For the first time since 2013, CM Punk is world champion. Punk defeated “Hangman” Adam Page at the main AEW Double or Nothing main event on Sunday night to capture the AEW World Heavyweight Championship, culminating in an unusually uneven pay-per-view event for AEW.
Page may have been able to win at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but he was hesitant to decide whether to use the championship belt as a shortcut while the referee was knocked out, which allowed Punk counter a Buckshot Lariat al Go. To sleep to capture the title.
It was a long night of action that saw many of AEW’s major stars in action, although the highlight of the night was probably the Anarchy in the Arena party which saw Chris Jericho and The Jericho Appreciation. Society win a victory over Bryan’s team. Danielson, Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz in a wild-blooded bath that took place all over the arena before Jericho and Jake Hager could work together to suffocate Danielson unconscious.
CBS Sports was with you throughout the event, providing updates and highlights as the action went live on the blog below.
AEW 2022 Double or Nothing results, ratings
Hookhausen vs. Tony Nese and Mark Sterling: Danhausen spent the first period of the match in the ring, cut off from his corner while Nese and Sterling took an initial boost. He was finally able to make the tag on Hook and Sterling rescued from the ring apron instead of taking the tag initially. But Danhausen made the mistake of giving Nese a few cups on the back, which counted as a label, as Hook shot at both team members with a variety of throws and suplex. After Hook landed Sterling, Danhausen asked for the tag and went in to put his foot on Sterling’s chest for the needle. There was little in the game beyond warming up the crowd with the victory of the Hookhausen team. Hookhausen def. Tony Nese and Mark Sterling via pinfall. Grade: C
MJF vs. Wardlow: Wardlow came in handcuffed without music after MJF made his way through the ring, ending concerns that MJF would not show up at the event after failing to attend a fan meeting and greeting on Saturday in the afternoon. After several obvious shirt pulling incidents, MJF got himself booked. The manager of Wardlow was not happy. MJF then tried to use his diamond ring only for Wardlow and the referee to catch him on the spot, leaving MJF to offer to quadruple Wardlow’s pay. Wardlow instead kicked MJF in the stomach and hit an electric bomb. Instead of going for the pin, Wardlow hit a second powerbomb and three more before fixing MJF for a count of two and breaking the pin. After bringing the total number of bombs to 10, Wardlow finally set MJF to get him out of his misery. It’s not much of a “match,” but the reward the fans wanted, as the big man got his moment and MJF got his promotion. Wardlow def. MJF by pinfall. Grade: B
The Young Bucks Vs. The Hardys: The first momentum changes saw the Bucks succeed with speed and the Hardys returned with ingenious veteran tactics. Brandon Cutler also helped the Bucks from the outside. Jeff Hardy’s boot seemed to be breaking even during the game, leaving him a bit uncomfortable with the soggy pitch as he couldn’t move the ball around with his usual grace. The Bucks largely dominated the game, with Matt and Jeff clashing and struggling to keep up with their rivals. Jeff missed a late swanton and Matt Jackson hit a Twist of Fate before Nick Jackson hit a swanton, stealing the Hardys ’characteristic moves for the fall. The Hardys came back late, turning the ring steps to their side as Jeff hit a Swanton from the top rope to Matt Jackson on the steps. A twist of Matt Hardy’s fate on Nick Jackson followed by a Jeff Hardy swanton ended the game. Great moments late for the Hardys, but the game barely stayed together, as the Hardys were very out of shape throughout, and looked tough as the Bucks did their best to try to keep him together. The Hardys defend. The Young Bucks via pinfall. Grade: C-
TBS Championship – Jade Cargill (c) vs. Anna Jay: Cargill soon dominated, overwhelming Jay with speed and power until Jay was able to counter Cargill in a superplex. Jay had to deal with external interference from The Baddies during the match before Mark Sterling also reached the ring and slid with a crutch, which Jay was able to grab before Cargill to hit a Russian-assisted leg sweep by a fall to near Sterling. was expelled by John Silver. Stokely Hathaway made his AEW debut, walking down the ramp and distracting Jay, allowing Cargill to hit a Jaded avalanche to win. Kris Statlander rushed to the ring to save Jay from any attack after the bell and then Athena (formerly Ember Moon in the WWE) made her debut, alongside Jay and Statlander. The match was tough, to put it mildly, but the addition of Hathaway and Athena are solid moves for AEW. Jade Cargill (c) def. Anna Jay via pinfall to retain the title. Grade: C-
