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411’s AEW All Out 2023 Preview
Image Credit: AEW
Hello again everyone, and welcome to the preview for AEW All Out!
(Wait, didn’t you just hear from me last Sunday because there was an AEW PPV?)
The answer is a resounding yes, you did see my name last Sunday, and yes, AEW had the company’s biggest offering to date with All-In taking place in London on display for the whole world to see what they offered if they had missed out on the company previously.
And so with that show in the rear-view mirror, we now turn our attention to All Out, the company’s annual day before Labor Day PPV show, this year taking place (along with this week’s editions of Dynamite, Rampage, AND Collision) in the Windy City of Chicago, Illinois! We have a terrific card on tap and, while the onus was on building up All-In this past Sunday, All Out has definitely received its fair share of love and care over the past week.
So, without anymore hesitation, lets get into the card!
(Also, let’s hope that my predictions aren’t as bad as they were last Sunday…yikes!)
Eddie Kingston & Katsuyori Shibata vs. The Blackpool Combat Club
One of the fun things about being able to pull story lines from Ring of Honor into AEW (despite some fans complaining that ROH business has no space in the AEW galaxy) is that we get matches like this one. One fun thing that connects the two men facing Castagnoli and Yuta is the history between Shibata and Yuta involving the ROH Pure Title, and Kingston’s general disdain for Castagnoli. I’m also going to file it under the pretense, whether false or not, that Shibata and Kingston would make a good tag team due to mutual respect between the two men seeing as to how much of a fan Kingston is of Japanese wrestling and culture.
Despite Orange Cassidy (more on him later) having defeated Castagnoli in the 10-man Stadium Stampede match and thus should have him at the top for an ROH World Title shot, you’d have to believe that, should Shibata or Kingston defeat Castagnoli here, that they too would be at the top of the title shot list. However, seeing that the BCC (and, more to the point, Claudio) were the fall guys last Sunday, it would seem plausible that they may extract a modicum of revenge in this one. And let’s be honest, anyway, no matter who wins or losses, the ill will between Castagnoli and Kingston will go on until the end of time.
WINNER: The Blackpool Combat Club
Bullet Club Gold vs. FTR & The Young Bucks
Speaking of matches with some returns in order, the Bullet Club Gold configuration of Juice Robinson and Jay White were successful last Sunday in London alongside Konosuke Takeshita in knocking off The Golden Lovers and Hangman Page. This time around, the entire BC Gold faction (including Austin and Colten Gunn) will challenge the newly minted AEW Tag Team Champions in Nick and Matt Jackson alongside the men they won the titles from in Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood, FTR.
Simply put, the sight of seeing two teams who have had quite the rivalry culminating with the “rubber match” in the trilogy this past Sunday come together is a very interesting spectacle, to say the least. However, as fans of the company will attest to, both respective tag teams the Young Bucks and FTR have had issues/run-ins with the BC Gold, and so the union does make sense from a story telling point. The true question is, will they be able to coexist and take out a common enemy, or will the the functioning group of BC Gold be able to divide and conquer the teams in route to another big win in two consecutive Sundays? I feel like, given what happened last Sunday and the fact that this FTR and Bucks rivalry may turn into a Best-Of-5 (or even more than that), winning here is the best way to go for the, say we call them, “All-star Quartet”?
WINNER: FTR and The Young Bucks
Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita
Speaking of even MORE matches with some returns involved, we get to this match-up that, on paper at least, looks like it has Match of the Night (MOTN, for those who like short hand) potential. Even if it doesn’t deliver on being the card’s best offering, the animosity between Omega and Don Callis plus the involvement of Takeshita has grown into one of the best stories going in AEW, and a match between the two should be a true litmus test for both men.
