HomeTelevisionAEW All Out 2021 Review: A New Chapter for AEW Starts Now

AEW All Out 2021 Review: A New Chapter for AEW Starts Now

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Were you all in for AEW All Out 2021?

Let’s get to the uber-major highlights right off the bat. 

  • Ruby Soho entering as The Joker/Wild Card in the Women’s Casino Battle Royale – Joy to the internet for predicting this one. Regardless, you could see the joy on her face as she entered the ring. Winding down to being the winner, but facing off against Thunder Rosa as the final two proved to anyone not aware of Ruby Soho certainly put the certified fresh stamp of approval.

  • MURDER GRANDPA Minoru Suzuki confronting Jon Moxley – Jon Moxley survived his match against Satoshi Kojima, only for the unexpected arrival of one of the most dominant NJPW wrestlers to walk the face of the Earth. A pay-per-view match will take place this week on Dynamite. AEW does love its fans. This is proof.

  • Adam Cole Bay Bay! –  It seemed a foregone conclusion Adam Cole was AEW bound. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, it’s pretty damn hard to keep a secret. With Dr. Britt Baker the top woman in the company, it made sense for Cole to make the jump when it is also no secret he likely had no sustainable future in WWE.

  • Bryan Danielson arrives to save the day! – I was not expecting the double whammy of a surprise ending. The show could have ended on an uber-heel note, and truth be told I would have been fine with it. The Bucks losing the AEW Tag Team Championships to the Lucha Brothers gave the vibe tonight could have also been the Downfall of Kenny Omega, but it was not to be. Bryan revitalized the baby faces to close out the show.

  • With the exception of Suzuki, the other three appearances were not 100% “surprises” as these were all suspected to happen thanks to the hard-hitting sources in the wrestling world. I could only fathom the reaction had this taken place maybe 10-20 years ago when internet reliability was still in its infancy. 

Let’s get to the recap of AEW All Out 2021:

The Buy-In preshow saw The Jurassic Express and Best Friends defeat the HFO. Fantastic opener to get the live crowd hot for the show, but let’s be honest, any match would have done the job. I am ecstatic when Jungle Boy gets a submission victory. He might be known for high flying and high risk moves, but this kid can wrestle with the best of them. Do not forget about the clinic he put on against Dax Harwood. 

The post-match saw the return of The Butcher, but the HFO was driven away by locker room backup. Want more Dante Martin!

The opener of the main card featured the TNT Championship Match – Miro retaining over Eddie Kingston

While I would have rejoiced loudly had Kingston claimed a championship, the match did not devalue the New York bruiser in the slightest. If anything, this may be the first of a series between them. The sheer number of suplexes and overhead throws, plus the countless chops Miro endured, plus the constant overpowering of Miro through the match, both he and Eddie put on one hell of a masterminded brawl. Had Miro not cheated when the referee’s view was blocked, this believably could have seen a different outcome. But, the story goes the way of the script. Miro did in fact, redeem Eddie’s nuts.  

Jon Moxley defeated Satoshi Kojima – Good match. Was this top-tier? No, but continues the trend of the Forbidden Door remaining open with Moxley as the ambassador to NJPW wrestlers competing on AEW programming. I was a little disappointed Mox won, as it seems he earns wins over any member of New Japan Pro Wrestling coming to perform in AEW. 

However, this being said, the streak may come to an end this Wednesday. My favorite scripted murderer, Minoru Suzuki began assaulting Moxley, even crunching him with the Gotch Piledriver after the match was over. 

This. Was. Glorious. 

Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. retains the AEW Women’s Championship against Kris Statlander

Wow. Wow. Wow. What a match. This was a back-and-forth contest of strength and who could out-wit who. Baker is so sly in the ring, while AEW’s Favorite Alien put on quite a show of power throughout the match. Normally the designated face needs to overcome the more powerful opponent, but this was a match, in my opinion, where “face” and “heel” did not really exist. Two women who are both major fan favorites put on one hell of a clinic. The big pop came when Baker spiked Statlander with the Panama … uh, I mean the Pittsburgh Sunrise for a near fall. Following a huge Curb Stomp, the Lockjaw was clamped, forcing Statlander to tap out. 

The Lucha Brothers defeated The Young Bucks to become the NEW AEW World Tag Team Champions

This is the match where no words could do justice. You need to watch. Or at the least, find clips on YouTube. Some highlights include multiple uses of the cage as an assisted weapon tool, multiple superkicks, and of course, cutters, cutters everywhere. The Bucks turned disrespectfully desperate by trying to rip off the masks, and then used a thumbtack-covered Nike to draw immense blood from Penta. This would lead to the Bucks’ downfall as the weapon would be turned on them, followed up by Penta hitting a Destroyer off the top, followed by an double-assisted Package PileDriver to end the reign of the Jacksons. 

Ruby Soho wins the Casino Battle Royale

I’m glad this made it to the main card. Well deserved. Some returning faces along with some new ones. Questionable tactic to have Skye Blue enter in the first batch only to be eliminated first when she was a hometown favorite. Abadon had a creepy moment with Hikaru Shida and Emi Sakura, but was eliminated rather quickly as well. Later on, many of the Dark and Elevation mainstays came into the ring but were dispatched within minutes. Jade Cargill made her way in, and despite being portrayed as a threat, was easily eliminated by Nyla Rose. At least we may have our first serious feud in Cargill’s future. Tay Conti and Anna Jay, also fan favorites to win, were eliminated towards the final minutes of the match. Thunder Rosa and Soho sent Nyla packing, leaving the newcomer and the former NWA Women’s Champion to go for it in their one mini-singles match. After a great exchange, Soho would shock the crowd by eliminating Rosa and earning a top spot for the Women’s Championship. 

Chris Jericho defeated MJF via Submission

He’s here to stay! Solid match, lots of close calls. 

Great opening with MJF using the classic “Countdown clock” intro. Evil MJF. I honestly did not know where this one was going to land. A victory by either would have been believable. Scary mid-match moment where Jericho went for his classic top rope hurricanrana, but MJF awkwardly caught him, driving down to the mat with something crossed between a powerbomb and a spinebuster, clearly hurting himself in the process. Big ouchie. MJF cracking Jericho on the ring apron with a Heatseeker, as well as wearing down the veteran’s arm, but yet not enough for a win. 

Wardlow attempted interference but was stopped by Jake Hager. This was enough of a distraction for MJF to abuse Floyd the Bat and clock Jericho with him. It. Him? MJF added the insult to injury by hitting his own Judas Effect and got the three count, however Referee Aubrey Edwards did not see Jericho’s foot on the ropes! Oh noes! A second ref, who happened to be there due to the prior interference, told Edwards what happened, resulting in the match being restarted. Ultimately, MJF was frazzled enough and unable to make a comeback, allowing Jericho to overcome his foe, forcing a submission victory. 

CM Punk defeated Darby Allin

This match was “different.” Not exactly the style we have become accustomed to in AEW, as Punk in a way comes from a different era of wrestling. However, they made it work. Punk started off slow, which led to what I feel was a story being told of Punk gradually getting back on his metaphorical bicycle and learning the gears all over again. Allin was in fact, relentless in his offense on Punk, many times appearing to maintain the upper hand. However, the youngster’s speed proved to be his undoing as although he escaped a GTS attempt, his speed was used against him as Punk would toss him into a corner, flying right through the ropes and to the floor. Allin would rally back and seem to have victory near with a set up for the Coffin Drop, but a sly Punk would simply sit up Undertaker style, and avoid disaster. Jumping leg lariat, followed by another GTS, and this one goes to the history books. 

After the match, Sting came down and shook hands with Punk, who then shook hands with Darby Allin. This was a solid wrestling match with a very respectable outcome. 

Paul Wight defeated QT Marshall. I think even the folks in AEW knew no one cared. But let the big man get one match in. It was short, but could have been shorter. Wight was clear dominance, the other Factory members easily rendered useless and a chokeslam sent them packing.

Honestly, the big man should have stepped in, KO-Punch, pinfall, walk out. 

But the real question is… Where is the follow up from the supposed Gunn Club heel turn? 

Main Event of AEW All Out 2021: Kenny Omega retains the AEW World Championship against Christian

This time Omega was the clear aggressor. Christian seemed at a loss for most of the match, Omega performing more counters and keeping himself in control. Perhaps the story here is that Omega learned from his loss and knows better now. We got a broken table spot early on, with a second table spot appearing to go horribly wrong, causing Christian to be bloodied in the mid-section. The second half of the match got heavy with both men using repeated signature moves but neither could get the win. Gallows and Anderson attempted interference but they failed to help. The end drew near as Christian went for a top rope Killswitch, but was countered into a Top Rope One Winged Angel, giving Omega the hard-fought victory. After the match the Super Elite rushed in but was met by Jurassic Express. However it was not enough. Just then the lights go out, and ADAM COLE BAY BAY comes out and appears to confront Omega, only to turn, superkicking Jungle Boy. As Omega attempted to use his show-closing cliché, the Flight of the Valkyries hit, remixed of course, and Bryan Danielson hit the ring to aid the baby faces to close out the show. 

The fact AEW has pulled in Ruby Soho, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole, and who knows who else is in the pipeline, is 100% proof this company knows what they’re doing. These wrestlers may have spent their time in WWE, but keep in mind they came from another promotion before. Ring of Honor, NJPW, indys etc… These aren’t washed up wrestlers, these are current, relevant, and can still put on a five star match when needed. 

My friends, this is another milestone night for AEW, and for professional wrestling. AEW delivered on a promise to give the fans a great show, and they did. I’ve said it before, and I’ll proudly say it again. AEW made me not only a fan again, but has made wrestling fun again. 

AEW All Out 2021 is streaming on BR Live, Fite and traditional PPV.

Michael Dworkis
Michael Dworkis
Michael Dworkis has been a writer for The Pop Break since 2010. For over a decade he has contributed columns featuring Anime, Comics, Transformers, Television, Movies, and most notably, Professional Wrestling. Additionally, one of the key players in the original Angry Nerds column and a guest on one of Bill's various podcasts. When he is not grinding away at his next feature, or shouting expletives at the television while playing video games or watching wrestling, Michael actually has a full-time job,as a Mental Health Professional, working at a medical practice in New Jersey, and runs his own telehealth private practice. A family man through-and-through, requiring his three children to memorize all the Autobots and Decepticons on the collection shelves while also educating them in all things Marvel and Star Wars. You know, the stuff Disney owns.
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