WWE SNME and AEW Double or Nothing 2026 preview, predictions: 5 big questions about a busy wrestling weekend

Posted on by GoalVerseNews

This holiday weekend will be an absolute doozy for wrestling fans, with WWE running its latest Saturday Night’s Main Event and AEW holding one of its annual staples, Double or Nothing.

With so much going on, the Uncrowned Horsemen — Kel Dansby, Robert Jackman, Drake Riggs and Anthony Sulla-Heffinger — are here to answer burning questions and offer predictions for the two cards.

Let’s ride!

1. The story surrounding Darby Allin’s AEW title run seems to be pretty straightforward — he’s running himself into the ground. Grade his reign so far and do you think it comes to an end on Sunday night?

Sulla-Heffinger: I don’t know how you could conceivably go anything lower than an “A.” Allin hasn’t just been a fighting champion, he’s putting himself firmly in the discussion to win Uncrowned’s Men’s Wrestler of the Year with the string of matches he has had since winning the championship in April.

That said, I do think MJF walks out of New York as the AEW World Champion. As good as Allin’s been, the narrative here protects him in a loss to MJF. As admirable as it is that Allin has taken on any and all challengers, it lends itself to a defeat being a learning experience for him.

It’s an interesting parallel to what WWE is doing with Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu in terms of someone not being ready to be a top champion. Both companies are telling similar stories in different ways.

Riggs: It’s been a wildly comfortable “A.” To steal the words of Sheamus, the guy is putting on banger after banger after banger, and fitting the work-rate champion role to a tee in the only unique way he can.

Have I agreed with some of the things he’s survived in matches to remain on top? Not entirely. But Allin always delivers insanity, which you can’t look away from. He really does remind me of a smaller AEW equivalent to prime Jeff Hardy, who I’ve mentioned numerous times is my all-time favorite. So the parallels are clear, and I love it.

With all that said, I doubt he beats MJF again, mostly because of the hair stipulation. They’ll put on an instant classic, matching everything Darby has done since he won the title. But this match feels like a better way to extend this feud further for a greater crescendo point down the road. A Darby win would be a colossal boost on top of this already great run and propel him to a pretty concrete position atop the company; for the sake of the story, though, MJF winning for a revisit down the line feels like the right move.

Darby Allin hasn’t slowed down one bit as champion. (Ricky Havlik, AEW)

Jackman: Drake quoted old Sheamus on this one, but I’m going to stretch back further in time and quote Mr. Sinatra. When I look at Darby Allin’s time at the top, the thing that stands out is just his unabashed commitment to doing things his way. I mean, has there ever been another world champion who would have attempted that brutal table bump at Fairway to Hell.

I appreciate not everyone will be so enthusiastic about Darby’s style — though even if you’re not so into the daredevil stuff, I think there’s cause to welcome him being world champion. One of the weaknesses of AEW has been its inability to turn its homegrown stars (i.e. the non-WWE castoffs) into world champions. It’s good to see the guy who literally put the AEW flag on Mount Everest getting his time in the spotlight.

As to whether Darby’s run ends this weekend, I’m happy either way. Tony Khan has done a great job of booking the world title scene since the dethroning of Jon Moxley and I’m confident he can keep that going whichever way this one finishes.

Dansby: Darby’s reign has been a strong B+ for me so far. The idea of an undersized champion surviving purely through heart, recklessness and sheer refusal to quit is a great story for AEW. It’s very Darby Allin, and fans naturally buy into him as an underdog fighting champion.

That said, I don’t think the reign survives Double or Nothing.

We’ve already seen MJF with short hair before, so the “hair vs. title” element doesn’t feel nearly as shocking as it might on paper. More importantly, though, the next wave of challengers feels very babyface-heavy, and AEW needs a top heel holding down the championship heading into the summer.

Darby winning the title was the emotional payoff. MJF taking it back and crushing that dream is the next chapter. Everyone knows the endgame is probably Will Ospreay winning the title at Wembley, and MJF feels like the perfect villain for him to finally dethrone.

Riggs: The obvious answer feels like Mercedes Mone, purely based on name value and her absence after dropping all the belts. Perhaps it gets kick-started this weekend, but for some reason, I’m just not quite sold yet. There appears to be unfinished business between Thekla and Kris Statlander, but that feud feels like it should get more room to breathe.

So, I’ll throw somewhat of a curveball, but the answer should be Athena. Let’s really strap the rocket to her, and eventually circle back to Mone once Athena is the world champion. There’s history between those two, unlike Thekla and Mone. That would be the magic-maker move long-term — as much as I love Thekla.

Sulla-Heffinger: I agree wholeheartedly with Drake: I think there’s unfinished business between Thekla and Kris Statlander. Statlander won the championship last year in a four-way, so it could be cool to build this up as her specialty match and have her win again.

