***(Warning: Contains Spoilers)***
On Saturday, August 31, 2019, All Elite Wrestling presented the historic ALL OUT pay-per-view event from the sold out Sears Centre Arena in Chicago, Illinois. The play-by-play broadcast team for the main card was Jim Ross, Excalibur, and Goldenboy.
The preshow BUY IN opened with a Casino Battle Royale, with the winner competing for the AEW Women’s title on October 2 in Washington, DC, at the Capital One Arena (being televised on on TNT). There were 21 competitors vying for a shot at that title, including: Leva Bates, Faby Apache, Nyla Rose, Shelondra, Priscilla Kelly, Penelope Ford, Shazza McKenzie, Sadie Gibbs, Dr. Britt Baker, Big Swole, Brandi Rhodes, Awesome Kong, Bea Priestly, Tenille Dashwood, Ivelisse, Allie, Nicole Savoy, Teal Piper, Jazz, ODB, and Mercedes Martinez. The final two wrestlers in the match were Nyla Rose and Dr. Britt Baker. With some interference from Bea Priestly, Rose eliminated Baker.
Your winner: Nyla Rose
Showing off the depth of the tag team division, Private Party (Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy) faced the party crashing team of Jack Evans and Angelico. There were plenty of innovative tag team maneuverers here, with Jack Evans in particular putting on a clinic. All parties must come to an end eventually, and after their dynamic finisher, Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy showed their opponents why no one throws a party quite like them.
Your winners: Private Party
The opener for ALL OUT saw SCU (Christopher Daniels, Scorpio Sky, and Frankie Kazarian) step back into time to face the Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus) and Marko Stunt. SoCal Uncensored have decades and decades of tag team knowledge under their belts, and despite showing lots of youthful fire, Jungle Boy got lost in the proverbial weeds once SCU hit the Best Meltzer Ever on him.
Your winners: SoCal Uncensored
Originally scheduled as Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley, “the Bastard” Pac would step up to Omega on short notice to replace Moxley (who was out of action with MRSA). This was a dream match for pro wrestling fans, with two of the greatest of their era, Omega and Pac stepping into the ring to face off for the first time ever. This is a match that can only be made in AEW, and it was loaded with intriguing and breathtaking physicality. Omega and Pac are perfect opponents for one another, with each being very well versed in each other’s playbooks. Tonight, Pac pulled out the victory, seemingly out of nowhere when Omega passed out after Pac locked on the Brutalizer submission.
Your winner: Pac
The Cracker Barrel Clash served up the buffet of brutality that fans might expect from a three-way match involving Joey Janela, Darby Allin and Jimmy Havoc. This match was violent and a blast to watch (but certainly quite painful for the participants, with their devil-may-care attitudes). Plunder in this match included a skateboard loaded with thumbtacks, actual barrels from Cracker Barrel, a tray of delicious Cracker Barrel biscuits, and a staple gun. These athletes were relentless, with a total disregard for their own wellbeing to earn the victory. Havoc eventually nailed a Rainmaker on Janela through a barrel, and the meal of mayhem was over.
Your winner: Jimmy Havoc
In a match with the winner receiving a first round bye in AEW Tag Team Title tournament (coming up on TNT this fall), the Dark Order (Evil Uno and Stu Grayson) battled the Best Friends (Chuck Taylor, and Sue’s favorite son, Trent). The Dark Order had their small army of minions with them, and eventually, being outnumbered would take its toll on the Best Friends. The Dark Order hit the Fatality finisher on Chuck Taylor to end the match and earn the first round bye. To help even up the odds, Orange Cassidy, the “freshly squeezed” friend of Chuckie T. and Trent, made a surprise run-in, hitting a tope suicida on the Dark Order.
Your winners: The Dark Order
Joshi enthusiasts were treated next to Riho wrestling Hikaru Shida, with the winner of this match scheduled to face Nyla Rose for the AEW Women’s Championship during AEW’s TV debut on TNT on October 2nd. Riho and Shida traded moves and counters. It was an evenly matched contest with plenty of back and forth offense, and they had the fans in the palms of their hands. Ultimately, Riho would score the pin on Shida after applying head scissors.
Your winner: Riho
Perhaps the most personal bout on the ALL OUT card was next, with Cody (joined by MJF in his corner), taking on former friend Shawn Spears (with Tully Blanchard serving as his advisor). The Nightmare Family (Brandi Rhodes, Diamond Dallas Page, MJF, and Pharaoh the dog) accompanied Cody down the ramp, making a spectacular entrance. Cody’s gear was fashioned after the mirror universe Captain Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and it was apropos, because Cody showed he was the captain of this ship by the end of this turbulent voyage. With Blanchard’s aid, Spears whipped Cody with a belt. MJF got involved and tried to neutralize the legendary Tully Blanchard, but Spears got to the preoccupied MJF, leaving Cody to fend for himself. A familiar face joined the fracas, with Arn Anderson making a surprise run-in to deliver his trademarked spinebuster. With the shift in momentum, Cody hit the CrossRhodes on Spears for the victory.
Your winner: Cody
The Escalera de la Muerte ladder match for the AAA Tag Team Championship was on deck next, with Fenix and Pentagon, the Lucha Bros., facing Matt and Nick Jackson, the Young Bucks, to put an exclamation point at the end of this feud. These two brilliant tag teams have been battling all year in a storied rivalry. This match was every bit as breathtaking as you might expect from two of the all time best teams in the sport of pro wrestling. It truly defied the laws of physics, and no amount of words will be able to do justice to the daredevil antics put on display. As noted by Excalibur, this was the sixth match between these teams in 2019. If you want to see how far the art of tag team wrestling has evolved, this match is cutting edge and one that will be remembered by fans of the sport for many years to come. Really, this match could have gone either way, as the balance of who had the edge between the Bucks and the Lucha Bros. often shifted in less than a nanosecond. After executing their Zero Fear finisher, Fenix and Pentagon would pull off the victory. Post match, two masked men made their presence felt, revealing themselves as Ortiz and Santana.
Your winners: The Lucha Bros.
The main event of the night was a match between Chris Jericho and Hangman Adam Page, and the victor would be crowned the first AEW World Champion. Page made an entrance riding a horse, which was a sight to behold. Page’s family was in attendance, but Chris Jericho didn’t see anything personal about this; to him it was strictly business, and he believes the success of AEW as a business is a direct result of his involvement with the company. Jericho wanted the belt so he could get the thank you from AEW brass and EVPs that he feels he deserves. Page showed a ton of heart and fire, but Jericho seemed unstoppable on his quest. The crowd, at times, was split, a sure sign of respect for both combatants, and it added to the big fight atmosphere and energy of this historic bout. There’s no arguing with Jericho’s Judas Effect back elbow, which rocked Page out of nowhere.
Your winner and the first AEW World Champion: Chris Jericho.
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