On Saturday evening, All Elite Wrestling hosted their first-ever pay-per-view with "AEW Double or Nothing" in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show is being praised as a major success in the early attempts of the new promotion to gain a large fanbase and take on the WWE. Saturday's results featured the AEW Championship belt revealed by a former WWE superstar, and also saw two AEW stars qualify to fight for the title.
AEW Championship belt unveiled by Bret Hart
Back in January, All Elite Wrestling was officially founded and with "Double or Nothing," the promotion has now arrived for the masses.
Wrestling fans were able to see an exciting show on Saturday which had a high buy-in cost on pay-per-view. However, it still delivered quality and a number of messages to WWE. Beyond that, it featured the look at what the AEW Championship belt is.
During the AEW 'Double or Nothing' show, Bret "The Hitman" Hart came to the ring to present the AEW Championship belt. Fans got their first look at the title belt live in person, on the live pay-per-view, and on social media. AEW's Twitter posted a shot of Bret Hart holding up their inaugural championship.
.@BretHart displaying the new #AEW World Title designed by @DaveMillican #AEWDoN pic.twitter.com/H30hPv2iR7
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEWrestling) May 26, 2019
The new championship is being praised by some fans and criticized by others.
Still, it offers a unique look that should distinguish it from WWE and other brands. There will also be an inaugural champion, to be determined at a later date. However, it's already known which two superstars are expected to compete to win the AEW Championship belt.
AEW Double or Nothing results bring title contenders
A free pre-show was presented on TNT and AEW YouTube channels Sunday night.
It featured a Casino Battle Royale with a number of different wrestling stars competing in the match. The winner would receive a championship match against the AEW 'Double or Nothing' main event winner.
Amongst the competing stars were Tommy Dreamer, Billy Gunn, Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus, MJF, and Hangman Adam Page. The full Twitter video below shows off that match along with the rest of the pre-show.
Page would ultimately claim the win after eliminating his final two competitors, Luchasaurus and MJF, the latter of whom tried to sneak in for the late win.
A new era of Professional Wrestling starts TONIGHT and it all begins with @AEWrestling’s "The Buy In" preshow. Live from Las Vegas! #AEW #DoubleorNothing Link to the PPV here: https://t.co/plm5rtJ8Mx#thebuyin https://t.co/dhLc3mO99f
— TNT Drama (@tntdrama) May 25, 2019
Fast forward to the main event and it was former WWE star Chris Jericho competing against NJPW rival Kenny Omega. The match was hailed as one of the best of the evening and didn't disappoint. In the end, Jericho was able to secure the victory using a new finisher called the "Judas Effect" (see below).
After the match ended, Jericho was in celebration mode. Former WWE star Dean Ambrose, aka Jon Moxley, came out through the crowd to drop Jericho, the referee, and Omega.
@IAmJericho you PROVED how truly deadly the Judas Effect is. My friends were skeptical when they saw your YouTube video and I told them that Elbow is a LEGIT, SHOOT KNOCK-OUT blow.....which you proved last night on @KennyOmegamanX’s skull. BEWARE THE #JUDASEFFECT 💀💔💀 pic.twitter.com/8Qsao2mo7x
— IG: @TheOriginalCult 🔥 (@OriginalCult_) May 26, 2019
However, Chris Jericho got the main event win and that's what counts most. He'll take on Adam Page at a later date to decide who will carry the inaugural AEW Championship belt. It's going to be interesting who ushers in the new era of professional wrestling as their first-ever champ in the history books.
