AEW All Out 2026 Review

On the heels of another huge event at Wembley Stadium, AEW returns with their latest pay-per-view offering, All Out.

The Now Arena in Hoffman Estates (not Chicago), Illinois is the venue. According to WrestleTix, the show is completely sold out, with 9,456 tickets distributed, and the crowd is already pretty amped up on the pre-show.

There are nine matches on the main show, and that includes a whopping seven titles on the line. Yes, there are entirely too many championships in AEW, but hey, at least the company can say that they don’t put on a ton of pay-per-views that feature matches with nothing on the line.

Let’s have some fun, folks.

 

Andrade El Idolo vs Pac – AEW National Title Match

As he enters the ring, Andrade flips his hair in the direction of Referee Aubrey Edwards, who flips her hair back at him. They’re flirting! She can’t be partial! Someone get “Smart” Mark Sterling on the phone! If he’s unavailable, get Clarence Mason!

Marina Shafir has gotten physically involved multiple times in the early minutes of the match. That gives me yet another opportunity to say that I hate, hate, hate the way Marina is presented on AEW and RoH programming. She’s a tough woman, and she is always being portrayed as someone big and tough enough to beat up any man on the roster… but she is also portrayed as someone who can’t win matches against women anywhere near regularly. We need to pick a side and stick with it. It’s not an exact match, but compare it to the way Chyna was handled in the WWF. The company had her going toe-to-toe with men all the time, but she was also beating the women, too. We weren’t seeing her beat up Mark Henry, and then lose to Ivory the following week, you know?

This match has been A LOT slower paced than I was expecting. There have been several spots where both men are literally just standing around and doing nothing. As I type this, we’re in the middle of the third time that Andrade has teased taking his pants off. Come on, guys. The action hasn’t been bad at all. I just wish there was more of it.

Andrade goes for his usual “take a selfie with a random plant in the front row” spot, only for Marina to pop up behind the woman like a horror movie villain, and she chokes the woman out. That was pretty funny, actually.

Andrade is lining Pac up to finish the match, but Marina hops up on the apron and flirts with him. He motions for her to kiss him on the cheek, and she agrees to do it. The distraction is enough for Pac to sneak up behind him and hit him with a Poisonrana, then a Lariat, and he goes for a Brutalizer… only for Andrade to turn it and roll Pac up for the pin and the win. The champion retains his title in what was  a pretty dumb finish, all things considered.

3.5 Stars. As I said, there should’ve been more action, but the action we got was really entertaining, so at least there’s that.

 

Darby Allin & Steven Borden vs Kyle Fletcher & Kevin Knight – #1 Contenders Match for the AEW Tag Team Titles

I’m currently working on a column on Steven Borden, and I think the result of this match is going to have a big say in the direction I take the column. I’ll just say that much.

Borden starts the match for his team, and within a minute or two, he’s throwing some very ugly strikes. He’s still very green, and he shows that all the time.

When Darby made sure that Steven started the match, the crowd popped. There were “Steve! Steve! Steve!” chants all throughout the arena. When Steven tagged Darby back in, there was zero reaction from the crowd.

Darby is obviously the veteran on his side, but he’s also the much smaller man. That makes him the target for all of the offense from the heel side, and we’re building the match to a hot tag for El Hijo del Sting.

Right on cue, there’s the hot tag, and the crowd pops big for it. They’re chanting “Steve!” with every strike and move he performs. Chicago loves the guy.

Borden and Knight go for the ol’ Ricochet and Logan Paul spot from the Royal Rumble, performing coast-to-coast springboard moves on each other, but their timing is off, and Borden looks to take a bad spill. He looks to have hit the back of his head on the mat. As I say that, he is checked out by Doc Sampson, who immediately calls for the end of the match. Due to medical stoppage, the winners of the match, and the new #1 Contenders for the Tag Team Titles, are Fletcher and Knight.

It really did look like he hit his head on the mat in a shoot, but if I had to venture a guess, I’d say there’s going to be a lot of talk that it’s a work and was AEW’s way of ending the match without having him or Darby take a pin. Something that leans to it being a shoot is that cameras didn’t show Steven once after Doc Sampson went to check on him. We got shots of the winners walking up the ramp, and then we got a long shot of the commentators as they discussed the dangers that come with stepping foot inside of a pro wrestling ring. The crowd was heard popping, and it was said that Steven was up and being helped away from the ring, but even that wasn’t shown on camera. If it was a work, Steven sold it well. As soon as his head made contact, he basically seized up and went into “fencing mode.” It looked bad, either way.

I’ll go with 3 Stars. There really wasn’t enough for it to get a higher score. It was building, and then… it was over. If it was, indeed, a shoot, best wishes to Steven Borden. I hope he’s okay. Sean Ross Sapp is already reporting that it was a legit injury stoppage.

