- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,193,752
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
AEW All Out (Sept. 20, 2025) was headlined by Hangman Page versus Kyle Fletcher for the world title, but the real main event was Cope & Christian in their hometown battling FTR from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Adam Copeland & Christian Cage defeated FTR. The opening bout on PPV was the real main event. This tag team grudge match delivered. Plus, there was a surprise appearance from Beth Phoenix.
The C&C appearance began with Christian being an cornholio to local celebrities. Cope was embarrassed, but he confessed that Christian is his cornholio.
The hometown crowd was hot to serenade Copeland. Christian was still an cornholio. Loud boos for FTR. The atmosphere was rocking with energy. The match opened by isolating Christian to build for the hot tag to Copeland. He paid homage to an old pal that can’t see him (John Cena).
C&C slapped on double Sharpshooters, but Stokely Hathaway shoved the ring apron forward for FTR to grab for the official break. I didn’t know that the ring apron counts for a break. You learn something new every day. The match progressed with friendship as Christian speared Cash Wheeler and Copeland hit the Kill Switch on Dax Harwood. Big Stoke pulled the referee out on the pinfall count.
Stokely and the crowd were stymied by a musical entrance. It turned out to be Beth, wife of Cope in real life in case you didn’t know. Beth speared little Stoke and carried him to the back. Stupendous!
C&C borrowed from FTR to execute their finishers, but the match continued. FTR reached into their bag of tricks to wallop Cope with a foreign object. Spike piledriver. Kick out by Cope. Shatter Machine? Nope. Cope rallied for a pair of Impalers. FTR regrouped for the Shatter Machine. Dramatic kick out by Copeland. FTR connected on a second Shatter Machine. Cope was amped and somehow stumbled around instead of going down. Christian handled Wheeler, and Cope struck with a spear to win. All of Canada felt the reverberation of C&C in victory.
That feeling didn’t last long. Mama Wayne wheeled young Nick out on stage. Kip Sabian swooped in to handcuff Cope to the ropes. FTR planted Christian on a spike piledriver. Beth sensed she was in trouble. Wife kissed husband, then she threw fists out of desperation. FTR corralled Beth for a spike piledriver. Despicable.
The Cope & Christian connection in Toronto, Canada was fantastic. This was the real main event of the show. It delivered everything I could have desired. Needless to say, the tag team action was delicious. Dream match lived up to being a dream match. There were so many little touches that elevated the match. The Cena shout-out, C&C stealing FTR moves, and C&C stealing each other’s moves were unexpected delights. Stokely’s trifling was a great way to usher in Beth for a surprise appearance. It was equal parts funny and badass. The finish was a little awkward with Cope defying death on the Shatter Machine, but I’ll give it a pass in the overall picture of reeking awesomeness. The post-match villainy was a smart touch. Sure, it rained down on happy times. However, FTR gained their edge back to continue the feud. The involvement of Nick Wayne gives Christian a reason to continue his partnership with Cope. This story was executed very well.
On to the actual main event.
AEW World Championship: Hangman Page (c) defeated Kyle Fletcher to retain the title. No interference from the Callis Family or Fletcher will be stripped of the TNT belt. These men rumbled for close to 40 minutes. It was a war of attrition. Fletcher focused on the damaged the neck of Hangman, so the cowboy skinned that smoke wagon for the same strategy to deliver a tombstone piledriver on the floor, Fletcher regained control for a brainbuster through the timekeeper table followed by a brainbuster in the ring. Hangman kicked out of the arrogant cover.
Hangman surged for a Deadeye piledriver off the apron through a table.
The story continued with Fletcher barely escaping attempts at the Buckshot Lariat and also the focus on neck damage to both men. Fletcher’s hubris turned out to be his mistake. He removed the turnbuckle pad with the intention of a brainbuster onto the exposed steel. Hangman got the better of Fletcher in the battle for position to execute an avalanche Deadeye. Buckshot Lariat, 1, 2, 3, and still world champion.
Solid hard-hitting match. Hangman and Fletcher both sold the impact of neck work. So much so that they should take a page out of Bobby Heenan’s book to show up wearing neck braces on Dynamite.
In a bubble by itself, I give thumbs up to the world title bout. Hangman and Fletcher put in serious effort. Applause to them. In terms to the overall PPV viewing experience, I give thumbs down to the main event. Five hours (six including the pre-show) is too long. FACT. When serving a long show, the main event needs to have snap to keep viewers engaged. There was no urgency. The first real pin drama came about 25 minutes into the action. The rest of the show was cooking. This one simmered for far too long. The storyline was not strong enough to carry me through this period. We all knew Hangman would retain. This was about Fletcher establishing himself as a main event player. In theory, Fletcher hung strong with the world champion. My parting thought upon conclusion wasn’t excitement for Fletcher’s future. It was a shrug as this match gets lost in the ether on the non-stop wrestling calendar. I fully admit that I lost the mental battle to this marathon of wrestling.
Let’s run down the rest of the card from top to bottom. Get caught up on the Forbidden Door details with the excellent play-by-play from Claire Elizabeth. Jon Moxley had help stuffing Darby Allin into a coffin, Kris Statlander won the women’s world title, MJF felt the vengeance of Mark Briscoe, Jack Perry made a surprise return, and more.
AEW World Tag Team Championship: Brodido (c) defeated Young Bucks, JetSpeed, & Josh Alexander & Hechicero to retain the titles. Four-way ladder match. Non-stop highlight reel. The finish thinned the herd. Mike Bailey ate a pilediver onto a ladder. Kevin Knight was shoved off a ladder to crash through tables. Bandido took out the Callis Family on a moonsault with a ladder. King creamed the Bucks on a suicide dive. The coast was clear for Bandido to climb and retrieve the title belts.
The ladder match delivered the goods with wild action. It’s the right call for Brodido to keep the gold. That duo is still fresh on the scene, and they are just getting started in the tag team division. I don’t have much to say beyond that. This was a popcorn match to sit back and enjoy.
Jack Perry returns! After the tag title bout, the Bucks were still in the ring. Perry surprised them from behind for a fight. The Bucks, with a little help from Rocky Romero, stifled that rebellion with a double superkick. Lights out for a vignette to reveal that it was Perry who resurrected Luchasaurus. The big man saved Perry for a double chokeslam to the Bucks. Luchasaurus threw away his Kill Switch name, and Jungle Jack reunited with his dino pal.
AEW played the Tarzan Boy song. The world felt like a better place for that brief moment in time.
Hmm, very interesting way to bring back Perry. Attacking the Bucks and teaming with Luchasaurus is a smart way to ensure he is received as a babyface from the crowd. Plus, there’s the song. Oh-oh-oh, jungle life… Hopefully they kick Kip Sabian’s ass too. Luchasaurus needs to close that chapter.
AEW World Championship: Kris Statlander defeated Toni Storm (c), Thekla, and Jamie Hayter to win the title. Four-way fight. The finish came down to Thekla spearing Hayter off the apron then Statlander surprising Storm with the seat belt pin to win.
Wow. I’m not necessarily shocked that Statlander won. I am shocked that she won clean. I thought it would be a waiting game until mass interference from the Triangle of Madness and the Death Riders. Wheeler Yuta was out there in Stat’s ear, but he exited before the opening bell. The win feels much more special with Statlander doing it fair and square. As for the action, splendid. The women worked a smooth pace to feel like a true four-way. There were a few finishers delivered for tense kick-outs. I’d say Thekla was the star of the match. Her spider suplexes and general vibe demanded attention.
Coffin Match: Jon Moxley defeated Darby Allin. Allin ignited the fireworks (figurative, not literal) with a Coffin Drop from the upper deck of the stands.
Allin made Moxley bleed by biting his ear and stabbing him in the head with a screwdriver.
Moxley fought tough and even sent the Death Riders to the back. The big surprise was Bryan Danielson passing a plastic bag to Allin to suffocate Moxley, and it was hilariously glorious.
There was another surprise, but it was less enjoyable than the plastic bag bit. When Allin had victory within his grasp, PAC returned to interfere. He pummeled Allin.
After the nod from Mox, PAC loaded Allin into a body bag and stuffed him in the coffin. Moxley was exhausted on the mat and gave a slight shove with his foot to close the lid to win. The Death Riders carried the coffin with Allin inside to the back.
Chaotic fun. It felt like there was a method to the madness in how the match played out. The coffin bumps were a creative way to fold the prop into the flow of action. Allin executing the Scorpion Death Drop is always worth a pop. The plastic bag brought so much joy as a callback to Moxley trying to murder Danielson. Moxley was great with his character work. The little reactions played big, such as the manner in which he closed the coffin lid to really sell how much of a ******** win that was. The finish stunk in the typical Death Riders manner, but I’m okay with it happening in this scenario. I felt it was too early for Allin to slay Moxley in this feud. The return of PAC adds options to extend toward the final blow-off. Allin versus PAC should be dynamite, let alone the eventual rematch between Allin and Moxley.
Later in the show, Moxley was shown dismissing the Death Riders for the evening. He wanted to share a moment with Allin, presumably to convince him to join the cause. Being in the body bag, Allin had no choice but to listen. Or so Moxley thought. Allin freed himself to attack Mox. The maniac stuffed Moxley inside the body bag and lit it on fire. Officials were quick on the scene with extinguishers.
Stupid. Professional wrestling can be an insane sport. Each fan has their own personal line to cross between buying into the illusion and when it goes too far. Lighting people on fire is that line for me. But, I do laugh at flamethrowers. Go figure. To each their own on this one.
AEW Unified Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita and Mascara Dorada to retain the title. Three-way bout. Dorada was there to bring sizzle. He did that in spades.
Dorada was also there to eat the pin. The real draw for the three-way was whenever Okada and Takeshita engaged with each other. They had several sequences that were electric.
In the end, Takeshita did the work on Dorada, and Okada picked his spot at the right moment to take the win. Okada dropkicked Takeshita, then he uncorked the Rainmaker lariat on Dorada to finish.
This better not be the end of the feud between Okada and Takeshita. Their action here makes me want to see a proper one-on-one so bad. The conclusion of the Continental Classic tournament could be a fitting time for that. Praise for Dorada’s moves can’t be high enough. He was so awesome. Star-making performance in the breakthrough sense, for those not familiar with him beforehand.
TBS Championship: Mercedes Moné (c) defeated Riho to retain the title. Heck of an effort from Riho. Mercedes was desperate to win and resorted to a cheap trick. The CEO grabbed the referee then gouged Riho’s eyes to set up the Moné Maker for the win.
That was a very good match. The wrestling was energetic. Riho was a ball of fire with flying stomps and suplexes. I love the visual of her half crab in that she bends backward and torques the leg. It looks painful. The match never had any doubt that Mercedes was losing nor did it really push deep into that territory. However, Riho looked so good that I could buy into this being the first step to her being the one that finally dethrones Mercedes. I would definitely be excited for a rematch with the right story.
Ricochet, Bishop Kaun, & Toa Liona defeated Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, & MVP. Slobberknocker deluxe. GOA were brutes, and the Hurt Syndicate styled with sweet suplexes.
Ricochet added high-flying, such as leaping over the corner for a dive outside. He was also jacked for the occasion.
The beginning of the end was Liona smashing a furious shoulder tackle to Lashley and Benjamin for all three to tumble over the guardrail.
MVP was outnumbered and fought tough, but Kaun clipped his knee hard. Ricochet closed with the Spirit Gun on MVP as the final blow.
Wow. Upset city, baby! Ricochet & GOA earned their respect. I love that the Hurt Syndicate put over this crew to elevate the status of Ricochet & GOA as a unit. MVP eating the pin was the right call, because there’s no reason to protect him right now. MVP did look good in the ring though, so pinning him felt like it meant something. Lashley and Benjamin didn’t lose any luster. They were both studs with all those suplexes. Whether this feud continues or not, the match left me excited for the future of both squads to see what’s next.
Tables N’ Tacks: Mark Briscoe defeated MJF. Briscoe set the mood by pouring buckets of tacks onto the mat. MJF immediately retreat to the outside. He even put the tables back under the ring as a sign that he wanted no part of this danger. The early half was about building to the initial tack spots for each man. MJF scored first by pulling the referee in front to jab an eye poke and body slam Briscoe onto the tacks. He mashed Briscoe’s face into the objects, and Dat Boy was a bloody mess the rest of the way. Briscoe served payback for a back body drop onto the tacks.
The action intensified from there. MJF executed a tombstone piledriver onto tacks, and Briscoe kicked out on the cover for a dramatic moment. Briscoe surged in the end for a barrage of froggy bows and the Jay Driller to win.
This match was way more entertaining than I was expecting. MJF and Briscoe told a great story within the flow of action. MJF was excellent with his antics building up to whenever he was slammed on tacks. I like how MJF wore white pants so the blood stains popped in contrast. One stain was in an unfortunate spot to look like MJF had his groin ripped off. Briscoe shined as the underdog to deliver satisfying revenge. All those froggy bows increased anticipation for the win. The Jay Driller was fitting for the finish given all the trash talk MJF spewed in this feud. I was fully thinking MJF would win, so this result earned a pleasant surprise reaction.
Eddie Kingston defeated Big Bill. Bill dished out pain. Kingston’s saving grace was the spinning backfist. He also executed an impressive exploder suplex to the giant, but it was that strike that stunned Bill in key moments. In the end, Kingston used his veteran savvy. He dodged a corner splash, and Bill conked his head on the ring post. After a kick out on a roll-up from Kingston, the Mad King delivered another spinning backfist for the win.
Afterward, Bryan Keith and Bill pounded Kingston. Hook made a surprise save. Redrum choke to Keith handing him over to Kingston for a spinning backfist.
In terms of the moment, the return of Kingston from injury was money. The crowd was hot for him. Kingston’s fighting spirit was great fun in the brawling aspects. He showed heart against the larger opponent to earn the win. In terms of athletic performance, Kingston looked more like King of the Bums than the former continental champion. I’ll give the benefit of the doubt to assume Kingston being rusty and tired was part of the story instead of being out of wrestling shape. That’s the angle commentary took, and they covered for him whiffing on the finishing blow. Kingston needs to ease back in before being pushed up the card. Perhaps a tag team with Hook will be very beneficial in that regard. Bill looked strong as a beast. He got in plenty of offense to look tough.
The pre-show on TNT featured four bouts.
Tornado Tailgate Brawl: Willow Nightingale, Mina Shirakawa, Harley Cameron, & Queen Aminata defeated Megan Bayne, Penelope Ford, Julia Hart, & Skye Blue. This match was more action-comedy than a hardcore fight. For example, the babyfaces started the match by running a football play as a distraction to attack. In the end, Willow pounced Bayne out of the ring. Mina and Aminata used a BBQ grill to beat up the spooky sisters. Willow finished Penelope on a gutwrench powerbomb to win. Lots of fun as the final match heading into the PPV.
Hologram, Kyle O’Reilly, & Roderick Strong defeated Frat House. O’Reilly convinced Strong to conglomerate in a trios match with Hologram.
They handled business with a high low combo from Paragon on Griff Garrison followed by a flying double stomp from Hologram to win. Strong went back to his prickly ways after the match. When Hologram raised Strong’s arm in victory, Strong refused.
Daniel Garcia defeated Katsuyori Shibata. Shibata was aggressive to start. Garcia gained ground for a DDT on the floor. Daddy Magic hopped up from commentary trying to get an explanation from Garcia. Danny ignored Papa Magie. Garcia wedged Shibata’s head between the ring and the steps, then he dropkicked the steel. The match unfolded with Garcia targeting the neck and Shibata working the legs. Garcia hit two piledrivers, but that wasn’t enough to keep Shibata down. Shibata secured a sleeper, and Garcia was fading. Marina Shafir caused a distraction on the apron. Shibata took the bait to release the hold. Garcia capitalized for a third piledriver and a curb stomp to win.
Good match for a pre-show. Shibata and Garcia have chemistry as opponents. I enjoyed the level of intensity and the counter sequences. Shibata was a badass firing up after the second piledriver. He was a bit of a ******* falling for Shafir’s tricks, but that’s the way it is in professional wrestling. I also liked how hard it was to keep Shibata down. It took three piledrivers and a curb stomp. That maintains his legend aura in defeat. Garcia was more ruthless to fit in with the Death Riders.
Samoa Joe & Will Hobbs defeated Workhorsemen. JD Drake and Anthony Henry put in work, but they couldn’t handle Powerhouse. Joe did the walkaway spot to Drake, then he grabbed the neck for the Coquina Clutch submission to win. Hobbs busted Henry’s spine to protect Joe on the finish. Joe brought the star power and Hobbs just brought power to get the crowd in the mood.
Notes: Jerry Lynn booked Max Caster and Anthony Bowens into a tag team match next week against Blake Christian and Lee Johnson. The Acclaimed wanted no part of a reunion, so they threatened to not show up. Lynn informed them that the consequences would be a suspension without pay. Caster and Bowens continued bickering in a humorous manner.
Mark Briscoe is looking to the future for a trios bout against the Callis Family. Kyle O’Reilly strongly hinted that Orange Cassidy will be on the Conglomeration team.
Enjoy Don Callis’ introduction of Hechicerooooooo!
Studs of the Show: C&C&B
Adam Copeland, Christian Cage, and Beth Phoenix were the brightest part of a bright show.
Match of the Night: Mark Briscoe vs. MJF
The spectacle was played perfectly.
Grade: A-
AEW showed an emphasis on wrestling. The stipulation matches were great entertainment. Sprinkle in a couple of upsets and surprises for a fun event. (I acknowledge that my criticisms of the PPV length and main event are a ‘me’ problem, thus the score remains high.)
Share your thoughts about AEW All Out. Replays can be purchased through PPV.com, HBO Max, Amazon, and YouTube as well as TrillerTV in select regions.
Continue reading...
