Quick Thoughts: AEW All Out 2020

September 5th bought us the next showing of AEW on PPV with All Out a stacked card featuring several title matches and matches with ramifications going forward. I didn't get the chance to watch All Out last year live as I was at Royal Quest for New Japan that day so was nice to watch this years edition live. First of all dammit wrestling shows need to start caring for an international audience this show finished at 5AM for me and that's just not good. We don't need 4 hours shows and if we are how about starting them an hour earlier just every company needs to be aware of their international audience please. 

To begin with we had two matches on the traditional Buy In show that accompanied the show 

Serpentico vs. Joey Janela 
I guess we can that this as confirmation that Serpentico is on the roster now, part of the tag team 'Chaos Project' with Japanese Death Match Wrestling Legend Luther it's a decent team if we are keeping Luther on the show. Serpentico a decent hand. The this was fine it was more something you'd see on Dark but nothing to be a real issue in this match. Janela and Sonny Kiss as a tag team has my interests I wonder what the goal is with them it looks to be they'll have some issues with the Inner Circle but I can see that being more Jake Hager than Chris Jericho. While a match with no story coming into it was still a perfectly fine watch.

The Dark Order (3 & 4) vs. Private Party 
I remarked last time out that Private Party & Best friends were off on the Double or Nothing buy in the opposite here Silver & Reynolds worked well with Private Party especially in the last few minutes of the match it all flowed well to ma and was an enjoyable match. John Silver is slowly becoming the breakout star of Dark Order a great entertainer on BTE but also a real good hand in the ring. I think he has all the potential in the world to be a great asset for AEW going forward as with all in this match. I do hope for Private Party that are now allowed to but some wins together and maybe get a feud or storyline of some sort as they have really lost their momentum from beating the Young Bucks back last year. Either way future if bright and Private Party are for sure AEW Tag Team Champions in the making. 

A good show to move into the main card I was pretty hyped to get into the main show after that match and this show was very highly gimmicked I don't think some of these stipulations we will see again or at least for a while but was interesting to see AEW experiment to see what will stick.

Tooth and Nail Match: Big Swole vs. Britt Baker D.M.D
First of all I thought this would be better on the Buy In as originally planned as it was different to the rest of the show based on its setting. I felt the two had some interesting spots in a different environment. These sort of 'cinematic' matches are always going to be divisive but I thought it was fun, this was it protects Britt just getting back into a match after her injury and with this we could see more character work of Britt & Reba which is Britt's strong point of her character now. Britt I can see being the one taking the AEW Women's Title from Shida but I think this was good for both Britt getting back into matches and Swole getting the win in the end. I hope AEW adds some more top quality women to their division to help those at the top of it going forward but it will be nice to see where these two go next.

The Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express
A match for the sake of a match. No real story for this match being on the show and really used to pad out the card and mean the sun is coming up when I go to sleep. For real was this match needed? Now that my grumpy complaints are done I can actually move to the match. I love both these times I think reports of Jungle Boy being earmarked as a future top star are on the money based on how he was protected in this match a man who gave it his all just falling at the end. I think Jurassic Express are a great act for the younger AEW fans I can only imagine the eventual Luchasaurus toy will sell really well he has such a unique look and he's also a great wrestler. Young Bucks will look to move to FTR eventually and that's a match we always look forward to be here the right team did win. I'm really mixed on the match being on the show though. I'm happy the teams got time and they both looked good but was it really needed. I think I'll like it more if I watch it during that day and not at 2AM. 

21 Casino Battle Royale
In the third attempt at doing this match I think things are starting to click with AEW for these matches, a lot of stories going in for this match and we had some spots. First things first it was so good to see Will Hobbs get some shine in the match and an elimination. He's someone who has a lot of potential and of the guys mainly used on AEW Dark he stands out as the best prospect to me and would 100% find somewhere on the show for him. Will, Shawn Dean and  Lee Johnson are all great and if you haven't been watching Dark I'd checked those guys out the most. Matt Sydal (minus the issue with the Shooting Star Press) is such a great addition to AEW, I really was hoping they sign him since Fyter fest last year (and convinced myself for like a week he was the one who would team with the Lucha Bros before Laredo Kid was revealed), he will prove a great addition and I'm interested as to where he fits but I can guarantee some third eyes will be opened. Great to see the Team Taz vs. Darby feud continue and I wonder if we will see Lance Archer involved there as well as I don't see him winning the belt from Mox and can even see Brian Cage costing him it based on the last few weeks of Dynamite. This is what a good Battle Royal should do help to bring forward new stories and influence the future of the main bulk of the programming. I don't have anywhere to place it but I hope for the FTW Title to be used at some point or have a meaning it just hasn't had anything done for it and I know it's been mentioned they have things lined up for it which is nice I think Darby, Archer, Cage & Starks would be great to build that all around.

Broken Rules Match: Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara
No jokes here but I do feel it was very reckless to allow Matt Hardy to continue the match no reason you couldn't stop it and do it again down the line have it main event a Dynamite. I don't know why more tables weren't out there if that spot was to be done but only thing to say is I hope it is nothing too serious in regards to injuries to Matt Hardy and wish him well in his recovery. 