Let’s start with Takeshita; there’s no doubt that he has done some incredible things in his AEW career up to this point, most recently being on the winning side of last week’s 6-man match over Omega (along with Ibushi and Page) with the BC Gold. Takeshita has all the physical tools combined with strong discipline and the ability to pull off some aerial moves, and for a man his size, it looks really impressive. And then there is Omega, the company stalwart and former World Champion, looking to reclaim his glory and prove that his best days aren’t behind him just yet. In many ways, Omega is fighting a battle against Callis as well, limiting his chances of winning if “The Invisible Hand” is to remain around ring side for the match. However, I think Omega has more to prove in this one, and while a signature win for Takeshita over a former World Champion sounds nice, I feel like Kenny pulls this one out, especially since Takeshita got the upper hand a week ago.
WINNER: Kenny Omega
Miro vs. Powerhouse Hobbs
The first match announced for the show (this buried under the furious build up for All-In), this match up may look like just two big guys who lack television time and stories going at it, but if you look just a LITTLE bit deeper, you’ll find some interesting connecting points.
It’s fascinating to see that Hobbs is back to the “Book of Hobbs” and spoke of redemption, as this plays nicely into the fact that Miro has taken on the moniker of “The Redeemer”. In many ways, the story wrote its self, but with the overall lack of build (outside of that call out promo from Hobbs) it hasn’t been able to grow into something more personal or meaningful. Still, it must be said that not every single match in the history of professional wrestling has needed to have deep meaning and rich story telling going into it, and to circle back around to my original point, some times you just need two big rugged bulls (or as Good Ole Jim Ross would say, two HOSSES!) beating the every loving crap out of each other and nothing else matters. What does matter, however, is who comes out on top in this one; I feel like Hobbs has had a slightly better push than the non-existent one that Miro has gotten, and I feel like Hobbs could be positioned better for either the International title or the TNT title down the line.
WINNER: Powerhouse Hobbs
ROH World Television Championship Match
Samoa Joe vs. Shane Taylor
Lost among all of the hoopla surrounding the return match between CM Punk and Samoa Joe this past Sunday for Punk’s “Real” World Title is the fact that Joe has had an obligation to defend his ROH TV title against the winner of the most recent ROH TV title eliminator, that being a former champion himself in Taylor.
If you simply looked at the match and knew who the combatants were, you’d probably think this one is more in line with the Miro and Hobbs match. However, there is SLIGHTLY more of a story going into this one, as mentioned above, Taylor was victorious in the most recent TV Title eliminator and thus earned his shot against Joe. It just so happened that it will come one week after Joe took quite the embarrassing (and, let’s be honest here, more emphatic than the last time) loss to Punk after getting the rare “Pepsi Plunge” off the top rope. Obviously, Joe should stand to be in a foul mood after that loss to Punk a week ago, and even though I feel Taylor is going to be game for this title match, I simply don’t see him defeating Joe, as there exists no real stories or avenues to travel with Taylor as the champion.
WINNER:Samoa Joe (STILL ROH World Television Champion)
ROH World Tag Team Championship Match
Adam Cole and MJF vs. John Silver and Alex Reynolds
You know, I have to be completely honest with you when I say that this match looks REALLY weird being on this card. And it’s not because of anyone who is involved in the match Per Se, but it has more to do with the fact that the usage of the AEW champion on an AEW card is being used to defend ROH tag titles. But, hey, I guess we can’t complain too much, as not only does it allow for MJF and Cole to rekindle their friendship, but it also gets Dark Order on a PPV, which is definitely some much needed representation.
This past Friday on Rampage, Silver and Reynolds earned this title shot opportunity when Silver was the last man standing in a tag team battle royal to crown the number one contenders for the ROH tag belts. As mentioned above, Dark Order making it onto a PPV when they’re getting a renewed sense of a push on both ROH and (somewhat) on AEW was definitely the right call. And let’s face it, it’s totally not like Reynolds and the ever lovable Johnny Hungee haven’t put in the time and the matches for this title shot. And also, if for nothing else, this match is going to feature 75% proud born members from Long Island in it! (Only Cole would be omitted, as he’s from the Sunshine State of Florida)
It’s just a shame that, well, their friendship and brotherhood simply is no match for the new best friends in Adam Cole and MJF, and barring what would be likely shenanigans involving Roderick Strong and The Kingdom, I don’t see the champions losing the titles here.
