Double or Nothing (2019)
The 2019 Double or Nothing was the inaugural Double or Nothing and inaugural professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It took place during Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, May 25, 2019, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada. The event aired through traditional PPV outlets, as well as on B/R Live in North America and FITE TV internationally.
| Double or Nothing | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Promotional poster featuring various AEW personnel | |||
| Promotion | All Elite Wrestling | ||
| Date | May 25, 2019 | ||
| City | Paradise, Nevada | ||
| Venue | MGM Grand Garden Arena | ||
| Attendance | 11,000 | ||
| Buy rate | 109,000–113,000 | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
| |||
| Double or Nothing chronology | |||
| |||
The card comprised nine matches, including two on the Buy In pre-show. In the main event, Chris Jericho defeated Kenny Omega, earning a match against Adam Page, the winner of the pre-show's Casino Battle Royale, at AEW's August event All Out to determine the inaugural AEW World Champion. Other prominent matches saw The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) defeat The Lucha Brothers (Pentagón Jr. and Rey Fénix) to retain the AAA World Tag Team Championship, and Cody defeated his brother Dustin Rhodes. The event was also notable for the surprise appearances of Awesome Kong, Bret Hart (who unveiled the AEW World Championship belt), as well as Jon Moxley (formerly known in WWE as Dean Ambrose). Moxley and Kong were confirmed to have signed with AEW.
The event received critical acclaim, with Jericho vs. Omega, The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Brothers, and Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes earning the most praise; most critics hailed the latter as the best match of the night. Double or Nothing later won the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Award for Best Major Wrestling Show of 2019, while Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes won the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award for Match of the Year.