Jim Ross previewed Darby Allin vs MJF for the AEW World Championship as the Double or Nothing main event, and praised AEW’s current creative direction with Darby on the latest episode of Grilling JR.
The match was set up over the most recent AEW Dynamite, with Ross calling the show as it aired. Asked by Conrad Thompson what he made of the Darby and MJF interaction, Ross said AEW’s investment in Darby is paying off and that nothing on AEW television is more important right now.
“I like it. I like what AEW is doing with Darby. They’re getting some momentum. He provides hope in his little undersized body. He’s very resourceful. He sells great. So I’m very pleased with where AEW Tony Khan are heading with Darby Allin. He’s a player, and people cheer for the underdog, and whether he’s a champion or he isn’t, he’s the underdog. Just look at the scales.”
He doubled down on the booking direction a moment later.
“AEW’s TVs lately have been very good. And what they’re doing with Darby, they’re not doing anything more important on their television than featuring Darby Allin and letting us support him and get behind him and all that stuff. So he’s very resilient. And I like how his approach a lot. So we’ll see how that materializes over the next few weeks. I plan on being in New York in a couple of weeks. And I’m excited about this card. It’s loaded, man. It’s got some good shit on it.”
The Double or Nothing card has filled out since. Ross also previewed Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi as another match he expects to deliver, and said the storyline weight that comes with two Japanese top-of-the-card names facing off in New York is significant.
“I think Okada and his adversary, his fellow Japanese star, are going to put a match out there that people are not going to soon forget. Just no doubt in my mind. And you can only imagine the uproar it’s causing and will cause in Japan as two of their homegrown favorite sons step in the ring against each other in what should be a phenomenal matchup.”
The Stadium Stampede match is also back on the card. Ross said laying out a multi-team match like that is on the difficulty curve for the broadcast team, with Chris Jericho’s return being the wildcard.
“Those matches are hard to lay out because you got so many moving parts. So I don’t know who’s going to be the captain of their teams and be the point man, because it’s gotta run through somebody. It’s kind of like a basketball game. You got a point guard that keeps the ball moving. Jericho, obviously, will be representing. I’m just talking off the top of my head that he will play a major role in the leadership of his team. Jericho is a veteran. He’s been around a long time. He’s just coming back. He’s going to want to make a good returning impression.”
The FTR vs Edge & Christian I Quit match for the AEW World Tag Team Titles, with retirement on the line for Adam Copeland and Christian Cage as a team if they lose, is also on the show. Ross said he never doubted Edge and Christian as a tag team when he signed them.
“I saw enough of them together to make a determination that if chosen to go that route, that they could be an outstanding tag team. Now I was lucky on that one, because that came true. They’re a great team, and they’ve had some tremendous matches. They elevated the tag team division immensely. But now they’re in a different chapter of the book, and I can’t see those guys having that many more matches, tag matches or otherwise.”
Double or Nothing takes place May 25 at Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York.
If you use quotes from this article, please credit Grilling JR and include a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
