AEW Double or Nothing is already looking like a huge success before the pay-per-view even begins tonight.
During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed that advance pay-per-view buys for Double or Nothing are performing far stronger than normal for an AEW event heading into show day.
“The pay-per-view buys ahead of time, as of yesterday afternoon, were way above normal.”
Meltzer added that he expects the event to end up drawing a very strong final number once all the last-minute purchases come in.
“I expect a pretty big one.”
According to Meltzer, the biggest driver behind the sudden jump appears to be the Title vs. Hair Match between AEW World Champion Darby Allin and MJF. He explained that secondary-market ticket prices exploded after the hair stipulation was announced.
“The secondary market tripled from the announcement of the hair match.”
Meltzer also noted that while the event was already on pace to sell out before the stipulation was added, the added stakes dramatically increased demand.
“They would not have sold out so quickly without it, but the stipulation absolutely worked, especially on the secondary market.”
As of Friday, Double or Nothing was officially sold out with 14,028 tickets distributed and the live gate approaching $1.5 million. Meltzer stated that total would make the event the second-biggest non-WWE gate in United States pro wrestling history.
AEW Double or Nothing takes place tonight from Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York. The card is headlined by Darby Allin defending the AEW World Championship against MJF in the Title vs. Hair Match, alongside major matches featuring Thekla, Kazuchika Okada, Jon Moxley, FTR, Adam Copeland, Christian Cage, Will Ospreay, Samoa Joe and more.
Between the sellout crowd, huge secondary-market demand and strong advance pay-per-view numbers, AEW appears to be heading into one of its biggest nights of the entire year.
Do you think the Title vs. Hair stipulation is the main reason business jumped so much for Double or Nothing, or would the show have exploded either way? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.