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AEW All Out is widely considered the biggest show of the year for All Elite Wrestling's fanbase. With the All In event back in 2018 being the catalyst for creating the promotion, AEW has created an aura around their Labor Day weekend event. This year, the company has built a card with very intriguing matches from top to bottom.
The 2020 edition of AEW All Out features a highly-anticipated AEW World Championship match, a strong AEW World Tag Team titles match, a cross-promotion battle for the AEW Women's Championship, and rivalries coming to a head. The company has stars who are peaking at the right time, which has made for a compelling and entertaining buildup to AEW's version of WrestleMania.
Although AEW did not produce the strongest go-home show to this event, AEW All Out still has a card that has many fans looking forward to this Saturday's show and could include some surprises throughout. Here, we will take a deeper look at the buildup to every match on the card and rank them from worst to best.
Casino Battle Royale (AEW All Out)
The weakest buildup to any match on AEW All Out has to be the Casino Battle Royale. For a match that was largely used for comedy wrestlers when introduced at last year's AEW Double Or Nothing, the addition of the Lucha Bros, Darby Allin, Lance Archer and FTW Champion Brian Cage seems somewhat beneath these individuals.
The lead-up to this contest has mostly been promos by the managers of some of the wrestlers involved. Even though Taz and Jake The Snake Roberts have produced strong promos during their time in AEW, their mic work prior to AEW All Out has done nothing to build anticipation to this battle royal. A lot of the exchanges have been all over the place, and none of the wrestlers taking part have felt like a favorite for a match that will determine the next No. 1 contender for the AEW World Championship.
Although the buildup has been disappointing, one would hope that the performers involved will make this entertaining enough to have a purpose. The previous editions of Casino Battle Royale have been decent to pretty good so it does give this AEW All Out match some chance to be worthwhile.
Dark Order (Mr. Brodie Lee, Colt Cabana, Stu Grayson & Evil Uno) vs. The Natural Nightmares, Matt Cardona & Scorpio Sky (AEW All Out)
In one of the best closing segments on AEW Dynamite, Mr. Brodie Lee dominated and defeated Cody to win the TNT Championship on the August 22 episode. After the match, Dark Order assaulted Cody, Arn Anderson, The Natural Nightmares and Brandi Rhodes in a convincing display. The following week during Brodie Lee's celebration, the Natural Nightmares interrupted to fight in honor of Cody. Scorpio Sky and Matt Cardona also came out to even the odds, which set up this huge eight-man tag team match at AEW All Out.
Following the display by Mr. Brodie Lee winning the TNT Championship, this match would have been better served being a title encounter. The AEW All Out eight-man tag team match feels like a contest that we would see on an episode of Dynamite, not the biggest show of the calendar year.
The limited amount of time between Brodie's win and this match probably made it impossible to build heat for a challenger, but this still feels like a letdown. Hopefully, this will be able to produce a quality match to counteract the short build and set up a future challenger for the TNT Championship in either Cardona or Sky.
The Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express (AEW All Out)
In the latest match added to the AEW All Out card, we will see The Young Bucks facing the Jurassic Express duo of Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus. The four men defeated SCU and Private Party in an eight-man tag team match on the go-home Dynamite to get to this Saturday.
Although this match was just officially made three days before AEW All Out, there has been interactions between the two teams in the past. The Elite defeated Jurassic Express in a six-man tag team match on the Fight For The Fallen edition of AEW Dynamite with Kenny Omega snapping and attacking Marko Stunt after the match. Omega is not the only member of the Elite teasing character changes.
In the aforementioned eight-man tag, Matt and Nick Jackson showed more aggressiveness, following Hangman Page screwing them out of the Tag Team Gauntlet last week. The Bucks didn't even celebrate their win with Jurassic Express following their match. With the character shifts of the Bucks and awesome chemistry of the past, this AEW All Out match is sure to be incredible in the ring even with a limited buildup.
