AEW ALL OUT 2021 Review
Last night, AEW presented a PPV that can be considered as a PPV of the year. It was full of great matches and surprises.
Eddie Kingston vs. Miro TNT Championship
I think this was the right choice for opening the show. Two tough guys beating the living hell out of each other. Eddie used some Japanese wrestling moves throughout the match and Excalibur did a great job by mentioning the 90's AJPW influence on Eddie Kingston. He mentioned the names of the Four Pillars (Akira Taue, Mitsuharu Misawa, Toshiaki Kawada, and Kenta Kobashi). That gives the audience some information about the wrestler's background and the stuff that influenced him. I really expected Miro to lose this match. I felt like this was Eddie's time but they decided to continue with Miro. He defeated Eddie with a low blow, followed by a huge roundhouse kick and a thrust kick to finish the job. In that way, they protected Eddie's character. I still think that he will win the gold at some point. Kingston is someone who has every tool he needs in his arsenal. Miro will probably close this year as champion. ***3/4
Jon Moxley vs. Satoshi Kojima
It was a nice brawl-style match. In the beginning, Mox felt like a heel. The way he treated Kojima was weird because this is a guy who shows respect, especially Japanese guys. It lasted something like 11-12 minutes. At first, I didn't get why they booked this match. But after the match, we get the reason for it. Minoru Suzuki comes out with his iconic “Kaze Ni Nare” theme. The only minor problem was Excalibur mentioned the “Snake Pit” so there might be a chance that he confused Minoru Suzuki with Hideki Suzuki. Other than that, I was literally losing my mind after seeing that moment. Suzuki came to AEW to avenge his defeat from the last year's New Beginning in Osaka show. Well, I guess that's what the forbidden door is all about. ***3/4
Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander AEW Women's Championship
It was a decent match. I don't know why but for some reason, I can't care much about Britt's championship reign. Her matches just don't interest me at all. At least Hikaru Shida was making me tuned in and watch her matches. This was another decent Baker match that didn't mean anything to me. The only spot I can remember is Britt hitting the Canadian Destroyer on Statlander. She will probably drop the title before 2022. I don't see her having a long reign like Shida. ***1/2
Young Bucks vs. Lucha Bros AEW World Tag Team Championship
This was the best match on the card. These guys are always putting up good work together. The match started really fast, it was going on at a quick pace. Thank god, they didn't spam Canadian Destroyers this time. The only one I remember was delivered by Penta to Matt from the top rope. There were two parts I didn't like. The first was everybody spamming cutters and the second one was the long no sell sequence near the end. Everyone was hitting each other with kicks, but nobody was selling it. The Double Package Piledriver spot was nice, it was a call back to the double body splash spot from 2019's All Out. I liked the part where Matt hit Penta and Fenix with a thumbtack shoe. Rey Fenix showed some great athleticism in this match. I am not a huge fan of his work, but he was definitely the star of the match. I think Lucha Bros are the right picks to dethrone Young Bucks. To be honest with you, I was looking at other tag teams on the roster, and the only ones that made sense were Lucha Bros. The fans waited a long time to see them with the titles. I am happy for them because they really deserved it. AEW, once again showed why they have the best tag team wrestling. That was a match you should check out. ****3/4
Women's Casino Battle Royal
It was a decent battle royal. I have to be honest with you, it was better than the men's battle royal. Thunder Rosa absolutely stole the spotlight in the match. She was the star of the match and my prediction for the winner. The last entrant was revealed as Ruby Soho who made her AEW debut. I think Thunder Rosa should have been the winner but I get it, they are trying to push the fresh talent. Soho received a good reaction from the crowd. ***1/2
Chris Jericho vs. MJF (4)
Jericho can still put good stuff on the table despite his age. It's like he is not even getting older at all. I enjoyed the match but I think it needed a stipulation. These guys have been having a rivalry for months, I think ending it with a match like that harmed it. If I was the booker, I would make it something like a “NO DQ” or “I Quit” match. The crowd was dead for nearly the whole show. Unfortunately, that ruined Jericho's entrance. Looks like he planned something special for his entrance. But the crowd didn't keep up with him. Most of them didn't sing this time. If we go back to the match, Jericho looked strong. MJF, as always playing the scumbag. Wardlow tried to interfere but Jake Hager made the save. At one point MJF pinned Jericho with the Judas Effect. But Jericho's feet were on the ropes. They literally gave the audience a little heart attack. Match started again, MJF had the Salt of the Earth locked on Jericho. But Jericho escaped and locked in the Walls of Jericho and made MJF tap out. Jericho's career continues, we'll see what's next for him. He will probably challenge Omega for the title. ****
CM Punk vs. Darby Allin
I see some people being heartbroken. Well, I didn't expect to see a 5-star classic. Punk didn't wrestle for 7.5 years. And for not wrestling during that time, he had a really good performance. Hopefully, he will get better. Fans need to give this man some time. Darby on the other hand showed why he was a great choice to be the first opponent. His selling is great and makes Punk's every move look more effective. Especially, the way he took those GTS's looked brutal. Punk, wrestled with a more technical style. Makes sense for him because it's easier. He doesn't need to do those fancy moves. The crowd was mostly dead, I was shocked to see them like that. But I get it people are tired because they had a lot of wrestling in Chicago for the last couple of weeks. The way Punk countered Coffin Drop was great. It looked simple but made sense. He literally made fun of Darby there. I think the match was good for warming up AEW for CM Punk. He showed us a little bit of his arsenal. I have huge hopes for him, I think he will not disappoint us. Props to Darby Allin for selling everything like crazy. This guy has a very bright future in AEW. ****
QT Marshall vs. Paul Wight
A very short match that lasted around three minutes. They just wanted to use Paul Wight in AEW and booked this match. It was just a small attraction. Looks like he will have some more short matches like this in AEW. *
Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage AEW World Championship
The main event between Omega and Cage was a banger. I think this was better than their Rampage match. This was probably Christian's best match in his 40's. The table spots were nice. At one point Omega delivered a moonsault from the barricade. The moonsault looked beautiful, I really liked that part. Omega's ripcord V-Trigger looked great too. Christian took some really hard shots during the match. Omega kicked out from the Killswitch which is not a surprise if you ask me. I knew that he was going to kick out. The part I didn't enjoy was how it ended. Christian, was going for the Avalanche Killswitch but Omega turned it into an Avalanche One Winged Angel. You can easily see it coming when you look at their position. It looked too obvious, you shouldn't be able to guess how the match will end. I wish that they ended it differently. Other than that it was a solid match. Definitely one of the highlights of the night. But the biggest highlight of the night happened after the match. We saw Adam Cole making his AEW debut. He rejoined his ELITE buddies. But after that, something bigger happened. Bryan Danielson officially made his debut! He joined Christian and Jurassic Express to beat down ELITE. He delivered his Running Knee to Nick Jackson and closed the show with Christian and Jurassic Express. It was one of the best PPV endings I've ever seen. ****1/2
Total Point: 8.5/10
AEW pulled all the big guns at All Out. It was one of the most impactful shows in the company's history. With two big debuts, Punk's in-ring return and Jericho completing his epic storyline. I think years later, pro-wrestling fans will still remember what happened at this year's All Out. I have nothing but respect for Tony Khan. He really knows what fans want and cares about their ideas. Once again he showed that with this PPV. Just sit and watch the whole thing. Trust me, it's worth your time.
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