House of Black Vs. Death Triangle: An early section full of counters and both teams that showed they knew each other’s tricks and quirks before a fight between the six men ended with Brody King and Malakai Black able to generate momentum briefly against PAC. PAC finally made Rey Fenix hot tag, as he and Penta Oscuro were able to clean the house, including stereo dives to get members of the Death Triangle out of the ring. He followed a section with all the men in the ring making great dive of outstanding rollers, which ended with King throwing himself over the top rope towards Fenix and PAC. The wildest high points continued to come from everyone in the game before PAC hit the blacks with a low blow and was about to hit the black arrow before the lights went out. When they returned, Julia Hart was in the ring and spat fog into PAC’s eyes, preparing him for a kick from Black to end the match. Exciting action here from start to finish and everyone involved really showing the things that make them special. House of Black def. Triangle of death via pinfall. Grade: A-
Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Final – Samoa Joe vs. Adam Cole: Joe had firm control before Cole could counter a load out of the ring on a superkick. Cole then tried to slow down the action and landed Joe with a variety of catches and arm attacks. Despite a shoulder injury from Cole’s attack, Joe continued to come back with heavy counterattacks and lashes to prevent Cole from creating any real momentum. Bobby Fish interfered, giving Joe an arm over the top rope to prepare Cole for the finish just for Joe to catch him trying to take advantage of the situation. Cole was still able to hit a Boom in the back of Joe’s head when Fish was distracted for the second time, giving him the big tournament victory. A short, fun game that suited the limitations of Joe’s final career well enough. Adam Cole defeated. Samoa Joe via pinfall to win the Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament. Grade: B-
End of Owen Hart Foundation Tournament for Women – Dr. Britt Baker DMD vs. Ruby Soho: Rancid played Soho in the ring while Fozzy’s guitarist played for Baker. Baker soon worked to soften Soho’s arm and ribs. Baker was also successful in winning Soho by the literal punch in shocking exchanges. Baker’s rib work paid off, as Soho was constantly clinging to the ribs, even as he hit a top rope for a fall nearby. Baker hit a tread for nearly a fall after landing first on the upper chest of the tensor. Baker put on his glove and tried to ride Lockjaw, but Soho was able to counter twice, the second time on a pin and then hit No Future before locking Baker in a Sharpshooter, paying homage to Owen Hart. Baker was able to break the grip after crawling twice to the ropes. Soho attempted a winning shot to score, but Baker reversed the score to get the win. A solid match that had a questionable winner like Soho would have benefited much more from winning the match than Baker, who has already been a consolidated force in AEW. Interestingly, Cole and Baker won their respective tournaments as a real-life couple. Dr. Britt Baker DMD def. Ruby Soho via pinfall to win the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament. Grade: B
Scorpio Sky, Ethan Page and Paige VanZant vs. Sammy Guevara, Frankie Kazarian and Tay Conti: Guevara tried to make a big statement against Sky soon and succeeded, hitting Sky with a big trampoline and doubling with Conti. Conti also made sure that VanZant could not be tagged before, dropping it off the web. Kazarian and Guevara had a lot of trouble teaming up before VanZant finally got the label and threw Conti a little before Guevara made the stop. VanZant hit Guevara with a punch to the stomach and a tilting DDT. Teams clashed in the middle of the ring, but Kazarian refused to work with Guevara until he was tagged. Moments later, Guevara accidentally shot Conti, leading Sky to hit a cutter on Kazarian to secure the victory. Good for what it was, though in the end it wasn’t spectacular. Scorpio Sky, Ethan Page and Paige VanZant face off. Sammy Guevara, Frankie Kazarian and Tay Conti via pinfall. Grade: B-
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Darby Allin: O’Reilly made the jump on Allin, attacking him with blows to the ground that drew blood from Allin’s mouth. Allin returned with an attack on O’Reilly’s leg before a reverse DDT. Allin made some major moves, including a code red and an outside dive where he landed awkwardly. He attempted a suicide dive seconds later, but O’Reilly caught him with a suffocated guillotine as Allin crashed into him. Impulse movements continued with large movements such as an Allin Coffin Drop on O’Reilly as he hung from the ropes above the ring apron. Allin attempted another Coffin Drop in the ring, but O’Reilly caught him with a suffocation that turned into a bracelet. O’Reilly finally got the win with a big fall to his knees in the back from the top rope. A good match that proved …