wrestling / TV Reports

Cook’s AEW All Out 2022 Review

September 5, 2022 | Posted by Steve Cook
AEW All Out The Elite, Kenny Omega Image Credit: AEW
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Cook’s AEW All Out 2022 Review  

Hey kids! A little backstage info for you: I was originally scheduled to do the live coverage for this event, but my shoot job ended up getting in the way of things and I punted it to more capable folks. I doubt there were many complaints, as Jeremy & Hall are more than competent reviewers while my goal is to become competent one of these days. All I can do is get 1% better each & every day.

I ended up missing Zero Hour. I’m sure it was plenty good, but I’d like to get this review posted before we have fifteen more wrestling shows to discuss. Let me know via social media if you really need my thoughts on Ishii vs. Kingston or something else on it like Sammy dropping Ruby on her dome.

Cook’s AEW All Out 2022 Review

We’re in the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Excalibur, Taz & Tony Schiavone are our hosts.

Casino Ladder Match: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Wheeler Yuta vs. Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Rey Fenix vs. Rush vs. Andrade El Idolo vs. Dante Martin vs. The Joker: Yuta is the first entrant, Fenix is the second. Since one can win this ladder match at any time, one would think that would give them an advantage. One would think. Fenix with the spin kick in the corner off the ropes, and it’s time to set a ladder up for a big move off the top rope to the floor. Wheeler fights Fenix off, knocks him onto the ladder, then hits the tope suicida onto Fenix onto the ladder as the clock ticks down! Rush is #3 as Wheeler sets the ladder up. Rush still taking his time on the entrance, but still manages to keep Yuta from climbing to the top. Rush belly to bellys Yuta onto the ladder, then delivers a headbutt to Fenix. Rush with the flip dive onto Fenix, then sends him into the guardrail a couple of times. Andrade El Idolo is next, giving the advantage to La Faccion Ignoberable. Theoretically, anyway. Things seem tranquil at the moment as they set up some kind of ladder gimmick. Fenix goes head first into a ladder, then Andrade & Rush try to climb. Yuta & Fenix break it up before we can figure out what their gameplan was. Andrade’s gameplan includes a MDK powerbomb onto Yuta onto the ladder. Claudio Castagnoli is next, and he’s concerned about Yuta’s well-being. I’d be more concerned about the hanging poker chip, but Claudio sets up the ladder gimmick somewhere else. Andrade is on top of the gimmick, and Claudio has turned it into an X. Andrade eventually ends up on the floor. Dante Martin is next, and he’s dodging things and having ladders fall on top of him, Fenix & Claudio get launched over the top, and Dante jumps onto the lladder to stop Yuta from thinking of climbing up. Dante keeps jumping, ending up in Claudio taking a rana over the top. Penta El Zero Miedo is next, and Dante runs up to eat a Mexican Destroyer. Sling Blade on Rush, Yuta eats a superkick while doing a headstand, then Claudio takes a backstabber. Andrade tries to stop all that with a DVD on the ladder, but Penta breaks it and hits a Mexican Destroyer on the ladder. Fenix with a frog splash onto Rush on a table outside. Meanwhile, Claudio & Yuta head up the ladder. Dante joins them up there, then some hooded figures enter the ring and attack the combatants. I really hope this isn’t Control Your Narrative. One of the hooded figures grabs the chip…it’s Stokley Hathaway! He’s got some recruits with him. Here’s the Joker…a familiar Rolling Stones tune plays as a man with a mask and horns walks down to the ring. Stokley hands the chip to the fella, and that’s the match.

Winner: The Joker (14 minutes via Stokley Hathaway)
Match Rating: **1/2

It should be interesting to see where it goes, but I always feel sorry for the guys that end up killing themselves in these ladder matches for some surprise guy to walk down and win by doing nothing. I feel like we can accomplish these things without exposing people to career-ending injuries, but maybe I’m just soft or something.

The Joker teases taking the mask off, and doesn’t! I don’t know who he is but I can tell you they’re shorter than W. Morrissey. There’s my groundbreaking news reporting skills on display for you, the reader.

