AEW All Out 2022

AEW All Out 2022

Chicago, IL - September 2022

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, Jon Moxley was recognized as the Interim AEW World Heavyweight Champion, Wardlow was the TNT Champion, the TBS Champion was Jade Cargill, the AEW Women's World Champion was Thunder Rosa, the AEW World Tag Team Champions were Swerve In Our Glory (Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland) and PAC was the AEW All-Atlantic Champion. 

The Casino Gauntlet Ladder match is the night's opening contest with Rey Fenix and Wheeler Yuta starting things off. The third man in is "El Toro Blanco," Rush, who hit an awesome somersault dive to the floor on Fenix. Andrade El Idolo was in soon after at #4 and the two men created a bunch of ladder "bridges" to punish Fenix rather than take the easy victory. This led to a sunset flip powerbomb by Andrade on Yuta which was as convoluted a spot as it was awesome. Claudio Castignoli came in next and, in a ridiculous feat of strength, essentially lifted and shifted two intertwined ladders with Andrade on top of them and dumped him to the floor. Dante Martin came in next and we got some impressive high-flying out of him, including a springboard off the ropes onto a ladder ala Shelton Benjamin. With another minute passing, Penta came in and wasted little time taking out Martin on the ramp and then Rush at ringside with a sling blade. Penta hit Claudio with a backstabber and then hit a Canadian Destroyer on Andrade on a ladder! Fenix hit a splash off the top rope onto Rush through a table for good measure as Claudio, Yuta, and Martin tried to grab the giant poker chip. Their progress was interrupted, though, with the arrival of a bunch of masked men in all black who took out the rest of the field. One of the masked men climbed the ladder, pulled down the chip, and unmasked, the reveal being that this was Stokely Hathaway and his team of midcarders - Ethan Page, Lee Moriarty, Big Bill, and the Gunn Club. The "Joker" came out next to the familiar tune of the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" and Hathaway handed him the chip but "The Devil" did not unmask. This was an underwhelming match that felt like it ended before it got started. Its rinse-and-repeat structure prevented it from ever feeling like a real story was being told as each entrant came in, "got their shit in," and then made room for the next guy to do the same until we got to the disappointing, anticlimactic finish. Points awarded for some of the crazy spots, but I wish there had been more of a build-up with someone like Yuta or Claudio being on the brink of getting the win before the run-in. (2/5)

Next up - the first ever AEW World Trios Championship match with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks taking on "Hangman" Adam Page, Jon Silver, and Alex Reynolds. When the Trios Championship was introduced, most everyone believed it to be something of a vanity project for the Bucks and Omega. This was Omega's big return match after several months on the shelf and he got an awesome ring introduction and huge pop from the Chicago crowd. I really liked the character work and storytelling with Page trying to keep things sportsmanlike against his former buddies in the Elite and even preventing his partners from targeting Matt Jackson's lower back at one point. The crowd popped huge once Omega came in and locked up with Page, splitting between chants of "Kenny" and "Cowboy Shit." Silver and Reynolds came in and went to work on Omega's shoulder and neck. Hangman came back in and we got some cool high-flying from the Bucks in and outside of the ring. Controlling the match at this point, the Bucks cut the ring in half and Page played face-in-peril and the Elite delivered a nifty series of triple-team maneuvers. Page rallied with a Death Valley Driver on Omega and tagged in Silver, who took out most of the Elite single-handedly before getting caught with a mule kick. The Dark Order hit a vertical suplex-suicide dive combo on the floor on Nick Jackson and followed it up with more double-team moves on Matt on the inside of the ring, the crowd actually chanting "Alex Reynolds" at one point. From here, as one would've expected, the match's pace and action picked up and we saw a bunch of signature offense out of everyone (with Omega looking particularly great with both off his offense and his masterful bumping). Highlights included Page and Dark Order hitting a Pendulum Bomb, Omega taking out three guys with his Terminator dive, a 4-way superkick spot, a Tiger Driver 98', a brilliant BTE Trigger false finish, John Silver countering the One Winged Angel for another beautiful false finish, the crowd losing their shit when Omega and Page came to blows in the center of the ring, and the eventual final Buckshot Lariat, a perfect ending to an excellent match. Very much worth watching as this is a terrific mix of high-speed action, great character work and long-term storytelling, and a real raising of stakes and suspense from beginning to end. (4/5)

