All Elite Wrestling brings its annual pay-per-view, All Out, stomping into Canada on Saturday, September 20, and believe you me, the Toronto crowd is going to make some audible sounds!
Sure, my rasslin’ buddies from the Biff Bam Pop! staff will be watching the event live in Scotiabank Arena while I sit in my small living room in Tennessee, drinking diet sweet tea and eating skipjack tuna directly from the can with a plastic fork, but that’s fine. Let them have wrestling fun. They deserve it. I’m not jealous at all. Nope. Not me.
Titles are on the line, the stakes are high, and I can damn near guarantee there will be blood. Who will win at All Out? Who am I, Miss Cleo? Your guess is literally as good as mine, but I wrote my guesses down and published them on the internet for your reading delight!
AEW Saturday Tailgate Brawl
8-Woman Tornado Tailgate Brawl: Willow Nightingale, Mina Shirakawa, Harley Cameron, & Queen Aminata vs. Julia Hart, Skye Blue, Megan Bayne, & Penelope Ford
I swear to Bruiser Brody, if we don’t get a Blood and Guts match out of this Women’s division soon, I’m going to chew a skillet. One of the things I love about the AEW Women’s division is their refusal to take it easy. When you look at the eight women in the Tornado Tailgate Brawl, not a single one of them is a pushover. This is the All Out match where the line between good and bad is most clearly drawn, but moral ambiguity is both welcomed and expected. You can like the faces (Willow, Mina, Harley, and Aminata) and the heels (Julia, Skye Blue, Megan, and Penelope) without feeling bad about yourself. No matter who wins, we win, because these women are going to tear the house down. And this match is on the free show!
Prediction: Willow Nightingale, Mina Shirakawa, Harley Cameron, & Queen Aminata get the win after Harley screams “Feel the wrath!” about six times, and everyone hits each other with their awesome moves.
Daniel Garcia vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Daniel Garcia (or Danny, as I call him, because we’re totally on a first-name basis) built his career on being the underdog. Every time he tried to climb higher up the wrestling ladder, he would lose at the last second and get sent to the back of the line. Curse Danny’s inevitable betrayal, because he turned heel and joined the Death Riders, Jon Moxley’s dastardly heel faction. Danny has something to prove, especially with his new and deeply critical peer group. Shibata is one-third of The Opps, the current AEW Trios Champions. He is quick, silent, and tricky. Shibata could tie you up in a bow and wear you around his neck before you had the chance to burp. This is the third match between Garcia and Shibata, so they know what the other person can do in the ring.
Prediction: Danny has always had the viciousness required to be a successful heel. His alignment with the Death Riders should bring that to the forefront. This is a different career path for Danny, and starting it off with a decisive win over Katsuyori Shibata would raise some eyebrows. Daniel Garcia gets the win and the grudging approval of wrestling’s biggest grump, Jon Moxley.
Samoa Joe & Powerhouse Hobbs vs. The Workhorsemen
I do not always understand the ways of AEW, nor are they are not mine to know. Were I in charge, I would not give away the BMMSM (Big Meaty Men Slapping Meat) match of the night away on the free show. Joe and Hobbs, the other members of AEW Trios Champs, the Opps, are big boys. Don’t laugh. Some wrestlers aren’t. JD Drake of The Workhorsemen is just as big as Samoa Joe, if not bigger, but he can do moves off the ropes that workers half his size can’t pull off. Drake’s partner, Anthony Henry, is a smaller, scrappy man with a hard-earned measure of ring knowledge. Henry can chop, clutch, and careen his way through any match. Putting them against The Opps is great booking, one I wish would lead to a regular televised feud.
Prediction: I love seeing the Workhorsemen in the ring. They’re a classic team of workers of different sizes. The Workhorsemen complement each other in a way few other tag teams do. It’s a shame they’re going to lose this match to the Opps. Right now, it’s pre-ordained that Samoa Joe and Powerhouse Hobbs will defeat anyone who isn’t after their titles and, possibly, eat them as a snack before a night on the town. You do not have to understand it. Simply accept it. You’ll sleep better.
