As I predicted, AEW All Out overshadowed All In for the second year in a row. This show was on its way to maybe being the best top-to-bottom wrestling PPV I've ever seen, and for the first five matches nary a bout was below a four-star affair. As it turned out the show didn't quite get to that level but it was still one of the best shows this company has ever done and an all-time great PPV, with a running theme of hatred and escalation, in the form of uncomfortable violence (that thing CM Punk promised going into SummerSlam before losing because of a friendship bracelet).
The show began with an absolute banger of a grudge match between MJF and Daniel Garcia. These two got nearly 24 minutes (a few too many I thought, but that's a nitpick) and filled them with stiff, aggressive action. Both guys were out to maim each other and targeted heads and necks throughout. Late in the match they traded submissions and counters, and MJF eventually locked in a Zack Sabre Jr.-style multi-limb hold but Garcia got to the ropes and locked in a guillotine. The ref went to check MJF's arm but Garcia stopped him and went for a second-rope piledriver from which Max escaped. The ref was momentarily distracted and MJF hit a kick to the groin and a cradle for the win. Post-match Max shook Garcia's hand and went to nutshot him again but Garcia blocked, kicked Max in the nuts, and gave him a second-rope piledriver to write Max off TV for a bit. I'd have had Garcia win this (though he hasn't signed a new deal yet for some reason), but at least he stood tall at the end. Excellent opening match. ****1/2
Next up was the Young Bucks vs. Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta, in the expected fast-paced nonstop action tag match the Bucks always deliver on PPV. Lots of back-and-forth, lots of nearfalls, Claudio almost won with a giant swing but the pin was broken up. He superplexed Matt, and Wheeler went for a top-rope splash but Matt got his knees up and cradled him for the win. Really good tag title match. ****
Placed shockingly early on the card was the Will Ospreay-Pac International Title match, and it was unbelievably great as we all knew it would be. The crowd was nuclear for this one and both guys earned every bit of noise from start to finish. They did a shit-ton of crazy high spots and reversals, often throwing in curve balls to catch everyone off guard. And all of it looked picture-perfect. After numerous close two-counts that got bigger pops each time, Ospreay used the Styles Clash and a Hidden Blade to retain. Yet another stunning match from Mr. Ospreay, and Pac's best AEW match to date. *****
Given the seemingly impossible task of following Ospreay-Pac was Willow vs. Kris Statlander in a Chicago Street Fight, and much to my delight this was the exact right match to be put in this slot. These two beat the absolute bejesus out of each other and the crowd ate up all of it. Statlander took seemingly 70% of the offense here, powerbombing Willow through the Spanish announce table and setting her up for a senton on a folding table. But Willow moved, still getting clipped in the head by Kris's legs. They fought up the ramp and Kris suplexed her on it. Willow smashed a light tube over Kris's head, busting her open, but Kris speared her off the ramp through two tables below. Kris introduced thumbtacks in the ring but got spinebustered on them. Kris brought out a chain and tied an end to each of their wrists. After a tombstone Kris locked in a crossface with the chain and Willow submitted. I hope they have a rematch and that it's a dog collar match. This was fantastic. ****1/2
Continuing the streak of ****+ matches was the four-way for Kazuchika Okada's Continental Title, defending against Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy, and Konosuke Takeshita, for whom they teased a major singles feud with Okada. This was a super-fun party match with everyone getting in their big moves, building to a crazy peak of each guy hitting stuff on the next. Okada finally put a stop to it after Takeshita went for his finish on Cassidy, by tossing Konosuke out and hitting Cassidy with the Rainmaker to retain. ****
Sadly the streak, and the crowd's molten heat, came to an end with the Mercedes Mone vs. Hikaru Shida match. This was actually a very good bout, slightly better than the Mercedes-Britt match, but for whatever reason the crowd just didn't react that big for it. Still both women worked very hard and delivered a strong back and forth struggle. Shida at one point teased using a kendo stick but thought better of it, and paid the price when Mercedes hit Moneymaker to retain. Mercedes should stop using this move as her finisher because it only looks good with very small opponents. ***3/4
The semi-main slot went to Bryan Danielson vs. Jack Perry, and they told a great veteran babyface vs. upstart young heel story. Perry adapted wonderfully to Danielson's style of main event, holding his own with the ring general. Perry stole Bryan's kicks and Cattle Mutilation, and Kenny Omega's snapdragon suplexes, but Bryan made him pay for it with a dragon suplex off the apron to the floor. There was a ref bump and the Bucks ran down and hit Bryan with the Indietaker, but Claudio and Wheeler ran them off before they could hit the BTE Trigger. Perry and Bryan each hit a running knee for nearfalls and they traded shots as they stood up. Perry started slapping Bryan, who knocked him down with a brutal slap, followed by a Busaiku Knee. Perry kicked out and asked for another one, and Bryan obliged, pinning him. Post-match Killswitch appeared and laid Bryan out, shared a moment with his former tag partner, and awaited Christian Cage's entrance. Cage had the guaranteed title shot contract with him and intended to cash in, but the Blackpool Combat Club appeared and The Patriarchy took a powder. The BCC celebrated with Danielson but then Claudio attacked him and Jon Moxley joined in. Wheeler Yuta was totally taken by surprise and tried to help Bryan, but Pac held him back. Moxley put a plastic bag over Bryan's head and held it there till Bryan passed out. The doctors ran in and fed him oxygen. Great match, great shocking angle. ****1/2
Finally it was time for the main event, the one that moved an additional 2000 tickets in the span of three days and made this show a sellout. The unsanctioned steel cage match between Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page. This needed to top the earlier street fight in terms of depravity, and it did that, but it also needed to live up to the Swerve-Page Texas Death match from last year, and it didn't quite hit that level. Still this was an incredibly violent, memorable match that veered more into legitimate danger, involving two spots done on a cinderblock(!), and later a hypodermic needle and a gimmicked chairshot to the head. They started brawling before the bell and teased trying to crush each other under the lowering cage, but Prince Nana pushed them under the ropes before that could happen. They started stapling each other, Swerve pulled out a picture of his family and stapled it to Hangman's face. Swerve hit a vertebreaker on the cinderblock that opened a huge abrasion on Hangman's back. Swerve hit a Swerve stomp off the top rope through a table. Hangman introduced a piece of burnt wood from Swerve's house and they each tried to stab each other with it. Hangman powerbombed Swerve on the cinderblock. Hangman hit a tope rope powerbomb and then bludgeoned Swerve with a chair. Swerve kept getting up, so Hangman removed the grill from Swerve's mouth, injected him with a needle and then bashed him over the head with the chair to get the knockout win. It's hard to rate a match like this in 2024, but it certainly delivered violence at the level they promised. ****1/4
So yeah, out of eight matches only one fell below the **** range, which is unprecedented for any PPV I've seen. Ospreay-Pac stole the show as expected, Danielson-Perry and MJF-Garcia delivered as expected, Willow-Statlander overdelivered, Swerve-Page made everyone really uncomfortable, and Mercedes-Shida underdelivered a bit. This was an all-time great show.
Best Match: Will Ospreay vs. Pac
Worst Match: Mercedes vs. Hikaru
What I'd Change: I'd have put the TBS Title match after the Young Bucks match, that way the crowd would've been more into it and it wouldn't have had to follow three bangers in a row. I'd have found less dangerous options for Swerve-Hangman; thankfully neither of them was legitimately injured but they both dodged multiple bullets.
Most Disappointing Match: Mercedes vs. Shida
Most Pleasant Surprise: Willow vs. Kris
Overall Rating: For the third time this year AEW has delivered a 10/10 PPV.
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