Jade Cargill defended her TBS Championship against Athena in the next match. For what this was, I thought it delivered...but I could see the argument that Athena deserved better and that Cargill looked awkward and overly choreographed at times. Athena threw all of herself into this, though, and she was very good. Her dropkick to one of the baddies into the barricade on the outside was awesome and the finishing sequence, which saw Cargill counter an O-Face attempt with a brutal anti-aircraft front kick looked nasty and like a legitimate set-up to a finish. I don't think adding more time or more offense for Athena would've necessarily made this any better than it was. This was a "tight" sub-10 minute match that told a basic story and told it well. (2.5/5)

Next up - Wardlow teaming with FTR to take on rivals Jay Lethal (with Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh) and The Motor City Machine Guns. I did not remember the MCMG ever working in AEW, especially this far into "AEW/TNA" partnership (which I could've sworn was over by this point). Having another "trios" match on a show where the first trios match was as sensational as Elite vs. Hangman and Dark Order was a questionable booking decision, but everyone involved in this was good enough to keep it in the average-to-slightly-above-average range. The Guns are always a treat to watch because of their tandem offense and ability to play both plucky underdogs and obnoxious heels. FTR brought the tough strikes. Wardlow was super over with the crowd. Jay Lethal is always competent. This still felt like something youd' get on Dynamite or Collision rather than an PPV-worthy match, but that's not necessarily a knock against it. The post-match return of Samoa Joe brought a big pop as did Dax's 8-year old daughter Finlay (sp?) getting to pin Dutt after Dax dropped him with a big right hand. (3/5)

Ricky Starks took on Powerhouse Hobbs in the next match. Powerhouse controlled most of the match and then...it just ended around the 5 minute mark, seemingly due to a concussion or some other injury to Starks after a devastating spinebuster (though none of the review on Cagematch  mention any such injury). If the purpose was to give Hobbs the quick squash victory, it needed to be more impactful and violent - like Starks was overwhelmed early with a huge power move and then Hobbs just continued his attack to the point that it was seen as gratuitous and cruel. Starks doesn't get a ton of offense in but he gets enough to make it almost seem like he quits mid-match as compared to actually losing after putting in his best effort possible. A real misfire. (1/5)

The AEW World Tag Team Championships were on the line next as Swerve In Our Glory (Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee) defended their titles against the team of The Acclaimed (Max Caster and Anthony Bowens with Billy Gunn in their corner). There was lots to enjoy here in terms of in-ring action, especially in the back half of the contest, but what was most memorable was how ravenous the crowd was for the Acclaimed and how well Lee and Strickland leaned into the moment and became more and more heelish as the match went on (to the point that the crowd booed the requisite post-match "show of respect" handshake). I also really loved the classic, simple-but-updated long-term selling of Anthony Bowens "tweaking" his knee when he attempted to come off the ropes, a detail that Bowens "worked" till the very end and played well into one of the factors that the champions had played-up during the build (that it was Caster who was the weak link). I still think giving The Acclaimed a run with the AEW World Tag Team Champions was the wrong move - they've always struck me as AEW's Bushwhackers or Too Cool (and that's not a diss) rather than being the best tag team in the company at any point - but one can see why they eventually got the straps based on how over they were here. A very, very good match. (3.5/5)

