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Hello and welcome to a preview for one of AEW's biggest show of the year, All Out. As has become an annual traditiong AEW's big Chicago show has more buzz going in than the big stadium show so closely preceding it, despite the short timeframe for build. But the execution is another thing entirely, we will see in just a few hours if it will live up to that buzz.
At the risk of looking foolish, our writers have put down on paper in advance their expectations, making their best call on two aspects:
Predicting each match's star rating. &
Predicting the winner of each match.
In anticipation of the big show tomorrow night, here are our thoughts on the event, broken down match by match.
Kazuchika Okada vs TBD vs TBD vs TBD for the Continental Crown
by Tim
I’m writing this before the final participants have been announced, but based on the qualifying matches it’s not hard to figure out who’s going to be sharing the ring with Okada. The qualifying matches are Takeshita vs. The Beast Mortos, Lance Archer vs. Mark Briscoe, and Orange Cassidy vs. Bryan Keith. Fun matches to be sure, but it will be a safe bet as to who moves on to All Out.
Another safe bet will be the ultimate winner of all this, and that’s Kazuchika Okada. I’m resigned to the idea that Okada is holding the Continental Crown title until we get this year’s Continental Classic in a few months. The purpose of this match is to plant seeds for that future tournament. Even those workers that don’t qualify for this four-way, they may end up in the twelve-man field that is the C2.
Which brings us to my dream scenario where Okada faces Takeshita at World’s End in December for the championship. Takeshita just had a great showing at this year’s G1 tournament and Okada is the “greatest tournament wrestler” of all time (or so I hear). It would be a generational passing of the torch and a special moment. Moments need to grow like trees though and right now we’re just putting a seedling in the ground. I’m looking forward to seeing what it develops into the next three months.
Predicted Star Rating ***
Predicted Winner Kazuchika Okada
Young Bucks ( c ) vs Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta for the AEW Tag Team Championship
by Samuel P
At AEW All In London, the Young Bucks succeeded at defending their Tag Team Titles against their two perennial enemies, The Acclaimed and FTR. Shortly afterwards, James Drake and Zach Gibson as Grizzled Young Veterans were unveiled, attacking FTR in the aim of making a statement. While this is a great decision to introduce a new tag team who are proven as excellent competitors and hopefully add some excitement in a slightly flagging division, there is a current delay in challenging for the titles, GYV currently setting their eyes on FTR (a match I still think could be added to the PPV).
With that confirmed, new competitors are needed to challenge for the Tag Team Titles, and with two weeks to turn around for a title match after AEW All In, the focus instead is on the only other successful tag team at the premier event. In a shock victory, Wheeler Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli of the Blackpool Combat Club became AEW Trio Champions alongside former enemy, PAC, in a Four-Way Ladder Match. With PAC already challenging for the International Championship for AEW All Out, an opportunity to become a double champion for the second time in his AEW history, Claudio and Yuta have similarly called their shot and will challenge the Young Bucks for the Tag Team Titles.
It’s curious that back in March at AEW Revolution, the Blackpool Combat Club defeated FTR and seemed poised to become the next big challengers for the Tag Team Titles, but that was actually with Claudio and Jon Moxley, not Wheeler. Claudio has a natural chemistry with smaller, agile wrestlers which suits the Young Bucks, and Wheeler has developed into a tremendous all-rounder, adding a viciousness to his technical submission style. This match will likely be another opportunity for the Young Bucks to add another victory to their reign and continue their momentum, but it should definitely prove an entertaining bout for the viewing audience. The question more will be, who will step up next against the Young Bucks, and how will the Blackpool Combat Club bounce back as Trios Champion. Also, is there a possible appearance from the aforementioned Moxey to occur?
Predicted Star Rating: ****
Predicted Winner: The Young Bucks
Willow Nightingale vs Kris Statlander in a Chicago Street Fight
by Samuel P
The recent match on All In Zero Hour that had Willow and Tomohiro Ishii defeat Statlander and Stokely Harthaway also allowed Willow the opportunity to decide the match type for their grudge match. This all originated from Statlander’s surprise betrayal of Willow at AEW Double Or Nothing, recently revealed on the go-home Collision this week to be because when Willow won Statlander’s TBS Title, she never offered her a rematch. That small mistake from Willow has culminated in a bitter hatred between the two former friends, which has brought us to a Chicago Street Fight.
