: Swerve Strickland12 of 13
Swerve Strickland walked into his first AEW World Championship defense knowing he still had more to prove. It showed in a great performance against a game Christian Cage.
As The Mogul slowly eliminated all of the distractions at ringside, he found his way to a one-on-one battle with The Patriarch that ended with an incredible pair of House Calls.
While Swerve’s title reign is only beginning, he is already delivering great matches with each title defense.
The only caveat is that Swerve did not close out the show, trumped by the insanity of Anarchy in the Arena. Hopefully, he will get that spotlight back for Forbidden Door.
Winner: The “New” Elite13 of 13
By the close of the insane Anarchy in the Arena, The “New” Elite had done every despicable thing imaginable to emerge victorious, especially to poor Darby Allin.
All of it was worth it as The Young Bucks, Kazuchika Okada and Jack Perry emerged victorious and stood tall to end the night.
This was a make-or-break moment for AEW with this heel group. If they fell at the first hurdle, all of the build-up would have been for nothing.
Luckily, The Elite did not disappoint in one of AEW’s craziest matches to date. It will take a long time for AEW’s resistance to recover enough to combat The Elite again.