AEW World Trios Championship Final: Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks vs. Adam Page, John Silver & Alex Reynolds: Kenny has no tape or compression shirt tonight, which I’m pretty sure means he’s 100%. Don Callis joins Excalibur, Taz & Tony on commentary. I feel like they may be doing all the matches JR hates early in the show on purpose. Hangman & Nick Jackson start with some chain rasslin and a standoff. There’s a handshake and some respect! Matt Jackson & Alex Reynolds tag in and do some chain rasslin of their own. Alex offers the hand, and Matt spits in his beard! Double leg & some punches from Reynolds. Blind tag by Silver, who punches & kicks Matt right in the injured back! Hangman stops Silver & Reynolds from double teaming, which seems a bit odd. Matt takes offense, and tags in Omega to meet the Hangman once again! Tieup into the Dark Order corner, and Silver hits Kenny from behind after blind tagging Page. Silver & Reynolds showing some attitude tonight with the title on the line, I don’t hate it. Double drop toehold and a double dropkick to Omega. Blind tag by Page, who doesn’t approve of targeting Omega’s shoulder. Omega & Page exchange chops. Big boot and a Last Call by Page. Page knocks Matt off the apron, but then springboards into a superkick from Nick. Some classic Bucks double teaming leads to all three opponents on the defensive. Top rope elbowdrop from Matt gets two. Nick tags in, then Kenny. Some triple teaming on Page gets a two count. Page escapes the YOU CAN’T ESCAPE and hits a DVD on Kenny. Silver & Matt tag in, and Silver takes the advantage. He takes out the entourage on the outside before Nick kicks him down. Nick gets taken out with a combo brainbuster/splash on the outside. Spin Doctor on Matt gets the teo count. Alex tosses Kenny out. An ALEX REYNOLDS chant before Matt can suplex both Reynolds & Silver. Matt tags Kenny in, who hits a crossbody on Silver, then some snap dragons on Reynolds & Page. Silver with a series of kicks, then a snap dragon by Kenny. Silver takes some shots in the corner from the opponents, then Kenny does. Silver & Reynolds hit their big finish on Kenny, but it only gets twoooo. The Bucks break up the triple team, then Omega knocks Silver out of the ring with the V-Trigger. Omega flip dives onto his opponents on the outside. Matt tags in, he and Alex are apparently the legal men now. The triple team backfires, Page moonsaults onto Nick on the floor, and Matt’s set up for the Pendulum bomb. Nick breaks up the count with a swanton. Nick with some knee strikes on Silver, then the Bucks & Dark Order exchange some superkicks. All four men go down eventually. Page & Omega face off again, but Rick Knox says they’re not the legal men! Page & Omega drag their partners to the corners and tag in. They exchange shots! Shots off the ropes. Page flips out of the German. V-Trigger and a Tiger Driver ’98 from Kenny, that’ll just get two. They go up top, Page with the flipping Last Call for the two count! Off goes the elbow pad, and it’s time for the Buckshot! Right to the back of the head! One more? Nah, Matt’s breaking it up this time. Kenny ducks out of the way, Nick comes in with a Buckshot of his own on Page, and there’s the BTE Trigger! Reynolds breaks up the pin! Page avoids the V-Trigger, Silver with a kick! Silver nearly catches a pin on Omega. He goes for the Discus Lariat, Kenny ducks, V-Trigger! One Winged Angel? No, Silver rolls through for a two count! Page goes for the Buckshot Lariat on Omega, but Omega ducks out of the way and Silver eats it! Kenny ends up getting the three count!

Winners: Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks (19:46 via pinfall)
Match Rating: ****

You’ll either love or hate this match depending on your feelings about the Elite. You’ll either give their matches a chance or not. Nothing’s going to change your mind at this point. I thought it was pretty good! Hangman Page costing his boys the match is going to lead to some drama, which will either endear him more to the audience or make him more of a nansy pansy. Take your pick.

Kenny with some naughty language for the camera man.

We see Mark Henry talking to Jade Cargill & Athena on the most recent episode of Rampage.

AEW TBS Championship Match: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Athena: Jade breaks through a brick wall with “That Bitch” written on it where the Codyvator used to be. Some green paint on Jade’s skin for tonight, pretty sure that’s the She-Hulk look since that’s the thing these days. I’m not a Disney Plus guy, but it seems like a safe bet as I can’t think of any other female superheroes with green skin. Athena with some kicks right away, and some double knees. O-Face gets a two-count, then the Baddies pull Athena out of the ring. Leila Grey gets kicked into the safety rail, and Kiera Hogan runs away. Big Samoan Drop by Jade, both women kip up but Jade hits a spear for a two count. They exchange shots in the corner before Jade hits a beal. Springboard crossbody by Athena gets two. She looks shocked by this, as many wrestlers that have extensively trained in Orlando do. Jade blocks the O-Face, Athena blocks the Jaded and hits a flipping Stunner for two. Kiera tries to interfere and gets kicked down. Some back & forth before Jade hits a pump kick, then the Jaded for three.