 

Persephone vs ??? – Open Challenge for the AEW TBS Title

Brand new signing Dani Luna is the woman who answers the open challenge, and I think I heard a total of two people make any sort of noise during her entrance. Not exactly the ideal way to showcase a brand new talent.

After a super stiff forearm strike drops Persephone to the mat, approximately 12 people perform a “Dani Luna” chant, so… she’s winning the fans over, slowly but surely.

The crowd is really quiet for this one. You have someone brand new in Dani Luna, but you also have Persephone, who doesn’t exactly have multiple years worth of regular appearances in AEW. These two are having a nice, physical match so far. They just aren’t being met with a lot of noise from the fans.

Britt Baker getting physically involved to break up a pin attempt from Dani draws the biggest reaction of the match by the fans.

Persephone gets the pin, and just like that, you have your brand new signing take a loss. Okay then. Both women tried hard, but they were placed in a very tough spot here in front of a crowd that wasn’t accepting of what they were dishing out. 3.25 Stars. I’m going to need some greatness coming up soon, though.

 

Kazuchika Okada vs Tommaso Ciampa – AEW International Title Match

Well… I wanted some in-ring greatness. This could be just what I’m asking for.

The crowd is back to making noise here. They’re excited for this, and rightfully so.

Fun sequence just now that saw both men attempt some real home run swings, including a Rainmaker attempt from Okada, but everything juuuuust missed. It’s a different take from the usual “both men no-sell finishers and bombs for two straight minutes” sequences that you see in too many matches these days. It shows how evenly matched these two are, and how well they’ve scouted each other. I dig it.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody, but these two are having a very physical match so far. This is exactly the type of match that Ciampa was looking for when he left WWE.

LMAO @ Okada asking Ciampa’s daughter, Willow, for a high-five at ringside, only for her to deny him, so he flips her off. Willow looks at her mom, who nods her head, giving her the go-ahead to give Okada the double birds in response. BIG pop for that. I think she even called Okada a bitch, too. It’s Willow’s 8th birthday, by the way, so that’s quite the birthday present for her.

These two are having a really good match so far. It’s not a match that features a lightning quick pace, but it shouldn’t be expected out of Okada and Ciampa at this stage. They’re working a very smart match, and their physicality is off the charts.

Multiple Rainmakers are enough for Okada to get the win, retaining his title in a really fun match. I thought this could’ve been a fun spot for Ciampa to win the title, but I can’t complain too much with Okada continuing his title reign. 4 Stars

 

Alex Windsor & Jamie Hayer vs Megan Bayne & Lena Kross – Chicago Street Fight for the AEW Women’s Tag Team Titles

Really dumb looking spot in the early moments. The challengers set chairs up in the ring, and they force the champions to bite the chairs, Curb Stomp style. They then run the ropes to perform said Curb Stomps, but with nothing physically forcing Windsor and Hayter to stay on the chairs, they just move and get back up.

Megan Bayne with a trash can lid shot to the dome of Alex Windsor, and it sounded like a rifle went off in the arena. Lord have mercy.

It appears Alex Windsor owes Megan Bayne money. A minute after that trash can lid shot, Windsor is set up in the corner with a chair over her face, and then Megan throws another chair at her. Once again, it sounds like a gunshot in the arena as the chairs make solid contact. Alex comes up bleeding from the forehead.

I think I was right about the owing of money. Now Bayne connects across Windsor’s back with seven or eight STIFF kendo stick shots. She is getting the hell beaten out of her tonight.

A trash can is placed over the head of Lena Kross, and Jamie Hayter goes to the turnbuckles for some offense… that ends up with her just jumping, landing on her feet, and kind of pushing Lena over with her hands. Okay then.

Megan Bayne is now a bloody mess. Like it or not, when AEW has any sort of hardcore match with women, they’re going to put their all into it and end up with some bloody violence.

A board covered in barbed wire has now been introduced, and it is propped up in the corner, waiting for someone to feel the pain. The first person to feel it is Megan Bayne, who takes a Death Valley Driver onto it, breaking the board in half. We get no time to breathe, though, as Ms. Kross grabs a bag and brings it into the ring, dumping a bunch of thumbtacks out.

The tacks don’t go Lena’s way, though, as she technically is the one who feels the tack first. I say technically, because the champions attempted a Hart Attack, but Lena missed pretty much all of the tacks, while Jamie Hayter landed directly on the tacks, ass first. Whoops. The champions retain their titles, either way. 3.5 Stars. It wasn’t always a pretty match, but all four women were more than willing to not only dish out the physicality, but to receive it, as well. They all worked really hard, and the fans seemed appreciative of it.

