AEW All Out: September 7, 2024
by Doc Allen
Live from the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. WrestleTix estimates attendance at 8,513. Excalibur, Tony Shiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Taz, Jim Ross, Don Callis, and Matt Menard are on commentary at one time or another.
They start with a dramatic, somber recap video of MJF inflicting violence on Daniel Garcia.
MJF vs. Daniel Garcia
Garcia jumps MJF from behind. MJF targets the head, but Garcia manages to return fire with a shotgun dropkick. Neckbreaker by MJF, then a hammer throw into the buckles. He slows things down to target the neck and bandaged head. Garcia reverses a suplex over the ropes that whips them head first onto the frame. Garcia beats the countout at 9 while MJF sells a lower back injury. They slug it out until Garcia blasts a lariat. DG delivers a trio of spinning neckbreakers. MJF counters with a powerbomb backbreaker! He decides to bite the cut on DG's forehead. Garcia becomes a bloody mess, but somehow reverses an avalanche piledriver into a DDT! He's too hurt to capitalize, MJF recovers with the Long Island Sunrise for a great nearfall! Garcia hulks up, MJF but spits and thumbs him in the eyes. They trade rapid pin attempts, MJF nails a KO punch, they both go down. Garcia pops up from a German suplex, and nails a German and lariat. They hit the mat, the crowd doesn't give them a standing ovation, but does chant "This is awesome!" MJF applies a Boston Crab, DG reverses into the LeBell Lock. MJF counters with the crossface, but is too hurt to hold on. Daniel locks on the Sharpshooter, fans chant "Tap tap tap!" Garcia cannot hold on because of neck pain, MJF applies a mean double arm submission. The fans will Garcia on for a dramatic rope break. Bloody snot drips from Daniel's nose, ewww. Garcia mounts a last-ditch comeback, but refuses to let the ref call the submission from a front chancery. Instead, Garcia nails a piledriver, but MJF KICKS OUT! MJF blocks an avalanche piledriver by biting and wins via a low blow at 24:03! That finish just pi$$ed me off in a good way (if that makes sense). Fantastic opener, although this would have been a great time to pull the trigger on Garcia, ****¼.Winner: MJF
MJF extends his hand. Garcia accepts, but reverses a kick to the groin, indicating that he has indeed learned something. DG spits at MJF and finally delivers the avalanche piledriver. This feud must continue and I'm totally on board.
Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page are in their respective locker rooms, supervised by security teams.
AEW Tag Team Championship:
The Young Bucks © vs. The Blackpool Combat Club
(Nicholas and Matthew Jackso) vs. Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta)Nicholas and Yuta start by trading wristlocks. Body slam by Yuta, then a back senton for 2. Nicholas answers with the Escalera, the BCC recover with tandem wishbone snaps. The Bucks take control of Yuta and pick him apart. Claudio gets the hot tag and overcomes a 2 on 1 situation to unleash many running uppercuts. Double clotheslines by Claudio earns an ovation. High crossbody by Claudio gets 2. Yuta helps with a flying splash for a good nearfall. High German by Yuta gets another close 2 count, Nicholas breaks a Cattle Mutilation with a swanton bomb! Nicholas neutralizes Claudio with a rana from the apron. The Bucks hit a tandem facebuster on Yuta for 2. The BCC break up the TK Driver, Claudio gets a second hot tag. The Bucks block the Giant Swing and nail the EVP Trigger, Yuta breaks the pin. The Bucks pump their kicks for a SUPERKICK PARTAY! Claudio blocks the EVP Trigger and reverses a double suplex! Yuta takes Nicholas down with a tope, Claudio gives Matthew the Giant Swing! Claudio nails a superplex, but Matthew blocks the Fastball Special and wins at 15:45! This was just about what I expected: a very good TV match to get the Bucks on the PPV, ***½.
