Bleacher Report's AEW Staff Predictions for Double or Nothing 2020

All Elite Wrestling will hold its first fan-free pay-per-view on Saturday, and as with WWE and WrestleMania 36, this was supposed to be the company's biggest show of the year.

Double or Nothing is AEW's premier event. It was the first PPV held by the company in 2019, and this year's event will act as an unofficial one-year anniversary for the promotion.

Here is a look at the card for Double or Nothing 2020:

• Private Party vs. Best Friends (No. 1 Contender's match for the tag titles)
• Cody vs. Lance Archer (TNT Championship)
• MJF vs. Jungle Boy
• Jon Moxley vs. Brodie Lee (AEW World Championship)
• Casino Ladder match (Winner receives future world title shot)
• Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida (AEW Women's Championship)
• Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander
• The Elite vs. Inner Circle (Stadium Stampede)
• Shawn Spears vs. Dustin Rhodes

Let's see how the Bleacher Report staff members think everything will go down Saturday. Here's a look at our lineup of contributors:

• Graham "GSM" Matthews (GM) (@WrestleRant)
• Kevin Berge (KB) (@KevinBerge)
• Jeff J (JJ) (@JeffJSays)
• Erik Beaston (EB) (@ErikBeaston)
• Anthony Mango (AM) (@ToeKneeManGo)
• Donald Wood (DW) (@Donald_Wood)
• Chris Mueller (CM) (@BR_Doctor)

Private Party vs. Best Friends

Q: AEW vowed to focus a lot more on tag team wrestling than other promotions. How well do you feel the company has done building these two teams in particular?

The AEW tag team division as a whole has been really good, but recent events have hurt this division more than any other. While Best Friends have been a major focus, Private Party has been all over the place in terms of importance, often relegated to AEW Dark.

No team in AEW has the potential of Private Party. Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen gave The Young Bucks and Lucha Brothers a run for their money. Trent and Chuck Taylor have the advantage over them in the short term, though, due to their reliability in singles action and their ace in the hole, Orange Cassidy.

The Elite vs. Inner Circle

Q: Other than Chris Jericho, which star from The Inner Circle has the brightest future in AEW?

Sammy Guevara has to be the clear easy answer. The Spanish God has been incredibly consistent throughout his time in AEW. Since aligning with Jericho, he has been a weekly highlight in AEW. His work with Darby Allin has hinted at his major potential to take over the company.

Jake Hager, Santana and Ortiz each have an important role in AEW and The Inner Circle, but none of them are as young and multi-talented as Guevara.

Cody vs. Lance Archer

Q: What stipulation could AEW have added to make this match more exciting?

Given the ramp-up in intensity we saw following Jake Roberts’ actions toward Brandi Rhodes, a simple No Disqualification stip would suffice.

Given the Stadium Stampede and ladder matches already announced, overdoing stipulations would water things down, so keeping it simple is the best way to go.

The Elite vs. Inner Circle

Q: Other than Jericho, which star from The Inner Circle has the brightest future in AEW?

Guevara has been the in-ring MVP of AEW since the launch of Dynamite in October. He has been the workhorse and, more importantly, has had the opportunity to share the ring with top stars on a seemingly weekly basis.

He has been taken under Jericho’s wing. There is a reason for that. At some point soon, he is going to break out and be one of the top heels in the entire company.

Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander

Q: Baker has been connecting a lot more since she turned heel. Would losing this match derail her momentum?

Baker has been one of the best talkers in AEW for the last several months, but a loss would certainly derail her momentum.

While Statlander is a promising young superstar, Baker should be fighting for the AEW Women’s Championship in the near future, so she needs all the credibility she can build.

The Elite vs. Inner Circle

Q: Other than Jericho, which star from The Inner Circle has the brightest future in AEW?

While the spotlight is typically on Jericho, Guevara is the brightest young star in the stable.

Proud and Powerful have an immense upside too, but Guevara is only 26 years old and already an elite mic worker and incredibly talented in the ring.

As he continues to grow up in the business and surround himself with bona fide legends like Jericho, the sky is the limit.

MJF vs. Jungle Boy

Q: MJF barely ever wrestles. Does he need to perform more often to secure the spot as the top heel in AEW or does not wrestling help his character in some way?

Not wrestling as often as some others is actually more beneficial to him in the long run.

If he can be viewed as a workhorse, it would be easier to cheer him, which defeats the purpose.

The less matches he has, the less likely he'd be booked in scenarios he couldn't win, too. And the better his record, the more credible he is at face value. As long as he does the heavy lifting in his promos—which is his biggest strength—he's good.

The Elite vs. Inner Circle

Q: Other than Jericho, which star from The Inner Circle has the brightest future in AEW?

Easily Guevara. Santana and Ortiz will likely always be a tag team act, which is fine, but it won't propel them to new heights beyond just winning the tag titles. Hager is already past his prime, failed his title opportunity and has lost momentum.

Guevara, on the other hand, is already very talented both in the ring and on the mic at such a young age. Over time, he'll get to the point where he's no longer just an upper-midcard guy; he'll be a mainstay in the top echelon of the company and a world champion.

Jon Moxley vs. Brodie Lee

Q: Does Brodie Lee getting a title shot so quickly make AEW’s ranking system pointless?

I think it calls it into question a bit, but the company rectifies it somewhat with Moxley taking it personally and granting matches on his own.

With wrestling, all rules can be broken but AEW has to explain the rules better to make them legitimate within the confines of its league. MJF, for example, is 6-0 this year. How does Brodie get a title shot before him?

The Elite vs. Inner Circle

Q: Other than Jericho, which star from The Inner Circle has the brightest future in AEW? Why them?

Guevara. He has all the physical tools you could want: burgeoning charisma, solid in-ring skills and the comedic timing that few possess so early in their careers.

I can see Guevara and Darby Allin running the top of the card in two to three years.

Casino Ladder Match

Q: Which Superstar in this match would you like to see win the AEW world title first?

Allin seems like a surefire future world champion in AEW, if only because of how popular he already is and for good reason.

He's incredibly talented in the ring and thrives in that underdog role, so seeing him chase (and ultimately win) the world title would be a blast.

The Elite vs. Inner Circle

Q: Other than Jericho, which star from The Inner Circle has the brightest future in AEW?

Guevara is right up there with Allin as one to watch in AEW.

Hager is fine in his role as The Inner Circle's enforcer, and Santana and Ortiz are a terrific tag team, but Guevara has future champ written all over him and is the quintessential heel.

That said, he could make for a fun babyface at some point if he's the first to break away from the group.

Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida

Q: How well do you think AEW has booked its women’s division since it started having fan-free shows?

AEW taped several weeks' worth of content a few different times since shows were shut down, so it has had to work with a limited roster most weeks. Because of this, a few women have been heavily featured and benefited greatly from the boost in exposure.

Britt Baker has been one of the best acts in the entire company with her recent videos. The one person who seemed to be left out most weeks was Nyla Rose, though. 

The Elite vs. Inner Circle

Q: Other than Jericho, which star from The Inner Circle has the brightest future in AEW?

There is a reason every single person on this panel has chosen Guevara. He has the skill, the looks and the youth to be a huge star for AEW for years to come.

He may even get better when he eventually turns babyface, which is going to happen at some point because he is the kind of Superstar who will win over the crowd. 

All respondents' predictions will be represented by their initials next to their choices. The list was compiled before Spears vs. Rhodes was announced for the show. 

• Private Party vs. Best Friends (KB, EB, DW, AM, JJ, GM, CM)
• Cody (AM, JJ, GM, CM) vs. Archer (KB, EB, DW)
• MJF (KB, EB, DW, AM, JJ, GM) vs. Jungle Boy (CM)
• Moxley (KB, EB, DW, AM, JJ, GM, CM) vs. Lee
• Darby Allin (EB, KB, DW, GM) vs. Colt Cabana vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Rey Fenix vs. Scorpio Sky vs. Kip Sabian vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Luchasaurs vs. TBD (JJ, AM, CM)
• Rose (KB, EB, JJ) vs. Shida (DW, AM, GM, CM)
• Baker (KB, EB, DW, AM, JJ, GM, CM) vs. Statlander
• The Elite (KB, EB, DW, AM) vs. Inner Circle (JJ, GM, CM)