Hikaru Shida vs. Thunder Rosa for the AEW Women's Championship (AEW All Out)
In a cross-promotion battle at AEW All Out, Hikaru Shida will defend the AEW Women's World Championship against NWA Worlds Women's Champion Thunder Rosa. On the August 22 episode of Dynamite, Thunder Rosa made a surprise appearance, challenging Shida to this match. The relationship between AEW President Tony Khan and NWA President Billy Corgan helped put together this huge title match, which brings some attention back to the well-criticized AEW women's division.
The two ladies battling at AEW All Out have both been having very strong years, respectively. Thunder Rosa won the NWA Worlds Women's Championship from Alyssin Kay back at NWA Hard Times this past January, while Hikaru Shida defeated Nyla Rose in a No Disqualification match at AEW Double or Nothing 2020 to win her gold. Although Shida has had limited appearances since then, she has been one of the most consistent performers for AEW since her debut.
Thunder Rosa made her debut on AEW Dynamite this past Wednesday, defeating Serena Deeb in a good contest. However, the absence of Shida on this go-home Dynamite hurt what has been a pretty solid buildup to this encounter at AEW All Out.
Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara in a Broken Rules Match (AEW All Out)
In a very personal rivalry, Matt Hardy will face Sammy Guevara in a Broken Rules Match at AEW All Out. There will be no disqualification, no countout and the last man standing wins. If Matt Hardy does not win, he will leave AEW forever.
This feud has been building well before AEW Double or Nothing 2020 in May when both men took part in the Stadium Stampede Match. Matt originally wanted to help Sammy get out from underneath Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle, but things took a turn upon Sammy's return from suspension.
Following an intense brawl, Sammy Guevara inadvertently tossed a chair in the face of Matt Hardy, bloodying the Broken One, leading to stitches. This caused plenty of backstage heat for Sammy in AEW, but also helped this feud go to another level leading to AEW All Out. Since then, Matt has been hellbent on gaining revenge on his younger foil and getting a receipt. That receipt would come in their Tables Match on the August 27 edition of AEW Dynamite.
This match will surely be a brutal and bloody encounter. These two men have fought for months with it all coming to a head at AEW All Out in a first-time ever match. This has been one of the better built up matches on the road to this Saturday.
Dr. Britt Baker vs. Big Swole in a Tooth And Nail Match (AEW All Out Buy In)
One of the most consistent feuds in AEW's much-maligned women's division has been the spats between Dr. Britt Baker and Big Swole. These two ladies have been feuding off and on for over six months now. The feud ends at AEW All Out when they meet in a Tooth And Nail match on the Buy In pre-show.
Britt Baker has been a revelation as a character in 2020 for AEW. Often criticized as an unconvincing babyface during her initial run in the company, Baker has found her stride with a heel turn and her dentist character. Her injury which took her out of action has only added to her ability to perform on the mic. Big Swole has been a constant thorn in her side ahead of AEW All Out, which has seen her steal Baker's Roll's Royce golf cart to dump the Doctor in the trash at one point, leading to Swole being suspended.
Their animosity will be settled in a Tooth And Nail match on the AEW All Out Buy In pre-show. With the amount of buildup invested in this feud, it is somewhat a disappointment that they have been relegated to the pre-show. Although that can be viewed as a slight, the real reason for this being on the Buy In is due to this being a cinematic match at Baker's dentist office and AEW not wanting the paid crowd watching the screen during the pay-per-view.
All that aside, we can rest assured both ladies and AEW will work hard to make their match pay off what has been a highly entertaining rivalry.
Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy in a Mimosa Mayhem Match (AEW All Out)
This one will most certainly be the most unique and bizarre match of the night, featuring Chris Jericho facing his arch rival, Orange Cassidy, in a Mimosa Mayhem match at AEW All Out. The competitors can win this contest by pinfall, submission or by dropping their opponent into gallons of mimosa (a champaign and orange juice cocktail), which will surround the ring.
After Double or Nothing and his encounter with Mike Tyson, Jericho wanted to go face-to-face with the baddest man on the planet, a challenge answered by Orange Cassidy. The two men would meet for the first time on Night 2 of Fyter Fest with "The Demo God" picking up the win in a competitive contest. The promo and angles surrounding this feud have regularly been some of the best on Dynamite leading up to AEW All Out.