Winners and still AEW Tag Team Champions: The Young Bucks
AEW International Championship:
Will Ospreay © vs. Pac
Fans give them a standing ovation at the bell. No pressure, guys. Pac stalls at ringside before locking up. Ospreay cartwheels away from a rana. Quick Red Arrow to ringside! Pac springboards into Ospreay's dropkick and eats the same Red Arrow outside! Ricochet watches backstage and the guys do down from stereo big boots. Fans chant "This is awesome!" They slug it out until Pac takes over by attacking the bandaged neck. Avalanche brainbuster by Pac, slow cover gets 2. Ospreay blocks a hard Irish whip and nails a leaping elbow from the barricade. Sasuke Special by Ospreay, then a back handspring heel kick for 2. Ospreay blocks a moonsault, but Pac reverses into a mean DDT! Pac's Liger Bomb gets 2. They trade reversals until Ospreay nails the Oscutter! Ospreay's neck injury is slowing him down. Fans chant "fight forever!" Pac reverses another Oscutter with a German suplex on the ring frame! Pac follows with a poison rana on the apron, then the Brutalizer! Fans chant "This is awesome!" Ospreay blocks the Red Arrow, Pac counters the Hidden Blade. Enziguri by Ospreay, German suplex by Pac! Ospreay tries the Tiger Driver, Pac reverses into a nasty rana. Fans give them a standing ovation and chant "AEW!" Another poison rana by Pac, then another Brutalizer. Ospreay escapes, hits a poison rana and Hidden Blade, PAC KICKS OUT! "Fight forever" chant. Pac blocks the Oscutter again, Ospreay blocks an avalanche Poison Rana! Hidden Blade, PAC KICKS OUT! Oscutter finally connects, Pac reverses the StormBreaker! Styles Clash by Ospreay, then a final Hidden Blade to win at 20:36! Pro wrestling at its highest level, ****¾.Winner and still AEW International Champion: Will Ospreay
Chicago Street Fight:
Kris Statlander (with Stokely Hathaway) vs. Willow Nightingale
They're really going to have to wreck themselves to follow that Pac/Ospreay match. Willow ducks a chair and nails the Pounce! Buckle bomb by Willow, then the corner cannonball for 2. Kris blocks a German from the apron and powerbombs Willow through the Spanish announce table! Kris misses a Swanton and goes through a table! Willow nails another Pounce through the barricade! Kris reverses a suplex on the stage! Stokely brings out a trash can full of weapons, Kris picks poor Willow apart. Willow smashes a bundle of light tubes over Statlander's skull and chases Stokely away. Kris responds with a spear onto a production table! Back to the ring, they duke it out and exchange body slams. Willow pummels a chain into Statlander's bloody forehead and bites her. German suplex by Kris, then pours thousands AND THOUSANDS of thumbtacks all over the place. Willow dodge an ax kick and Kris lands in a split position on the tacks! What an unholy bump! DVD by Willow, Kris kicks out! Statlander answers with a Spanish Fly near the tacks and smashes the chain into Willow's face for a good nearfall. Kris attaches them to a dog collar, but Willow nails a spinebuster onto the tacks! Kris recovers with a Tombstone piledriver and then wraps the chain around Willow's mouth for a crossface to win at 14:58! I was convinced Willow was going over, instead Kris looks absolutely monstrous in victory. They had an uphill battle following an almost 5 star match and they delivered, ****.Winner: Kris Statlander
Renee Paquette interviews Will Ospreay backstage. Ospreay puts over Pac and welcomes a rematch. He puts Ricochet on notice and gets the man himself. Ricochet plans on putting together some wins and getting his shot at Will. Sign me up!
