The Casino-Themed All Elite Wrestling Nights
Since its founding back in 2019, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has blended traditional pro-wrestling with new match formats to improve the spectacle. Among its most inventive ideas are the casino-themed matches: the Casino Battle Royale, Casino Ladder Match, Casino Gauntlet, and their tag and trios variants. These matches borrow from gambling motifs to inject unpredictability into every night, giving wrestlers a chance at title shots, surprising returns, and iconic moments.
Evolution and Rules
The first of these casino matches was the Casino Battle Royale, introduced at Double or Nothing in May 2019. It was a men’s match, and its winner secured a spot in the match for the first AEW World Championship. Shortly afterwards, the women’s version followed, awarding a shot at the newly AEW Women’s World Championship.
The Casino Battle Royale works under modified rumble rules. There are 21 entrants; wrestlers are grouped by suits, they draw from a deck of cards, similar to the ones we can see in Grizzly’s Quest casino games, and each group enters the ring at intervals of about three minutes. The final entrant, who drew a joker, enters alone as the 21st. Eliminations happen over the top rope, with both feet touching the floor. Tag team and trios versions follow similar entry timings.
Then came the Casino Ladder Match, first held at Double or Nothing 2020. Here, there are nine competitors: two start in the ring and every ninety seconds another wrestler enters. The prize is a large poker chip suspended above the ring, and grabbing it grants a championship opportunity. The chip can be retrieved at any time, even before all entrants have entered.
Last year, AEW rolled out the last of their new formats: Casino Gauntlet Match, a hybrid of gauntlet, rumble-entry, and contract stipulations. 21 participants can enter at randomly timed intervals. The key difference is that the match can end at any time, either by pinfall or submission. The winner receives a contract for a future championship match.
Recent Developments, Rule Adjustments, and Story Implications
As AEW is making huge changes to regular matches in these special events, they’ve been trying to refine the new formats, some in response to fan feedback, others to preserve drama and fairness.
One especially notable recent change involves the Casino Gauntlet. Previously, the contract won in a Casino Gauntlet could be “cashed in” at any moment, often used for surprise title matches. However, in August 2025, AEW’s President Tony Khan announced that winners will now have to give at least one week’s notice before executing their guaranteed championship match. This move is intended to allow proper promotion and build hype around the match, to protect the integrity of title matches, and to distinguish AEW from WWE’s Money in the Bank style surprises.
Winners of these matches have had significant career implications. Thanks to these events, wrestlers who might not yet be established enough in a main-title program get large platforms. Brian Cage is one of those who benefited from them, as his victory in the Ladder Match in 2020 helped him elevate his standing. MJF’s win in 2022 also solidified his trajectory toward becoming a central figure for the organization.
