All Out has been a historically eventful show for All Elite Wrestling—both in the most positive and negative ways possible. Five years ago, CM Punk wrestled his first match in forever, and the world saw Ruby Soho, Adam Cole, and Bryan Danielson make the jump to the company in one of the company’s top shows of all time. A year later, the infamous Brawl Out would take place after legitimately one of the worst shows in AEW history.
All Out 2026 is also, equally, going to be a historic and important event in AEW history, but not from a free agent standpoint, or from someone throwing a tantrum, or even because they’re going against a WWE-sponsored AAA house show.
No, this is important from a creative standpoint. After the absolute home run that was All In 2026, Tony Khan and company need to make a definitive statement by crowning Will Ospreay world champion. AEW’s booking of male babyface world champions has never been the best or most consistent, so they need Will to have a definitive win here. They need to push him as the face that runs the place, not the guy who is the world champion and is very popular, but really isn’t the guy — à la Hangman Page’s first run.
There’s a lot to discuss with this one, so let’s get right to it. AEW All Out 2026 airs on HBO MAX, Prime Video, YouTube, PPV.com, and traditional PPV avenues. Click here for more info.
AEW Saturday Tailgate Brawl: Football season is back, and Tony Khan loves a good theme (and I’m not going to lie, so do I). Let’s also be frank for a minute: AEW should make all of their pre-shows “Tailgate Brawls.” Tailgating, while synonymous with football, isn’t married to football. You can tailgate for literally anything – concerts, wrestling, baseball, holy communions, trick-or-treating; it being a Friday, it doesn’t matter. They should really lean into this concept, bring in sponsors from beer companies and food vendors, and build up the event to make it more of a fan-interactive, AEW community-feel event. The fact that I have a take on this shows you how little sleep I’ve gotten this month.
Bang Bang Gang (“Switchblade” Jay White, Ace Austin, Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn) vs. Death Riders (Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta) & The Dogs (Clark Connors and David Finlay)
Thoughts: A lot of people online seem down on the presentation of this match, given the heavy comedy-leaning aspects from Juice Robinson. Let me speak on this for a second. Juice Robinson is the modern-day “Boogie Woogie Man” Jimmy Valiant crossed with Attitude Era Mick Foley. He’s a wild man; he’s gonna say and do outlandish things, and sometimes they really miss (the vet thing with The Dogs was okay), and sometimes they come off great – like “Coach Juice.” If a Chicago Street Fight were not booked on this show, I’d have these two teams do a Tulepo Concession Stand Brawl lite match. Have them take it over the building, use food and sports paraphernalia, and brawl all over the building for a big, fun piece of wrestling. Not everything in AEW needs moves, spots, intensity, and fighting spirit. We’re allowed to have fun.
Prediction: Unless we get a debut here, I’d say we’ve gotta give the Big W to The Bang Bang Gang against Death Riders Hollywood.
“Jungle” Jack Perry vs. Katsuyori Shibata of The Opps
Thoughts: The near Raven-esque presentation of Jack Perry in recent weeks has been a tremendous piece of business. Make him unique. Make him cinematic. And leaning into his “I want to challenge the best to make myself the best” really is working. Fighting Shibata to get to Samoa Joe is strong creative, and ultimately one of the sleeper matches of the night.
Prediction: Jack Perry
All Out 2026 Main Event
AEW World Tag Team Championship 3-Way Ladder Match: Christian Cage & Adam Copeland (c) vs. Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) vs. FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler)
Thoughts: They’re totally kicking the show off with this match, as they should. It’s going to be a crazy good time. The Bucks and FTR always, always, always deliver in these big matches. Cope and Cage will have their spots to pop Chicago big time, but as I’ve stated in these columns, C&C Nostalgia Factory can never be criticized for lack of effort. Cynically, this match gives the Canadian super team an out to drop the belt without getting pinned, and that’s likely what’s going to happen. Let’s have The Bucks win this one, and let’s finally get The Machine Guns, New Level, FTR, and Bucks in a feud.
Prediction: “And New” The Young Bucks
TBS Championship Open Challenge: Persephone (c) with Dr. Britt Baker DMD vs. TBD
Thoughts: Persephone is one of the brightest stars in all of AEW. She’s terrific in the ring. She has the charisma. She has the aura. She can cut a solid promo. Some don’t love her being managed by Britt Baker, but that’s more about people’s thoughts on the Good Doctor, and not Persephone herself. Baker’s presence and her cache with the crowd positioned her higher on the card, allowing her more TV and, most importantly, more wins on TV.
Now we have an open challenge. In a conversation with Kelvin Kately of The No Gimmicks Podcast, my suggestions on who the mystery opponent could be are:
1. Mara Sade
2. Dani Luna
3. Ruby Soho
4. Someone already in AEW/ROH
5. Someone from CMLL
6. Someone from Stardom
7. Jody Threat
8. Someone from Maple Leaf Pro
9. Dakota Kai
10. Kairi Sane
Originally, I had Athena on the list, but unless they flip the title to her, no way you put her on the list. Anyone from CMLL, AEW, ROH, or Maple Leaf Pro would be a letdown. If you’re teasing someone, bring in someone new. The only people who’d be the exception to the rule would be someone like Queen Aminata, because you know that match would be stiff as hell. Kairi, according to Fightful, is not signed. Dakota Kai, we can never rule out, but she’s been away from the ring a long time. So that leaves a returning Ruby Soho, which would be awesome and unexpected. And in Chicago, chef’s kiss. Mara Sade would be a good pick, as would “Doomsday” Dani Luna. Whoever comes out Big Pers will have a helluva match wth.
Prediction: “And still” Persephone.
Winner Gets a Future AEW World Tag Team Championship Shot: TNT Champion Darby Allin & Steven Borden vs. Don Callis Family’s “The Protostar” Kyle Fletcher & “The Jet” Kevin Knight
Thoughts: AEW columnist Mike Dworkis has postulated that this could lead to Steven Borden turning on Darby and joining the DFC. And that is very possible. However, we need a little more time with that because Borden is stupidly over as a babyface. Still, I don’t see this new team beating what could be the next great modern-day tag team in ProtoJet.
Prediction: The Don Callis Family
AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship Chicago Street Fight: The Brawling Birds (Alex Windsor and Jamie Hayter) (c) vs. Divine Dominion (“Megasus” Megan Bayne and “Colossal” Lena Kross)
Thoughts: The women of AEW always, always, always deliver in blood matches. All four of these women are special, and they will go out of their way to steal this show. Do not be surprised if most of them are covered in serious amounts of plasma. One has to wonder if we get a Penelope Ford return here to help Dominion, while you could see Dani Luna join up with her fellow Brits. That definitely could extend this feud as they figure out who the hell could challenge The Birds next.
Prediction: “And Still” The Brawling Birds
AEW National Championship Match: Andrade El Ídolo (c) vs. Death Riders’ PAC
Thoughts: This match is going to absolutely rule. We don’t need to talk about it, these two guys are going to beat the brakes off each other. However, the result feels so obvious that it almost feels too obvious. In my reach of the night, MJF returns to cost Andrade the National Championship, leading into these two feuding. PAC winning his first gold also bolsters him as he leads a revolt against Moxley.
Prediction: “And New” PAC
AEW International Championship Match: “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. “Psycho Killer” Tommaso Ciampa
Thoughts: Some people have wondered out loud, “Who wanted these two to wrestle in 2018?” The answer is people with eyes and with taste. I don’t care that these two are not at their pinnacle, because this match is going to absolutely rule. And if this “new” Ciampa is coming, I could see this being a ref stoppage, or his over-aggressiveness costing him the match against the smartest man in wrestling.
Prediction: “And Still” Okada
Post-Script: AEW will be in France coming up in two weeks, and what better way to add intrigue to Grand Slam: France than having Ilja Dragunov challenge Okada for the title at that show. Visa issues are a bitch these days, so why not have the Europe-based war bastard challenge The Rainmaker there. And he can do it via video at All Out.
AEW World Trios Championship Match: Swerve Strickland & The New Level (Austin Creed and Kofi) (c) vs. “Hangman” Adam Page & Brodido (ROH World Champion Bandido and Brody King)
Thoughts: The question is — do you hot potato the trios titles back to The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, who aren’t doing much of anything on AEW TV outside of the trios belts, and allow New Level to challenge for the tag titles? OR do you do what Austin Creed said and keep the trios titles strong?? Honestly, it’s a coin flip, but ultimately we’re just biding time for another round of Hangman and Swerve, and I’m here for that.
Prediction: “And Still” The Swerve Level
Winner Gets an AEW Women’s World Championship Shot at AEW WrestleDream: Willow Nightingale vs. Thekla
Thoughts: Willow has established herself as an upper echelon talent in AEW. She’s the People’s Princess. However, she also needs to heal her hand and then come back strong. Thekla was off TV just long enough to make everyone miss her, and a match between her and “Big D” Mercedes Mone would be red hot. And that’s what this division needs.
Prediction: Thekla
AEW World Championship Match: Will Ospreay (c) vs. AEW Continental Champion Jon Moxley
Thoughts: The mission is simple. Will Ospreay must win this match.
Prediction: “And Still” Will Ospreay