AEW Continental Championship:
Kazuchika Okada © vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe
They're really going to have to wreck themselves to follow that emotional Street Fight. It's a little amusing that ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe seems to keep trying and failing to capture every midcard AEW title under the sun. Big brawl to start. Takeshita and Okada tease a showdown, but Cassidy interrupts with a double rana. Cassidy hits a tope and tornado DDT on Okada. Mark knocks Okada down and brawls with Takeshita. Cassidy and Mark clear the ring for stereo flying attacks. Back to the ring, everyone takes turns hitting suplexes. Like, a lot of suplexes, almost to the point of absurdity. Cassidy hits Stundog Millionaire on Takeshita, then another suplex. The ring empties for the obligatory diving sequence. Mark and Cassidy exchange sloth strikes, high five, and then trade proper blows. Okada and Takeshita interrupt with stereo Germans! Takeshita and Okada finally get their showdown and duke it out. Takeshita's Blue Thunder Bomb gets a nice nearfall. Takeshita superplexes Cassidy, then gets caught by Mark's Froggy Elbow for 2. Okada body slams Mark and nails a flying elbow. He gives the Middle Finger Salute, but Mark counters Rainmaker with a lariat. Takeshita boots down Mark, Okada eats an Orange Punch. Takeshita blocks Stundog Millionaire and serves a vicious wheelbarrow German suplex! Crowd gives an ovation. Briscoe hits Takeshita with the J-Driller, Okada breaks the cover and eats an exploder suplex for his trouble. Takeshita blocks the Froggy Elbow, hits a V-Trigger, OC breaks the pin. Cassidy puts hands in pockets and hits Beach Break. Takeshita blocks the Orange Punch, Okada interrupts and cleans house. Cassidy nearly steals the pinfall but eats Rainmaker to get pinned at 15:01! Really strong 4-way, creating the right level of chaos from four guys trying desperately to win. This gets extra credit for creating convincing upset scenarios for each challenge. ***¾.Winner and still AEW Continental Champion: Kazuchika Okada
TBS Championship:
Mercedes Mone © vs. Hikaru Shida
Mone is aggressive at the bell. Shida is caught off guard, but recovers with a series of dropkicks. Shida reverses a shotgun dropkick into a stretch muffler. Mone escapes, Shida nails a low dropkick. Mone recovers with a sloppy sunset flip bomb. She goes on offense and hits double knees to the gut for 2. Shida snapmares out of a chinlock and nails a rana. They repeatedly block hard Irish whips until Mone hits the buckles. Missile dropkick by Shida, Mone recovers with the Bank Statement. Shida escapes and hits a lariat to give them both a breather. This is totally flat so far, but the fans give them a dueling chant. Shida recovers first, but Mone cuts her off with a lungblower and running knees into the corner. Mone delivers rolling suplexes, Shida blocks the Frog Splash. Shida hits a series of shaky Falcon Arrows for only 2. Mone hits a kneebreaker and dragon screw. Backstabber by Mercedes, but Shida pops up for a German suplex. Running knee by Shida gets a fine nearfall. Swinging kicks by Shida, but Mone rolls away from the cover. They fight over a kendo stick until Mone gets bonked against the post. Shida resists using the kendo stick but misses the Meteora. Mone hits a messy Money Maker to win at 16:33. This was a total disappointment, they had terrible chemistry together, and botched or slipped through many key spots. Not sure what's going on with Mercedes, *¾.Winner and still TBS Champion: Mercedes Mone
Jack Perry arrives in style in the Scapegoat Mobile. The Bucks and masked security give him a warm welcome.
AEW World Championship:
Bryan Danielson © vs. Jack Perry (with The Young Bucks and riot squad)
Danielson enters to "The Final Countdown" yet again and it's still surreal to me. The stakes are high, as Bryan has promised to retire whenever his title reign ends. Perry gets plenty of hate from the CM Punk fans in attendance. Perry scores first with an armdrag. Perry gloats after a second takedown. Jack gets a bit cocky and Bryan menaces him to ringside. They restart grappling, Bryan takes him down by the leg and gets the Romero special. Bryan nails a springboard somersault senton outside. Perry answers with a draping DDT onto the floor. He dropkicks Bryan's noggin into the barricade. Neckbreaker gets 2. Danielson blocks a superplex and delivers hammer and anvil elbows on the top rope, then an avalanche back suplex! Perry survives the LeBell Lock and uses a drop toe hold to steal Cattle Mutilation! Bryan escapes, so Jack nails a Dragon suplex! Perry hits another Dragon suplex, Bryan blocks a third on the apron. Danielson dishes out a vicious Butterfly