Here are my final thoughts on All Elite Wrestling’s All Out!
21-Woman Casino Battle Royale (Winner Will Receive a Match for the Inaugural AEW Women’s World Championship, Scheduled for the October 2nd AEW show on TNT)
Reactions: The ladies of AEW put in a solid performance here. This battle royale featured your usual mix of crowd-popping moments, genuine surprises in the form of familiar faces, and even a comedy spot for good measure (this is one of the few times where the librarian antics of Leva Bates got a chuckle out of me). The fresh faces did a good job of showcasing their characters on the big stage, the veterans proved to be worthwhile (especially Mercedes Martinez!), and the final four delivered a pretty fun close to the match. Congrats to Nyla Rose for the win, plus props to Britt Baker and Bea Priestley for their efforts as well.
Rating: 2 & a Half out of 5 Stars
Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen) vs. Angélico and Jack Evans
Reactions: Private Party continues to be a breath of fresh air as far as up and coming tag teams go. This was the perfect opportunity for them to prove their worth once more and that’s exactly what they did here. Angélico and Jack Evans may still be on the losing side of things, but at least they always put on an entertaining performance every time they’re in the ring. The high-flying expertise of both teams filled this match with plenty of highlights and allowed all four men to constantly wow the crowd. Judging by the post-match behavior of the losing duo, it seems like Angélico and Jack Evans are prepared to go full “rudo.” Overall, this was a fine tag team affair.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, and Scorpio Sky) vs. Jurassic Express (Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy, and Marko Stunt) (Six-Man Tag Team Match)
Reactions: Luchasaurus is money! The big man was definitely the best part of this hot matchup. His time spent in the ring brought the crowd to their feet and elicited the loudest responses. This six-man tag started off the show on a hot note thanks to high-impact slams, slick team maneuvers, and jaw-dropping moves to the outside. SCU has proven to be reliable members of the AEW roster thus far and this match is further proof of their veteran sensibilities making everyone they work against look just as good as them. This was the best way to officially kick off All Out.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
PAC vs. Kenny Omega
Reactions: The early placement of this match on the card was a nice surprise. PAC and Kenny Omega were more than game for each other here and put on a brutal bout with a fitting pace. There was an interesting story being told here revolving around Omega’s lack of focus on finishing PAC when he had him beat.
All throughout the bout, Omega pulled off some devastating maneuvers but played to the crowd too much and allowed PAC to regain his strength at certain intervals. PAC was his usual bastard self and made sure to match Omega move for move. This clash was good and actually on the verge of being great, but a sloppy exchange near the end and a pretty deflating finish kept it from reaching that next quality tier. PAC winning here was unexpected though, so I have to hand it to AEW for refraining from giving us an obvious result.
Rating: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
Darby Allin vs. Joey Janela vs. Jimmy Havoc (The Cracker Barrel Clash)
Reactions: Pure insanity right here. All three men sacrificed each other in the most wince-inducing methods possible with the aid of tables, staples, and thumbtacks. This was a hardcore haven for three of the wildest brawlers in wrestling today. The use of barrels played pretty well into the proceedings too, which provided even more madness for the crowd to become enamored with. Allin’s barrel dive onto the steel steps, Janela’s sunset flip powerbomb to Allin through a table, and Havoc’s match ending barrel antics were just a few of this zany match’s highlights. It didn’t overstay it’s welcome and kept me entertained the whole way through. With a few more minutes tacked on, this could have been even wilder.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta) vs. The Dark Order (Evil Uno and Stu Grayson) (Winners Receive a First-Round Bye in the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament)
Reactions: This was another good example of AEW’s focus on building a talented tag team division. While the crowd seemed a bit disinterested at first, both teams managed to bring them to life as the match wore on. Both teams set their match apart from the one that was contested on the Buy-In show by making the crowd truly desire a hot tag with some smart ring work from The Dark Order. Once Chuck Taylor got going, this match eventually gave the crowd some life.