In their second match on the August 5 Dynamite, Orange Cassidy pulled off the biggest win of his career, becoming only the second man in AEW to score a singles pinfall win over Le Champion. This set up what would be the third and deciding encounter between the two for AEW All Out.
Chris Jericho made the challenge for their third match to be this first time ever stipulation. Orange is known for his love of orange juice, while Jericho enjoys a "Little Bit of the Bubbly." This strange match at AEW All Out brings both intrigue and confusion. While it may be very unique, it could also turn out to be too hokey. However with months of buildup to the blowoff to this feud, one can not deny that this has elevated Orange Cassidy and given Chris Jericho another entertaining feud to hang his hat on during his time in AEW.
Jon Moxley vs. MJF for the AEW World Championship (AEW All Out)
This is how you build to a World title match. Jon Moxley will defend the AEW World Championship against the No. 1 contender, MJF, at AEW All Out. This feud has featured stellar promo work from both men and has presented both as the top stars in the company.
The 24-year old, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, has been the best homegrown star made by AEW since the inception of the promotion. MJF has gone undefeated in singles competition ahead of this title match at AEW All Out. With a record of 8-0 in singles matches for 2020, the self proclaimed "Face of AEW" has been built up as a formidable challenger for the Purveyor of Violence.
The AEW World Champion Jon Moxley has been presented as a badass babyface who will not back down from any challenge. With wins over Jake Hager, Brodie Lee and Brian Cage among others, he has built a strong title reign since winning the belt from Chris Jericho at AEW Revolution. With a record of 15-0 in singles competition for 2020, this is a battle of two undefeated warriors for the richest prize in the company at AEW All Out.
With Moxley's Paradigm Shift banned from the match, this makes for an engaging in-match story ahead of AEW All Out. It begs the question if Moxley can defeat the younger foe with something new. We also answer the question if the future is now, with MJF becoming the World Champion at such a young age. This has been a well-booked feud and worthy of the main event of the biggest show for AEW in 2020. However despite being this excellent lead-up, Moxley vs. MJF has not been the best-built match ahead of the PPV.
Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. FTR for the AEW World Tag Team Championships (AEW All Out)
The most well-layered and captivating storyline in AEW and wrestling today has to be the ongoing saga of The Elite. Since losing the AEW World title match at last year's AEW All Out, Hangman Page has had a crisis of confidence that has caused dissension with his friends, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. His recent friendship with FTR has further caused a rift within the former members of the Bullet Club. This all leads to Hangman Page and Kenny Omega defending the AEW World Tag Team Championship against FTR at AEW All Out.
Since their arrival to AEW back in May, Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler have made it their mission to revitalize tag team wrestling and bring some rules back to the division. Their alliance with Tully Blanchard has brought them more focus on the main prize in the tag division, the AEW World Tag Team Championships. FTR has also played a major role in getting inside the head of Hangman Page.
Hangman Page has been broken internally due to not feeling worthy of being in The Elite. His internal struggle has led to a lot of drinking, but also to him elevating his game and becoming one of the true breakout stars in All Elite Wrestling. His partnership with Kenny Omega started off rocky, but since then the two have become the longest-reigning champions in AEW history, holding the AEW tag team titles for 224-plus days. This match with FTR at AEW All Out will be the fiercest challenge to date.
The reign of Hangman and Omega is in more jeopardy than it has been in since their Wrestling Observer Newsletter six star-rated classic against The Young Bucks back at AEW Revolution. FTR have played mind games with Page to the point that Omega seems to have lost trust in his partner, especially after costing The Young Bucks the Tag Team Gauntlet ahead of AEW All Out. Kenny also has shown signs of losing his composure with teases of the return of his Cleaner persona before this Saturday.
This has been a truly masterful buildup to the AEW World Tag Team Championship match. The four competitors have a layered story that will make every move, facial expression and sequence more important due to the stellar work beforehand. This contest has all the makings of a classic and has been the best buildup of any match for AEW All Out.
