WRESTLING WITH ALL OUT

AEW: ALL OUT - 8/31/19 Chicago, IL

Quick Results:

• (Buy-In Pre-show) Women's Buy-In Casino Battle Royal (Winner receives shot at inaugural Women's Championship): Nyla Rose defeated Priscila Kelly, Leva Bates, Fabi Apache, Shelandre Royale, Penelope Ford, Sadie Gibbs, Big Swole, Britt Baker, Shazza McKenzie, Tenielle Dashwood, Ivelisse, Brandi Rhodes, Awesome Kong, Bea Priestly, Allie, Nicole Savoy, Teal Piper, ODB, Jazz, Mercedes Martinez

• (Buy-In Pre-show) Private Party (Isaiah Cassidy & Mark Quinn) defeated Jack Evans & Angelico

• SCU (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, Scorpio Sky) defeated Jurassic Express (Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy, Marko Stunt)

• Pac defeated Kenny Omega

• Cracker Barrel Clash: Jimmy Havoc defeated Joey Janela and Darby Allin

• Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Greyson) defeated Best Friends (Trent & Chuck Taylor)

• Winner will face Nyla Rose for the inaugural Women's Championship: Riho defeated Hikaru Shida

• Cody (w/ MJF) defeated Shawn Spears (w/ Tully Blanchard)

• “Escalera de la Muerte” AAA Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: The Lucha Brothers (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix) defeated The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)

• AEW World Championship: Chris Jericho defeated "Hangman" Adam Page

Highlights:

• I think the biggest nitpick I had with this show is that the production game needs to be stepped up. There were several times when the cameras were not watching the right thing and big moves were missed. Not only missing moves but missing people entirely, as was the case in the Women's Battle Royal. There were several women who were hardly seen on TV and were out of the match before you knew who they were. The live crowd had huge reactions to Priscila Kelly, Tenielle Dashwood, Ivelisse, Britt Baker, Teal Piper, ODB, Jazz, and Mercedes Martinez. Of those women listed, Kelly, Piper, ODB, and Jazz were seen on screen for mere seconds before they were eliminated. Then, there were a list of other women whom no one knew and nothing was done to let people know who they were. I understand there are time constraints but AEW should look at presenting new talent a bit better so we, the fans, can be more invested in them.

• There were a few times throughout the night that the referees distracted from or took me out of the match. There were a few slow counts over the course of the pay-per-view, but there were also more glaring issues of admonishing the wrestlers about not following the rules and then doing nothing when said wrestlers continue doing what they were admonished for. Normally, this would be a good way for heels to get heat but this wasn't the case. In almost every case, it was a babyface getting the advantage and the ref would say something (in a very loud, animated fashion) then just allow it to continue. Whether it was illegal partners spending extra time in the ring or, in the case of Spears vs. Cody, taking away one illegal foreign object just to allow another similar object to be used. If AEW wants to be looked at as a more sports-oriented product, then consistency needs to be maintained.

• Speaking of consistency, tonight was the first time I noticed the Win / Loss Records next to the wrestler's name graphic on their entrance. This is great! This is definitely a way to make things different from other companies and make the action mean more. The problem, though, came when not every match had those records on screen. Of the 10 matches on the card, only four featured the records box on the entrances. I really hope this becomes a more consistent feature on the shows.

• Jungle Boy is a huge fan favorite! He has a ton of talent and athleticism and will be a big star in the near future!

• It was nice to see Pac in the ring on a big stage again. As a last minute replacement for the injured Jon Moxley, this match against Kenny Omega turned out very well. The ending came as a surprise, with Omega passing out to Pac's Brutalizer submission. I think the crowd didn't know how to react, as the finish came out of nowhere.

• The Cracker Barrel Clash match was sponsered by, you guessed it, Cracker Barrel. This was just a fancy name for a Hardcore match and these three didn't disappoint. A major highlight of the match was when Jimmy Havoc was taped to a chair, with thumb tacks put in his mouth and his mouth taped shut. As if this weren't enough, Darby Allin then climbed the top turnbuckle and did a flipping senton onto Havoc, still in the chair. This match had several huge spots, mostly executed by the insane Allin: Coffin drop from the top rope through a barrel on the ring steps; Using a skateboard to ollie off the back of Joey Janela, oh and the skateboard had thumb tacks stuck to the bottom! This was a fun match and I only hope these three men will be able to continue to perform for a long time to come.

• The Dark Order gimmick doesn't seem to be cathcing on with the audience. The crowd was at their lowest during the match between Dark Order and Best Friends. That is until after the match, when there was a surprise appearance by newly signed Orange Cassidy! Cassidy did a diving plancha and nip-up in the ring...while still wearing his aviators and with hands in pockets. This is a welcome addition to the AEW roster and should make for interesting stories going forward.

• The tag team ladder match can be described as nothing short of a car crash. While this match was entertaining and both these teams are the best of the best, much of this match seemed unnecessarily dangerous. After the match, the arrival of the former LAX, Santana and Ortiz, was a nice surprise but the crowd seemed to not be all that impressed, whether it was exaustion from the constant excitement of the tag match or not knowing who they were.

• The first ever WWE Undisputed Champion, a multi-time World, Intercontinental, and Tag Team Champion, and now the First Ever AEW WORLD CHAMPION, CHRIS JERICHO! This was a fun match and Page looked to be very much on par with Jericho. When this match was first announced, I thought Page was going to be the one to win it. But then I realized, with AEW starting on TNT in a few weeks, they need their first champion to be someone who the majority of the audience will recognize. Despite Jericho being that recognizable champion, he still can perform in the ring and has the ability to make a good story and good match with anyone that is put in front of him. I look forward to what will happen in the coming weeks.

Overall, I give this show a 4 out of 5. It was an entertaining and exciting show to watch but AEW still has some adjustments to make.