AEW Women's Championship Match: Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Thunder Rosa
Champions vs. Champion in a match crossing promotions. This match was a really physical match both wrestlers are great and if the opportunity ever appears for Thunder Rosa to be in AEW full time. I really liked how the match seemed more submission based and anyone that breaks out the Brock Lock/Stretch Muffler you know it's gonna be great. Shida has been a good champion but I still worry at the lack of real challengers built up I feel realistically Ivelisse and Diamante should be challengers after their tournament win. The main issue with the women's division is it is full of potential talent in Anna Jay, Tay Conti and Abadon but a lack of people to really challenge and win the belt. I am hoping with how well this and the match between Rosa and Serena Deeb that AEW hire more experienced women to join their roster to help and with that sign Nicole Savoy thanks you very much.

The Dark Order vs. Natural Nightmares, Scorpio Sky & Matt Cardona
The Dark Order has seen a rapid turn around in fortunes. With the Vince act dropped for just a real nasty Cult leader who runs a campaign of fear picking people up at their worst is great and works with Colt Cabana far too happy to be sucked in right away. Seeing Scorpio Sky in this match is good I hope he continues to feature on Dynamite I'm a big fan, while I don't love his theme as much as Taz does I do hope to see him as a featured player around the TNT title. The match mainly helped to further the story of Colt in the Dark Order finally seeing what Brodie is like and for Dustin to get a title match in his brothers place to look to get revenge. This was a storyline match and served it purpose in advancing The Dark Order vs. The Rhodes Family and Friends and I am looking forward to seeing Brodie vs. Dustin.  

AEW Tag Team Championship Match: Kenny Omega & Adam Page (c) vs. FTR
The story I was most interested, I love what they have done with Adam Page in the past year. Going from someone who was failing to connect with the crowd to arguably the most over person in the company. This was probably my match of the night although I could've done without it being half an hour. The story of Kenny & Hangman has been done well the two still working well as a team despite their issues puts them both over as great wrestlers. I did enjoy how Kenny was isolated for a lot of the match with the issues being on Hangman and if he was all in on the team made sense for him to be the one doubting and debating on the apron. This also helped with the set up of the finish coming from the accidental V-Trigger to Hangman the final nail in their team as it left Hangman really unable to recover and ended up losing due to a mistake on the large part of a team fractured already this would set them over the edge. I'm glad FTR won it was the right time for the title switch and FTR can go on to have their dream match vs. The Bucks. I'm very glad this story of Hangman and The Elite is continuing I thought the main turn was happening tonight and now with it ongoing we can see it develop. If anything this show has helped set up things for Dynamite which is good and leaves questions about The Elite as a whole. I am hoping we are getting Omega & Hangman 1 on 1 soon as I think the top of the card could do with them and the tag division can work around the Bucks and FTR.

Mimosa Mayhem Match: Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy
The odd match gimmick of pin, submit or submerge your opponent in a tub of Mimosa is certainly a new one for wrestling. Orange Cassidy has shown character growth from just being the sloth to show more emotional range and I think this feud has been good for him, Jericho has an ability to make people care and while this feud was extended as Mike Tyson had to drop out due to boxing commitments it was good to see Orange get some shine even if the feud has gone on a bit too long. I do wonder what is next for both men now especially Orange as he doesn't seem to have a new rival set up for post this match where Jericho is more easy to work into a new feud. In relation to the match it was a fun concept I don't know if we will see it again. It is however the perfect way to end the feud with Jericho being the one who has bullied and looked to humiliate Orange week in week out to suffer the humiliation of being submerged in Mimosa wraps the feud up nice. I would say this was the second best match of the trilogy with their first match being the best one but was a nice end to the feud. 

AEW World Championship Match: Jon Moxley (c) vs. MJF
In the main event of the evening MJF got his first chance at the AEW title. Both men have been on a role and I was really interested to see how this would go as I honestly thought it could've done either way. MJF I felt has his best match here and we have seen him grow as a wrestler as well as a performer on the mic and in his gimmick as a whole. The ending to the match was great as it shows Mox as a resourceful wrestler always watching is surroundings for an opportunity and gives MJF a gripe for a rematch as Mox cheated using the Paradigm Shift which has been banned and stood to create more tension between MJF and Wardlow after Wardlow messed up throwing the Diamond Ring to MJF. While I thought MJF bleed a bit too heavily it didn't detract from the match he seems to have gone to the Cody school of bleeding in every big match. I do wonder what is next for both of these men with Full Gear around the corner. Ideally I'd like to see Mox, MJF, Hangman & Kenny in a fatal four way for the title at the PPV as I think Archer will have his shot on a Dynamite but I could be wrong there. It'd be a big match with the two biggest stories in AEW colliding and could be the time for Mox to drop the title and he'd have a host of great options in that match to lose to. Either way I think AEW is set up well for what happens next. 

While not the best AEW PPV I still found this outing enjoyable. Did this fall below normal standards for AEW? Yes but when those standards are so high you can't hit them all the time. I do feel what happened with Matt Hardy hurt the show and I am glad to read he is doing much better now. One final note on the negativity surrounding the show was I watched this with a few people who had said this was the first PPV they had bought in years and the first wrestling show they had seen for a good while and would be looking to check more AEW out so it had a positive effect of bringing more eyes to the product. AEW PPV's normally look to have a big bang about them for catching that show but this one seemed more set up Dynamite heavy which isn't a bad thing as now I am looking forward to seeing what Wednesday brings for Dynamite and the road to Full Gear.