AEW "Double Or Nothing" Press Conference Recap - Kenny Omega Signs, Lucha Bros, Chris Jericho
Welcome to our live coverage of the "Double Or Nothing" Ticket Announcement Party. The rally is taking place at the MGM Grand Splash Pool in Las Vegas, Nevada.
All Elite Wrestling's "Double Or Nothing" Ticket Announcement Party opens live from the Splash Pool at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Conrad Thompson welcomes us and he's joined by Alex Marvez. They introduce the third member of their broadcast team, the wrestler Excalibur, wearing his mask. Conrad mentions Chris Jericho showing up at the last AEW rally, teasing another familiar face for tonight.
The music hits and out comes Sonny Kiss. Kiss walks to the podium after throwing some merchandise. He says he heard AEW is for everyone, and Sonny Kiss is for everyone. Kiss says he will be at Double Or Nothing. We may see him out here shaking his rear, but he will also be kicking some on May 25. Excalibur sends us back to Conrad and Alex. Marvez says Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes singled out Kiss and signed him. Conrad welcomes AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes and out he comes to a pop.
Cody takes the podium and fans chant his name. A "thank you Cody!" chant starts next. Cody jokes around some and asks, "If not us, then who? And if not now, then when?" Cody says this is starting to feel like a revolution. Fans chant for AEW now. Cody talks about how they announced the partnership with OEW in China at the Jacksonville rally last month. He then announces the new promotion with AAA in Mexico, which was first revealed on Twitter this evening. Cody says their missions stand next to each other. Cody wants to talk about tickets next. A "we want tickets!" chant starts up. Cody says fans want tickets and AEW wants to give them. He announces a pre-sale opportunity on the AEW website. They want to make sure fans have the best chances to get the best tickets for the best pro wrestling event in history. The pre-sale will begin Monday, February 11 at noon ET and general tickets will go on sale that Wednesday, February 13. Fans will receive a pre-sale access code when they sign up on the website now.
Cody then introduces AAA World Cruiserweight Champion Sammy Guevara. Guevara cuts a promo on being at the top of his game and not just one of the cruiserweights in the world, but one of the best wrestlers in the world. Some fans chant for AAA now. Guevara plugs the Double Or Nothing event in May and tells everyone to get their tickets to come see what he does best.
We go back to Conrad and Alex on the stage. Conrad introduces "Hangman" Adam Page and out he comes to a pop. Page jokes with the crowd some and mentions how he talked about wanting to be the first AEW Champion in Jacksonville. He says he was interrupted by a slimy punk, PAC, but he knows PAC won't be interrupting him tonight because this is his stage. A video message from the former Neville interrupts via satellite. PAC rips into Page and says Page just simply on his level. PAC says he's coming for Page. PAC tells Page to bring everything he's got on May 25 at Double Or Nothing. Page wants to make it official for Double Or Nothing – The Bastard vs. The Hangman. Fans cheer at his promo and start a "Hangman!" chant. Page leaves as the Excalibur confirms PAC vs. Page as the first official Double Or Nothing match.
Alex and Conrad introduce The Young Bucks, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson. They come to the podium to a pop and fans chant for them. They talk about the state of tag team wrestling these days, even apparently taking a shot at how tag team wrestling can't be seen on WWE TV. They go on about how they will bring back tag team wrestling with AEW. They ask fans if tag team wrestling can be the main event and fans pop. The Bucks then introduce a new tag team signed by AEW – The Best Friends, Beretta and Chuck Taylor. They cut promos on coming to AEW to find tag team competition and get a pop before leaving. The Bucks come back to the podium to thank everyone and plug Double Or Nothing. They go to leave but the music interrupts and out comes The Lucha Bros, Pentagon and Rey Fenix. They get a pop as they head to the podium. The Bucks and The Lucha Bros face off. Pentagon decks Matt first. Fenix takes out Nick with a superkick. Pentagon drops Matt with a package piledriver on the stage. Fans chant "holy s–t!" now. Pentagon and Fenix cut promos on being the best and they plug Double Or Nothing. The Bucks recover and look up from the ground as The Lucha Bros pose for the fans. They exit as Nick and others check on Matt.