Winner: Jade Cargill (4:20 via pinfall)
Match Rating: *1/2

Not a whole lot to this one, to be honest. If you thought Athena was going to be somebody that’d get something out of Jade, that didn’t happen.

Jade’s daughter looks happy though, so it’s tough to be mad about it. I mean, nothing but love to Jade, Dat Dude BP & her daughter, but how am I supposed to boo Jade when her cute kid’s at every big show emoting? Cue Bruce Prichard imitating Jim Cornette: “SHE’S A GODDAMN HEEL, MOTHERFUCKER!”

Earlier today, Alex Marvez talked to CM Punk & Ace Steel. CM (yes, Marvez called him CM and
I laughed & laughed) has never been 100% walking into a fight. Jon Moxley is fighting Punk, Ace and the whole city of Chicago. Sounds like quite the handicap match to me.

Wardlow & FTR vs. Jay Lethal & The Motor City Machine Guns: It’s a shame Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin’s music gets cut off so we have to listen to Lethal’s drek. Sonjay Dutt goes for the ultimate cheap heat by changing FTR’s t-shirt to “Fight like an 8 year old BRAT”. Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler come out with the 8 year old girl! She doesn’t come all the way down to the ring to beat Sonjay up, though that might happen later. Wardlow starts. Lethal dances around him while the fans talk about Lethal sucking. Lethal spits on Wardlow’s chest, actually gets the big man down and goes for the figure 4, but then Wardlow goes for the powerbomb and Lethal gets far away. Sabin wants one of FTR, so Harwood obliges. Sabin rolls out of the wristlock and arm drags Harwood. Slaps are exchanged, and the four tag team wrestlers square up. Dax with some jabs for both men, then a short-arm clothesline by Sabin. Dax chases Sonjay around, Sabin cuts it off and hits a cutter with some assistance from Shelley, who tags in for some double teaming. They make a wish with Dax’s legs. Dax fights back, hits a back suplex and tags Cash in. Double forearms, then an assisted legdrop gets two. Shelley with a chinbreaker, but Cash with some strikes before the tag to Wardlow. Shelley’s chop doesn’t work, not does the Guns’ attempt to suplex. Dax tags in, locks in the Sharpshooter, that gets broken up with some triple teaming. Then some double teaming by the Guns, a Dream Sequence gets two. Lethal tags in and exchanges chops with Dax. Dax ends up isolated in the corner getting it from everybody. Then the Guns miss a move in the corner, and Cash tags in. Shelley eats some big offense ending in a lariat. Shelley goes for the sliced bread, Cash breaks out, hits a modified Widow’s Peak for two. Some back & forth between both teams ends up with Cash’s knee being the focal point of Lethal & the Guns’ offense. They’re targeting both knees though, which isn’t a terrible idea. Lethal with the figure 4 he learned from Buddy Landel. Cash makes the ropes as the fans want some Wardlow. Shelley keeps Cash from tagging by holding the trunks, Cash fights out and hits a backbreaker on Sabin. There’s tags to Wardlow & Lethal, and Wardlow’s just crushing everybody. F-10 by Wardlow only gets two. Taz goes with the Brian Sipe reference, getting a pop from Schiavone. A punch from Santam Singh led to a two on Wardlow. Sabin jumps onto FTR on the outside while Shelley & Lethal put Wardlow in the Tree of Woe for some dropkicks. Lethal goes up top for the Hail to the King, which only gets two. Schiavone calls Singh a big slug. FTR back in with Liger Bombs & Big Rigs, but Lethal hits the Combination on both of them. Wardlow smacks Lethal with a lariat, and drops the straps! Powerbomb Symphony time! How many do we get tonight? We get four!

Winners: Wardlow & FTR (16:26 via pinfall)
Match Rating: ***1/4

Perfectly fine, though I can’t help but think that FTR vs. MCMG is the match I really need to see. All due respect to Wardlow & Lethal, but the tag team dream match needs to happen.