 

Swerve Strickland, Kofi & Austin Creed vs “Hangman” Adam Page, Brody King & Bandido – AEW Trios Title Match

It still doesn’t feel real that both Kofi and Creed are wrestling somewhere other than WWE. It’s so weird to see them in an AEW ring.

Swerve and Hangman get into a brawl at ringside to a big pop from the crowd. Hangman ends up with a bloody mouth from their brouhaha, and their respective teams have to break them up.

The entire story in the first several minutes is that Swerve and Hangman are just ready to kill each other, while their partners are trying to calm them down and get their head in the game so they can win the match. I like that. It builds the story between Swerve and Hangman, but also shows that the titles are important to both sides. Two birds with one stone and all that.

Swerve and Hangman both tag in, and the crowd goes nuts! They’re brawling immediately. This has been building and building.

It came with just a bit of assistance from Brody King, but Bandido just had all three members of the opposing team draped across his shoulders, dropping them all with a Mexican Drop. Cool looking spot nonetheless.

This has been a blast so far. I’m not surprised.

Swerve, Kofi and Creed all pile atop Brody for a pin attempt, and he still finds a way to kick out. Dude is a beast.

Swerve flips out of a 21 Plex attempt, then drops Bandido with Big Pressure to pick up the pin and the win for his side. The champions retain in a really fun match. Really, really fun. 4.25 Stars. Like I said, I like that it told multiple stories at the same time. We got to see Hangman and Swerve add yet another chapter to their insane rivalry, but that also didn’t stop everyone involved from hanging a banger of a Trios match.

 

Willow Nightingale vs Thekla – #1 Contender Match for the AEW Women’s World Title

I’m certainly not calling for a double turn here, but it really does seem like it’s only a matter of time until Thekla is a hot babyface. She continues to stand out SO MUCH compared to the rest of the women’s roster in AEW, and she’s someone that makes you pay attention to everything she says and does. Those types of characters will inevitably build up enough support from fans naturally, and they won’t be able to be denied. She certainly isn’t the same type of character, but it’s reminiscent of what WWE just had with Chelsea Green.

Thekla isn’t afraid to bring the thunder in her offense, even though she is almost always much smaller than her opponents. I really like that about her. Again, this isn’t an even comparison, but it’s what was always fun about Shawn Michaels when he was a heel. He was going to bring the offense against the likes of Diesel, Sycho Sid, The Undertaker, Vader, and other opponents that were much larger than he was. Chickenshit heels have their place in the sport, but not all heels need to follow that format.

Julia Hart runs to the ring and distracts the ref, allowing for Skye Blue to run out and attack the injured hand of Willow. The interference ends up backfiring, though, as Thekla is inadvertently struck with a title belt to bring that to a halt.

Thekla goes after the hand of Willow, and then drops her with a Stomp to the mat, picking up the pin and the win. She is now the new #1 Contender for the AEW Women’s World Title, and she will receive her title shot at WrestleDream three weeks from tonight.

3.25 Stars. It was decent enough, but was held back by some awkwardly timed moments. Not enough to make it a bad match, but enough to prevent it from reaching really good levels.

 

Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs The Young Bucks vs FTR – Three-Way Ladder Match for the AEW Tag Team Titles

Well, it’s time for the official Hustle Q. Kazoo “More Spots Than A Leopard Orgy” part of the show. This is the kind of match that people have been putting together in WWE 2K video games for years thanks to creation suites. Now, we get to see it play out in real life.

Approximately two minutes in, and Dax Harwood is bleeding from the forehead. Something tells me he won’t be the last man to bleed here.

Ha! As soon as I type that, Christian ends up bleeding from the side of the head. His blood appears to be hardway, though, after he took an errant ladder to the temple/cheek area. He’s bleeding a lot, so I can’t quite pinpoint where the cut is.

I don’t know why it’s so funny to me, but I always laugh when I hear Nigel McGuinness pronounce Christian as “Christy-in.” Accents, man.

The action has been rapid fire here. It would be funny to watch a Ladder Match that is slow and methodical, with no real high spots of note. This is not that match, though. I’m very thankful to be doing a review and not play-by-play, that’s for sure.

Avalanche Killswitch from the middle turnbuckle, and Christian plants Nick Jackson on a ladder. That had the potential to be REALLY bad for one or both men.

Big Stoke gets physically involved, and he even throws powder in the eyes of Christian. In a poorly set up spot, though, he goes to climb the ladder to apparently grab the titles himself, but the ladder is clearly set up closer to the ropes than it needs to be… sure enough, Copeland gets in the ring and tips the ladder over, sending Stoke crashing through tables at ringside. Poor Stoke. He’ll never get any hoes at this rate.

Christian is put through a table, and he seems to be bleeding from an entirely different part of his head now. Matt Jackson appears to have a cut or a puncture wound after going through a table. Lots of violence, as you would expect.

The Bucks hit the BTE Trigger from the top of the ladder, sending Christian crashing to the mat, and it’s enough for Matt and Nick to grab the titles. We have new champions! While this didn’t end up reaching the classic level that some may have hoped for, this was still a lot of fun. I’ll go ahead and give it 4 Stars with zero hesitation. It was everything you would want out of a match like this, and everything you would expect out of a match like this.

 

Will Ospreay vs Jon Moxley – AEW World Title Match

Main event time.

I don’t care that Mox has more reigns as the AEW World Champion than anyone else, nor that he has held the AEW World Title for more combined days than anyone else… if he walks out of this as the new champion, after everything the company did to make Ospreay’s title victory at All In(nit) seem special, fans should riot.

Ospreay with yet another Assassin’s Creed-themed entrance. He REALLY likes that game series. The man loves Assassin’s Creed more than any pro wrestler has ever loved any video game series in the history of either entertainment medium.

No, but seriously… I highly doubt it happens, but if Mox takes the title here, then I think we need to see some sort of an investigation into Tony Khan and why he loves Moxley so much.

I don’t know if it’s because they’re tired, or if they just feel the outcome of the match isn’t in doubt, but the crowd has been pretty quiet for the early stages of the match. They’re not dead, but they certainly aren’t giving the usual amounts of noise that AEW pay-per-view main events get.

Ospreay takes a turnbuckle to the face, and he comes up bleeding from the forehead. Mox gets blood all over his forearm and hand after some strikes, so naturally, he climbs the ropes and makes a big scene of licking the blood off of himself and swallowing it. You know, as one does.

Mox has slowed this match down to a halt. He has been on offense for the last several minutes, and he is doing nothing but trying to drag Ospreay out into the deep waters. Good strategy. Wear him down, wear him out, and go for the win once he’s physically and mentally drained.

This is one of those clear cut battles in philosophy. Mox, as I mentioned, wants to slow things down as much as possible, and he’s controlling the tempo, but when Ospreay gets the advantage, he puts his foot on the pedal and the pace quickens right away.

Ref bump! Paul Turner is taken out by an inadvertent boot from Ospreay, and there’s nobody to count a pin attempt by Ospreay after a Hidden Blade. Wheeler Yuta gets in the ring and attacks Ospreay to break up the pin.

At ringside, “Speedball” Mike Bailey gets a big pop after ducking a strike from Marina Shafir, and then pushing Marina down on her ass. He didn’t hit her, but the man-on-woman violence is still rare enough that fans react to it when they see it.

Paul Turner finally makes his way back into the ring, with a bit of an assist from Marina Shafir, but he isn’t able to make the three-count for Mox. Marina is upset, so she just destroys ol’ Paul. Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor run out to counter Marina, and they flash the United Empire hand signs to the crowd. If my math is correct, we’ve seen 12 people physically involved in this match, counting Paul Turner, and the match isn’t over, so that number could grow.

Bryce Remsburg runs out to be the new Referee while Paul Turner continues to be dead somewhere.

Hidden Blade and a Stormbreaker gets… two?!? Another Hidden Blade gets the win for the champion, though. That last one was well done. Ospreay was in the corner, waiting to strike. Mox was looking around for Ospreay, but the realization hit Mox that he couldn’t see Ospreay because the champ was behind him, waiting to pull the trigger on him. Mox accepts his fate, smiles, and turns around to eat the move.

The match was really good, but I think the fact that a baker’s dozen worth of people was involved took away from things. That was just a tad overbooked, keeping it from “great” status. 3.75 Stars

After the match, Mox grabs the AEW World Title from Ospreay, who was celebrating on the middle turnbuckle. Mox merely wants to drape the title on Ospreay’s shoulder. He does just that, and then both men dap each other up. Mox leaves to ringside, letting Ospreay celebrate in the ring again.

We go off the air with the champion celebrating in the center of the ring.

 

Overall, that was a really good pay-per-view. If you want a real sign of just how good AEW is at this whole pay-per-view thing, I’d say this was below average for what they do. I gave the matches an average of 3.61 stars, and it still feels like there was a lot of meat left on the bone, so to speak. It was definitely a show worth checking out, but we’ve been spoiled by AEW pay-per-views that seemingly feature three or four Match Of The Year type of contenders in a single night, and I don’t think we had one of them here. That’s a good problem to have, I guess.

Thank you for taking time to read what I have to say. Until I see you all in my usual weekly spot on Monday, be good to each other.