Despite the irregularity of its occurrences, the Women’s Division has regularly impressed when given the opportunity to battle one another in hardcore wars, such as Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker’s Lights Out Match, Anna Jay and Tay Conti against The Bunny and Penelope Ford, and Diamante versus Leyla Hirsch. With the opportunity for two of the most reliable MVPs of the Women’s Division of the last few years to feature in a war, there is a distinct possibility that this match could be a surprise show stealer, but what of the result itself?
Statlander’s betrayal of Willow and her partnership with Stokely has made them a great act, but she’s yet to really gain that big victory to make her heel turn worthwhile. Having previously proven herself as a hero for the audience to buy into, the time seems right for Statlander to accomplish a big victory, to gain some momentum as a heel, and there are few beloved babyfaces better to generate heat on than Willow. It’s unlikely that this will end their feud, but for the moment, Statlander could make a huge statement. Either way, I do think this match could surprise quite a few.
Predicted Star Rating: ****1/2
Predicted Winner: Kris Statlander
Will Ospreay ( c ) vs PAC for the AEW International Championship
by Samuel P
In a match that seemed perfectly suited for London two weeks ago, instead Chicago will feature two of the best wrestlers on the planet battling over the prestigious International Championship. Will Ospreay has proven himself a revelation since his debut as a full-time member of the roster at AEW Revolution, delivering a nonstop series of brilliant matches, connecting with the audience immediately and gaining an audacious aura as a main event spectacle. But as recently revealed by Ospreay himself, despite this, and his recent victory to regain the AEW International Champion from Maxwell Jacob Friedman, there is one thing he’s constantly been told. He’s not PAC.
Since his reveal as an inaugural member of the AEW roster back in 2019, PAC has proven himself to be simultaneously one of the most integral and unluckiest of wrestlers on the roster. During his time, PAC has been a main-event talent in major matches such as Blood ‘n’ Guts, a Series of 7 against The Elite, and challenged for both the AEW and ROH World Titles on PPV. He was the first ever All-Atlantic Champion, a title that eventually transitioned into the International Championship, and he was also the second holder of the Trios Titles alongside his Death Triangle partners, Pentagon and Fenix. Now in his second reign as AEW Trios Champion, PAC enters this match with momentum, but his years have been blighted with bad luck (VISA issues and travel restrictions for nearly a year due to COVID-19), and injuries that have left him unable to perform for months at a time. There’s a legitimate possibility that PAC was at one point earmarked as a possible AEW World Champion, but similar to Adam Cole, bad timing betrayed him.
With the recent title victory over MJF, it seems highly unlikely for Ospreay to lose the International Championship so quickly, but if anybody could defeat Ospreay so soon, it’s the ‘Man That Gravity Forgot’. However, it seems primed for Ospreay to have another long reign as International Champion, and this match to prove more of a practice run for a possible future main event. It seems inevitable that Ospreay will become AEW World Champion, possibly either at Forbidden Door 2025 or All In 2026, in the main event of Wembley Stadium, but what if the opportunity is also for PAC to finally accomplish capturing the World Title that has evaded him, with the two biggest English wrestlers main eventing in their home country? Whether likely or not, I believe this match will have two men with something to prove, and my pick for a possible match of the night. Enjoy this match, as it could easily be a 5-star masterpiece, and a precursor to a future main-event title match.
Predicted Star Rating: *****
Predicted Winner: Will Ospreay
Mercedes Moné ( c ) vs Hikaru Shida for the TBS Championship
by Samuel P
As painful as it is to admit, unfortunately Mercedes’ recent match at AEW All In against Britt Baker was disappointing for many fans, possibly due to its occurrence being after the MJF-Will Ospreay match, or a lacklustre match, or in my case, missing the entire match because I couldn’t hold my bladder any longer sat at Wembley! Mercedes is getting traction as TBS Champion, renowned for being a big match player and having created an excellent aura as CEO, including support from the cult favourite Kamille in the ‘Bodyguard Diesel’ role, but she definitely requires a bounce back on PPV to revitalise her reign before it becomes stagnant. And for that…break emergency glass, enter Hikaru Shida.