Sonjay wants to use the numbers advantage they still have, but here comes SAMOA JOE! Joe takes Singh down with his ROH TV title belt, then rolls Sonjay into the ring. I’m guessing the Guns have run back to Impact Wrestling. Here comes Dax’s daughter Finley! She breaks Sonjay’s pencil, then Harwood punches him down. Finley covers Sonjay for the win! Joe busted himself open during all of this somehow, which is amusing to me.

We see a video package about the parting of ways between Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs. Starks has trust issues, while Hobbs thinks Starks is a loser.

Ricky Starks vs. Powerhouse Hobbs: They waste no time exchanging strikes. Hobbs gets the upper hand due to his size and stomps Starks down in the corner. Hobbs with a vertical suplex. A Starks spear finds nothing but ringpost, then Hobbs tosses Starks into the guardrail. Hobbs sets up for the running powerslam, Starks slips out, but gets booted down for the two count. Neck vice by Hobbs. Hobbs misses in the corner and Starks fights back again. Another Hobbs miss in the corner, Starks doesn’t miss and hits a swinging DDT for two. Starks flips out of the backdrop, but can’t flip out of the Hobbs spinebuster! That gets the three count!

Winner: Powerhouse Hobbs (5:15 via pinfall)
Match Rating: **

Hobbs took care of Starks in relatively short order there, can’t say I expected that one. That, along with Starks working in long tights, makes one wonder if there’s an issue with Ricky. I know Jeremy Lambert knows this, go bug him on Twitter about it.

Rampage featured a discussion between the tag teams in our next match.

Jim Ross joins Excalibur & Taz at the booth while Tony heads to the back. No Boomer Sooner tonight, make of that what you will.

AEW World Tag Team Championship Match: Swerve In Our Glory (c) vs. The Acclaimed: Max Caster talking about Ambien, Lizzo and the documents at Trump’s place tonight. That sounds like the answer for a question for Carnac the Magnificent. Swerve Strickland & Anthony Bowens start with some of that chain wrestling. Bowens takes the back. “Oh, Scissor Me Daddy” says the Chicago fans. Bowens & Strickland exchange some rollups and headscissors. Keith Lee tags in, as does Max Caster. Max’s shoulderblocks don’t work too well, but he does manage to flip out of the hip toss attempt. Lee with some agility of his own, causing Caster to put on the brakes. Caster kicks Lee into the corner, and actually hits a rana off the second rope. Sunset flip goes nowhere, but some dropkicks end up sending Swerve & Keith to the floor. Some scissoring with Bowens, Caster & Daddy Ass. Keith Lee’s had about enough of his nonsense, and he hits a crossbody to Max’s back. Swerve tags in and hits a diving uppercut behind the shoulders. Lee places Caster on the top rope, but Max fights Lee off and hits a diving cutter. Tags to Swerve & Bowens, and Bowens is that house of fire. Ripcord neckbreaker by Bowens. Bowens knocks Lee off the apron and hits a suplex for two. Bowens slips on the ropes though, and seems to have jammed his left knee. He’s able to hit a Famouser, but both Billy Gunn and the referee check on him. Swerve tosses him off the apron and onto the floor. Gunn checks on Bowens again, but Swerve kicks Bowens down. Swerve starts going after the knee brace. Lee tags in and helps with an assisted knee breaker. Splash to the knee gets two. Lee with some Mongolian chops in the corner, then he beals Bowens across the ring. Bowens has a brief adrenaline rush, and hits a flipping neckbreaker on Keith. Max gets the tag, and be backdrops Swerve and clotheslines him over the top rope. The offense on Lee doesn’t go well until the crossbody block gets two. The Acclaimed doubleteam doesn’t go as well as usual, but a Keith Lee pounce takes Swerve out. A running right knee strike by Bowens gets two. Lee rocks Bowens with a headbutt, then clotheslines Caster over the top rope. Bowens’ knee keeps him from doing much on Lee, who decides to go up top. Max follows him up, then Anthony follows him. Double superplex? Barely, but yes! Swerve comes off the top with the stomp on Bowens for two! Swerve goes right after Bowens’ knee and locks in a half crab with some stomps! Max comes off the top rope to break that up. Swerve with a shining wizard on Caster for the two count. Bowens blocks a big move from Swerve and rolls him onto the apron. Caster goes for the Mic Drop, and hits it from the apron to the floor! Bowens’ knee takes more abuse in the process. Lee with some ham hocks, and Billy gets up on the apron! Max sets up for the blow from behind…hits some kicks and lifts him on his shoulders! F-U! Bowens tags in, hits the Arrival, Caster hits the Mic Drop, and Lee breaks it up! I thought that one was it! The fans thought so too, chanting about Bolin Services. Swerve hits a DVD on Max on the apron, taking him out. Bowens & Swerve go back & forth. Swerve with a backbreaker, Lee tags in and Bowens faces off with both of them! Mis-communication leads to Lee being kicked down by Swerve for another near-fall! Lee blocks the Famouser and it’s a Swerve Stomp/Spirit Bomb combo that ends it.

