ALL OUT Review!

This one has been difficult to write.

I am a very busy person. Pay-per-views typically take me a couple of days to finish because I enjoy watching them a couple of times through. I want to encapsulate the story of the match and everything that happened from start to finish. All Out 2022 was a really good show, but unfortunately, Backstage Bullshit (what I’m calling it now) has dominated the headlines and affected my mood whilst trying to write this. That caused me to write a little slower than normal, for which I apologize! I did what I could to focus on this review, but I am human. Distractions and drama have dominated the conversation about what was a really good show.

Let’s talk about it!


Casino Ladder Match

Photo Credit: AEW

I was pleasantly surprised by AEW starting All Out with the Casino Ladder match! Talk about starting the show off with a bang. Carnage and drama were through and through this one. The crazy ending added all of the drama we could have asked for. Here are your participants in order of entrance:

  • Rey Fenix
  • Wheeler Yuta
  • Rush
  • Andrade el Idolo
  • Claudio Castagnoli
  • Dante Martin
  • Penta el Zero Miedo
  • Joker

I’ll talk about the ending in a second, but I’d love to acknowledge how awesome it was that the other seven contestants were able to put in as much carnage as possible with the time they had. Wheeler Yuta was annihilated with a sunset bomb onto a ladder, Claudio threw Andrade off of a weird ladder structure, and Fenix Frog Splashed Rush through a table. Their time in this match was limited, but they did what they could. I appreciated that.

Everything came to a screeching halt before the Joker card was introduced. A bunch of guys in black outfits came to the ring to eliminate all the actual contestants in the match. Stokely Hathaway reveals himself as he grabs the Poker chip on top of the ladder. A masked man, who is announced as the Joker, comes to the ring and accepts the Poker chip, which meant that he won. I wasn’t happy with how this ended until the very end of the show. I wanted more carnage!

3.5/5


Trios Final: The Elite vs. Dark Order

Photo Credit: AEW

The tournament to crown AEW’s first ever Trios champions has been fantastic. Every match was well done, different, and built to this inevitable conclusion at All Out between The Elite and Dark Order with Hangman Adam Page. Everything about this match was amazing. The action was heated, the story was fantastic, and the ending was a perfectly devastating way to end the tournament with The Elite becoming the inaugural Champs.

Talking about the in-ring action is pointless. It was perfect. It’s the Young Bucks, Omega, Hangman, and Dark Order. All were great in this one. Quintessential Elite action here. The story is what set this match apart.

Right away you could tell that the dynamic had changed between the six men in this match. Hangman seemed to be friends with the Young Bucks again, which didn’t stop Reynolds and Silver from ramping up the tension because they wanted to win badly. This caused Hangman to get angry after Reynolds and Silver targeted Matt Jackson’s hurt back and Kenny Omega’s hurt shoulder. The dissention was real! Not to even mention that this was the first time Kenny and Hangman went face to face since Kenny came back. You could just feel the energy in the air!

The Dark Order had so many near falls that I thought it was their night, but The Elite had other plans. Am I both ecstatic and terrified about where it leads, though. Hangman had Omega lined up for the Buckshot Lariat, but Omega ducked and Hangman hit John Silver, which allowed Kenny to score the victory. So many story possibilities…

5/5 Match of the Night


TBS Champion: Jade (c) vs. Athena

Photo Credit: AEW

Unfortunately, the TBS title match drew the short straw in needing to follow that match. Jade Cargill was defending her title against Athena, which was a decent match, albeit a little too short for my tastes. Jade matches have trended towards the short side, and I’m not exactly sure why. Athena gave Jade her toughest test yet, though.

The story of the match revolved around Athena being Jade’s kryptonite. She had an answer for everything the champ threw at her. The numbers game from Jade and the baddies caught up to Athena, however, as it was three on one. The challenger fought them off for a while, but it didn’t matter in the end. Keira Hogan distracted Athena enough for Jade to hit the Jaded for the victory. Jade Cargill has amassed a 37-0 record, which is incredibly impressive.

3.25/5

Who takes the title from her? There’s nobody left outside of the ladies in the main title picture. I’d be okay with a Jaime Hayter TBS title run.


FTR & Wardlow vs. Jay Lethal & the Motor City Machine Guns

Photo Credit: AEW

Up next was the second of three Trios matches on the evening. FTR and Wardlow teamed up to take on Jay Lethal and the Motor City Machine Guns. Seeing the Motor City Machine Guns in an AEW ring was one of my most anticipated matches of the evening. The match itself was nothing to write home about, but I enjoyed it. It was simple and effective.

