AEW Double or Nothing 2020 preview: Cody vs Archer is the true main event

Tonight is the night to get the mood right with men in tights. AEW is firing up their Double or Nothing event from Daily’s Place & TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, FL for our viewing pleasure. The eight match main card begins at 8 pm ET. The pre-show kicks off at 7:30 pm ET. The PPV can be purchased through B/R Live (and traditional PPV) in the US and Canada, and Fite.tv elsewhere across the globe. Let’s run down the storylines for each bout to get you prepared for tonight’s festivities.

TNT Championship: Cody Rhodes vs Lance Archer

Both men worked their way through an 8-man tournament to be crowned the inaugural TNT Champion. Cody took out Shawn Spears and Darby Allin. Lance Archer decimated Colt Cabana and Dustin Rhodes. As if the tournament final wasn’t important enough on its own, these two also have a very personal feud adding sizzle to this steak.

Jake “The Snake” Roberts made a surprise appearance to announce he has a client coming to take Cody out of power. That client turned out to be Archer. Cody wasn’t concerned about what he felt were empty threats. Archer later put a bloody beating on Cody’s brother, Dustin, in the tournament. To make matters worse, Roberts crossed a dangerous line by placing his slithering snake on top of Cody’s wife, Brandi.

To add pomp to the circumstance, AEW is bring in “Iron” Mike Tyson to present the belt to the winner. Here’s to hoping someone gets knocked out. When you add up all the juicy story turns, extra frills, and overall importance of the match, Cody vs Archer deserves to close the show at Double or Nothing. Going last would be a strong move to firmly establish that the TNT Championship is a serious title.

AEW also called in celebrities to offer predictions for this bout:

• Alison Brie: Cody
• Stephen Amell: Cody
• Dominique Wilkins: Cody
• Jack Whitehall: Cody
• Brad Williams: Cody but hopes Marko Stunt punches both in the dick
• Daniel Platzman: Cody
• Paul Walter Hauser: Archer
• Kelly AuCoin: Archer
• Dan Soder: Cody

AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs Mr. Brodie Lee

While Moxley is the true champ, Mr. Brodie has the belt in his possession. Mr. Brodie stole it when demanding a title shot. It turns out that all Mr. Brodie had to do was ask for this match. As a result of that theft, Moxley is out to collect what belongs to him. He’ll be enforcing interest in the form of broken bones to Dark Order creepers. Moxley plans to put Mr. Brodie to sleep, while Mr. Brodie envisions victory to show why he is the Exalted One of the Dark Order.

On Wednesday night’s Dynamite, I got the impression from commentary that this bout will close the show. Aside from the particular belt on the line, I struggle to think of any other reason why it deserves to go on last over Cody vs Archer. That makes me think we could be in store for a big surprise. There would be no bigger surprise than Sting watching above from the rafters. Of course, that’s just wild speculation, so don’t watch Double or Nothing with the expectation of Sting to appear. It would be cool if he did though.

AEW Women’s Championship: Nyla Rose (c) vs Hikaru Shida in no DQ

Shida earned her shot at Nyla by keeping a stronghold on her #1 spot in the rankings for 12 straight weeks. Nyla upped the ante by stealing Shida’s precious kendo stick to bop Shida on the head. That treachery turned it into no DQ.

Stadium Stampede: Inner Circle vs The Elite

Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Santana, and Ortiz will represent the Inner Circle. Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, and Matt Hardy will represent the Elite.

The feud between these two factions spans back to the first episode of Dynamite in October 2019, and actually prior to then with Jericho beefing with the Elite before the Inner Circle became an official unit. The addition of Hardy added fresh blood but also resulted in the traumatic casualty of Vanguard 1.

The concept of the Stadium Stampede was inspired by the wild and woolly street fight between Le Sex Gods and Omega & Hardy. Le Champion wanted to go bigger and badder, so their arena of combat will be the Jacksonville Jaguars’ football field.

The original plan was to clash inside a War Games style of match called Blood & Guts, however, that ended up being canceled due to coronavirus concerns. The Stadium Stampede seems like it will be a great alternative.

The x-factor in this contest is Hangman Page. He has a deep-seated resentment toward the Young Bucks. Despite the turmoil, Hangman generally shows up to do his job when called upon. A sticky situation could arise if one of the Bucks gives Hangman attitude.

Casino Ladder Match

The winner will receive a title shot for the AEW World Championship. Competitors will enter every 90 seconds with the goal of retrieving a poker chip hung high above the ring. If you missed the news, Fenix was pulled from the contest and replaced with Joey Janela. The nine participants are Darby Allin, Colt Cabana, Orange Cassidy, Joey Janela, Scorpio Sky, Kip Sabian, Frankie Kazarian, Luchasaurus, and a mystery person.

MJF vs Jungle Boy

This was an impromptu announcement when MJF returned from his very serious hangnail injury. MJF won their previous encounter back in February 2020, but the feud runs deeper than simple matches.

MJF will be out to teach Jungle Boy a lesson. MJF is better than him and he knows it.

Kris Statlander vs Dr. Britt Baker DMD Penelope Ford

Unfortunately, Baker was removed from action due to an apparent knee injury. Penelope Ford is a last-hour replacement. The bad news is that the new match has no storyline. The good news is that Baker’s status will be addressed during the show. Given Cody’s past accusation of Baker not being a full dentist, I hope Mike Tyson punches Cody in the mouth and then Baker is the only dentist around to fix his teeth. We’ll see who’s laughing then. That would be sweet revenge for Dr. Baker DMD since she can’t participate in an actual match.

Dustin Rhodes vs Shawn Spears

Spears was originally left off the card, so he took matters into his own hands by going into business for himself. Spears produced a phony news segment with the false claim that Dustin had retired. Spears issued a challenge to Dustin, and thus it was made official.

Best Friends vs Private Party

This tag team contest will take place on the pre-show. The winners will earn a tag team title shot against Hangman Page & Kenny Omega. The Best Friends have been the workhorse of the tag division during the empty arena shows. Their success pushed them into the #1 spot in the rankings. Private Party has momentum with a few quick wins against enhancement talent.

Which bout should close the show? What is your pick for match of the night?