In a dramatic double episode of AEW Dynamite and Collision on Wednesday, Darby Allin successfully defended his AEW World Championship against "Speedball" Mike Bailey, setting the stage for his highly anticipated showdown with Maxwell Jacob Friedman at Double or Nothing.
Allin had been on an incredible run of title defenses since capturing the championship over MJF about a month ago. In the lead up to a title vs. hair match against MJF, Allin proved again why he was one of the best in pro wrestling, according to the report from Fox News Digital. Bailey missed a high-flying aerial maneuver allowing Allin to hit a Coffin Drop. But MJF interfered, putting Bailey’s foot on the rope to break the count. Bailey nearly got a three count on Allin after a kick, but Allin would ultimately survive.
Allin put Bailey into multiple Scorpion Death Locks, and forced Bailey to tap out. Still the champion, Allin and MJF will square off at Double or Nothing. If Allin retains, MJF will have to shave his head. The match took place in front of his Double or Nothing challenger, Maxwell Jacob Friedman.
Unfortunately, Willow Nightingale’s dominant reign as TBS champion came to an abrupt end on Wednesday night. She announced during Dynamite that she was relinquishing the title due to injury. "Winning this championship was one of the greatest moments of my career and I haven’t had a shortage of great moments in my time at AEW," Nightingale said in a backstage segment. "I’ve won the Owen before, I’ve won the TBS title before this reign. And I became half of the very first AEW women’s tag team champions."
Nightingale continued, explaining her shoulder injury from a recent title defense against Red Velvet. She expressed disappointment at not being able to wrestle at Double or Nothing in front of her family in New York against Alex Windsor. "As fate would have it, in my most recent title defense against Red Velvet, I injured my right shoulder," she said. Mina Shirakawa will now take on Athena in the first round of the Owen at Double or Nothing, while Windsor will have a wild-card opponent in the tournament.
Will Ospreay appeared on the Collision portion of Wednesday night’s special, taking on Katsuyori Shibata, a member of The Opps. It was a tune-up match before Ospreay takes on fellow Opps member Samoa Joe in the first round of the Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament. Ospreay has been more dangerous since he trained with The Death Riders in recent weeks, showing his tenacity last week against Ace Austin.
Ospreay hit Shibata with a Styles Clash and a Hidden Blade, pinning Shibata for the win. Joe addressed Ospreay after the match, saying he was going to "put your a-- to sleep." Ospreay responded with a detailed statement about his own "nightmare" situation. "This year, the stakes are high because the winner of the Owen Hart Cup goes on to face whoever the world champion is at the biggest stadium my country has," Ospreay said.
For weeks, Swerve Strickland had made it clear that he was going after Ring of Honor champion Bandido. The two were set to square off in the first round of the Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament at the upcoming Double or Nothing pay-per-view but they decided to give fans a preview of what’s to come. Strickland was going to address the crowd in Portland, Maine, when Bandido blindsided Strickland. The two brawled for several minutes as Strickland was trying to hit a Vertebreaker on a chair that he set up in the middle of the ring.
Jon Moxley will defend the Continental Championship against Kyle O’Reilly after their eliminator match went the distance. Viva Van and Zaya Steel will be a part of a women’s tag team eliminator match against champions Megan Bayne and Lena Kross. The match will take place during the Buy In hour before the pay-per-view officially kicks off. New matches added to Double or Nothing include these bouts as reported.
Dynamite match results included Andrade El Idolo, Mark Davis and Ricochet defeating Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Chris Jericho. Mark Briscoe defeated Tommaso Ciampa in a no rules match. Jon Moxley and Kyle O’Reilly went the distance in a Continental Championship eliminator match. Thekla, Julia Hart, Skye Blue and Athena defeated Thunder Rosa, Jamie Hayter, Alex Windsor and Mina Shirakawa. Darby Allin defeated "Speedball" Mike Bailey to retain the AEW World Championship.
Collision match results saw Will Ospreay defeat Katsuyori Shibata. Rush defeated TJ Crawford. Megan Bayne and Lena Kross defeated Kayla Loprez and Elle Valentine in an AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship eliminator match. Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler defeated Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong in an AEW World Tag Team Championship eliminator match. These results set up several key storylines heading into the pay-per-view event.
The events on Wednesday highlighted the intense preparation for Double or Nothing, with multiple wrestlers addressing their upcoming challenges and personal stakes. Officials said the card continues to build with high-profile matches that could determine future championship opportunities. Fans can expect more developments as the promotion moves closer to the event.