By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW All Out Hits
Hangman Page vs. TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher for the AEW World Championship: A hell of a match that accomplished the goal of elevating Fletcher, who really made the most of the opportunity. Page deserves a ton of credit for giving up so much offense to help make Fletcher shine. Bryan Danielson also earned an assist on commentary by putting over Fletcher’s early match domination, his in-ring technique, and the poise he showed as a 26-year-old headlining his first pay-per-view. The tough part now is to sell Dynamite viewers who didn’t see the pay-per-view on how great Fletcher looked despite losing, while also trying to convince them that he is a rising star and a future world champion.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mascara Dorada in a three-way for the AEW Unified Championship: The big thing working against this match was predictability. It felt obvious that Dorada was there to take the loss, so they could continue the build toward an Okada vs. Takeshita singles showdown match. But Dorada came through with an outstanding performance that made him feel like he truly belonged in the match.
Adam Copeland and Christian Cage vs. “FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler: They opened the show with a hot tag match. Unfortunately, the finish was clunky, but that wasn’t enough to ruin the overall match. Beth Copeland’s first appearance in AEW looked like it was going to be a nice moment, but it turned out to be a big heat angle, with FTR giving her a spike piledriver. I thought this might be a one-and-done situation when Copeland and Cage went over clean, but now it feels like these teams are just getting started. Furthermore, the post-match angle also put some heat on Nick Wayne and Kip Sabian.
“Brodido” Brody King and Bandido vs. “The Young Bucks” Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson vs. “JetSpeed” Kevin Knight and Mike Bailey vs. Josh Alexander and Hechicero in a four-way ladder match for the AEW Tag Team Titles: A wild ladder match with some insane spots and bumps. King and Bandido continue to feel like vulnerable champions who could lose at any time, which makes their title defenses compelling. Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus reuniting after the match as Jurassic Express was fun. AEW also appears to be putting The Acclaimed back together. Is Tony Khan on a nostalgia kick, or is there another storyline reason for the company featuring so many tag teams?
Toni Storm vs. Kris Statlander vs. Jamie Hayter vs. Thekla in a four-way match for the AEW Women’s Championship: Storm foreshadowed her loss during her go-home week promo. It was hard to tell at the time whether she was going to lose or if it was merely an attempt to sell viewers on the possibility that she might lose, but it was effective either way. Storm beat the powerhouse Megan Bayne, TBS Champion Mercedes Mone, and ROH Champion Athena. There wasn’t much left for her to do as AEW Women’s Champion, so the title change came at the right time. Only time will tell whether Statlander is the right choice as the new champion, and I think a lot of that hinges on whether she joins the Death Riders or remains a babyface. Her last run as a babyface champion was underwhelming. It doesn’t feel like much has changed since then, so it will be interesting to see which direction her character goes in.
Mark Briscoe vs. MJF in a Thumbtacks N’ Tables match:. I’m numb to thumbtacks in pro wrestling, but the wrestlers did a good job of building to the first big bump on the tacks. MJF did right by Briscoe and their story by putting him over clean. I suspect MJF will take some time away soon, but I’m curious to see where Briscoe goes next now that he’s pinned the former AEW World Champion.
“The Demand” Ricochet, Toa Liona, and Bishop Kaun vs. “The Hurt Syndicate” Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP: Lashley and Benjamin have plowed through most of their opponents, and MVP has buried some of the babyface teams with his mic work. But they did right by Ricochet and GOA by selling for the newly named faction before MVP took the loss. I’m not sure what comes next for either side, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Lashley challenge Hangman Page for the AEW World Championship.
Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin in a Coffin Match: A soft Hit for a mixed bag. I liked that the match was gritty without the wrestlers going overboard with gore. But all of the outside interference was weak. I think the idea was that Allin wanted to go it alone, but even Bryan Danielson questioned where Darby’s friends were at one point while the Deather Riders were having their way with Allin. The backstage angle was flawed. First, Moxley sent his crew members away like a complete moron, only to be attacked by Allin. Things got worse when Allin contemplated bashing Moxley’s skull in with a pipe, only to decide that it would be better to set him on fire. I’m not a fan of psychopathic Darby. I like the Darby who teamed with Sting because that guy had some redeeming qualities and wasn’t just a raving lunatic.
AEW All Out Misses
Eddie Kingston vs. Big Bill: A rough match that concluded with Kingston missing Bill with a back fist before pinning him. The build to the match was also questionable. I get that the hook was meant to be seeing Kingston for the first time in over a year, but in hindsight, it seems like they would have been better off having Kingston take part in an angle or at least letting him sell the match with his mic work.
Mercedes Mone vs. Riho for the TBS Championship: The match was fine, but there was no reason to view Riho as a threat to beat Mone, and the match that could have been cut from the lineup to make the pay-per-view less of a marathon. This was a good show, but it could have been a great show had they gone with the first six matches listed in the Hit section and saved everything else for television.
All Out Pre-Show: Four mostly throwaway matches were crammed into the one-hour pre-show that was simulcast on HBO Max and TNT for the first time. The goal of the pre-show should be to sell viewers on buying pay-per-view. What’s more likely to accomplish that goal? Booking four matches the fans won’t remember a week from now, or going with fewer pre-show matches to make room for promos and/or video packages that spotlight the top matches? It seems like common sense, but AEW continues to take the matches, matches, and more matches approach.
ProWrestling.net Editor Jason Powell has worked in journalism for 27 years, including as the Assistant Editor of PWTorch.com and as a Senior Editor at Fanball.com before launching ProWrestling.net on Feb. 11, 2008.
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