So, assuming Statlander wins, we should get at least her and Thekla in a program to carry us to All In. The reason I said “at least” is because I can’t see Mercedes Moné not coming back before that event in England. Shoot, I can’t see them leaving Double or Nothing without “The CEO” making an appearance.

Thekla vs. Moné vs. Statlander is almost as big as it gets on the women’s side for All In.

Dansby: Is it weird that none of the obvious options really excite me?

Honestly, Thekla should win — and the real story should be the return of Mercedes Moné. The most interesting direction for Mercedes now is losing the collection of championships she’s built up and coming back to AEW humbled for the first time in years.

There’s real value in turning her into a sympathetic babyface instead of leaning into the untouchable star presentation forever. A focused Mercedes chasing Thekla throughout the second half of 2026 feels fresher than most of the current options in the division.

Jackman: As the resident Brit among the four of us, surely this has to be the set up for Thekla having a one-on-one title match with Jamie Hayter at Wembley later this year? I know hometown pops are a bit of cliche, but there’s a reason for that: They tend to work. And Hayter’s whole Carnby Street vibe is just perfect for the occasion.

Jackman: The lack of title defenses is definitely an issue. I wrote a column a few months back looking at some of the particularly egregious gaps we’d seen between title defenses. At one point, Jade Cargill was pushing three months without a single defense of her Women’s World Championship. Obviously, neither Morgan or Ripley are close to that, but every day counts.

The absence of these world title matches also raises wider questions as to what on earth the purpose of SNME is these days. If you exclude the John Cena special event in December, there’s been a massive drop-off in interest in these events. The fact that this one is being scheduled one week before an actual PLE — and without a single major title on the line — isn’t going to help that one bit.

Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan both still have WWE Championships, in case you’d forgotten.
WWE via Getty Images

Riggs: I wouldn’t say any of this is an “issue,” per se. The real issue is them recycling their ‘Mania feuds and/or not having a current feud whatsoever — and before Morgan lost her feud, it was going to be the former! I shout about WWE’s creative bankruptcy very regularly, but the women’s world title picture highlights that more than anything else in the company, and it’s not even close. WWE has no idea whatsoever how to book two made stars, Ripley and Morgan, as champions, which is insane, not only because of their talent but also because of the overall talent around them. Even after the addition of Fatal Influence to the main roster, WWE immediately swerved away from that fresh option (for now) and went back to Jade Cargill for Ripley. It’s just maddening.

Meanwhile, Morgan has been nothing more than a manager with a title since Stephanie Vaquer’s injury. I will say their revisit is more acceptable, since the pair was done dirty with only seven minutes at WrestleMania. Nonetheless, it’s insane to see how, essentially right after the last Evolution PLE, the women’s booking has fallen entirely off a cliff.

Sulla-Heffinger: Absolutely it’s an issue. Ripley and Morgan are two of the biggest names in WWE and your top champions on the women’s side, yet it’s likely we won’t see them defend their championships for nearly two months after winning them.

I understand Stephanie Vaquer’s injury threw a wrench into the “Raw” title picture, but Iyo Sky or Bayley or even Sol Ruca are all right there. Even if it’s a filler feud, it still keeps the championship prominent.

It’s not exactly the same situation on “SmackDown,” since it seems like we will get another Ripley match against Jade Cargill, but after Fatal Influence’s call-up, even that feels a little flat. If you’re going to simply run it back, why not at Backlash or SNME?

Even if we get one of these titles defended at Clash in Italy next weekend, it’s either going to be a rushed feud (“Raw”) or a little too drawn out (“SmackDown”).

Dansby: The women’s title scene was messy before WrestleMania, and honestly, it still feels messy now.

Part of me is glad WWE didn’t just force a rematch onto the Saturday Night’s Main Event card for the sake of getting the championships featured. At the same time, these divisions desperately need meaningful stories heading into Night of Champions and SummerSlam.

Right now, both title scenes feel like they’re stalling instead of building momentum, which is dangerous this time of year.

Dansby: Honestly, it’s the most fun match type in wrestling right now.

The Royal Rumble used to own that spot for me, but WWE’s bloated roster and increasingly predictable surprise entrants have taken away some of the magic. Add in the constant celebrity and influencer involvement under TKO, and it doesn’t feel as special anymore.

Stadium Stampede, on the other hand, almost always delivers chaos in the best possible way. I’ve been in the crowd for several of them live, and they never disappoint. It feels like AEW fully embracing what makes the company different.

Riggs: It’s right up there as an all-timer. Last year’s Anarchy in the Arena was a big part of why Double or Nothing 2025 was arguably the most fun pro-wrestling event I’ve ever watched. My worry, however, is always the same: They’re going to run out of ideas. How do they possibly top the last one?

