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The decision on how to end AEW All Out might be talked about for years.
The show closed with a “lights out” steel cage match to end an excellent long-term feud that in theory would be hard to follow. But the clash in some ways went too far and in others didn’t go far enough.
That was done over one of the most meaningful swerve angles AEW has ever done and it would have been the perfect finish to drive the conversion to Dynamite on Wednesday.
What we got from NOW Arena in Chicago on Saturday night was an imperfect show — maybe the most violent in company history — whose highs were just enough to overcome some of the questionable things we saw.
Here are five takeaways from All Out
Paradigm Shift
Bryan Danielson successfully defended his AEW World championship and then the fun began.
After defeating Jack Perry, Danielson was attacked from behind by Killswitch, but Jon Moxley — followed by the rest of the Blackpool Combat Club and PAC cut off Christian Cage from cashing in his championship match contract.
Warning: Graphic Violence
Moxley hugged Danielson, but as they all celebrated Claudio Castagnoli hit the champ with a European Upper Cut. Moxley — ala Terry Funk — put a plastic over a stunned Danielson’s head as an emotional Wheeler Yuta was held back by PAC.
The fans chanted “This is murder!” as the plastic bag will rightfully be too much for some.
Danielson finally fought free from the bag a little bit before AEW personnel made their way to the ring.
Was this the beginning of Moxley’s prophecy of change coming to AEW and will he be the one to end Danielson’s full-time career? How does Cage fit in?
The questions make it the perfect dramatic shift in Danielson’s career-closing story.
In the match itself, Perry — who looked like a true future main evener — kept attacking Danielson’s injured neck and the champ wrestling played the pain well.
Later, referee Bryce Renberg was checking on Perry with Danielson in the opposite corner. The champ’s first running knee struck the ref and his second hit Perry, but the Young Bucks hit the ring before he could kick Perry’s head some more. The Bucks hit a Meltzer Driver but were chased away by the Moxley-less BCC.
Perry would deliver Danielson’s signature head kicks and then went to the corner for a mocking “Yes!’ chant. But Danielson exploded for a Psycho Knee. Perry kicked out of a second Psycho knee before Danielson finally got to kick the challenger’s head in Danielson retreated to the corner for one more Psycho Knee, for which Perry gave spread his arm and gave himself up.
Transformation complete
The nearly year-long blood feud between “Hangman” Adam Page and Swerve Stickland needed a big ending and this match — which featured staple guns, gave you a strange one that might turn some fans off.
Stickland laughed at Page and gave him the finger after taking a powerbomb to a cinder block and multiple chair shots as he was told to beg. It made Page rip out Strickland’s gold teeth grill and stick a hypodermic needle in his cheek. (Maybe drugging him? and smashed him over the head with a well-gimmicked chair for a knockout win.
Fans had been chanting for fire at one point after Page burned down Stirckland’s childhood home on Dynamite. The only call back we got was Swerve’s gear and a Page bringing a wood shard from it as a weapon.
Page got his first win over Strickland and completed his transformation from a lovable cowboy to a sadistic one. It appears he is done with Strickland for now, refusing to go back and inflict more damage while letting out a cathartic yell to end the show. It just didn’t feel like a high-note to go out.
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Masterclass
Will Ospreay and PAC gave us something very special because at no point did it feel certain which move would actually land and which man would finish any given offensive exchange. Counter, strung into counters and into counters all seeming like incredible feats of speed, athleticism and skill. It’s hard to imagine these two overdelivering and they did.
Especially in the final moments with three sequences that belong on anyone’s highlight reel.
On the second, PAC went from an avalanche poison-rana, but Ospreay landed on his feet and retreated to the opposite corner to deliver a running Hidden Blade that spun the challenger like a top. PAC still got a shoulder up at two.
It forced Ospreaty to hit an Oz Cutter from the ropes but he felt the need to go for a Storm Breaker too. Pac countered with a hurricanrana, but Ospreay somehow flipped in a Styles Clash and another Hidden Blade to regain the international championship.
Ospreay called at Ricochet backstage after the match and the former WWE star said he’s been seeing the champ soon after stacking some wins.
Come Full Circle — and more
It’s hard to find an explanation for the finish we saw from MJF and Daniel Garcia unless AEW is moving toward turning him heel or Garcia potentially still hasn’t re-signed. Garcia lost the match, which met the physicality of a story where both men wanted to end the other’s career and had some high-level mat wrestling and transitions.
MJF kicked out of a regular pile driver so Garcia went for the top-rope version his opponent used to take him out of action in storyline for weeks.
MJF stopped it and pulled the ref in front of him to open up a low-blow opportunity he hit and rolled up Garcia right on his storyline-injured neck to win.
Garcia got a bit of revenge when he countered MJF’s kick attempt with a low-blow kick following a disingenuous handshake. He proceeded to hit the top-rope pile driver anyway and kissed the MJF on his heat just like he did to him before exiting through a less-than-behind-him crowd. The low-blow receipt was good enough as a call back to how this all started.
Other than not wanting MJF to lose at back-to-back PPV, it made little sense for Garcia to hit the top rope pile driver after the match if he went for it during it. The rage of losing didn’t spur it. Let’s see how MJF sells taking the move.
Wanting More
The finishes to Mercedes Mone’s matches may need some work after back-to-back flat ones, though this one could have been altered by a potential injury. You could see Mone say something to Hikaru Shida after taking a kick to the head late in the match.
Mone kicked out of three straight Falcon Arrows, then a knee strike as it felt like she was eating all of the TBS championship challenger’s offense. After taking the three katana kicks to the head, Mone quickly rolled to the outside and started a tug of war over a kendo stick that had been a big piece of their story. Shida brought it to the ring, but chose not to use it in a moment that lacked drama.
Shida tried for a Meteora but missed and Mone went right after Shida’s knee. The challenger was able to initially fight off a Money Maker attempt, but the champion kicked Shida in the back of the knee and delivered her finisher for the win. Kamille not being at ring side, did play a major role.
The crowd was more into this match than it was Mone’s with Britt Baker at All In and her and Shida certainly had chemistry but something led to an enjoyable match fizzling a bit late as it was the babyface challenger never really got the crowd behind her enough as she physically dominated the closing section of the match,
Other matches
Kris Statlander over Willow Nightingale in a Chicago Street Fight
This was everything it needed to be, especially following Ospreay vs. PAC. The streetfight action never stopped outside of one well-timed rest. Both went through tables outside the ring and Nightingale sent Statlaner crashing through the barricade and hit her with a light tube on the stage. Statlander eventually responded with a running spear off the ramp through two tables.
Once they got back to the ring, the thumbtacks came out and Stantlander smashed Nightingale with a steel chain that she eventually connected the two with. After one final look as the two former friends were slumped over together, Statlander picked Knightingale up for a tombstone and then made her submit by putting her in a modified cross face but pulling back with the chain in her mouth.
Knightingale has had a heck of year, but maybe Statlander is beginning a push with her heel persona starting to really shape up.
The Young Bucks over Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta to retain the AEW tag team championships
Most of this match was pretty standard with plenty of solid action, but with very little build it easily could have been left for a Dynamite. It did appear Castagnoli and Yuta were heading for a win. Castagnoli suplex Matthew Jackson off the top rope and followed by launched Yuta off the top rope for a splash. But Matthew got his knees up and was able to roll up Yuta while Nicholas held Castagnoli’s legs from outside the ring to ensure he could not break up the pin.
Kuzuchika Okada over Orange Cassidy, Mark Briscoe and Konosuke Takshita to retain the Continental championship
At some point, AEW will have to unleash the match-of-the-year-maker in Okada when needed. But for now, he defended his championship in the quickest match on the card. All four men made the most of their time with a fast pace and plenty strong attacks, but this was pretty forgettable compared to everything else. Okada countered into Cassidy’s Orange Punch onto a Rainmaker for the win. Given their history, these two have more of a story to tell if AEW wants to go there.
Biggest Winner: ‘Hangman’ Adam Page Biggest Loser: Swerve Strickland, Willow Nightingale Match of the Night: Will Ospreay vs. PAC Grade: B+