You could see the cohesion of the Machine Guns and Lethal right away. I didn’t know these three were such good friends. They used awesome tandem moves and misdirection to keep the advantage for a while. All this match did was make me want to see FTR and the Machine Guns in tag action. Unfortunately, I’m not aware of the recent work of the Machine Guns. I didn’t know they could be such great heels. They targeted Cash’s knee at one point and viciously attacked it.

But the inevitable was coming. The intensity ramped up as both teams traded big moves until Wardlow conducted the Powerbomb Symphony for the victory. Like I said before. It was simple, clean, and a hotly contested matchup. I thought the Guns and Lethal played their part well, but the right team won and we need to see some forward momentum for FTR and Wardlow.

3.75/5

After the match, Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, and the Machine Guns attack everyone, but AEW surprises us with another return. Samoa Joe makes his surprise return to even the odds for FTR and Wardlow. He takes out Singh, Lethal, and The Guns, but Sonjay Dutt gets captured and thrown in the ring. In one of the cutest wrestling moments ever, Dax’s daughter breaks Sonjay’s pencil and pins him.


Ricky Starks vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

Photo Credit: AEW

The overall theme of All Out revolved around surprising decisions. Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs encapsulated that in one four minute match. Powerhouse Hobbs dominated Ricky Starks as a big man should.

Hobbs immediately went after Ricky’s neck, which caused the Absolute one to crumple like aluminum foil. Powerhouse continued the beatdown, but as soon as Starks gained some momentum, he hit the Spinebuster for the victory. I thought there would be a defining victory in this match, but didn’t expect it to be from Hobbs. I love big Willy Hobbs. He’s a fantastic talent, but I’m concerned about where Starks goes from here. Fine match that did what it was supposed to!

3.25/5


AEW Tag Team Championship: Swerve in Our Glory (c) vs. The Acclaimed

Photo Credit: AEW

Wrestling crowds occasionally add so much to a match that they become a part of it. This Tag Team Championship match between Swerve in Our Glory and The Acclaimed exemplifies this. The crowd was fully behind The Acclaimed to pull off the upset victory, which added to the drama of an already amazing match inside the ring. I was so close to making this match of the night, but I’m biased toward the Elite story. This match was phenomenal though.

The story of the match revolved around the young upstarts needing to overcome all sorts of odds to upset the veteran champions. Anthony Bowens hurt his previously injured knee, which prompted Swerve and Lee to target that knee and incapacitate him (little heelish?). This caused the crowd to be even more behind the sympathetic babyfaces! Bowens and Caster fought and fought and fought. They did a great job. There were multiple near falls that got me.

The accidents between Keith Lee and Swerve reared their ugly head too. Both of them inadvertently nailed the other with big moves, which added to the tension even more. Everything added up to the fans in the NOW Arena about to explode with excitement if the challengers got the win. Unfortunately they didn’t. Swerve and Lee hit their Swerve Stomp Powerbomb for the victory. I was disappointed at first, but I think it was the right call.

4.75/5

AEW has to run this one back.

Women’s Championship: Hikaru Shida vs. Jaime Hayter vs. Britt Baker vs. Toni Storm

Photo Credit: AEW

Up next was one of my favorite matches of the evening. The Women’s championship Fatar Four Way match gave me everything I wanted out of it: Hikaru Shida being awesome, Britt Baker and Jaime Hayter finally cracking, and Toni Storm picking up the victory. It was a great match with a lot of twists and turns.

Britt and Hayter teamed up for a good portion of it, as one would have expected. They tried to slowly isolate and eliminate Hikaru Shida and Toni Storm, but there was one problem with this plan. Two people cannot win a fatal four-way. Britt Baker had other plans as Jaime Hayter gained her own momentum towards the end of the match. Jaime hit her huge lariat and was about to pick up the victory, but Britt pulled the referee away to prevent the count. Hayter looked pissed and rightfully so! Britt compounded Hayter’s anger after Toni Storm hit Storm Zero onto Hayter and Britt tried to steal the pinfall. Toni Storm inevitably hit a Draping DDT to pick up the victory, but the tension between Britt and Hayter was my favorite part. Good stuff here!

