Quick Thoughts: AEW All Out 2026

Man it's weird how time goes. Feels like All In was just the other week but no it's a month and we are back for another AEW show. Aw dude, take me back to Wembley I miss it so much. But the passage of time is undefeated and we are now in Chicago for All Out. I quite like this card it's a real fall out from All In vibes big 2000s Backlash feel here to me and that's no bad feeling. But let us see how the show on the day holds up.

Tailgate Brawl

With PPV’s back to Saturday for the rest of the year we get Tailgate Brawl back as opposed to the Zero Hour. These normally have bigger or more booked in advance matches. Not complaining that I saw Big Boom AJ in an 8 man tag match at All In but some of the matches here were announced over a week in advance.

Jack Perry vs. Katsuyori Shibata 
So this is what we have for the return of Samoa Joe? Gutted he wasn’t at All In he’s one of my all time favourites probably second behind Kurt Angle so I’ll remain hopeful for Dynasty & Dynamite in February. Don’t really get what we’re doing with the Jungleman these days he just wants to fight former world champions and lose? Ok then I guess we’re just waiting for Luchasaurus to come back to stick them back in the tag division. Decent enough match it's fine as a set up and Joe is back which is good that's one of the goats right there. 2.75/5

Mina Shirakawa and Queen Aminata vs. Sisters of Sin (Julia Hart and Skye Blue)
Late addition to the show but I am enjoying the Queen Aminata push we are currently getting she's great. Not really much to say guess this comes from the afters of the Aminata vs. Skye Blue match on Wednesday but should hopefully be good, I think I said for the women's tag title match when writing that bit we need to see from teams be established and start working so this should hopefully be part of that. Good to see Sisters of Sin win let's now build on that. 2.5/5 

Tornado Tailgate Brawl: Bang Bang Gang (Jay White, Ace Austin, Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn) vs. Death Riders (Daniel Garcia & Wheeler Yuta) & The Dogs (David Finlay & Clark Connors)
With Gabe Kidd and Claudio Castagnoli both in Japan for NJPW’s Destruction in Kobe we get everyone in the pool match here with the rest of their groups. Can we do more with Jay White in the proviso he goes back to his old gear. Have him win the C2 maybe? Just feels a waste of his talents here. I think I'd like this more if I understood NFL was still fun but that isn't real football. 3.5/5

Main Show

AEW National Championship Match: Andrade El Idolo (c) vs. PAC
This should be a good one and reminds me of Andrade’s first good match in AEW in his first run against PAC where it finally felt like he had his mojo back. Andrade has been on a good run with the National championship but it does feel like a holding pattern until MJF is back and healthy. While I still think this will be a good match I’d be shocked (but delighted) if PAC wins. Real good opener lovely chemistry could watch these two wrestle forever. 4.25/5

Darby Allin and Steven Borden vs. The Don Callis Family (Kevin Knight and Kyle Fletcher)
Damn the fans love them some Steven Borden right now? While his move-set is basic as expected he has a presence or 'aura' as the kids say I think he could go far. Interesting this is a number one contenders match and it could go either way. I expect this to continue the Fletcher slow burn face turn but very interested in how this goes.  Unfortunate injury to Steven hope he is alright. 2.5/5

AEW TBS Championship Open Challenge
So this is a case of who do you think it is really? We've seen rumours of signings and interest in the likes of Dani Luna & Kairi either should be a good match. I'm glad Persephone is getting a run I still don't care for Britt Baker and this partnership but give Persephone a good run and it should be a fun time. Solid match and debut for Dani Luna but just an unfortunate spot. 3/5 

AEW International Championship Match: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa
Ok I guess? I mean not really sure why Ciampa is getting a title shot here pretty sure he's not won on PPV for at least the last 2. Why do I feel we get prime phoning it in Okada here? Just unsure why it's needed I hope it's good as Ciampa's work in AEW has been good but we will see. Ok this shit ruled. Amazing chemistry and really hooked me in that Ciampa would win and I did not buy that going in, man Okada when he's on it is still the best in the world. 4.75/5 

AEW Women's World Tag Team Chicago Street Fight: The Brawling Birds (Alex Windsor and Jamie Hayter) (c) vs. Divine Dominion (Lena Kross and Megan Bayne)
A rematch from All In this time with a gimmick to add a bit of spice to it. I did enjoy their first match at All In both of these teams have a physicality to them which should be added upon with weapons. Now that The Brawling Birds got to the destination of winning the belts I'd like to see the division ramped up with some more teams and storylines. Great match loved this more then the All In match these four love to lamp each other great stuff. Interested what the Divine Dominion do next. 4/5 

AEW World Trios Championship Match: Swerve Strickland and The New Level (Austin Creed and Kofi) (c) vs. "Hangman" Adam Page and Brodido (Brody King and Bandido)
More Hangman and Swerve melodrama is always a yes for me and it's good that the Trios titles feel really important. That's what you want the feeling of people wanting the belts and fighting for the belts. The New Level have been great since joining AEW and do not feel out of place. This could be a match of the night contender I am interested in where the story of this feud or the titles goes coming out of this. Oh man this was the best Trios title match AEW have done it was so good I loved it. Hangman and Swerve have that unreal chemistry and New Level and Brodido are also superb loved all of this. 4.5/5

Thekla vs. Willow Nightingale
With Mercedes having a broken nose this will be a good match and a rematch from Redemption. Really annoyed I didn't get a Thekla match at All In but you know I'll keep sulking until Dynasty in February. It is a shame Willow got a short reign but interested in who wins this one. It does feel like a draw or some sort to set up a triple threat that is my thinking at least going into this. I preferred this one to their Redemption match this was good and fought at a real fun and fast pace. Glad Thekla won she's great interested in how the Mercedes vs. Thekla goes with both being heels. 3.75/5

AEW World Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: Cage and Cope (Christian Cage and Adam Copeland) (c) vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson)
It's TLC but legally different as we can't be saying that. It has felt like we have been building to this if you have at least one of the 3 original TLC teams you end up doing this I mean TNA did it with The Wolves taking C&C's place to face The Hardys and Team 3D what a decade ago? Jeez man nostalgia is a hell of a drug. I'm thinking there's a title change here I dunno I have no real interest in C&C vs. Motor City Machine Guns or New Level I'd prefer to see them against either FTR or Young Bucks. Ok fuck man that was insane. Mental spots just carnage from a bunch of old men who should maybe work safer but said fuck that let's go all out. Fair play I have said there's too many ladder matches in wrestling but this one fucks so much. 5/5

AEW World Championship Match: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Jon Moxley
The bruv done it he won the AEW World Championship inside Wembley Stadium and I did a big cheer. Now comes the hard part in defending it and starting with the only man to pin him this year. A good start to the reign and helps to close the the story of Ospreay and the Death Riders. I think this should be a good match I imagine the life will drain from me when the Bulldog Choke is applied as I think my life is going to be ruined because of it. That Ospreay entrance annoyed me I don't need the Assassin's Creed propaganda anymore especially for a game I am not enjoying and it really took me out of it we had a great Ospreay entrance at All In to this shit that took me out of it. It was fine too much interference I expected more. 3.75/5

This was a show of ups and down the shit I loved I loved but a lot of stuff I really wish was better. Not as good as All In but was never going to be. See you next month for WrestleDream with a final grade of 4/5