Toni Storm vs. Britt Baker vs. Jamie Hayter vs. Hikaru Shida for the Interim AEW Women's World Championship (as the reigning champion, Thunder Rosa, suffered an injury) was next. A solid match and the crowd was more into it than one might've expected as it was possible they'd be "burned out" after the Tag Titles match. Speaking of the crowd, they were heavily behind Jamie Hayter whose partnership with Baker was the centerpiece of the match. In Guy Evan's Beyond Nitro book, he quotes Al Snow talking about how a match should really only have one "pop" - the finish - because everything is building to that moment. This match, to me, "popped" a bit early as they gave us one too many nearfalls and Hayter pinning Baker was "the pop" they should've ended the match on. Storm getting the sneaky win seemed a bit tacked-on in comparison. (2.5/5)

Christian took on "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry in the next match. Before the match, Jack Perry's mother slapped Christian to a huge reaction. Perry came out to a loud pop and got chokeslammed on the side of the stage, onto the pyro board, by Luchasaurus. Perry slid to the floor and then got carried towards the ring and put through a table for gead measure as Christian grinned and gloated in the ring. Luchasaurus dumped Perry into the ring, who, against his better judgment, opted to go on with the match. Christian nailed him with a spear right out of the gate but only got 2. He followed it up with a Killswitch and got the W. I'm glad they went with the smart booking here and didn't turn this into a 10+ minute match which would've completely buried Luchasaurus by making his pre-match beatdown look inconsequential. This was more of a "segment" than a match, but it was a well-executed one, which is why I'm going to go easy in my rating on what could be considered a "bait-and-switch." (2/5)

Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Jericho followed. Jericho was in his "Lionheart" gear for this. Danielson's introduction was performed by a shirtless Elliot Taylor, which was...weird. Anyway...Danielson had most of the crowd's support from the beginning, though we were still a few years away from Jericho completely burning out his goodwill with the live crowds and getting told to go home by audiences. Regal was on commentary for this too, making for a crowded commentary table. They worked a slow, methodical pace to start, trading wristlocks and counters and keeping things on the mat. Jericho took control with a backbreaker and then a back suplex, slapped Danieson around a little and then dropkicked him off the apron. Jericho went for a splash to the outside but got met by a Danielson kick to the gut. Danielson hit his running knee off the apron and then a missile dropkick back in the ring. Danielson hit some Yes Kicks but Jericho dodged the third one. Danielson went for a hurricanrana off the top, but Jericho countered it into a Walls of Jericho! Danielson countered it into an inside cradle for 2 and then, after Jericho spilled out to the floor, hit him with a suicide dive on the floor. Danielson looked to hit another dropkick off the top but Jericho crotched him on the buckle. They brawled on the top rope with Danielson knocking Jericho to the mat with a headbutt, but missing the flying headbutt off the top rope. Jericho went for a Lionsault but Danielson got his knees up. Danielson applied the LeBell Lock but Jericho countered it into a catapult. Danielson skinned the cat and then we got a series of Tombstone counters ending with Jericho driving Danielson to the mat and hitting the Lionsault for 2. Jericho hit a running punt kick to the face but it didn't look great and Danielson certainly didn't sell it as a game-ender, hitting Jericho with a series of big kicks of his own. Danielson grabbed hold of Jericho's arms and hit him with his trademark head stomps before applying the LeBell Lock. Everytime Jericho got close to the rope, Danielson would turn him or twist him, but eventually he ended up caught in the Walls of Jericho himself. Danielson escaped with boots to the head and then applied a Triangle Choke. Jericho lifted him up, looking to powerbomb his way out of it. They eventually got to the ropes, where Jericho catapulted Danielson neck-first into the bottom rope. Both guys sold their exhaustion before trading blows. Danielson looked like he was about to rally, but Jericho nailed him off the ropes with something akin to a Codebreaker for 2. Jericho reapplied the Liontamer, but Danielson managed to get to the bottom rope. Jericho hit Danielson with a bunch of punches and then hit a release german suplex and some elbows to the chest. He went for another German suplex, but Danielson back-flipped out of it and hit the Baisaku Knee! 1...2...no! Danielson applied the Cattle Mutilation to a sizable pop, but Jericho rolled out of it. Danielson hit his trademark elbows to the chest and re-applied the Mutilation, but Jericho inched his feet onto the bottom rope. Danielson nailed him with a bunch more kicks to the back and chest and then a rolling elbow strike. Danielson once again hit the elbows and then attempted a Mutilation, but Jericho managed to catch him with a lowblow and a not-so-hot Judas Effect to end the match. This had really good components to it, but the ending was a real downer and even looked a little sloppy to my eye. The psychology and storytelling was there, but the execution didn't live up to it - which may be because, unless I'm mistaken, Jericho and Danielson did not work with each other extensively in the WWE (Cagematch says they had a few house show matches but mostly tags on TV). (3/5)