What followed during the middle to ending parts of this match was a hotly contested tag team encounter. Evil Uno and Stu Grayson pulled out their innovative offense against Chuck Taylor and Trent Barretta’s fast-paced assault, which was cool to see. The extra cherry on top at the close of this bout got a pretty huge pop. Putting the infamous Orange Cassidy together with the Best Friends makes a ton of sense and I can’t wait to see where this hilarious trio goes next.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Riho vs. Hikaru Shida
Reactions: Like the bout the took place before it, this Japanese women’s match was a definite slow-burner. Riho played the part of the plucky idol, while Hikaru Shida brutalized her by tapping into her strong style sensibilities. Hikaru controlled most of the bout with her stiff knee strikes while Riho climbed from the bottom with her slick counters and double-foot stomps. This match did a good job of producing a different flavor of women’s wrestling and showcasing another portion of the AEW roster. Both women worked a pretty good match here. And based on the outcome, we can now look forward to witnessing Nyla Rose vs. Riho for the AEW Women’s Championship on TNT.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Cody (with MJF) vs. Shawn Spears (with Tully Blanchard)
Reactions: Cody’s a “Trekkie?” Didn’t even know. The Star Trek-inspired entrance from Cody and his entourage, plus Shawn Spear’s special spotlight intro were pretty cool to witness. Cody’s matches are known for having an old-school flair to them. This blood-feud with Shawn Spears resulted in that exact type of matchup.
And this time, the outside shenanigans and old-school approach to storytelling worked great here. Cody and Spears produced a well-paced, emotional bout full of fun spots with the assistance of their managers. Even Arn Anderson’s shocking appearance blew the roof off the place and managed to keep the crowd on their feet as this match reached its epic conclusion. The story told here was incredibly moving and the action put on display was hard to look away from.
Rating: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
Lucha Brothers (Pentagón Jr. and Rey Fenix) (c) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (Escalera De La Muerte for the AAA World Tag Team Championship)
Reactions: I knew this match was going to be one of the best bouts of the evening. Me (and the crowd that watched this go down) surely appreciated the ladder madness this match delivered. From the very moment this ladder match kicked off, I was on the edge of my seat. The Lucha Brothers and the Young Bucks topped all of their previous encounters and then some.
I got a kick out of all of the callbacks and jaw-dropping maneuvers that both teams pulled off. What I loved most about this match is the way in which both teams switched up their usual moves and provided a different spin on them. And with the assistance of a few ladders, the Lucha Brothers and the Young Bucks went even harder than usual. Sticking this tag team war in the co-main event spot was a smart move. And the surprising debut of Santana & Ortiz was even better. This entire segment kicked all the asses!
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Adam Page vs. Chris Jericho (AEW World Championship)
Reactions: Ladies and gentleman, join me in saying this statement for the world to hear – “Thank you, Chris Jericho.” After spilling a few pints of blood, the reinvented Y2J KO’d Adam Page and went on to become AEW’s first-ever World Champion. This main event crescendoed into an intense closing stretch full of breathtaking near-falls and counters.
Page proved just how much of a future player he is and Jericho showcased his years-long expertise in the ring. After Jericho got busted wide open, this match kicked into another gear. Page pulled out all the stops, but he was still unable to keep the veteran down for long. While it was slow in parts, the final portion of this main event capped off a well-worked title matchup.
Rating: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
Match of the Night
Lucha Brothers vs. The Young Bucks!
Final Verdict
All Out continued the string of kickass PPV specials from AEW. A lot of things got accomplished here – we got our two AEW Women’s Championship match participants, witnessed the debut of a popular indy talent & a hot tag team, and crowned the inaugural AEW World Champion. The match quality on this show ranged from surprisingly decent to great, with the best match being the insane ladder match contested between the Lucha Brothers and the Young Bucks. AEW All Out was a bit off in parts (the final moments of PAC vs. Omega was a little awkward and disappointing, for example), but it still managed to be an enjoyable evening of pro wrestling.
Final Score: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
