Daily Update: AEW Double or Nothing preview, more on Oleksandr Usyk boxing match

AEW Double or Nothing Match Card Poster
AEW Double or Nothing Match Card Poster (Image credit: AEW)

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

This Week’s Back Issue

FIRST TIME SUBSCRIBERS GET 50% OFF YOUR FIRST MONTH

Sunday Update

MJF & Darby Allin | AEW
MJF & Darby Allin sign the title vs. hair contract on AEW Dynamite. (Image credit: AEW)

— Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about Double or Nothing as well as the latest news. We did a show last night talking about Saturday Night’s Main Event, AAA, Ratings, Usyk vs. Verhoeven, ESPN wrestling coverage and a lot more.

— Double or Nothing from Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York starts at 7 p.m. with the expected five plus hour show. Since it’s an AEW PPV show, we can predict with good certainty that there will be fantastic matches, complaints that it lasted too long and surprises. The show was sold out with 14,028, but really it’s been sold out for a week. The gate is already the second biggest non-WWE gate in American pro wrestling history ($1.5 million or so), but if you account for inflation it’s only among the biggest but not No. 2. I expect a good PPV number. As of earlier today, the “get-in” price was $160 on the secondary market. While WWE big shows have been higher, this is the highest day of the show for any AEW event I can recall and it’s tripled since the announcement of the hair vs. title stipulation. Unfortunately all the tickets were sold first so it’ll be the secondary market making a ton of gate money, but presumably AEW will make more based on a higher PPV number.

First hour pre-show:

  • Megan Bayne & Lena Kross vs. Zayda Steel & Viva Van 5:00 time limit. If Steel & Van last the time limit they get a future women’s tag title match
  • AJ & QT Marshall & Mark Briscoe & Orange Cassidy & Roderick Strong vs Shane Taylor & Anthony Ogogo & Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo & Lee Moriarty with all kinds of folks at ringside including Big Justice and maybe the Rizzler
  • Claudio Castagnoli & Daniel Garcia & Wheeler Yuta vs. Anthony Bowens & Hook & Katsuyori Shibata
  • Mick Foley debuts in a host role during the first hour

PPV:

  • Athena vs. Mina Shirakawa non-title in the Owen Hart Cup tournament
  • Thekla vs. Jamie Hayter vs. Hikaru Shida vs. Kris Statlander for the AEW women’s title
  • Bandido vs. Swerve Strickland non-title in the Owen Hart Cup tournament
  • Will Ospreay vs. Samoa Joe in the Owen Hart Cup tournament
  • Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O’Reilly for the Continental title no time limit
  • Kazuchika Okada vs Konosuke Takeshita for the International title
  • FTR vs. Adam Copeland & Christian for the AEW tag titles in an I quit street fight. If Copeland & Christian don’t win, they can never team up again. That would seem to make this a favorite for a title switch
  • Anarchy in the Arena: Chris Jericho & Young Bucks & Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin & Kenny Omega & Jack Perry vs. Ricochet & Gates of Agony & Mark Davis & Andrade & Clark Connors & David Finlay. This may be too many but I think this match will be filled with insanity.
  • Darby Allin vs. MJF AEW title vs MJF’s hair

— We’re looking for your thoughts on Double or Nothing so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]

— Regarding last night Oleksandr Usyk boxing title defense against Rico Verhoeven in Giza, Cairo, Egypt. Some notes:

While there was some social media chatter, the heavyweight world champion vs. kickboxing heavyweight world champion thing didn’t create nearly the interest it would have in a different era. It also never would have happened in a different era as boxing wouldn’t allow it. But if they would have, it would have been so much bigger since the heavyweight title has fallen greatly in public interest.

For what it’s worth, I had Verhoeven up 97-93 going into the 11th. The only rounds I could see for Usyk up to that point were 3, 7 and 10. After round eight, when they announced it was 76-76 (I had it 78-74 clearly) you could see they were not going to let Verhoeven win as they saw Vehoeven as an outsider to boxing. The stoppage was bad for a title fight. It was one second left, and the ref doesn’t make decisions based on if there is a second left or not, but it was early and there was one second left. Verhoeven was hurt, but I’ve seen him in fights come back from far worse. Still he’s a kickboxer and that’s five round fights. He really got tired in round ten. He may have been knocked out in 12, but he may not have. He was not getting the decision either way even though had he survived 12 he should be champion. The idea of a real world champion with a 2-0 boxing record is unfathomable and that’s why it wasn’t going to happen.

After ten rounds, Judge Manuel Oliver Paloma and Judge Fabian Guggenheim had it 95-95 while Judge Pasquala Procopio had Verhoeven up 96-94. Since round 11 was 10-8 for Usyk they’d go into the final round 105-103 for Usyk on two cards and 104-104 on one. Essentially Verhoeven needed a knockdown in the 12th to win the title if the ref had allowed it to get to the 12th. You just felt dirty watching it knowing the scores and even boxing experts were attributing it to institutional issues regarding an outsider coming in.

The fight did 120,000 Google searches (compared to 2.75 million last week for Ronda Rousey’s fight). That’s less than most UFC shows and any UFC PPV show, or just about any WWE PPV show.

