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Double or Nothing 2025
Anarchy in the Arena
Team Swerve versus Death Riders
Team Swerve: Swerve Strickland, Kenny Omega, Katsuyori Shibata, Powerhouse Hobbs, Samoa Joe, and Willow Nightingale
Death Riders and Young Bucks: Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Marina Shafir, Matthew Jackson, and Nicholas Jackson
Top of the story question: where is Gabe Kidd?
Gabe Kidd was the reason Samoa Joe lost his cage match to Jon Moxley for the AEW Men’s World Championship. It certainly felt after that show that Gabe Kidd of New Japan Pro Wrestling, member of the Bullet Club War Dogs, was switching allegiances in All Elite Wrestling to be a paid gun for the crew. It felt like he’d be in this match.
I’ve heard theories that maybe HOOK or Eddie Kingston was supposed to be ready this week and just were not, meaning that Team Swerve couldn’t find an extra member. It’s possible this wasn’t done to set up the Anarchy in the Arena, but rather Forbidden Door down the road when The Opps will be challenged by the War Dogs for the AEW Trios Championship. David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, and Clark Connors versus The Opps? I could see that.
I know there was a video on Collision essentially having Gabe Kidd say they plan to eat AEW from the inside but that doesn’t really explain his role in anything. Then again you can see the video was heavily edited, which tells me that something changed for the match.
Either way it feels like a hanging thread that people will be asking about that could have been left not hanging with just one line from Moxley or Kidd that he wouldn’t be here for Anarchy in the Arena for whatever reason they wanted to come up with. AEW loves to do this, only to thread it later and have fans say, “See? You should have been patient!” instead of, “Finally, they closed that hanging thread.”
It’s tough for me to look at this match as anything other than the pot we get to cook the future Y’All In Texas show from. A lot of matches will come out of this. Jon Moxley of course gets the winner of the Owen Hart Foundation tournament. The Opps probably have a rematch against Death Riders for the Trios Championship coming up at some point, though I’d prefer Claudio and Yuta try to work as a tag team while PAC is out. Marina Shafir and Willow Nightingale will eventually be a singles match, even though I’m much happier to see them in a big gimmick match like this. Kenny Omega’s real deal with The Elite will be with Kazuchika Okada in (likely) a title for title match.
Then you got The Young Bucks and Swerve Strickland. This has to lead to a tag match at Y’All In Texas. It feels like the result of Hangman Page versus Will Ospreay should be deciding not only who faces Jon Moxley at Y’All In Texas, but also who faces the Young Bucks.
A lot of people (myself included) want to see Swerve and Hangman finally put their differences aside and come together as a tag team. If Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega were the Golden Lovers? Swerve and Hangman are the Bloody Lovers. Two men who hate each other so much they will come together if they hate someone else more. They both have now accepted their crimes, and accepted the punishment of the sins that followed. If someone is going to team with Swerve against the Bucks, who better than the man who beat them at Revolution 2020 when the Bucks were considered the best tag team in the world?
Of course, they also hate each other. You know who doesn’t hate each other? Swerve and Will. They talk about being buddies all the time. Will Ospreay offered to Darby Allin that once the Continental Classic was over he’d help him to fight the Death Riders. Instead the Death Riders killed Darby on the final Rampage. Ospreay offered to help Kenny Omega against the Don Callis Family, and now it’s Kenny helping Swerve Strickland against both The Elite and Death Riders.
Ospreay brought up how he was friends with Swerve in his confrontation with Hangman Page at Dynamite, and also offered to have Hangman’s back if he does win and goes on to face Jon Moxley and the Death Riders. What if it’s his friend Swerve Strickland who needs his help against the Young Bucks at Y’All In Texas after Ospreay loses to Hangman? You could have the top babyfaces of AEW in Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, Swerve Strickland, and Will Ospreay all standing together to go up against the Death Riders in a Blood and Guts match before Y’All In Texas, a united front against the Death Riders and/or The Elite.
Maybe even add Darby to it?
Let’s get to the match. I’m curious to see how many spots the women get against the men. I would love to see Willow powerbomb Jon Moxley’s ass into the mat. Not so keen on seeing Marina Shafir try her kicks against someone like Shibata or Joe. The more we see Kenny and Swerve against The Bucks the better. Will also be great to hear the crowd react to Kenny Omega in the ring again with Jon Moxley.
I’m sure Gabe Kidd will play a factor in this in some way, even if he’s not wrestling in the match. He has history with Kenny, he cost Samoa Joe his title shot, and he injured Moxley’s best friend Eddie Kingston over a year ago.
Oh yeah. Also looking to see how many backs Powerhouse Hobbs can break in this match.
Should be a load of fun, and honestly? I’d kick the show off with it.