4/5


Jungle Boy vs. Christian Cage

Photo Credit: AEW

Up next was a “match” between Jungle Boy Jack Perry and Christian Cage. As soon as Jungle Boy walked out onto the rampway, Luchasaurus attacked him from behind. I knew there was more to this story because Cage and Luchasaurus were perfect together. Why would they switch it up? The dinosaur destroyed Jungle Boy’s back with a chokeslam, powerbomb him through a table, and fed his limp carcass to Christian Cage to hit the Killswitch for victory. Weird back-and-forth face/heel turns aside, I loved this.

3/5


Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Jericho

Photo Credit: AEW

Up next was a good match between two wrestling legends. In a battle between Sports Entertainment and Pro Wrestling, Chris Jericho took on Bryan Danielson in a slow but intense match. That made this match feel fresh in comparison to the other matches on the card.

The story of this match revolved around Jericho needing to return to his wrestling roots to combat the superior wrestling abilities of the American Dragon. The ‘Last Survivor of Stu Hart’s Dungeon’ had some nice submissions and counters, which isn’t something I’m used to seeing from Jericho. The man is a true enigma in the annals of Pro Wrestling history. I say that not to take anything away from Danielson because he was fantastic here too (like always).

This match was tightly contested for twenty minutes, which did drag a little in my opinion. Daniel Garcia was watching from the back as Jericho finished the match with a low blow and hit the Judas Effect for the victory. Garcia looked visibly upset and didn’t accompany the rest of the Jericho Appreciation Society to the ring for the celebration. Great match that proved how versatile Jericho can still be.

4/5

House of Black vs. Darby Allin, Sting, & Miro

Photo Credit: AEW

Up next was the third Trios match of the night, except this one was, by far, the worst of the three. Some fun story elements were going on here, but this one fit the overhanging theme of surprising decisions. I was not expecting a ten-minute match with House of Black being beat clean. I’m not a fan of that, but I think backstage issues and injuries led to it.

The few story elements saved this one, a short match notwithstanding. Miro refused to work with his teammates, which was fun. He’s always been better at being alone. The other story revolved around Sting being ‘Redeemed’ of Malakai’s mist by Miro. That’s a fun twist. The match itself had your essential high paced trios action. Buddy Matthews, Brody King, and Sting all stood out.

The match concluded as Buddy, Brody, and Miro were all neutralized, which left Sting, Darby, and Malakai the only ones left. Malakai was about to hit the Black Mass kick when Sting spewed the Black Mist into the House of Black leader’s face. This was fun! Darby Allin finished the match with the Last Supper pin for victory. Giving me oodles of stories always ups a match in my eyes, regardless of me not liking who won.

3.25/5

AEW Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. CM Punk

Photo Credit: AEW

Setting aside all backstage drama for this one…

This All Out main event was a very good PPV-level main event match. The rematch between CM Punk and Jon Moxley was a bloody and intense affair to establish that CM Punk was fully back from injury and could hang with the Wrestler of the Year. I still think that Moxley should have held on to the title for longer, but I understand the story they were telling here.

That apparently Punk is unbeatable in Chicago.

This match was different than their previous one right away. Punk tempted Moxley with the injured foot and proceeded to use it to hit the roundhouse and a quick Go To Sleep for a two count. The energy in the building was massive as the crowd dual chanted for both guys during the entire match. It felt like a big deal, which absolutely was in hindsight. Moxley spent the majority of the match battering Punk and targeting his foot. The story was simple yet effective.

All of Moxley’s attacks were ultimately not enough as Punk started feeding off of the Chicago crowd. The Death Rider and Bulldog choke could not stop Punk from hitting back-to-back GTSs to withstand Jon Moxley and become a two time AEW World Champion. A good match to cap off a great night of PPV action.

4/5

But we weren’t done for this evening! As Punk was celebrating, the lights went off, a video package played, and MJF was revealed as the Joker from earlier who won the Casino Ladder Match. The Devil himself is back!


OVERALL

Analyzing this show in a vacuum was difficult! The whole show has that backstage crap stink all over it, which sucks because it was a fantastic show. We got great wrestling, loads of stories, and TWO matches of the year contenders. With Grand Slam coming up in a couple of weeks, I cannot wait to see where some of these storylines go. Regardless of the drama, AEW is in a great spot to keep us fans happy with all the amazing action that only AEW can provide.

That being said, this show was probably the third best out of three PPVs that AEW has shown in 2022. Just goes to show how high the bar for AEW PPVs is.

Verdict: 4/5

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