Double or Nothing (2023)

Double or Nothing is considered All Elite Wrestling's (AEW) marquee event, having first been held in 2019, which was the promotion's first professional wrestling event and first pay-per-view (PPV) produced. It is held annually during Memorial Day weekend and is one of AEW's "Big Four" PPVs, which includes All Out, Full Gear, and Revolution, their four biggest shows produced quarterly.[1] The event's name is a reference to its Las Vegas theme and it is traditionally held in the Las Vegas area in Paradise, Nevada. Exceptions from this norm occurred in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions that were in place at the time, but they maintained the Vegas theme.[2][3]

On March 5, 2023, during the Revolution Zero Hour pre-show, it was announced that the fifth Double or Nothing event would take place on May 28 at the T-Mobile Arena, marking the second Double or Nothing held here, after the previous year's event. It was also announced that during Double or Nothing week, both Wednesday Night Dynamite and Friday Night Rampage would air live from the nearby MGM Grand Garden Arena—the location of the inaugural Double or Nothing—on May 24 and May 26, respectively.[4] However, due to a TNT broadcast scheduling conflict, Rampage will instead air on tape delay as a special Saturday Night Rampage on May 27, with the event being taped immediately after the live broadcast of Dynamite. Tickets for the events went on sale on March 17.[5]

The event will go head-to-head with NXT Battleground, a livestreaming event produced by WWE for its developmental brand, NXT. This marks the first time since 1989 that two major promotions will produce major events head-to-head, after WWE's WrestleMania V (airing on PPV) and World Championship Wrestling's Clash of the Champions VI (airing on TBS). According to WWE executive Shawn Michaels, the scheduling was not intended for WWE to go head-to-head with AEW, but that it was just due to the holiday (Memorial Day weekend) as he said WWE events have always done well on holidays.[6]

Double or Nothing will feature professional wrestling matches that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.[7] Storylines are produced on AEW's weekly television programs, Dynamite and Rampage.

On the April 19 episode of Dynamite, it was announced that there would be the Four Pillars tournament, with the winner challenging MJF for the AEW World Championship at Double or Nothing.[8] The participants of the tournament were revealed as Sammy Guevara, "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry, and Darby Allin—these three plus MJF had long been regarded as the "four pillars" of AEW. Guevara defeated Perry by countout with assistance from MJF in the semi-final match, while Allin received a bye to the final.[8] The following week in the final, Guevara would again win with assistance from MJF, this time defeating Darby via disqualification, however, Tony Khan stated that the singles match between MJF and Guevara at Double or Nothing would only go ahead if they could beat Perry and Darby in a tag team match; if Perry and Allin won, the World Championship match at Double or Nothing would be a Pillars Four-way match between MJF, Guevara, Perry, and Allin.[9] On the May 3 episode, Perry and Allin won.[10]

• Note – Due to winning the Four Pillars Tournament, Guevara was scheduled to face MJF for the AEW World Championship at Double or Nothing, however, the championship match was later turned into a four-way match also involving Allin and Perry.