While the plaudits for recent years have been for AEW stars such as Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, and Toni Storm, since day one of AEW, there has been one constant reliability in the Women’s Division, and that’s Hikaru Shida. As only the third AEW Women’s Champion in their history, Shida was tasked with navigating through the turbulent year of the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown, and the return of audiences. For 372 days, Shida WAS the Women’s Division, elevating matches against talented but inexperienced wrestlers, offering reliable title defences on PPV, ending with putting over Dr Britt Baker in front of returning audiences to begin Baker’s coronation as a Pillar of the Division. Since then, Shida was entrusted with holding the title for AEW All In 2023, winning it on AEW Dynamite #200, and later becoming the first ever three-time AEW Women’s Champion. With recent matches against ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm and Athena to help cement their reigns as AEW Women’s and ROH Women’s Champion respectively, Shida has proven herself as the go-to for the Women’s Division.
With such a strong CV, a match between Shida and Moné could allow the current champion to dispel any current negativity, and with the interesting wrinkle of Kamille being banned, the emphasis is on Mercedes to win single-handed. And yet, this could be the moment that Mercedes rises up and defeats her biggest challenge yet: perception. While the rating below may suggest the match will be the weakest on the card, "near 4 stars" would still be a bounce-back relative to her All In performance —this is more in comparison to the otherwise strong collection of matches on the card.
Predicted Star Rating: ***3/4
Predicted Winner: Mercedes Moné
Daniel Garcia vs MJF
by Peter
The man who inadvertently set MJF back to his old ways, Daniel Garcia has, himself, found that missing piece of the jigsaw with the hatred of MJF that was bestowed on him thanks to MJF’s assault after his failed shot at the International Title in June… and maybe the word "fail" is what is at the heart of this contest at All Out.
Daniel Garcia’s career in AEW has been defined by losses. The early months of his run in the summer of 2021 saw Garcia lose so often you thought he was trying to get Trevor Lawrence into the NFL draft for Tony Khan. Daniel’s goal in the C2 devolved from "getting into the Top 2 in his block" to just winning one match. The loss to Ospreay on the Dynamite after Forbidden Door might have been overshadowed by what happened after, but Garcia has been haunted by the fact that he hasn't won "the big one" yet, and at All Out, a man who is out for revenge is also out to correct course and get that win in a big PPV match that has thus far eluded him.
But what of MJF? MJF has yet to lose two consecutive matches in AEW. The man who the AEW fans for the majority of the company’s existence has wanted to see get their comeuppance only really gets it with a qualifier. Jericho, Punk and Ospreay got their revenge on Max only after a L on their record in a one on one match. Yes, MJF did beat Daniel Garcia on 8/11/23 but that MJF on the road to Full Gear 2023 is a different MJF from the one that the 3 former World Champions had to get their win back from. But the Daniel Garcia we are seeing right now is a different Garcia than the one who was struggling for confidence. In the weird way that wrestling can produce these beats, that tombstone piledriver from the middle rope was the moment that the switch flicked on for Garcia, because the man who needs to win a big PPV with approach All Out fully aware of that fact and will do anything to achieve that… but so will an MJF who would do anything to avoid—in a promotion where wins and losses matter, despite any removal of those statistics on the AEW site—losing two matches in a row in any circumstance.
Predicted Star Rating ****1/4
Predicted Winner Daniel Garcia
Bryan Danielson ( c ) vs Jack Perry for the AEW World Championship
by Samuel P
It finally happened. Nearly 3 years after his surprise debut at the end of AEW All Out 2021, Bryan Danielson has become AEW World Champion. Bryan has been open all year that he will be retiring from full-time wrestling by December, in order to spend more time with his family, so the possibility of Bryan becoming World Champion seemed smaller than ever. That was until, to the shock of many, Danielson won the Owen Hart Cup Tournament to earn a title shot at AEW All In. At the time, Swerve Strickland had proven himself a main event talent, holding the AEW World Title with distinction, and the thought was, maybe Danielson wants to put Swerve over…and then he put his career on the line.
Sat in Wembley Stadium, the crowd singing along to the “Final Countdown” and willing the GOAT on to victory, I truly had no idea who would leave with the title. To the delight of the audience, willing on their beloved hero, Danielson defeated Swerve, winning the AEW World Title and celebrating with his family. Unsurprisingly, similar to Sting earlier this year, it seems Danielson had to be dragged nearly kicking and screaming to the title, but it was a justified award to a selfless warrior who had earned the love of fans and colleagues alike. Now, we get to see Danielson as champion, with the caveat that when he finally loses the title, he will enter semi-retirement as planned.
With just two weeks to his first title defence, the opportunity to prepare a challenger wasn’t going to be easy, but TNT Champion Jack Perry of The Elite stepped up. Having destroyed Darby Allin at AEW All In, Perry reminded audiences of his pinfall victory over Danielson in the Anarchy In The Arena at AEW Double Or Nothing earlier this year, and in a manner reminiscent of NJPW and their booking of the IWGP World Title, cited that as a reason for him to challenge for the AEW World Title. Perry has previously challenged for the AEW World Title twice, firstly against Kenny Omega and secondly in a Four-Way against Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara and the champion MJF, but this match has a new and improved Perry, having utilised the fall out from last year with CM Punk to reinvent himself as the Scapegoat, aligning with the Jacksons and Kazuchika Okada as part of The Elite, and gaining the TNT Championship.
This match could see Perry in a much more vicious manner, possibly not winning, but long term injuring Danielson, continuing the story of Bryan’s year and contributing to his future retirement. Who knows, we might even see a certain Christian Cage cash in his contract, but with Darby Allin awaiting in the wings for a title shot as well, it seems more likely that WrestleDream or maybe even Full Gear will see the completion of Danielson’s journey. But for this match, Danielson is likely to retain his title, with another great match in the process.
Predicted Star Rating: ****1/4
Predicted Winner: Bryan Danielson
Swerve Strickland vs Hangman Page in a Light's Out Steel Cage Match
by Gareth
Exactly one year ago yesterday, Swerve Strickland interrupted a ‘Hangman’ Adam Page promo and thus began one of the best feuds in AEW, and wrestling, history.
Fast forward 366 days, three singles matches, a triple threat match, a world title reign for Swerve and a complete character 180 for Hangman, and here we are again. The two main characters of AEW for the last year coming to blows in an unsanctioned steel cage match.
Some criticised the idea of this match happening at All Out, citing two weeks of build as not enough. Yet this has not been a two week build. Because ever since Page returned on July 3rd he has had his sights firmly set on one target, Swerve Strickland.
The build has gradually ramped up ever since and is peaking at the perfect time. At All In, Hangman plays a part in Swerve losing the title. The Dynamite after, both men come face-to-face, exchange words and Strickland gets under Page’s skin. Then this past week, Hangman burns Swerve’s childhood home to the ground.
It’s safe to say that the AEW fanbase are now desperate for the match after what was one of the best PPV go-home angles in company history. But what exactly can we expect from the match?
Pure violence, that goes without saying. Certainly it will be an incredible match as all of their meetings have been. However, the question is, how do they top what came before? Their Texas Deathmatch was already one of the best and most violent matches in company history. It is hard to imagine, within the confines of a cage match, how these two could top that.
One thing that is different to that match are the character dynamics. This time Swerve acts as the traditional “babyface” having just seen Hangman “burn his world to the ground”. Whereas previously Strickland saw the match purely as a means to an end. The next rung on his ladder to becoming the first Black AEW World Champion.
The dynamic hasn’t shifted much for Adam Page in his head. His motivation is still the same. Revenge for what Strickland did when invading his house and tormenting his child. However, for the audience we can see this is a very different ‘Hangman’. A ‘Hangman’ who doesn’t know where the line is, which poses a very interesting prospect for the match.
The question of “who will win?” is a fascinating one for this match. One could argue either way for who needs this win more. For Swerve he has just lost his title, partially due to Hangman, and seen his childhood home burned down. For Page he needs to put Strickland through the hell that he’s been through. He also needs to prove that he can beat Swerve, or more, to back his claim that Strickland can’t beat him by himself.
Given that this match is unsanctioned, it shouldn’t play a part in the world title picture too much, allowing it to serve as a temporary ending to their feud. If AEW wants this rivalry to continue in the immediate future then I would expect Swerve to win, sending Adam Page even deeper into the depths of depravity.
However, I suspect that AEW will park this feud for a considerable amount of time and that would require Hangman to win this match. So, for that reason, I would predict this to be the result. One thing that is near-guaranteed is that this will be an incredible match. I would be shocked if it didn’t reach most people’s bar for 5 stars.
Predicted Star Rating: *****
Predicted Winner: ‘Hangman’ Adam Page.
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