AEW All Out
The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin & MVP) vs. Ricochet and the Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
After much backstage taunting and sneaky meddling from Ricochet and GOA, The Hurt Syndicate finally meets the villainous trio in an official AEW match. Temporarily vacating his managerial role, the veteran wrestler MVP will step into the ring alongside Lashley and Benjamin. This is only MVP’s second match with the company, so I don’t think he’ll do any crazy moves. He’ll go after Ricochet with mad vengeance while the other guys, who are indeed quite strong, will attempt to chop each other down.
Prediction: My instinct says The Hurt Syndicate will grab the win, but Gates of Agony recently signed a new AEW contract. If Kaun and Liona are going to be here for a while, they’ve got to start winning bigger matches. Going over three wrestling legends will further their push and help cement them as solid midcard heels. I’m betting (but not with real money) on Ricochet and GOA.
TBS Championship: Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Riho
Riho was the first AEW Women’s World Champion. She’s about five foot nothin’, weighs maybe 12 pounds soaking wet, and is a personal favorite of AEW Executive Vice President Kenny Omega. People love Riho. She’s a waifu with a wicked double knee strike, but she doesn’t appear regularly on AEW programming. Riho comes in as a surprise, gets a huge pop from the crowd, wins a couple of matches, then eats a pin before scampering off for a while. When Riho showed up at Dynamite recently to challenge the current champ, Mercedes Moné, the live audience went bonkers. There’s a ton of Riho love out there!
Right now, Moné holds nine championship belts in nine different global promotions. You may not appreciate her character, a mincing diva who would rather slink out of the ring than have a stand-up fight, but Moné has put in the work to improve her skill set. Riho and Moné will put on a fine exhibition, but I’m not expecting it to be much more than that.
Prediction: Moné is an actively defending champion. Riho is an AEW attraction. Look for Mercedes Moné to retain.
Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. FTR
It’s the moment fans have waited years for: the return of Edge & Christian Canada’s own Adam Copeland and Christian Cage as a tag team. Their opponents, FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood), have beef with Copeland and blame his ego for ruining their long friendship. Because All Out is taking place in Toronto, this is the biggest fan service match on the card. It will be no surprise to see Cope and Christian play some of their biggest hits, like a double spear, a double missile dropkick, and maybe a Con-chair-to. FTR understands technical tag team wrestling better than any other pair in AEW, and they have more tricks in their trunks than magical elephants. There are stakes besides bragging rights in this match, though. On September 15, Harwood said on social media that if they lost against Cope and Christian, he would retire from in-ring competition.
Prediction: It makes sense to have Cope and Christian triumph in their hometown, but that can’t be the long and short of it, especially with Dax promising to take his ball and go home if FTR loses. If C&C win, it won’t be clean, and it will be disputed. FTR’s manager, Stokely “Big Stoke” Hathaway, will probably pull some shenanigans that will affect the match’s outcome. I’m going with Adam Copeland and Christian Cage to win, but my gut tells me Cage will turn against Cope quickly thereafter.
Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin in a Coffin Match
AEW stalwart Jon Moxley is not afraid to get hurt. It’s hard to find an image of him online where he isn’t bleeding from somewhere. Darby Allin is a daredevil with no regard for his own safety or well-being. This one is going to be a brawl, and I don’t know what to expect. Except blood. That is a guarantee. Mox will, I don’t know, bring an entire suite of surgical tools to the ring and try to tear Allin’s ribs apart with retractors. Allin will fight back with a skid steer armed with scimitars or running diesel-powered chainsaws. Neither of these men has tremendous regard for the established rules. In a coffin match, you win by tossing your opponent into a coffin (hence the name) and closing the lid. When that’s the endgame, can you really expect Moxley and Allin to play nice?
Prediction: Allin and Moxley have been at each other’s throats as of late. Darbs tried to throw Mox off a building not long ago. With Mox’s character slowly turning from Confirmed Heel to Skeevy Brother-in-Law Who Loves You But Might Be Holding Captives in the Basement of His Rented House, his appreciation for Darby’s reckless ways seems to be growing. Still, you gotta keep the kid in his place. Jon Moxley slams the coffin shut on Darby Allin, but he’ll be disappointed that he won, if that makes sense.
MJF vs. Mark Briscoe: Tables ‘N’ Tacks (No Disqualification)
Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) talks too damn much. He incorporates real-life events into his promos, often taunting his opponents with their past transgressions or tragic family stories. For example, MJF has been bullying Mark Briscoe about his dead brother, Jay. Obviously, and rightly so, the crude comparisons between Mark and Jay made by MJF have gotten Mark riled. Mark wants to make MJF pay. To that end, Mark got to choose the stipulations for this match. You can use tables. There will be a plethora of thumbtacks in the ring. There are no disqualifications. There may not be too much blood, but there will be a lot of gasping and wincing from the audience as furniture is destroyed and flesh is mildly punctured.
Prediction: This is Briscoe’s hardcore territory, and he’s crazy enough to take full advantage of the relaxed rules. Max will try to weasel out of it, but after enough Froggy Bows and Redneck Kung-Fu from Briscoe, Max will succumb. Reach for the sky, Toronto! Mark Briscoe will grab the win and continue on his path to become one of the top competitors in the company.
Eddie Kingston vs. Big Bill
If Hangman Adam Page is the Heart of AEW, and Jon Moxley is the Brawn, then Eddie Kingston is the company’s Soul. Nobody, and I mean nobody, comes across as more real, vulnerable, achingly human than Eddie. He doesn’t feel like a character, pretending to be something he isn’t. When Eddie talks, you believe him. When Eddie cries, you feel it. And when Eddie gets pissed, you cower. It was Eddie who gave the company one of its most iconic images to date when he tried to kill Chris Jericho with fire, and no one blamed him a bit. Due to injury, Eddie has been out of the ring for over a year. We’ve missed him.
True to his moniker, Eddie’s opponent, Big Bill, is large and named William. Don’t underestimate the guy. Bill can lift grown men with one hand and throw them into next year. He’s got a stiff kick and a chokeslam from hell. But he’s fighting Eddie Kingston, so maybe don’t get your hopes up for a Large William victory.
Prediction: Look, Eddie Kingston could wrestle a goldfish in this return bout, and it would be a match for the ages. It was brave of Big Bill to accept this match, because neither the crowd nor the momentum will be on his side. There’s not a match on the All Out card that I want to see more. Bring me the Mad King. Eddie Kingston for the win. Eddie Kingston forever.
AEW Unified Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mascara Dorada
Kazuchika “The Rainmaker” Okada and “The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita are both members of AEW’s largest heel faction, the Don Callis Family (DCF). Okada and Takeshita seem to be tired of co-existing within the DCF and are ready to tear each other down to get that tile. Takeshita has started making entrances without the DCF and making subtle visual threats to Okada. This match’s main conflict will be between Okada and Takeshita, which means no one is paying much attention to the dark horse entrant, Mascara Dorada. Dorada is one of the Trios Champions in the Mexican promotion, CMLL. Like most luchadores, Dorada is incredible to watch in the ring. Watch Dorado execute an Avalanche Hurricanrana and try not to be amazed. While Dorada is the worker to pay attention to, it will be the tension between Takeshita and Okada that will ground this match.
Prediction: Dorada is a red herring, a deflection from the real battle between the Rainmaker and the Alpha. Takeshita’s recent actions may indicate dissatisfaction with the DCF. If Takeshita can take away a piece of gold from Don Callis (manager of the Don Callis Family), Takeshita will have a target on his back while simultaneously turning face. Has there been enough of a build-up to pull the trigger on a full-blown Takeshita/Okada/DCF feud? Probably not, but screw it. I predict that Konosuke Takeshita will become the new AEW Unified Champion, and hell will be hot on his tail.
AEW Women’s World Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Thekla vs. Jamie Hayter vs. Kris Statlander
Toni hates Thekla. Kris hates Jamie. Jamie hates Kris and Toni. Thekla hates everybody. Let chaos reign. In a Women’s division lousy with talent, this match includes four of the best workers in the business today. These are all strong competitors who can bring it to, and leave it in, the ring. Toni has been begging for someone to take the title away from her, saying that she’s a “woman looking for her murder.” Can any of these three women take the belt away from Timeless Toni Storm and put that strap on?
Prediction: Kris and Jamie seem to be headed towards different storylines, so it would make sense if they started brawling outside the ring and disappeared until the end of the match. Thekla is a great competitor and does all the appropriately scary heel things, like the upside-down Spider Walk, but that’s the extent of her character. She doesn’t talk. I’ve not heard her cut a full promo or talk outside of ancillary AEW videos online. You can’t be the champ just because you’re limber. Not effectively, anyway. I’m not sick of Toni being the champ yet, and she can keep that title until the post-credit stinger, as far as I’m concerned. Your winner, and still AEW Women’s World Champion, will be Timeless Toni Storm.
AEW World Tag Team Championship: Brodido (Bandido & Brody King) ( c ) vs. The Young Bucks vs. JetSpeed (“Speedball” Mike Bailey & Kevin Knight vs. Josh Alexander & Hechicero in a Four-Way Ladder Match
Sickos, here’s your Match of the Night. Put four tag teams of this caliber into a ring with ladders and you’re guaranteed amazing high spots, highly choreographed mat work, and unequaled entertainment. Some people dislike these kinds of matches because they aren’t fans of that “flippy shit.” Cool. When the bell rings to start this match, go put a frozen pizza in the oven. You don’t have to watch it. The rest of us, however, will sit with our jaws in our laps as these high-flyers and bar brawlers clash in a raucous circle of destruction.
Prediction: This is a title match, and every team involved deserves the championship. Even the Young Bucks, who aren’t that young anymore, find themselves regaining some of their lost luster. This could be a great opportunity for the Bucks to redefine themselves in the company as winners. But what about JetSpeed, a relatively new tag team that has coalesced into a force to be reckoned with? Alexander and Hechicero are itching to bring another title under the DCF canopy. That leaves the defending champs, Brodido, who have dominated every team they’ve come across since winning the championships. There’s no sure winner here, so I’m going to take a wild guess and say… JetSpeed. There you go. JetSpeed will be the new AEW World Tag Team champs.
AEW Heavyweight Men’s World Championship: Hangman Adam Page (c) vs. Kyle Fletcher
It’s an age-old story. The Protostar Kyle Fletcher (hey, I said his full name), the 26-year-old upstart and current reigning TNT Champion, is gunning for the AEW Men’s World Champion, Hangman Adam Page. With a hubris only the young are capable of, Fletcher believes he’s ready to be The Guy, to put that target on his back and carry the company’s good name into the future. Hanger is allowing Fletcher to take his shot, but has warned Fletcher that he isn’t ready for that kind of responsibility. Like a weary gunslinger, Hangman is about to enter the ring for a showdown. There’s a catch for the Protostar, though. If any of the Don Callis Family, Fletcher’s heel faction, comes to the ring during the match, Fletcher will be disqualified and stripped of his TNT Championship title. With no help from outside, Fletcher must meet Page alone. That’s not an enviable position.
We have watched Hangman battle his personal demons, stomp on their necks, and walk away for a shot of whiskey. Then again, we also watched him burn a guy’s house down. That Fletcher, though, is a human bulldozer. I’m surprised some of his opponents haven’t dissolved into a mist of blood and liquid flesh after some of his offensive attacks. This will be an unmissable main event.
Prediction: As brutal as I expect this match to be, with more than its fair share of kick outs at, as AEW commentator Excalibur would say, “2.9999999,” we’re not that far into Page’s title reign. Fans have been clamoring for Page to get the championship back since he lost it back in 2022. Now that he’s got it back, it can’t yet be time for him to drop it, especially not to an ego-driven, sockless youngster like Kyle Fletcher. The Protostar, Kyle Fletcher, needs someone to take him down a peg or two. Hangman Adam Page is just the guy to do it, and that, my friends, will be some real cowboy shit.
But, hey. What do I know? I’ve done dozens of these prediction pieces and have correctly guessed the outcomes… twice? Three times? No matter what, have a good time watching All Out this Saturday! You might see my friends in the crowd. You sure as hell won’t see me, but that’s fine.
No, really. It’s fine.
You can order AEW’s All Out via HBO Max (where subscribers get a special discounted rate), Prime Video, PPV.com, Fubo, and YouTube in the United States and internationally on Triller. The pre-show, Saturday Tailgate Brawl (or Zero Hour, depending on where you live) starts at 2:00 PM Eastern Time and the main card kicks off at 3:00 PM Eastern Time. No, you can’t come to my house and watch it with me. Unless you bring beer. And it better be good beer.
