AEW All Out Preview

Saturday, August 31st is a big day for the newly galvanized All Elite Wrestling. AEW has been capturing the buzz of the wrestling world since they announced a new prime time, live, two-hour weekly spot on TNT. With the backing of billionaire Tony Kahn and a national powerhouse time slot on cable, AEW is providing legitimate competition to the WWE for the first time since WCW faded into obscurity in 2001. With the wrestling world’s open eyes looking in, All Out is the show that needs to make a statement. Let’s take a look at the card and see what the new talk of the town is presenting:

1. Pre-Show: Private Party vs. Jack Evans/Angelico

This battle of the high-flying tag teams is the perfect way to kick off the show and expose a potential audience to the type of action they can see on the main card. Private Party (particularly Marq Quen) is coming off of a show-stealing performance at Fyter Fest, while the former Lucha Underground standouts are winless at 0-2 so far. These teams match up well and should be able to showcase their agility in this one. Private Party has more buzz right now, and will be facing the Bucks on TNT in the Tag Title Tournament. 

Prediction: Private Party

2. 21 Woman Casino Battle Royal

This match will echo the suited men’s battle royal that took place at Double or Nothing, only this time it’ll be the ladies vying for a shot at the AEW Women’s Championship. Every few minutes, 5 women who drew a certain suit (hearts, diamonds, etc.) will enter. This will continue until all four suits and a wild card are in the ring. Announced so far for this match are: Brandi Rhodes, Allie, Yuka Sakazaki, Britt Baker, Jazz, Nyla Rose, Ivelisse, Teal Piper, Big Swole, Awesome Kong and Sadie Gibbs. This leaves 10 spots still open, and many surprises sure to follow. Jazz is the ECW legend, Ivelisse is the former Lucha Underground standout, and Teal Piper is the daughter of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. The winner here is hard to predict, so I’ll go with the woman who’s been making public appearances as the face of the roster so far. 

Prediction: Britt Baker

3. Six Man Tag: SCU vs. Jungle Boy/Luchasaurus/Marko Stunt

A match that was just announced on this week’s “Being The Elite” pitts the SoCal veterans of Daniels, Kazarian, and Scorpio Sky against the popular cult team of “A Boy And His Dragon” and their buddy, Stunt. AEW would be wise to let this fun free-for-all open up the main show, as this will likely be fast-paced and garner a lot of crowd participation. Even without a lot of heat or prep time for these six fan favorites, this match should have lots of pacing and innovation. The more experienced team needs the win here.

Prediction: SCU

4. Riho vs. Hikaru Shida 

This is a Joshi showcase of two ladies who were partners at Double or Nothing. This style of fast-paced Japanese grappling has been something that’s set AEW apart from any other U.S. promotion, and they look to continue to feature these ladies going forward. Riho has become quite popular with the American audience, so look for the Stardom stand-out to continue her roll against the Pro Wrestling Wave and Oz Academy fighter.

Prediction: Riho

5. Three-Way Dance: Darby Allin vs. Joey Janela vs. Jimmy Havok

This could easily steal the show as the “change of pace” match. Three-ways usually have no disqualifications, which is right in the wheelhouse of these three intense brawlers. Havok and Janela are known for their hardcore styles, while Darby’s claim to fame is putting his body on the line with risky bumps. None of the three have scored that elusive win yet in AEW, but Darby is on a lot of people’s radars after his star-making draw with Cody at Fyter Fest.

Prediction: Darby Allin

6. Best Friends vs. The Dark Order

The winners get a bye in the first round of the Tag Title Tournament when AEW begins on TNT. The former Super Smash Brothers ambushed Chuck and Trent after their win at Double or Nothing, and these two teams have been dying to get after each other ever since. The Dark Order gimmick hasn’t been terribly well received yet, but they have a lot more to them that U.S. fans may not have seen. There’s power in numbers, and heels are usually the ones who get the byes. 

Prediction: The Dark Order

7. AAA Tag Title Ladder Match: The Lucha Brothers vs. Fenix and Pentagon Jr.

These two teams have been risking life and limb with death defying matches for months to prove who the best tag team in the world is. This time, they’ll be subletting their bodies in a ladder match that they’re calling “Escalera De La Muerte”. When two of the best high-flying brother combos in the world put themselves 15 feet high, with the AAA Tag Titles hanging in the balance, you had better believe they’ll be doing something you’ve never seen before. 

Prediction: The Lucha Brothers

8. Cody vs. Shawn Spears

This is perhaps the most hyped and heated rivalry on the card. Talked up masterfully on the “Road To All Out” series, these former best friends do battle with personal intentions. Former Horsemen member Tully Blanchard (a former rival of Cody’s father Dusty) will be in the corner of Spears, making us believe Cody will counter with a nostalgic ally of his own (perhaps Arn Anderson?). This is chapter one in what could be a lasting novel, and Spears could become a top heel with a win here.

Prediction: Shawn Spears

9. Pac vs. Kenny Omega

The world was ready to see Jon Moxley shift the paradigm of pro wrestling in this heated feud with Kenny Omega. But last week, Mox took to Twitter to announce that a bad case of MRSA would keep him out of the match. With fans disappointed, AEW stepped up with a more-than-worthy replacement in Pac. Pac himself was supposed to debut for AEW at Double or Nothing, but either visa issues or Dragon Gate kept that from happening. Now we get two of the best in the world, with two other rivalries (Pac vs. Page and Moxley vs. Omega) waiting to be answered. 

Prediction: Kenny Omega

10. AEW World Championship: Chris Jericho vs. Adam Page

Page won a Casino Battle Royal at Double Or Nothing to qualify for this main event, while Jericho beat the aforementioned Omega. Now the argument comes, does AEW put the title on the Elite’s up-and-coming war horse, or do they want to head into national television with their most recognizable face leading the company? This clash of styles should be fun to watch, as Page’s leg injury may come into play against Jericho’s famed arsenal. 

Prediction: Chris Jericho  

You can catch AEW All Out at 8pm Eastern (7pm Eastern Pre-Show) on Saturday August 31st on traditional PPV or on Bleacher Report Live.