I feel that way every single time. Yet, AEW never ceases to find new ways to innovate in these bonkers brawls. They’ve well earned the trust to believe in these matches delivering, so more often than not, it’s about sitting back and enjoying the ride because you know it’ll be one you won’t soon forget.

Jackman: I think it definitely has its place in history. The idea of doing an over-the-top cinematic match to make up for the lack of fans during Covid wasn’t exclusively an AEW thing, but they definitely did it with gusto. As much as I liked WWE’s boneyard match, the old Stadium Stampedes have a stronger claim to being part of modern pro-wrestling history.

Again, they’re not for everyone, but can’t you say that about just about anything that happens in AEW?

Sulla-Heffinger: It’s AEW’s top specialty match and top five across all of wrestling. Putting them in no particular order:

  • Stadium Stampede/Anarchy in the Arena

  • Royal Rumble

  • Money in the Bank

  • WarGames

  • TLC

Jackman: I think you’ve framed the question perfectly there, in terms of the smart money being on Double or Nothing having the stronger matches. At this point that’s basically the presumption when you have these WWE vs. AEW weekends.

That said, I think there’s a case to be made for Ethan Page vs. Penta, a match that pits two of WWE’s most promising mid-carders against each other. Provided it gets enough time to breathe, it should be a banger. In fact, it might be a rare example of a match that will actually benefit from being on a SNME show.

Dansby: When was the last time a WWE match genuinely topped an AEW match on a head-to-head weekend? I honestly can’t think of one, so I’m not expecting that to change here.

Okada vs. Takeshita feels like the clear answer to the first part of the question. AEW has quietly been building toward this match for nearly a year, and it has all the ingredients of a true passing-of-the-torch moment between two of the best Japanese wrestlers in the world.

It feels like the moment Takeshita finally beats “The Rainmaker,” and if they’re given the proper time, this absolutely has five-star potential written all over it.

Sulla-Heffinger: With all due respect to the athletes on the WWE card, the run AEW has been on with its pay-per-views has been arguably the best ever. It will be impossibly hard for SNME to top Double or Nothing.

There are a bunch of contenders for match of the weekend. Swerve Strickland vs. Bandido will be a bell-to-bell masterpiece, Stadium Stampede will be chaotic and violent, and FTR vs. Cage and Cope will have incredible storytelling, but one match is likely to combine all three of those:

Darby Allin vs. MJF.

Two pillars of AEW with a shared history, battling for AEW’s top prize. It’s going to be an instant classic.

Riggs: Let’s not kid ourselves — a SNME breakthrough is wildly generous to even ask about, despite my intrigue in Penta vs. Page. AEW has three guaranteed thrillers on tap, and I struggle to rank them for this answer, but they are Allin vs. MJF, Okada vs. Takeshita and Swerve vs. Bandido. That’s just in terms of pure potential for certified classics. And Will Ospreay vs. Samoa Joe is on the card too, mind you.

I just don’t see how Allin vs. MJF isn’t a complete rollercoaster of wrestling brilliance within the story these two have told over the years. MJF doesn’t miss as the main event — or typically ever — and Allin continues to shift into another gear with every title match. But I’ll also coin-flip it between Okada and Takeshita, just because the latter has been white-hot, and obviously, these two are set to really blow the roof off the place, whether or not this is the conclusion of their feud.

  • Intercontinental Championship: Penta (Dansby) vs. Ethan Page (Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger)

  • Women’s Tag Team Championship: Paige and Brie Bella (Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger) vs. The Irresistible Forces (Dansby)

  • World Tag Team Championship: The Vision (Jackman) vs. The Street Profits (Dansby, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger)

  • Becky Lynch vs. Sol Ruca (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger)

  • Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss (Dansby, Riggs) vs. Jade Cargill, Michin and B-Fab (Jackman, Sulla-Heffinger)

  • AEW World Championship, Title vs. Hair match: Darby Allin vs. MJF (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger)

  • AEW Women’s Championship: Thekla (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs) vs. Hikaru Shida vs. Kris Statlander (Sulla-Heffinger) vs. Jamie Hayter

  • AEW World Tag Team Championship, I Quit match: FTR vs. Cage and Cope (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger)

  • AEW International Championship: Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger)

  • Stadium Stampede: The Elite, The Hurt Syndicate and Chris Jericho (Dansby, Jackman, Sulla-Heffinger) vs. The Demand, The Dogs and The Don Callis Family (Riggs)

  • Willow Nightingale (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger) vs. Alex Windsor

  • Will Ospreay (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger) vs. Samoa Joe

  • Swerve Strickland (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger) vs. Bandido

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *