All Elite Wrestling casino matches


As part of a general theme, the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling utilises various casino-themed matches: the Casino Battle Royale, a 21-man rumble-rules battle royal; the Casino Ladder Match, a nine-man ladder match where the prize – a large poker chip suspended above the ring – signifies a future AEW World Championship opportunity; and the Casino Gauntlet match, a gauntlet match where entrants gradually fill the ring and the first participant to score a pinfall or submission wins the gauntlet.

History

The first Casino Battle Royale occurred during the pre-show of AEW's inaugural event, Double or Nothing in May 2019, and was a men's match. The winner of this first match was entered into the match to determine the inaugural holder of the AEW World Championship at All Out in August of that year. The second Casino Battle Royale was a women's match and was held during the pre-show of the All Out event mentioned above. Like the first, the winner of this second iteration was entered into the match to determine the inaugural holder of the AEW Women's World Championship on the debut episode of AEW's weekly television show, Dynamite. Further Casino Battle Royales took place at All Out in 2020, Double or Nothing in 2021, and on Dynamite in 2022 for men, and at All Out in 2021 for women. A tag team variation of the match, called the Casino Tag Team Royale, was first utilized at Revolution in March 2021, where the prize was AEW World Tag Team Championship match – and on the episodes of Dynamite immediately preceding the Revolution pay-per-view in 2022 and 2023. In December 2022, a version for three-man teams was established called the Casino Trios Royale, where the winning team would split $300,000. The Battle Royale was supplemented by the Casino Ladder match – a ladder match in which the prize, a large poker chip, is suspended above the ring – in 2020, and by the Casino Gauntlet match – a modified gauntlet match – in 2024.

Rules

Casino Battle Royale

The Casino Battle Royale is a modified rumble rules battle royal that features 21 entrants. It begins with a group of five wrestlers, and every three minutes, another group of five wrestlers enters, while the 21st and final entrant enters alone. The wrestlers are grouped based on the suit they drew from a deck of cards—spades, diamonds, clubs, or hearts—and the order of when each group enters is based on a random draw of the cards. The 21st and final entrant is the wrestler who drew the joker. The winner receives a world championship match of their respective gender's division—either the AEW World Championship or the AEW Women's World Championship.
For tag teams and trios, rumble rules are also implemented, but participating teams are not grouped by card suit; instead, one new team enters every 90 seconds. Individual eliminations occur when a wrestler has gone over the top rope and both feet hit the floor; a team is eliminated when both members of the team have been ruled out of the match. The match ends when one wrestler or team is left.

Casino Ladder match

The Casino Ladder match is a modified ladder match where the prize, a large poker chip suspended above the ring, signifies an AEW World Championship opportunity. The match has nine entrants: two participants start the match in the ring, and an additional wrestler enters the match every ninety seconds. The poker chip above the ring may be retrieved at any point during the match, even if not all entrants have participated. The first ladder match took place at Double or Nothing in 2020 and was won by the debuting Brian Cage. Further Casino Ladder matches took place on the 2021 anniversary episode of Dynamite, which was won by "Hangman" Adam Page, and at All Out in 2022, which was won by MJF.

Casino Gauntlet match

The Casino Gauntlet match is a modified gauntlet match. Featuring a maximum of 21 participants, the match starts with two wrestlers in the ring and new entrants enter at randomly-timed intervals. The match may end at any time by pinfall or submission, even if not all 21 participants have taken part in the match. The first Casino Gauntlet match, on the April 24, 2024 episode of Dynamite, was won by Will Ospreay, who earned an International Championship match at Double or Nothing; the prize for subsequent matches has typically been a world championship opportunity in the division. Before Forbidden Door in 2025, open-ended contracts could be executed at any time at the holder's discretion, not dissimilar to the rules of WWE's Money in the Bank concept; after that show, AEW president Tony Khan announced that any future matches guaranteed by the contract would require one week of advance notice.

Winners

Casino Battle Royale

#EventDateWinnerPrizeDrawRef
1All OutAugust 31, 2019Nyla RoseInaugural Women's World Championship match on the Dynamite debut episodeClubs
2All OutSeptember 5, 2021Ruby SohoWomen's World Championship match at Grand SlamJoker

#EventDateWinnerPrizeDrawRef
1Rampage: Holiday BashDecember 23, 2022AR Fox and Top Flight $300,0008

Casino Gauntlet match

#EventDateWinnerPrizeDrawRef
1Dynamite: Maximum CarnageJanuary 15, 2025"Timeless" Toni StormWomen's World Championship match at Grand Slam Australia6
2All InJuly 12, 2025AthenaWomen's World Championship match contract9

Championship opportunities

WinnerEventDateChampionship match
"Hangman" Adam PageAll OutAugust 31, 2019Lost to Chris Jericho for the inaugural AEW World Championship
Nyla RoseDynamite debut episodeOctober 2, 2019Lost to Riho for the inaugural AEW Women's World Championship
Brian CageFight for the FallenJuly 15, 2020Lost to Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship
Lance ArcherDynamite: AnniversaryOctober 14, 2020Lost to Jon Moxley in a No Disqualification match for the AEW World Championship
Death Triangle DynamiteApril 14, 2021Lost to The Young Bucks for the AEW World Tag Team Championship
Jungle BoyDynamiteJune 26, 2021Lost to Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship
Ruby SohoDynamite: Grand SlamSeptember 22, 2021Lost to Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. for the AEW Women's World Championship
"Hangman" Adam PageFull GearNovember 13, 2021Defeated Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship
The Young Bucks RevolutionMarch 6, 2022Lost to Jurassic Express for the AEW World Tag Team Championship. This was a three-way match also involving reDRagon.
Kyle O'ReillyDynamiteJune 8, 2022Lost to Jon Moxley in the AEW Interim World Championship Eliminator Series. Moxley subsequently defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi for the AEW Interim World Championship at Forbidden Door.
MJFFull GearNovember 19, 2022Defeated Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship
Danhausen and Orange CassidyRevolutionMarch 5, 2023Lost to The Gunns for the AEW World Tag Team Championship. This was a four-way match also involving The Acclaimed and Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.
Will OspreayDouble or NothingMay 26, 2024Defeated Roderick Strong for the AEW International Championship
Will OspreayForbidden DoorJune 30, 2024Lost to Swerve Strickland for the AEW World Championship
Kyle Fletcher and Will OspreayDynamite: Grand SlamSeptember 25, 2024Lost to The Young Bucks for the AEW World Tag Team Championship
Powerhouse HobbsDynamite: Maximum CarnageJanuary 15, 2025Lost to Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship
"Timeless" Toni StormGrand Slam AustraliaFebruary 15, 2025Defeated Mariah May for the AEW Women's World Championship
Christian CageRevolutionMarch 9, 2025Lost to Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship. This was originally a singles match between Moxley and Cope, but Cage executed his contract during the match to convert it into a three-way match.
19AthenaForbidden DoorAugust 24, 2025Lost to "Timeless" Toni Storm for the AEW Women's World Championship
20MJFWorlds EndDecember 27, 2025MJF originally executed his contract to guarantee a match at Forbidden Door against then-champion "Hangman" Adam Page, but later forced Page to give him a match without needing to execute the contract. Later won the AEW World Championship by defeating previous champion Samoa Joe, Swerve Strickland, and "Hangman" Adam Page in a four-way match.