A high-stakes AEW International Championship clash is now locked in for Double or Nothing.
But it didn’t come together without some drama along the way.
Kazuchika Okada is officially set to defend his AEW International Championship against Konosuke Takeshita at AEW Double or Nothing on Sunday, May 24.
The seeds for this match were planted prior to AEW Dynasty, when Okada and Takeshita agreed to team up against The Young Bucks, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson, with the understanding that a future title opportunity would come out of it.
That plan quickly unraveled.
During the tag team match, Takeshita shockingly walked out on Okada, leaving him to fend for himself. The numbers disadvantage proved costly, as Okada was ultimately pinned, handing his team the loss.
Not exactly the kind of teamwork that builds trust.
On the April 16 episode of AEW Collision, Don Callis addressed the situation and suggested he could pull some strings to get Okada out of the scheduled title defense at Double or Nothing, citing Takeshita’s betrayal at Dynasty.
Okada wasn’t having it.
The champion pushed back on the idea, making it clear he still wanted the match. He emphasized his status as a fighting champion and took a shot at Takeshita in the process, pointing out that unlike his would-be challenger, he’s the one holding gold.
Later in the show, the match was made official, setting the stage for a heated championship showdown at one of AEW’s biggest events of the year.