Winners: Swerve In Our Glory (22:24 via pinfall)
Match Rating: ****1/4

I wasn’t expecting this match to steal the show, but here we are. The crowd was totally into it from start to finish…until the guys they were rooting for didn’t win. There’s the chance that maybe Chicago is just weird and into scissoring and everybody else wanted Swerve in Our Glory to win. Then again, maybe people are over the whole Swerve/Keith will they-won’t they split thing and would rather they make up their minds. Also a chance that people are still wondering when that Bucks/FTR unification match is happening, which seemingly everybody except Tony Khan thought was a good idea for All Out. We didn’t get that, but this was a pretty damn good tag team match and hopefully puts The Acclaimed on the next level. Time will tell.

The fans are ready for the Acclaimed to win that title. Lee offers the scissor of mutual respect, and the fans poop all over it.

AEW Interim Women’s World Championship Match: Toni Storm vs. Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. vs. Jamie Hayter vs. Hikaru Shida: Hayter & Storm pair off while Baker avoids Shida. Storm with the dropkick to Hayter, but then Britt trips her up. Shida really wants some of Baker while the fans chant for Jamie. Series of rollups by everybody in the match until Hayter locks in a half crab & Baker goes for the Lockjaw. Toni gets Britt out of there and locks in a modified Octopus on Hayter before Baker breaks it up. Sling blades from Baker. Hayter takes over with some shots in the corner on Shida & Storm. Double suplex by Hayter, who is the crowd favorite early on here. AEW fans picking their favorites! Makes sense, as the other three women have won titles all over the place while Hayter is still looking for her signature victory. Jamie’s also been in Britt’s shadow for quite some time, that appeals to people too. Some big moves on the floor lead to Shida taking the advantage. Shida & Storm face off in the ring & go back & forth with the advantage. Shida’s kip up doesn’t go so well, Storm’s goes better. This leads to a forearm exchange. Rebel runs in to eat a double headbutt. It provides the proper distraction for Baker & Hayter to attack from behind. Baker stomps Shida on the ramp and lays her kendo stick on top of her. The trainers check on Shida, who wants to go back to the ring. While the referee is part of that, Storm gets beat up by both remaining opponents. Storm fights back though, crossbody on Hayter gets two. Double suplex by Hayter & Baker. We’ve yet to see what would happen on a pinfall attempt, and we’ll wait longer since Shida is back with two kendo sticks. Is this No Disqualification? Apparently, since it’d be hard to crown a champion if one wrestler got DQed. Shida with some punches in the corner for both Britt & Jamie. Britt gets suplexed into Jamie in the corner, then Jamie gets suplexed back into the ring for two. Time for some kicks! Hayter with the backbreaker on Storm. Britt & Jamie end up with a double-pin on Shida for two, so we still don’t know what’s up there. Shida & Baker trading shots next to Hayter & Storm. Shida & Hayter win, then Shida gets the upper hand on Hayter. Shida does the deal, but Storm breaks it up. Storm with a German on Shida. Tombstone by Hayter, Meteora by Shida, neither wins the match. Baker with the twisting neckbreaker & stomp on Shida for 2.98. Hayter clears the ring, hits a Rainmaker…Britt pulls the referee out of the ring! Storm Zero piledriver on Hayter, Britt tosses Toni out of the ring and covers Jamie for two! Well gosh. Storm with the DDT on Baker, then one on Hayter, and there’s the three count!

Winner: Toni Storm (14:44 via pinfall)
Match Rating: **1/2

Toni was likely going to be the next champion anyway, so this doesn’t change things much. There might be potential in a Baker/Hayter feud, which would be pretty cool as there could be more than one women’s feud regularly featured on television. Match was decent, though the super duper near-falls got a bit awkward after about the third one where the referee could have easily counted three. This also continued the trend of fan-chosen favorites losing.

“Jungle Boy” Jack Perry vs. Christian Cage: The Perry family is back at ringside for this one, and Mama slaps Christian during his entrance! Perry looks behind for his buddy Luchasaurus, who emerges from the other side? Luchasaurus chokeslams Jack on the stage, and Jack rolls to the floor in pain! Luchasaurus carries Jack down to the ring, and Christian tells him to powerbomb Jack through the ringside table! This happens as the Perrys look on in dismay. Aubrey Edwards checks on Perry after Luchasaurus rolls him into the ring. Perry still wants the match and pulls himself up. Christian gets two on a spear, then hits the Killswitch for the win.

Winner: Christian Cage (0:22 via pinfall)
Match Rating: N/A

Third turn for Luchasaurus in a few weeks. Are we sure Vince Russo was consulting USA Network & not Warner Bros. Discovery? This was pure heat and not really a match, which was fine because the card was rather crowded.

I’m pretty sure we’ve just seen the quickest match in AEW pay per view history. History has been made in Hoffman Estates!

Alex Marvez is with Death Triangle, Best Friends, Orange Cassidy & Danhausen. Alex Abrahantes tries to talk for Fenix, but Pac says a dog is crawling up the wrong tree. There were an awful lot of people there just to book a match for Wednesday’s Dynamite.

“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. “Lionheart” Chris Jericho: William Regal joins Excalibur, Taz & JR, though there’s no flirting with the Man in the mask tonight. Elliott Taylor sings Danielson’s theme song. Now you know! Jericho with the arm drag as we see Daniel Garcia looking on backstage. Dragon tries to kick Jericho’s head in, but Jericho rolls outside. Jericho throws a chair, as he’s having a brief flashback to his WCW tantrum throwing days. Back in the ring, Jericho hits a chop & Bryan takes it to the mat before missing a chop. Jericho doesn’t miss. YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENS? Jericho with the wristlock, Dragon rolls through and suplexes Jericho. Jericho works Danielson into a head & arm scissor, Dragon rolls out and works Jericho into a surfboard position. Dragon rakes Jericho’s face and informs Aubrey that he has until five. Dragon with some punches on the mat, works into a cross armbreaker. Jericho keeps the hold from being applied fully, then elbows Dragon in the back of the head. Canadian legsweep into a head & arm scissor. Dragon works out of it and gets back to the leglock. Danielson provides some entertainment with a Rick Rude hip swivel. Jericho with some chops, and Danielson returns the favor. Jericho with a punch, then a double underhook backbreaker. The COME ON BABY cover gets one. Some slaps from Jericho, Danielson wants some more and delivers some uppercuts. Danielson runs into a shoulderblock from Jericho, then the trademark springboard dropkick. Jericho jumps over the top rope into a kick. Danielson with the knee strike off the apron. Up top, missile dropkick & a kip up. Lots of kip ups tonight. Time for some Yes Kicks. Misses the fourth, and Jericho teases his finisher before Danielson gets out of it. Kicks in the corner by Dragon. Jericho stops the rana off the top and locks in the Walls of Jericho! I saw Jon Moxley in this hold for five minutes recently, so I feel ok for Danielson’s chances. There’s an inside cradle to break the hold. Jericho takes a tumble to the floor, then Danielson hits the tope suicida. Both men up top now, but Danielson headbutts Jericho off. Danielson misses a splash, Jericho ends up Lionsaulting Danielson’s knees, which leads to a LeBell Lock. Jericho works out of it, catapults Dragon over the top. Some cat skinning, some reversals lead to a Tombstone by Jericho. Lionsault gets two. Danielson blocks the Judas Effect with some kicks. One right to the head, and Dragon sets up to kick Jericho’s f*cking head in. He nearly does before locking in the LeBell Lock again. Jericho stays in awhile and Danielson keeps changing positions. Jericho ends up in the mount and turns Danielson into the Walls of Jericho. Danielson reverses it into a triangle sleeper. Jericho with some punches, he eventually gets to the ropes and then catapults Bryan’s neck into the bottom rope. They exchange forearms and palm strikes. Backflip out of the corner, but Bryan runs into a Codebreaker that gets two. Jericho goes to the Liontamer, but Bryan’s close enough to the ropes to break it. Jericho tells Danielson to stay down, then hits a release German. Jericho with some repeated elbows. Danielson flips out of the German, then hits the Bushiaku for two. Cattle Mutilation by Danielson! Jericho turns out, and Danielson goes to the repeated elbows. Back to Cattle Mutilation, but Jericho’s able to get to the ropes. Danielson with some kicks to the back, he’s still got that five count. Jericho rolls Bryan up for two, Bryan with a rolling elbow and more repeated elbows. They end up in the corner with Aubrey. Jericho with the mule kick out of the referee’s vision and the Judas Effect! That ends it.

