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AEW ALL OUT is officially in the books. It was the biggest pay-per-view of the calendar year. Nearly every match on the card delivered in a big way, and it ended with not one, but two massive debuts.
AEW ALL OUT didn't have the strongest main event in recent history, but the company did enough to make a statement to the pro wrestling world. After AEW ALL OUT, the roster is now more stacked and loaded than ever.
As Jim Ross proclaimed by the end of the pay-per-view, "The game has changed" - and nothing he said recently rings more true than this. Here is the fallout of AEW ALL OUT and what lies ahead:
#7. CM Punk's ring rust shows at AEW ALL OUT and his next opponent is teased as well
CM Punk had the most highly-anticipated match at AEW ALL OUT. Although it was the antepenultimate match on the AEW ALL OUT card, it was the biggest draw of the pay-per-view.
How could it not be? CM Punk was all set to make his in-ring debut after over 7-and-a-half years away. Everything was perfectly set up, as was the build to the match. We got to see CM Punk hit the GTS earlier this week as well, giving us the first tease of action.
So when the moment came, how did it all play out? Everything about the set-up to the match was perfect. Darby Allin remained a popular and respectful babyface, and Sting kept his word and walked away as soon as Darby Allin made his way to the ring.
CM Punk received another great reception as usual, and it was no surprise that the crowd was fully behind him throughout the match. As for the match itself, CM Punk's ring rust was evident.
It was arguably the slowest match on the card, and maybe 16 minutes was a bit too long for CM Punk's in-ring return at AEW ALL OUT. However, thanks to Darby Allin's abilities and CM Punk's experience, the two men managed to have a good and entertaining match despite any ring rust.
Ultimately, CM Punk was always going to win, and that's what we saw at AEW ALL OUT. With that said, the key factor in this is that Darby Allin looked great in defeat. Sting came out to tease himself as CM Punk's future opponent.
Darby Allin and CM Punk shook hands before The Best In The World had a moment to himself.
#6. The AEW ALL OUT main event and the fallout
The main event of AEW ALL OUT turned out to exceed expectations and the formerly-retired Christian Cage delivered in a big way against Kenny Omega. What is a bit of a shame is that his incredible performance will be overshadowed by what happened after the match.
Christian Cage lost to Kenny Omega, marking his first defeat in AEW. The Impact Wrestling world champion failed to beat Kenny Omega, who reigned supreme once more.
However, what made bigger headlines was what happened post-match. Kenny Omega proclaimed himself to be the best wrestler in the world and the crowd started chanting "Yes!".
It was Adam Cole who came out, officially signing with AEW. It turns out that WWE either just didn't want to let him have his Twitch channel or AEW simply gave him a better offer.
While it looked like he would be the one to confront Omega, he launched an attack on the babyfaces in the ring who had previously come out to save Christian Cage from the post-match attack. Adam Cole is part of The Elite and he has debuted as a heel.
But there is one man who didn't debut as a heel -- Bryan Danielson. The multi-time World Champion and wrestling legend finally made his AEW debut. The crowd went wild and the rest of The Elite slinked away, but The Young Bucks had to take the damage from Daniel Bryan.
The show ended with Bryan, Jurassic Express, and Christian Cage standing tall - with three massive debuts in one night, this was a big statement made to WWE.
#5. Did AEW bring Satoshi Kojima to ALL OUT just for Minoru Suzuki?
The second match of the night saw former AEW world champion Jon Moxley take on Japanese legend and former IWGP heavyweight champion Satoshi Kojima. It wasn't a particularly long match nor did it feel that way.
Jon Moxley prevailed in what was an entertaining bout between two veterans. What made the headlines, however, was the fact that there was a huge debut of another NJPW star -- Minoru Suzuki.
Moxley would face the wrath of Suzuki and he was put to sleep. The AEW crowd in Chicago popped at the "Kaze Ni Nare" theme, but we can't help but wonder whether Satoshi Kojima was brought in just to set up Minoru Suzuki's debut.
The Forbidden Door has been opened, and this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite, Minoru Suzuki will face Jon Moxley in his hometown of Cincinnati.
#4. Miro's ruthless streak continues at AEW ALL OUT
Miro had two things on the line at AEW ALL OUT, the TNT Championship and, his undefeated streak. Miro has been on a roll in AEW and Eddie Kingston was close to becoming the first man to topple him off.
In an epic opening bout, Eddie Kingston fell short to a very game Miro, who had the toughest challenge of his AEW career to date. We wouldn't be surprised to see AEW continue the Miro-Eddie Kingston feud, especially given how good and physical their match-up was at ALL OUT.
#3. Britt Baker evens the score with Kris Statlander at AEW ALL OUT
The AEW Women's Championship match at ALL OUT was Britt Baker, D.M.D., vs. Kris Statlander. The two women faced off for only the second time at ALL OUT, with Statlander having won on their previous encounter.
It was Statlander's third attempt at the AEW Women's Championship at ALL OUT, but it also meant a third time unsuccessful. The crowd at ALL OUT quickly got into the match and it's not hard to see why.
It's quite incredible to see how far Britt Baker has come as an in-ring competitor this past year. Her reign as the AEW Women's Champion is deserved. There was chaos at ringside, with Freshly Squeezed Orange Cassidy hyping Statlander on.
The Chicago crowd loved the AEW Women's Champion, but it was never going to be easy. Since her return to AEW earlier this year, Kris Statlander has gone on a tear, winning close to 20 matches since then.
However, that streak came to an end at AEW ALL OUT as the momentum that Britt Baker had helped her retain the Women's title against Statlander. It shouldn't come as a surprise that she won the match.
Ruby Soho, fka Ruby Riott in WWE, is next for her. In the Casino Women's Battle Royale, Ruby Soho made a surprise debut and last eliminated Thunder Rosa to earn her way to potential women's title glory.
#2. The Lucha Bros' inevitable AEW Tag Team title win at ALL OUT
Ever since Tony Khan announced the mini-tournament for the AEW Tag Team title match, The Young Bucks' AEW Tag Team title reign seemed to be coming to an inevitable halt.
By this point, The Young Bucks were deep into their AEW Tag Team title reign. By ALL OUT, The Young Bucks had crossed 300 days as the AEW World Tag Team Champions.
The four teams competing for a spot at ALL OUT were The Lucha Brothers, Jurassic Express, Varsity Blonds, and Private Party. While it seemed like Jurassic Express would get their moment, AEW rightfully chose The Lucha Bros to face The Young Bucks inside a steel cage at ALL OUT.
It was an incredible match inside the steel cage, and that shouldn't be surprising. However, when The Young Bucks had thumb-tack-filled shoes thrown at them to use, things got brutal.
Penta El Zero felt the worst of it as his face was busted open via the thumb-tack shoe. Despite this, it was Fenix who saved the match, and together, the duo overcame the odds to dethrone The Young Bucks.
It was an emotional moment and one that seemed to be teased on AEW programming.
#1. Chris Jericho's in-ring career and future in AEW
Chris Jericho finally got his win over MJF at AEW ALL OUT after losing to him multiple times. On the last occasion that they faced off, MJF was the final of the five labors of Jericho.
In that instance, MJF would win as well. It was quite a good story heading into AEW ALL OUT. Chris Jericho was so desperate to get one over MJF that he willingly put his career on the line.
If Chris Jericho lost, his in-ring career with AEW would be over -- it was as simple as that. So you can imagine the shock the crowd felt when MJF pinned Chris Jericho and won the match.
Thankfully, the referee at ringside objected to the decision and had Justin Roberts announce that the match would restart. On this occasion, Chris Jericho finally locked in the Walls of Jericho and made MJF tap out to keep his in-ring career intact.
As much buzz as the debuts of Ruby Soho, Adam Cole, and Bryan Danielson get, this was perhaps the best match on the show from a pure storytelling perspective, while the steel cage match was the best from an in-ring perspective.
Stories are always more powerful and Chris Jericho has secured his future in AEW with the win. Whether it means his feud with MJF is over or not is hard to tell. Also, a shoutout to MJF for his trolling in the "countdown" entrance that deflated the crowd.
