Who Could Make A Surprise Appearance At AEW Double or Nothing?

The Young Bucks have been heavily teasing some huge surprises for AEW’s upcoming debut event – Double or Nothing. With a television deal now confirmed by TNT, AEW need to defy expectations in their first major show. What better way to do that by going above and beyond to secure a huge surprise appearance.

Fans are ready to fall in love with the brand, having some massive surprises on the card to send shock-waves through the industry and would go a long way in establishing them as WWE’s newest competitor. But who could fit the bill? Let’s take a look through some potential surprise appearances.

 

1. CM Punk

Naturally the first name that comes to mind whenever considering surprise appearances at a wrestling show is CM Punk. Punk, who begrudgingly left the wrestling world to pursue a career in MMA, has been a hot commodity that Cody has been trying to lock down since the All In pay-per-view. Punk’s ties to the independent circuit and his bitter attitude towards all things WWE make him an ideal candidate for the AEW roster.

Bringing him in for Double or Nothing could put their product on the map in an instant. Fans from all corners of the industry would tune in to TNT to find out what Punk is going to say and do next.

Might we finally see the ‘Best in the World’ step back into the squared circle at Double or Nothing? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. But if I were a gambling man, then I’d be putting my money on a stunned silence followed by the familiar sound of static, and a roaring rendition of Cult of Personality.

 

2. Jon Moxley

Another former WWE mainstay returning to the independent scene, Jon Moxley teased the return of his former character after officially leaving WWE last month. At this point, wherever Moxley decides to show up is going to reap the benefits of a lot of new eyes on their product, so it would be a very smart move for Cody and the Bucks to do their best to sign the Lunatic onto their show.

Much like CM Punk, fans are very intrigued to see what exactly Moxley has to say about WWE and how he’s going to adapt to a new landscape on the indie scene. Naturally he’s going to make a perfect main-event star for whatever brand he ends up on.

There are loads of potential dream matches to finally take place should Moxley sign on with All Elite Wrestling. Having the likes of Jimmy Havoc on the same brand as Jon Moxley would ensure that the new brand drifts as far away from the boundaries of PG as possible. Just what TNT asked for.

 

3. Dolph Ziggler

The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler has seemingly stepped away from the ring to focus on his comedy career. Ziggler was given little to no fanfare after concluding his feud with Drew McIntyre, so there’s no confirmation that he’s left the company, or whether he’s being allowed to count down the last few months of his contract before eventually being released. Either way, I think it’s time for Ziggler to find a new playground to wrestle in.

Ziggler is one of the most naturally gifted athletes in WWE, and possibly one of the best technical wrestlers in the industry today. Seeing him be allowed to compete in marathons against other up-and-coming stars as part of All Elite Wrestling would be an absolute dream.

I’d liken Ziggler making a surprise appearance at Double or Nothing to the ground-breaking appearance by Lex Luger on the first episode of WCW Nitro. Turner is no stranger to pushing his wrestling programmes as competition to McMahon’s WWE. Taking one of his biggest merch pushers and showcasing him on their debut event would be a huge move towards a new Tuesday Night War.

 

4. Road Dogg

Road Dogg recently walked away from his backstage position in WWE. Rumours suggest that his patience has worn too thin, and seeks solace elsewhere in the wrestling world. With his former New Age Outlaw running buddy signed on to the AEW roster, why wouldn’t he look there for greener pastures?

Hopefully AEW won’t rely too much on former WWE talent to act as their draws — after all, Turner should have learnt his lesson from the fall of WCW. Using a reunited New Age Outlaws to bolster their first few cards would probably go a long way in putting over a newer tag team, but ultimately I think both Gunn and Road Dogg should transition into a backstage role along with Jerry Lynn and other experienced wrestlers.

Either way, I think the two men would thrive in a more mature environment. There’s still some love for the rebellious duo, but let’s not think about putting any more tag titles on them.

 

5. Tye Dillinger

The Perfect 10 has been booking himself on almost every independent show going since leaving WWE. It’s a shame that they couldn’t exploit his popularity any more than they did on SmackDown Live. His gimmick became so organically over with the crowd that he could have broken out of the undercard and easily into the role of a mid-card champion. Unfortunately for Tye, opportunities were few and far between.

Should Dillinger, who now goes by Shawn Spears, make the jump to AEW for a surprise appearance at Double or Nothing, then I see him rekindling much of what he left behind in WWE and NXT. Spears is young enough to make a go of having a successful independent careers, perhaps going all the way as part of the budding brand, AEW.

Spears is fairly close with Cody Rhodes outside of the ring, so it wouldn’t shock me if there have at least been talks of him coming to work on his pet project. Could he match up to some of the other names of this list as a huge surprise? I’ll let you be the judge.

Who would make for your biggest surprise at Double or Nothing? Who would you want to see make the jump to AEW? Let us know in the comments below.