Murphy’s AEW Double or Nothing Predictions: Will Ospreay vs. Hangman Page and Mercedes Mone vs. Jamie Hayter in the finals of the Owen Hart Foundation tournaments, Anarchy in the Arena

AEW presents its annual Double or Nothing pay-per-view on Sunday night in Glendale, Arizona at Desert Diamond Arena. This is one of those shows where you know the matches have the potential to be good, but, except for one match, lack the interest garnered from a good storyline build. Weekly TV has gotten a little bit better, and it’s clear that the company is slowly building to their big All In pay-per-view in July. In doing so, however, this stop on the road feels more like filler as we wait for the bigger payoffs in about a month and a half.  That said, let’s run down the card!

Will Ospreay vs. Hangman Page in the Owen Hart Foundation men’s tournament final. This is the one match that has told a decent story in the lead-up to the match. I thought their promos on this past Wednesday’s Dynamite were well done, and if I’m being honest, as much as the company is building around Ospreay as their top babyface, I found myself getting behind Page that much more. That said, I think the plan is to have Ospreay challenge for the title in July while Page teams with Swerve Strickland against the Young Bucks. I also think it’s the right move to put this match in the main event slot, and it will be interesting to see if the crowd is going to be given time to breathe between the wild Anarchy in the Arena match. If the crowd is drained, this is likely the one match that can get them back up.

Don Predicts: Will Ospreay defeats Hangman Page to win the Owen Hart Foundation men’s tournament.

Kenny Omega, Swerve Strickland, Powerhouse Hobbs, Samoa Joe, Katsuyori Shibata, and Willow Nightingale vs. Jon Moxley, Matthew Jackson, Nicholas Jackson, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, and Marina Shafir in an Anarchy in the Arena match. Two things are working against this match for me. First, I’m just not into the story and am waiting for them to get to Moxley defending the title in July, when hopefully this whole Death Riders act comes to an end or is repackaged. Second, I have no doubt that the live crowd will eat this up, as this is the type of match best witnessed live. It loses something when you’re watching at home. I will say I’m interested to see if there’s extended interaction between the men and the women or if Willow and Shafir just battle each other for the entire match. I expect this leads to a final chapter with Blood and Guts. I also expect Gabe Kidd to play a role in the match and the finish.

Don Predicts: Jon Moxley, Matthew Jackson, Nicholas Jackson, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, and Marina Shafir win the Anarchy in the Arena Match.

Mercedes Mone vs. Jamie Hayter in the Owen Hart Foundation women’s tournament final. I’ll give AEW credit. They really tried to make this one seem important. The issue is that Hayter hasn’t been able to gain back the momentum she had before she went out on injury. The other thing is that Mone vs. Toni Storm is the only match that makes sense for All In, so we’re all just sitting around waiting for that to play out. That said, the match should be fine.

Don Predicts: Mercedes Mone defeats Jamie Hayter to win the Owen Hart Foundation women’s tournament.

Toni Storm vs. Mina Shirakawa for the AEW Women’s Championship. This is the same as my note above. This will be a fine match, but we’re all waiting for the Mercedes Mone showdown with Storm at All In. The other issue is that they’ve already done this match with Storm going over. Yes, this time Shirakawa is an official member of the AEW roster, and they did take the time to have Shirakawa pin Storm on Dynamite. Nevertheless, the outcome isn’t in question.

Don Predicts: Toni Storm retains the AEW Women’s Championship.

Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin vs. Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara for the AEW Tag Team Titles. I’ve said this before – there’s the Hurt Syndicate…and then there’s everyone else. AEW has some good tag teams, but none of them feel relevant. Rhodes cut some impassioned promos, and at age 55, he’ll still give a good showing. It just feels like the Hurt Syndicate is spinning its wheels in its title defenses. I realize adding MJF to the act adds another dimension, so we’ll see how that plays out here.

Don Predicts: Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin retain the AEW Tag Team Championship.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Mike Bailey for the AEW Continental Championship. Don’t sleep on this match. Despite the lack of a good storyline build, this could be the sleeper match of the night if Okada shows up motivated. This is what AEW wants if they expect the expected showdown with Kenny Omega to live up to the hype of their past clashes in New Japan.

Don Predicts: Kazuchika Okada retains the AEW Continental Championship.

“FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler vs. Nigel McGuinness and Daniel Garcia. This one had a decent build based on their segment on this past week’s Collision. I’m still not into Garcia but am looking forward to see what McGuinness has left in the tank. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get the Matt Menard turn here to give FTR the win. This will set up the feud with Garcia that no one wants but is resigned to getting it over with. Could we also see the return of Adam Copeland? Assuming that it’s FTR vs. a reuniting Copeland and Christian at All In, it would make sense to put that in motion soon.

Don Predicts: “FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler defeat Nigel McGuinness and Daniel Garcia.

Ricochet vs. Mark Briscoe in a stretcher match. I have no issue with this match. I like Ricochet’s heel act, and Briscoe is always a fun watch. He’s just sort of there if that makes sense, whereas Ricochet can definitely be doing something more meaningful. I hate the bit with the scissors, but I have a feeling they will come into play here.

Don Predicts: Ricochet defeats Mark Briscoe in a stretcher match.

 Kyle Fletcher, Konosuke Takeshita, and Josh Alexander vs. Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O’Reilly. As I’ve said, you could easily make Fletcher, Takeshita, and Alexander standout singles stars. I’m not a big fan of them working consistently as a group, but I’m pleased to see that they’re branching off from the Callis Family “B” team in Lance Archer, Rocky Romero, and Trent Beretta. Cole’s team is decent but has really been defined down.

Don Predicts: Kyle Fletcher, Konosuke Takeshita, and Josh Alexander defeat Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O’Reilly.

(Pre-Show) Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford vs. Anna Jay and Harley Cameron. There’s not really that much to say. They’re keeping Bayne in the mix until they can figure out how they can build her back up again. Cameron is always a crowd pleaser, so this is fine in the pre-show slot.

Don Predicts: Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford defeat Anna Jay and Harley Cameron.

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