Excalibur mentions AEW website troubles and asks everyone to be patient, noting that fans will be able to sign-up for the pre-sale through the weekend. He says they will avoid the issues from Chicago last year and everyone will get a chance at the pre-sale. Excalibur sends us back to Alex and Conrad on the stage.
Conrad mentions women's wrestling matches at Double Or Nothing. They introduce Brandi Rhodes next and out she comes. Alex notes that Brandi is working as a talent scout and the Chief Brand Officer. Brandi starts off by asking everyone to wish her big brother Jason a Happy Birthday. She also asks for a "Jason!" chant. Brandi says she made some pretty big promises in Jacksonville at the AEW rally. She says they have two Japanese women's wrestlers that she wants to highlight, who will be at Double Or Nothing. The first is an up & comer but she's a budding star in Japan and Brandi says she will be a bigger star here in the United States – Yuka Sakazaki. One fan really pops at the mention of Yuka's name. The next is someone we're familiar with – Aja Kong, the All Japan Hall of Famer and former WWE Superstar.
Moving on, Brandi says she won't be coming to Las Vegas by herself because she's bringing a friend. She introduces Kylie Rae and out she comes as the music hits. Rae trained at WWE Hall of Famer Booker T's Reality of Wrestling and held gold three times there. Rae signs a few autographs on her way to the podium. Rae jokes some with fans and thanks everyone, saying it's amazing to be a part of something like AEW. She can't wait to take the AEW women's division by storm. Brandi asks everyone to give it up for Rae again. Brandi's music starts up but she says she wasn't done yet. She says the women's division is growing so it shouldn't surprise us that she brought someone else. The music hits and out comes Nyla Rose, a 5 foot 9, 180 pound indie women's wrestler from Washington, DC. Rae offers her hand for a shake but Rose refuses and has words for her. Brandi tries to get in between them. Rae and Rose have words now. They want to fight and a "let them fight!" chant starts up. Rose steps in Rae's face and backs her up. Brandi and a member of Atlas Security separate them as fans boo.
Excalibur is on the stage now. He mentions how AEW will be big on collaborations. He also talks about how he got his start in Southern California. He praises SCU (SoCal Uncensored) and introduces them. Out comes Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky as a "SCU!" chant starts up. They get some local heat and Kazarian mentions how they like to work hard but play harder. He announces that the official Double Or Nothing after-party will be called SCU All Night, hosted by the group. No other after-party details were announced. Daniels says they're really here for this next announcement that Excalibur is going to make. He returns to the podium and brings up AEW's partnership with OEW, Oriental Entertainment Wrestling. We get a quick promo video and they introduce OWE Vice President Michael Nee, OWE CEO Dragon Fu and the legendary Cima next. They all talk about what OEW will bring to AEW, something they are very excited about. Daniels praises Cima and invites him to find two partners for a six-man match at Double Or Nothing. They shake on it and celebrate together as the music hits.
We go back to Conrad and Alex on the stage. They say one more big announcement is rumored for tonight. A "Kenny!" chant starts up. A video airs with the countdown clock on someone's phone going down. "A new challenger has emerged..." and it's Kenny Omega. The music hits at the party and out comes Omega in a suit. Fans pop and Omega signs a few autographs on his way to the podium. Omega says he didn't put pen to paper until this morning, but he's very happy and excited to announce that he is now a full-time member of the AEW roster. Fans chant for AEW now. Omega talks about how they started The Elite in 2016, to give back to the wrestling world and the fans. Omega goes on and says instead of trying to explain what "change the world" means with words, the cast of Being The Elite will finally be able to show the fans what it means with AEW.
The music interrupts Omega and out comes Chris Jericho to a pop. Jericho heads to the podium and they stare each other down. A "holy s–t!" chant starts up. Omega smacks Jericho's finger away and they tangle on the stage. SCU, Cody and others break them up. Fans chant "let them fight!" and "rematch!" now, all while Jericho's Fozzy single is still playing. Jericho is escorted to the back while yelling at Omega. Omega is wearing Jericho's hat at the podium now. A "you look good!" chant starts up. Omega says he was just about to get to the best part. He's been waiting 2 months to say his favorite line. He invites everyone to say it with him but he's having some mic issues. Omega fires his shot with the "Good night and good luck" line to end his promo. He makes his exit around the pool and poses for a few selfies with fans. Conrad and Alex plug Double Or Nothing to end this event.