Double or Nothing 2019

Lore & Background

The name Double or Nothing was originally referenced in a promo that Cody Rhodes made immediately after the September 2018 All In event, which was an independently produced PPV that came as a result of a bet with wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer. Rhodes, a key figure behind the original All In who would become a co-founder and wrestler for AEW from 2019 to 2022, said "I know when you make a bet, sometimes you go double or nothing"—AEW was then founded in January 2019 with Double or Nothing as its first event that May.

The name is also a reference to its gambling theme, as the event was traditionally held at arenas on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada until 2025. The exceptions to this during this time were the 2020 and 2021 events, which were originally scheduled for Vegas but had to be held at Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida due to the COVID-19 pandemic—after Florida loosened its COVID-19 protocols, the 2021 event was AEW's first PPV to have a full capacity crowd, as well as the final PPV held at Daily's Place before AEW resumed live touring in July that year.

The 2025 event was the first non-pandemic era Double or Nothing to be held outside of Vegas, as it was held at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, but still maintained a gambling theme due to the venue's connection to Desert Diamond Casinos. The 2026 event was the first to not be held in a town or venue associated with casinos as it was held at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York, which was AEW's first PPV in New York.

Reader's Guide

Since the 2020 event, Double or Nothing has featured a specialized tornado tag team match between two multi-man teams as one of its marquee matches, oftentimes the main event. For 2020 and 2021, this was the Stadium Stampede match. To capitalize on the rise of cinematic matches during the pandemic, both year's events were headlined by Stadium Stampede, which was contested in both Daily's Place and the adjacent TIAA Bank Field. With the return to touring as well as events being held in arenas instead of stadiums, Stadium Stampede was replaced by Anarchy in the Arena in 2022, with the wrestlers fighting all throughout the host arenas. Stadium Stampede returned in 2026, as the event took place in a tennis stadium.