Sting, Darby Allin, and Miro teamed up to take on The House of Black - Buddy Murphy, Malakai Black, and Brody King in the third trios match of the night. Lots of fun stuff here as Darby Allin took some hellacious bumps, Sting had an awesome hot tag and square-off with Black, and Buddy Murphy showed off his still-in-2025-underrated blend of speed, high impact strikes, and expert timing. The finish was a surprising one as Sting "misted" Black in the face, allowing Allin to roll him over in a unique pin to get the win. I thought Black refused to do jobs? This was a very good match that was more character-based than the Elite/Dark Order one from earlier in the show and also featured much more "heavyweight" type action, which made it stood out more than the rather forgettable Wardlow/FTR vs. MCMG/Lethal match. (3/5)

Main event time - CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship. Lots of dig into here...CM Punk had won the AEW World Championship, broke his foot three days later, and then came back to challenge the interim champion, Jon Moxley, on an episode of Dynamite. Moxley essentially "squashed" Punk, setting up this rematch in Chicago. Punk bleeds a gusher and "fights from underneath" for most of this match with the majority of the crowd rooting on him. However, there are audible chants for Moxley (and, during the post-match, MJF), which are even more interesting when you consider what was going on backstage at the time. Overshadowed by the events that immediately followed - dubbed "Brawl Out" in the wrestling media - this match felt a little slow and awkward at times, which added to the realism but was a bit out-of-step with what is considered the "AEW house style" of workrate/high spot-heavy battles. The transitions aren't smooth. There's no "no-selling" (a positive, but also a bit jarring when its sharing space with the trios matches we saw). There's really no sense of cooperation at all, but that also means we don't get those big, elaborate, memorable sequences or moments that Punk had previously had with guys like John Cena or Samoa Joe. Punk looked a little slow at times while Mox showed none of the unpredictability or unique character that once set him apart, flipping-the-bird a dozen times to get a cheap reaction like a middle schooler. This was a fine match with good things happening but I don't see it as anything truly special and was not at all a fan of the "false flash finish" sequence to start things off as it felt completely out-of-character for Mox to fall prey to it. (3/5)

With a Kwang Score of 2.68-out-of-5, All Out 2022 (and its follow-up PPV, Full Gear 2022) are interesting shows to watch in hindsight because of all the scandal surrounding them and the undeniably shaky/conflicting forms of wrestling and storytelling occurring on the same show. Some matches delivered character-driven, hard-hitting, "realistic" action (the main event, Danielson/Jericho, the two sub-6 minute matches and Christian/Perry) while others were all-out spot-fests, guys going 100 miles per hour and not really worrying about "burning out the crowd" or having too many false finishes (the Trios and World Tag Team Championship matches). I can enjoy both styles - I had the tag title bout as my Match of Night because I thought it offered the best of both worlds - but I can see why some fans, expecting the fireworks and epics of the indie world would be unhappy with the "WWE-ification" of AEW by way of intentionally having "filler" matches that were more about furthering a story than actually delivering competitive wrestling (the aforementioned Christian/Perry match and the confusing Starks squash). 

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand