Preview and Predictions for AEW’s ‘All Out’: Quick Turnaround Makes for a Disappointing Card

Running two pay-per-views in the span of a week is a tall order, especially with one of your top stars suspended.

What a difference a week has made in AEW.

After last Sunday’s über-successful All In from London’s Wembley Stadium, I didn’t think it was possible that the same company would have such a differently booked pay-per-view as the one we have with this Sunday’s All Out (8 p.m. ET at the United Center in Chicago).

It was going to be hard enough to sell fans on spending $100 in eight days on two separate shows, but given that the majority of this Sunday’s show was revealed on Wednesday’s Dynamite with more to come on Saturday’s Collision, perhaps AEW is doing its fans a financial favor by putting together a show they can skip without really missing anything.

In a sense, it’s hard to blame them. All In was a massive success by all metrics: attendance (81,000-plus), gate revenue ($10-plus million), ancillary revenue and PPV numbers that Wrestling Observer Newsletter founder Dave Meltzer has said are looking very strong by metrics he has seen. Many smaller companies would kill for that revenue in a year, much less one night.

But as frequently is the case with AEW, there’s a flip side to the success. This week’s headlines have been dominated by yet another backstage incident, yet again involving CM Punk. This time, his dance partner was “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry.

The short version: Punk, using his increased creative control on Collision, nixed Perry using real glass for a stunt this summer. Perry didn’t like that because it was reportedly approved by AEW management. The two had words and moved on, or so we thought.

On Sunday, Perry verbally made a pointed “real glass” reference to the camera during his All In preshow match that Punk, and everyone watching, saw. The two had words backstage and some kind of physical altercation moments before Punk was set to go out in front of the aforementioned 81,000 fans to kick off the PPV—an altercation that reportedly saw Punk have to be talked into going through with the match by his opponent, Samoa Joe.

Read that last paragraph again. You’re about to kick off one of your proudest moments as a company on PPV, and your biggest star threatens to not go through with the match because of a skirmish with one of your younger stars—all minutes before things are set to go live.

While never formally announced by AEW, both Punk and Perry have been suspended and are unlikely to appear on Sunday’s show. There is an ongoing investigation, and, if it’s like the last one that involved Punk, which felt like it lasted longer than the Tom Brady Wells report saga of years ago, it could be a while before he returns, if ever.

The likely absence of Punk, a popular Chicago native, will not be ideal. While not completely disastrous, it’s on the scale. All signs pointed to him battling rival Ricky Starks in a strap match. Instead, Starks will be on Saturday’s Collision to challenge 70-year-old Ricky Steamboat to the same match in a callback to Starks’s attack on the legend several weeks ago.

Obviously, that match won’t happen. So if Punk is indeed on the shelf, that spot would likely go to former AEW world champion “Hangman” Adam Page because, well, AEW needs someone.

Thrown together? Yes, but that’s how this entire PPV lineup seems outside one or two matches. For the first time since its inception in 2019, All Out seems completely unnecessary and more like a special version of Dynamite or Collision than something to pay $50 for.

Given the success that All In had, I think AEW head Tony Khan is fine with that, and he will justify it by discussing plans that he did have that fell through. The sky isn’t falling, but I’m surprised things have played out this way. These are situations to put a pin in while looking back at a lifespan of a company, especially a young one.

After such a huge positive like All In, the booking of All Out seems like an afterthought and that’s not all on Punk being out. I thought All In would be the bridge to All Out, which would make for a near-perfect bookended week for AEW. I was wrong. Throw in the travel- and illness-related issues that caused several key talents to miss Dynamite to help cement what we do have, and the glow of All In is fading quickly.

With that rousing intro, here’s some previewing and predicting for Sunday’s show with the caveat that this card is as of Thursday morning, so anything announced Saturday (like an AEW women’s title match, etc.) isn’t here.

Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita

It seems fitting one of the top matches on the show was formalized during the post–All In press conference with Omega not actually present. He was then unable to get to Chicago on Wednesday due to hurricane-related travel issues, which took away a face-to-face confrontation or something else to add more emotion. Perhaps something can be done Saturday to boost the vitriol, as this match deserves it.

As predicted last week, the All In trios match led directly into this with Takeshita getting the pin on Omega, which was logical. This has been a match they have been building to for some time, but there hasn’t been enough time to really sell the drama of the one-on-one encounter. That’s a shame, as this should be a great match and one that deserved to be in front of 81,000 fans.

Prediction: Omega wins

Bullet Club Gold (Jay White, Juice Robinson, Colten Gunn and Austin Gunn) vs. AEW tag team champions FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) and The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson)

This one was announced Wednesday but was actually made after Sunday’s All In, as we were shown. After their tag-team match, FTR walked in to chat with the Bucks about why they didn’t shake their hands and were interrupted by the always wacky “Bang Bang Gang” of White, Robinson and the brothers Gunn. Words were exchanged, and a match was made.

That means no AEW tag-team title match Sunday. Sure, FTR and the Bucks’ teaming up is something, but given the state of the card, perhaps a multiteam tag title match would have given the show a little more importance. The action will be great, but this doesn’t feel consequential. Again, this seems like a Dynamite or Collision main event.

The Chicago reaction to the Bucks and the aforementioned Omega, especially with no Punk on the show, should be something to behold. I don’t expect apathy.

Prediction: FTR and the Bucks win

AEW international champion Orange Cassidy defends against Jon Moxley

On a show that doesn’t have a clear main event, this could get the call. Cassidy has been on an outstanding streak of matches, and this should be no different. He has cleared the 30-defense mark with the title and has given it prominence, even cutting a fiery babyface promo to close Wednesday’s Dynamite.

That won’t be enough for him to survive this one, as Moxley will win and add another layer to this relatively new title that AEW seemingly hopes to make its version of the WWE intercontinental championship.

Should it close the show? I think so. There aren’t a lot of obvious candidates, and the narrative is already out there about the lackluster PPV lineup, so if you’re going to take a chance, just do it. Anyone that is going to buy the show will still do so. I wouldn’t be surprised if the main event is not announced before the show, to avoid more banter and shade among the online AEW haters.

Prediction: Moxley wins the title

ROH tag-team champions MJF and Adam Cole vs. the winners of a battle royale on Friday’s Rampage

By the time you read this, Rampage hasn’t aired yet ,so we don’t know who won… unless you read spoilers. Just in case, I won’t spoil it for you, but it’s out there. Underwhelming? No offense to those who won, but it is.

And yes, there was yet another battle royale to determine tag-team title contenders. Khan has had several booking strategies he’s leaned on in his promotion over the past year or so: battle royales and tournaments to decide title contenders. They are almost as frequent as his big announcements, which is taking the effect out of having them to begin with.

This is the next chapter of the MJF and Cole story line, and the most underwhelming one to date. I must admit this stop along the way was a bit unexpected, as I figured All Out would feature an MJF-vs.-Cole All In rematch, but I guess that is coming at a PPV somewhere down the road once the blowup happens.

Not having your AEW world champion defend the title on a PPV is definitely a choice, one that, given the circumstances, might not be the best one. We’ll see.

Prediction: MJF and Cole retain

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Miro

I hope this lives up to the promise, because if it does, it will be fun. These two behemoths started their approach toward each other on Collision and will finally hook it up here in what will be something unique on this show: two big dudes throwing blows at each other.

Miro is someone who AEW really needs to get going, especially if Punk’s absence is an extended one. Miro disappeared for a year and has been winning quick matches here and there since returning in June, but against no one of note. It’s unfortunate for Hobbs that he will lose here given his stops and starts over the past year, but it’s time to get the Miro train up to speed with meaningful impact. All aboard.

Prediction: Miro wins

TBS champion Kris Statlander defends against Ruby Soho

To me, AEW blew it with Soho by not giving her either an AEW women’s title win or Owen Hart Tournament win early in her run when she had the opportunity. That killed the momentum she had coming over from WWE, and her stock has slowly eroded ever since, which is unfortunate.

Statlander has been fine as TBS champion, but former champion Jade Cargill disappearing (perhaps away from wrestling forever) and not pursuing her old title took something away from Statlander. Her promos are, well, interesting with a few too many forced catchphrases that aren’t that catchy. This will be fine, but nothing to write home about—unless Cargill returns as a surprise.

Prediction: Statlander retains

TNT champion Luchasaurus (with Christian Cage) defends against Darby Allin

This match was made after, wait for it, Allin won a battle royale back in July to earn the title shot. The story of Cage pretending he is actually the champion has been entertaining, but hasn’t done much for the actual guy with the dinosaur mask holding the belt.

Allin will always be the underdog fan favorite, and this seems like a good spot for him to win the belt again. One possibility: Former champion Wardlow makes a surprise appearance to even the odds, which will lead to Allin taking home the title. However, this is a coin-flip pick for me, as I can see Khan enjoying the Cage character enough to where he wants to keep this going for a few more months.

Prediction: Luchasaurus retains

Ring of Honor TV champion Samoa Joe defends against Shane Taylor

Remember when Khan said he was going to back off featuring Ring of Honor titles on AEW TV? That lasted a long time, huh? Taylor has wrestled once in AEW, on the YouTube-only Dark in January. He’s talented, but this seems like a throw-in match rather than something that was built with a PPV in mind.

That’s because this match was made thanks to a, wait for it, tournament on ROH TV, which represents a fraction of Dynamite viewers and thus, this match should have been on there instead. Joe is coming off a loss to Punk at All In and will get a fairly easy win here, hopefully moving on to something more meaningful.

Prediction: Joe retains

Eddie Kingston and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta

This was also randomly made Wednesday after Kingston defeated Yuta on Dynamite and Castagnoli simply walked by his hated rival in Kingston without even glancing in his direction. As for Shibata, the ROH Pure champion wasn’t even on the show to tie in his involvement.

If the reason to hold off Kingston vs. Castagnoli was to save it for an ROH PPV, shame on Khan. If that choice was to hold it for the new AEW October PPV WrestleDream, I can buy that, but I don’t love it.

Prediction: Kingston and Shibata win

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