Winner: Chris Jericho (23:41 via pinfall)
Match Rating: ****1/4

Some really good professional wrestling there. What can I say, I love it when two masters of the craft take their time and tell a story. As weird as Jericho can be these days with some of his choices, he’s still one of those masters. Not sure what this does for Danielson, but we all know he’s not a fan of winning matches anyway.

The Jericho Appreciation Society comes down to celebrate with ol’ Lionheart.

Malikai Black & Brody King talk about their issues with Darby Allin & Miro. Buddy Matthews & Sting are also in this match.

House of Black vs. Darby Allin, Sting & Miro: Julia Hart & the HOB have all of the entrance attire on. I think they cleaned out a Halloween Express. Miro hops right in the ring and goes after the HOB, but we’ll still wait for his teammates to enter. Miro & Black start. Miro with some stomps in the corner, and Brody had to pull Miro off of Malikai. Bryce Remsburg sure wasn’t getting the job done. Buddy tags in and jumps into a throw from Miro. Splash in the corner and Darby wants a tag. Miro wants to beat up Buddy. He continues doing so. Darby gets the blind tag eventually. Darby exchanges some shots with Buddy well after Malikai tagged in, and Malikai takes advantage. A PK gets a two count before a tag to Brody. Brody throws Darby around, which is probably a fun thing to do. Brody then chops Darby down from the top rope to the floor and tosses him into the guardrail. Back into the ring and Malikai goes to the rear chinlock for a second before Darby fights out. Double knockdown sends Darby into the wrong corner. Darby keeps going for that tag, but Buddy holds him off with a knee to the head. Sting gets a shot from Buddy, but Miro gets the tag! Well, he did, but Bryce was too busy checking Julia out. She’s way too young for ya, dude! The tag to Sting is seen, and he goes ham on HOB. Stinger Splashes! Brody is sent into Buddy in the corner, then to the floor. Sting stares at Malikai, and places Buddy down at his feet for the tag. Sting & Malikai go at it. Sting locks in the Scorpion Deathlock! Buddy kicks Sting, Brody punches Sting, but Sting keeps the hold on! A double kick finally turns it over, and Malikai has a kneebar. Miro drags them over to the ropes, and Buddy kicks Miro’s head off. Sting gets out of the triple team attempt and tags Darby. Scorpion Death Drop and a Coffin Drop to Brody, but Buddy breaks it up. Miro sends Buddy & Brody to the outside, then runs around into Buddy wielding Sting’s bat! Miro ends up hitting the steps. Flipping stunner by Darby onto Buddy, then a cannonball outside. Malikai sneaks up on Sting, who spits some mist in his face! Darby gets Malikai into the Last Supper pinning combination and it’s over.

Winners: Darby Allin, Sting & Miro (12:10 via pinfall)
Match Rating: **3/4

Not sure where this places Darby, Sting & Miro in the trios rankings, but HOB has to be near the bottom with their recent run of luck. Apparently Malikai did some gesticulating to the crowd after the match indicating that he’ll be going away for awhile, since I’m not in the know on his issues I shan’t comment on that.

Tony is backstage with Daniel Garcia, who can’t say anything before Chris Jericho asks him where he was. Daniel wasn’t down with the whole cheating thing, so he was disappointed. Jericho says that the JAS won’t be backing Garcia up when he goes for the ROH Pure Championship on Dynamite.

AEW World Championship Match: Jon Moxley (c) vs. CM Punk: Punk with the white longboys tonight if you’re scoring at home, or even if you’re alone. Some taunting before the lockup. Lots of chanting from the crowd. Punk with some knees, then some chops in the corner. Mox responds with some punches. Punk with the big kick, knees in the corner, and a clothesline. Some repeated elbows from Punk, then he hits the Go 2 Sleep! Only gets two! Mox rolls outside to recover, Punk follows him with a dive that sends Mox into the crowd. Punk & Mox brawl through the crowd. Punk seemingly favoring his left elbow whilst beating Moxley around the building. Moxley gets thrown into the steps and Punk does a pushup. Mox’s fans getting a bit louder now, though the Punkers still carry the day. Punk gets sent into the ringpost and Mox rolls back into the ring. There’s some blood on Punk’s forehead now, and Paul Turner’s got his gloves on. Mox gets some of Punk’s blood on his arm after some shots to the head, and licks his arm! We never said Moxley was the most emotionally stable person of all time. Punk finally rolls into the ring, with Mox goading him on. Punk trying to fight back, but Moxley in firm control of the pacing. Knee strike in the corner, but Mox blocks the bulldog and starts targeting that injured foot. Double stomp to the beltline by Mox, who locks in a half crab before transitioning into an STF. Hey, I remember a John that used that hold! Then it’s a calf crusher variant, and Punk gouges the eyes to break it. Figure 4 by Moxley! They take turns flipping each other, and Mox releases the hold to administer a piledriver for a two count. Now they’re on the apron, Moxley goes for another piledriver, but Punk hits an armwringer instead, sending Mox’s shoulder into the hardest part of the ring. Mox runs into a boot, then Punk sends him shoulder-first into the ringpost, another hard part of the ring. Punk tries to kick Mox’s head in, then locks in the Anaconda Vice! Moxley bites his way out of it, then stomps Punk’s head in. Punk ducks the clothesline and hits a kick. Bodyslam by Punk, who heads up top. Elbowdrop misses wildly, and Moxley goes for the bulldog choke. Punk gets out of it and goes for the cross armbreaker. Mox rolls through and gets the choke. Punk kicks out, Mox goes for the ankle lock. Punk reaches the ropes, so Mox German suplexes him. Punk with the Cro Cop kick, but Mox answers with a clothesline. They trade move reversals, then some shots. Kick to Punk’s leg, but Punk answers with a neckbreaker! Mox blocks the Go 2 Sleep and hits a Death Rider for the two count! Some repeated elbows from Moxley, back to the bulldog choke. Punk lifts Moxley up, but can’t finish the motion. Punk rolls through the choke, then hits the Go 2 Sleep! Mox is out, but Punk’s under him. Can Punk hit one more? Yes he can! We got a new champion!

Winner: CM Punk (19:56 via pinfall)
Match Rating: ***1/2

Lots of stuff going on here. One couldn’t help but notice that CM’s opponent got a bit more of a positive reaction than usual. On one hand it’s not that surprising, as Moxley seems pretty popular with most people that don’t have podcasts. On the other hand, it’s not that surprising because the type of people that attend AEW big events are Very Online, and have certainly read all of the recent news about CM Punk. Chicago pandering or no Chicago pandering, whether the reports are bogus or not, some minds have been changed in recent weeks. As much as I love gossipy drama, I get the feeling that most AEW fans would prefer everybody hold hands and sing kumbaya like they apparently did back in the old days. As for the match itself? I liked it all right. They were smart to hold back on the blood for most of the evening (except when Joe randomly bled I don’t remember anybody else doing it.), and the nearfalls were very compelling. I’m not sold that the booking of the feud made a ton of sense, but I also don’t think it’ll hurt anybody in the long run. Hopefully I’m not wrong!

The lights go out before we can really think about CM Punk regaining the championship. We hear the voice of Tony Khan, addressing a fellow wrestler, telling them they can be in the Casino Ladder Match at All Out. Then we see ROH CM Punk telling us that the greatest thing the devil ever did was convince the world he didn’t exist. A man with his back to us wearing a scarf says that he is the devil himself. Play MJF’s music!

MJF walks onto the stage and stares Punk down. He makes the classic “I want the belt” hand motion, flips the fans off and tells everybody that the belt is coming home to him. Excalibur assures us that we’ll find out more on Dynamite!

8.0
The final score: review Very Good
The 411
All Out was a pretty solid show that continues AEW's streak of delivering on PPV. I wouldn't say every decision was a home run, but am interested to see where things are going from here. Hopefully some of the folks that shined tonight get bigger chances in the weeks and months ahead.
legend

article topics :

AEW All Out, Steve Cook