— After 99 years, CBS Radio’s final top of the hour and 30 minute 24 hour a day newscast ended at 11:30 p.m. last night Eastern time. Former wrestling announcer Chris Cruise anchored the very last episode. I listened to Cruise on my Sunday night drives home almost every week for years. And probably started listening to CBS News on the hour with my father easily 60 years ago. Best of luck to Cruise for his future.

— Saturday Night’s Main Event did 50,000 searches. Lance Stephenson, who was in a celebrity fight show at the Apex in Las Vegas did 20,000. Dana White was out there announcing. Imagine Mark Shapiro talking about how the MVP show was bad while White was out there announcing on a celebrity fight show of 100 times lower of a level. Alexa Bliss had 10,000 searches regarding changing agents. Double or Nothing had 5,000 earlier today and AEW shows never have that in advance but it’s still not a large enough number that I’d take it as a sign the show will do well. Nikki Bella had 5,000 for issuing a challenge for her and her sister to face Caitlin Clark & Sophie Cunningham in a tag team match.

— GCW had a show today in France with Banger Zone Wrestling and runs Milan, Italy tomorrow.

— Bandido beat Volador Jr. to keep the ROH title at a sold out Arena Mexico Friday night.

— As noted elsewhere, AAA announced Rey Mysterio as General Manager. He did two babyface moves, setting up Laredo Kid (now a rudo) defending the cruiserweight title in a rematch with Rey Fenix on Saturday at Arena Monterrey, and then when the two Grande Americanos violated their stipulation and started fighting, which was said that would mean if either touched the other they would have to unmask and the 5/30 match doesn’t happen, Rey overruled that, so neither guy had to unmask and the match is still on.

— WWE does not have a biography on A&E today. They have a three hour block of new shows:

  • 8 p.m. WWE Rivals: Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage
  • 9 p.m. WWE Rivals: Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch
  • 10 p.m. LFG
  • 11 p.m. Special on Chyna
  • 11:30 p.m. Special on Famous managers

— Raw tomorrow has Bayley & Lyra Valkyria vs. Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez, plus there will be an Oba Femi interview regarding Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns angle with Jacob Fatu.

— WWE starts a European tour with a house show on Thursday in Liverpool and a Smackdown taping on Friday night in Barcelona, plus Clash in Italy on Sunday early afternoon and Raw both in Turin, Italy. The Clash in Italy with Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu tribal warfare, Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther, Rhea Ripley vs. Jade Cargill, Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi and Becky Lynch vs. Sol Ruca is very loaded for a B show.

— Adam Pearce is doing a meet and greet on 8/20 for the South Bend Cubs minor league team for Pro Wrestling Night featuring matches before and after the show from local Revolution Championship Wrestling.

— Mistico is expected back shortly, maybe as early as Friday night. Tonight’s Arena Mexico show has Atlantis Jr & Blue Panther & Neon vs. Gran Guerrero & Ultimo Guerrero & Stuka Jr., plus Mascara Dorada vs El Clon, meaning those two won’t be on tonight’s AEW show.

— Jun Kasai beat Nick Wayne in the main event of today’s Best of the Super Juniors show at KBS Hall in Kyoto. Robbie X beat Titan, Kosei Fujita beat Ryusuke Taguchi, Master Wato beat Valiente Jr. and Francesco Akira beat Daiki Nagai. Titan remains in first in the A block with 10, Kasai and Wato have 8, Wayne, Fujita, X, Akira and Taguchi have 6, Valiente Jr. has 4 and Nagai has 0.

— Salina Majors (Bambi) turned 59 today. Elijah Burke turned 45. The original Strangler Lewis, Evan Lewis, was born on this day in 1860. Ricky Romero was born on this day in 1931. Former Hawaii promoter Al Karasick was 74 when he died on this day 61 years ago. Vincent James McMahon was 69 when he died on this day 42 years ago. Rusher Kimura was 68 when he died on this day 16 years ago. Paul Christy was 82 when he died on this day five years ago.
(thanks to Tony Richards)

— House of Glory results from Friday night at a sold out NYC Arena in New York:

  • Kevin Knight b Amazing Red
  • Lena Kross b Shotzi in a non-title unsanctioned match
  • Angel Jacquez won over JJP, JJ Doze, Mikee G, Jodi Aura and KC Navarro
  • Phumi Nkuta (who fought in a prelim fight last Saturday on the Rousey vs. Carano show) b Raheem Royal
  • Phumi Nkuta b Angel Jacquez
  • Infamous b Lio Rush to keep the HOG cruiserweight title
  • Zilla Fatu b Cashflow to retain the Crown Jewel title
  • Charles Mason b Sweet Cheeks to keep the HOG title
  • Matt & Jeff Hardy b Evil Uno & Stu Grayson to keep the HOG tag team titles
    (thanks to Sam Rosenthal)

— Tommy Dreamer returns to AIW on 6/19 in Lakewood, OH at The Roxy

Google Icon
Dave Meltzer
Dave Meltzer

Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.