MJF and The Real Winners and Losers From AEW Double or Nothing 2023 Match Card

AEW, a promotion that is no stranger to delivering on lofty expectations, returned to Nevada once more for the 2023 rendition of Double or Nothing.

MJF putting his world title up for grabs in a fatal four way against Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin and "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry.

As if that weren't enough, a 21-man battle royal for Orange Cassidy's International Championship, a possible conclusion to Blackpool Combat Club-The Elite hostilities and multiple other championships at stake made for one of the best pro wrestling cards in recent times.

It was a night with an overall triumphant theme for AEW with plenty of winners, plus a few notable losers. Here's a look at the most prominent in both categories.

Winner: Orange Cassidy

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

That finish.

It isn't often that finishes in pro wrestling are super unique, but that was the case in Orange Cassidy's triumph while retaining his AEW International Championship.

With he and Swerve Strickland on the apron, Cassidy considered a punch to eliminate a reeling Strickland, only to instead hit a sloth-like kick that sent the final competitor gasping for air like a Looney Toons character.

It was hilarious and oh-so-fitting for Cassidy's character. He's been on the grind for months defending his title in close calls and overcoming 20 other competitors in this match was an exclamation point of sorts.

Cassidy and the fans win here, as his unique title defenses and escapes get to continue. Even if it's simply an extended program against Strickland now, having the "Freshly Squeezed" man in a prominent spot is a win for all.

Loser: Adam Cole

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Fans haven't seen a ton of Adam Cole lately, yet huge expectations chase him into every performance for justifiable reasons given his storied history.

But his "unsanctioned" match against Chris Jericho on Sunday was a bit of a flop.

The match was odd from the beginning, with slow pacing and ended up doing little to really rile up the crowd despite the subject matter. Cole, especially, was strangely a babyface going for quick pins and rollups—not exactly the vibe of a man on a revenge mission against someone he hates.

Then there was the finish, a referee stoppage despite the unsanctioned status of the match, to the point it felt like the whole thing had to be called off early as opposed to an intended finish.

This is Cole, so it's not like he can't recover momentum quickly. But he and this match stick out quite a bit on an otherwise strong card.

Loser: House of Black

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

There wasn't a lot of buildup to this one, with The House of Black's Malakai Black, Buddy Matthews and Brody King getting a win and retaining their AEW World Trios Championship.

Part of the issue was the decision to go with surprise opponents, who turned out to be Anthony Bowens, Max Caster and Billy Gunn.

Right out of the gates, that hurt the believability of the current champions actually losing. As such, Black shuttering a typical babyface comeback effort to retain didn't get the crowd engaged too much, at least from a broadcast perspective.

As with Cole, House of Black shouldn't have many problems regaining momentum in a hurry given the group's status as one of the best things running, but this felt like a checklist sort of item more than a must-see attraction.

Winner: Kris Statlander

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Who else?

Kris Statlander made her stunning return to the ring after roughly a year away due to injury and quickly took down Jade Cargill.

It was a triumphant return that lit the women's division on fire. The fact this was an open challenge foolishly declared by Mark Sterling after Cargill had just won a grueling title defense over Taya Valkyrie will also mean this is a feud with some serious legs.

Statlander isn't just a fitting holder of the TBS Championship—she's one of the only women capable of standing toe-to-toe with Cargill on a nightly basis and looking great while doing so.

In one fell swoop, Statlander gets a special moment she more than deserved, Cargill goes into chase mode and pro wrestling fans everywhere win alongside Statlander.

Winner: Wardlow

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Wardlow still feels like one of the biggest things running in AEW, even if the booking and storytelling haven't always positioned him as such lately.

Sunday night sure helped.

There, he took down Christian Cage in what could go down as the most underrated match on the card, securing the TNT Championship.

In the process, Wardlow looked like that top-of-the-card guy while dealing not only with Cage, but some outside shenanigans, highlighted by putting Luchasaurus through tables. How about the spot where he even broke a rung on a ladder?

This was a banner showing for Wardlow, who is versatile enough to make ladder matches work. And if fans are lucky, it's only the beginning of his renewed ascent.

Winner: MJF

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

MJF kept his rightful spot atop AEW Sunday night with the win over Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, and "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry.

While the outcome was predictable, this was far from a boring match. In fact, this entire contest was a stunner, a possible Match of the Year favorite between four Superstars obviously sitting as the so-called pillars of AEW as a promotion.

It had a little bit of everything, with an MJF slant. Storyline callbacks, nefarious actions (telling Guevara to think about his unborn child) from the best heel in the business. He entered as a literal devil on a throne, then got downright wicked with the creative ending spot that featured him sliding his championship in the way of Allin's signature Coffin Drop.

MJF is an unparalleled greatness in pro wrestling right now and it shows. The win is also a momentous one, considering who he overcame to get it and remain champion.

Winner: Blackpool Combat Club

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

It's always hard to complain when Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, The Elite and others climb into the ring.

They not only produce world-best standard wrestling action, but also throw in some grisly, wince-worthy spots.

It was Anarchy indeed, with some of the spots things already showcased on television plenty of times.

But in a big win for the Blackpool Combat Club, this same-old thing feel to some of the spots within a fun match was a way to deliver some much-needed story, too.

Konosuke Takeshita, a must-see prospect, betrayed Kenny Omega and Co. in the process, creating an interesting storyline wrinkle sure to be felt for a long time.

But as a whole, this was classic deathmatch-Attitude Era hybrid stuff. It was a little extra, but extra was good—Moxley and Co. got to do their thing in a worthwhile main event and the club continues on strong.

There isn't an obvious path to where BCC goes next necessarily, but it's tough to complain about that when AEW can roll out this sort of match with them at the center every six months or so, if not annually. Pro wrestling needs spectacles and BCC certainly qualifies.