suplex to the floor! He delivers tight YES kick but Perry reverses the Bu Sai Ku knee into the Snare Trap. King Kong Lariat by Jack, Danielson survives with an inside cradle. Jack pulls the referee into the Bu Sai Ku knee. The Young Bucks attack Bryan with the TK Driver! The BCC arrive late to chase the Bucks away. Perry steals the Bu Sai Ku knee, but BRYAN KICKS OUT! Jack traps the arms and stomps Bryan's neck. Danielson kips up for a surprising Bu Sai Ku knee! They both dig deep to slug it out until Bryan goes into a murderous trance and unloads a flurry of strikes. Perry blocks a German suplex but eats another Bu Sai Ku knee and KICKS OUT! Bryan stomps Jack's f***ing head in. Fans love this. Perry defiantly asks Bryan for another Bu Sai Ku knee and gets it. Bryan wins at 27:52! Great match to establish what Danielson's farewell title reign and tour are all about, ****.Winner and still AEW World Champion: Bryan Danielson
Killswitch ambushes Danielson during his celebration. It looks like Christian Cage is cashing in his faux-MITB contract. Jon Moxley appears out of nowhere to block The Patriarchy from the ring. The rest of the BCC and Pac follow suit. The Patriarchy back off, saving us from a historically terrible title change. Moxley embraces Danielson. I expect a Death Rider, but instead Claudio uppercuts Bryan from behind! Moxley suffocates Bryan with a plastic bag while Pac holds a distraught Yuta away. Marina Shafir shows up to enjoy the carnage. Fans chant "This is murder!" Moxley lets go and leads what's left of the BCC away. Yuta is Bryan's only remaining friend and checks on him while medics give him oxygen. I didn't think we'd see any attempted murder until the cage match, but here we are. One of the most truly shocking angles in a while.
Lights Out Unsanctioned Cage Match:
Hangman Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana)
Swerve has images of Hangman burning his house down painted on his gear. They start fighting before the cage lowers. They both try to decapitate each other as the cage comes down. Hangman hits a fallaway slam, Swerve kips up for a jaw kick. Swerve hits a rolling thunder Flatliner and the House Call! Roaring elbow and German suplex by Page. He finds a staple gun in a crate, Swerve happily accepts staples to the chest. Strickland staples Hangman's ribs and back before hitting a backbreaker. He stoically removes staples from his body and staples a family portrait to Hangman's chest and face. Swerve then hits a fireman's carry throw against the cage. Page crotches Strickland on the ropes and nails a springboard clothesline. Hangman takes his time hitting a barbed wire clothesline. Swerve reverses a hard Irish whip into a clothesline, but Hangman bonks him into the cage. Page doesn't have the right space for a Buckshot, but he manages to Flapjack Swerve against the wall. Page yells at the ref and doesn't see the House Call coming. Swerve unloads chair shots and lawn darts Hangman into a chair. Swerve finds a cinder block and counters into a Cop Killa onto the block! The fans cringe at the ugly scratch on Page's back. Hangman fights back, but Strickland nails flying double knees through a table. Page kicks out! He hits Deadeye out of nowhere for 2. He pulls out a wooden spike from Swerve's burnt house and tries to stab him in the eyes. Instead, Swerve bludgeons him with the spike. There are tears in Strickland's eyes, Hangman nails a low blow and POWERBOMB ONTO THE CINDER BLOCK!! Swerve somehow kicks out, fans chant "This is awesome!" Swerve desperately hits a powerbomb against the cage and House Call. Page kicks out! Strickland climbs for the top, but Hangman blocks him with an avalanche powerbomb! Page hits Deadeye but SWERVE KICKS OUT! He orders Swerve to beg for mercy as he smashes him with the edge of a chair. Instead, Swerve laughs maniacally but still collapses. Hangman pulls out Swerve's grill and sticks a needle into his cheek. Ewww! Hangman nails an ill-advised unprotected chairshot and the ref calls off the match at 31:23! Unbelievably brutal grudge match. These guys have been feuding for the better part of a year and told a convincing story based around trying to hurt each other rather than trying to win. Elite nastiness, ****½.Winner: Hangman Adam Page
Final Thoughts: Just two weeks after ALL IN, it would have been easy for AEW to phone it in with a half-butted show. Instead, they pulled out all the stops, including cashing in on a blowoff to the long term Hangman/Swerve rivalry. Every match delivered something different and memorable, except for the TBS title match (beginning to worry about Mercedes' condition). Terrific event, highly recommended.
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