WINNER: Adam Cole and MJF (STILL ROH World Tag Team Champion)
AEW TBS Championship Match
Kris Statlander vs. Ruby Soho
For a second consecutive Sunday, we have just ONE women’s match on the card, however, unlike last week, this time around it is the TBS title set to be defended by champion Statlander against one third of the Outcasts in Soho.
This match isn’t as random as you might think it would be; granted, Soho has had other feuds and matches with other women (namely with and then against Willow), but Statlander stands in the way of Soho winning the title, and of course, Kris hasn’t lost since she returned to dethrone the true Queen of the division in one Jade Cargill. One thing that does stand out, however, is Ruby’s penchant for coming up short in big matches; whether it was for the AEW Women’s Title, the TBS title when Jade had it, or two straight years in the finals of the Owen Hart Women’s Tourney, Soho at some point or another has to shed her “choker” label. But I don’t think that will change on Sunday, and Kris’s run as TBS champion (and remaining undefeated since she returned to the ring from injury) will remain intact, probably until Jade returns or something like that.
WINNER: Kris Statlander (STILL World Heavyweight Champion)
AEW TNT Championship Match
Luchasarus vs. Darby Allin
Despite this one being announced relatively early as well (next to the Hobbs and Miro match), I feel like this match is going to be co-main event or get the spot rather. But since we now have Orange and Jon on the card, it could end up taking a backseat to that match in terms of the more important title defense.
At any rate, the story of fulfillment and destiny is the name of the game for Allin here; one week after teaming with Sting to knock off Christian Cage and Swerve Strickland in a coffin match, Allin gets another shot at holding the TNT title, a belt he is not unfamiliar with. To say that the styles clash between Allin and the big dinosaur is noticeable would be a serious understatement, however, let’s not forget that Luchasarus is perfectly capable of doing some high risk stuff as well. That makes this even more interesting than the standard Allin-versus-the-big-guy match whereas Allin could have anything he gives returned in kind by a dinosaur who has a degree.
So, who wins here? Well, given the fact that the company has been more fluid with title changes regarding the TNT title versus, say, the World Title or the International Title, it doesn’t seem to be outside the realm of possibility that Allin wins the title back. Keep in mind that this doesn’t even center around Luchasarus, as Cage has slipped into this title being his and not his charges, and also, fewer wrestlers have more momentum in AEW than Darby does.
WINNER: Darby Allin (NEW AEW TNT Champion)
AEW International Championship Match
Orange Cassidy vs. Jon Moxley
Style differences can make many matches fun, and so we arrive at a match where that mantra really shines through. While Orange can do some hardcore stuff (whenever), he’s more a risk taker and “bottom of the ninth” kind of wrestler, whereas Moxley can do technical wrestling but favors the brutal side of the sport. Both guys have strong career records in AEW, and while Moxley has been World Champion twice over, Cassidy hasn’t lacked in big matches or moments himself.
Maybe its just me, but I feel like the more Orange defends the title, the closer he comes to not only losing the belt, but getting put on the shelf. Obviously, no title reign or undefeated streak lasts forever (just ask Jade or HOOK), and someone is going to cut Orange down at some point, and who is to say that Moxley isn’t that guy? Keep in mind, Jon is the same guy who it had been reported was going to take months off on vacation, yet stayed around during the most recent Punk “sabbatical”. Could winning the International Title from Orange be a thank you for his selfless efforts and putting the company first and his well being second?
One thing is for certain in this match; no matter WHO wins, someone is going to bleed, whether it’s Orange, Jon, or both of them.
WINNER: Jon Moxley (NEW AEW International Champion)
