Top 5 Matches We’re Most Excited For at AEW All Out 2024
Following All In 2024, All Out arrives in Chicago for the second AEW PPV event in two weeks. Here are the matches we're most excited for.
If you are thinking AEW wrestling just had a PPV, no you didn’t have one too many seltzers at your Labor Day BBQ. Similar to last year, AEW is back at it with a quick turnaround on the heels of **All In**with the appropriately named All Out. Much like last year, the the quick build has not hindered Tony Khan and the crew from putting together card sure to payoff some grudges, both newly-boiled and long-simmering:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qpe8iSqwRHA?si=ZYURxPdJaK6ujC6W
AEW World Championship Title Match: Bryan Danielson vs. Jack Perry
AEW International Championship Match: Will Ospreay vs. Pac
AEW TBS Championship Match: Mercedes Mone vs. Hikaru Shida
Chicago Street Fight: Willow Nightingale vs. Kris Statlander
Steel Cage Match: Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Adam Page
MJF vs. Daniel Garcia
The action kicks off from the Now Arena outside of Chicago at 8 PM EST on September 7 (it was originally scheduled for September 1, which would have been a really quick turn of the page, even for AEW). Check out our favorite moments that are sure to matter below. To order the AEW All Out 2024 PPV for $49.99 with Sling, navigate to “On Demand” and click the “Rentals” tab in the Sling app, or just the link below to order now!
Match #1 - Steel Cage Match: Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page
https://www.youtube.com/embed/NqACVGEGuTQ?si=kK7gKUMx5auuaipz
The story - Throughout our lives, we often find ourselves with rivals. Sometimes, its your friendly rival at the local tennis court. Other times, it can be a person at work you're competing with for a promotion. Sometimes we may not be able to vanquish our rival. Try and try as we might, the best we can manage is a draw. Now imagine if that rival had the audacity to break into your house and threaten your sleeping child. You’d probably be in a pretty bad headspace, right? Enter Hangman Page, who has had multiple shots at Swerve Strickland, but has never managed to best him. In his quest for revenge, Page successfully secured a rematch with the now title-less mogul. But will Hangman be able to control his emotions? And will Swerve be able to put the loss of his world championship at All In behind him to face a man for whom he is a truly marked target? We know one thing: Within the friendly confines of a steel cage, there may not be closure, but there will be violence.
Why we’re excited - The mental state of Hangman Page has made for some of the best stories in AEW history. This time, rather than at the behest of his “friends” the Elite, the object of Page’s obsession/degradation is a man who threatened his family, whom he has been unable to collect a receipt from. Now Page gets a chance within the savage structure of a steel cage, but Swerve has not exactly been one to run. It is fair to wonder if the end of his title reign will push Swerve to a dark place as well. He may need to tap into that villainous persona as the former leader of the Mogul Embassy. He can certainly match his opponent’s ring prowess, but can he match Page’s intensity? Cooler heads likely won’t prevail.
Match #2 - AEW TBS Championship Match: Mercedes Mone vs. Hikaru Shida
The story - Speaking of stories we can all relate to, we don’t blame Hikaru Shida for feeling some kind of way about the arrival of Mercedes Mone in AEW. Arguably the “ace” of the women’s division as a multi-time title holder, Shida has felt largely overlooked with prominent feuds for both the World and TBS championships largely leaving the Joshi star out in the cold. Not content with the status quo, she emerged victorious in a four-way bout on Collision to earn her shot at arguably AEW’s most prominent signing. This time, she hopes to finish the job, having fallen short previously thanks Mercedes’ recently debuted heavy, the “Brickhouse” Kamille. With an enforcer like Kamille backing up her already ludicrous in-ring talent, the CEO is sure to show that Mone talks, but we’d bet Shida has no interest in listening.
Why we’re excited - The mega-hyped new arrival vs. the division stalwart. Its a story as old as time in sports (and a lot of life situations, if we are being honest), and we don’t blame Shida for wanting to crack a kendo stick over the back of the self-proclaimed CEO. That being said, it is exactly that desire that makes the former Sasha Banks an incredible villain. The addition of the monstrous Kamille only makes us more intrigued about whether Shida can remind the women’s division who really runs things. Its boss vs. ace. Get your popcorn ready.
Match #3 - Chicago Street Fight: Willow Nightingale vs. Kris Statlander
https://www.youtube.com/embed/jwr7a6LeWVg?si=SyRfWeMVrxtcqcCX
The story - Wrestling is full of former friends turned bitter rivals. Think Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty, or even Shawn Michaels and Triple H. Wrestling friendships rarely end quietly; they're typically more of a heartless betrayal. That's the case here: With a post-match attack on Willow, Kris Statlander cemented her heel turn, no doubt influenced by the devious Stokely Hathaway. Willow managed to get a measure of revenge, teaming with Tomohiro Ishii to take down Statlander and Stokely in a tag match during the pre-show of All In. This allowed Willow to choose her medium of final revenge: a Chicago Street Fight.
Why we’re excited - The 'best friends turned enemies' angle is compelling on its own, but these are two of the most physical wrestlers in AEW, period. They are both powerhouses of the women’s division and the bad-blood between them only ups the ante of a street fight. The ladies of AEW are no strangers to absolutely brutal matches (going back to Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa), so we are sure these competitors have all the gasoline they need to make this feud explosive. At the very least, they will have access to enough weapons to give it a try.
Match #4 - AEW World Championship Title Match: Bryan Danielson vs. Jack Perry
The story - One of these days, the storied career of Bryan Danielson will come to an end. He has even said once he loses the world title, he will hang it up as a full-time competitor, no doubt hoping it comes in an honorable contest against one of his respected rivals. The scapegoat Jack Perry is not that wrestler. The smarmy TNT champion has been insufferable since returning from Japan and aligning with the similarly detestable Elite. He even has a pinfall victory over Danielson at Anarchy in the Arena. This callback earned him a title shot and, more importantly, the chance at the ultimate villain move: retiring the American Dragon. Just because Danielson is in his final run, we wouldn’t expect the equally crafty Blackpool Combat Club member to be lacking tricks up his sleeve. That being said, we will be watching every Danielson match going forward, as any contest could be the end of his Hall of Fame career. We just hope it isn’t at the hand of this jerk.
Why we’re excited - This can’t be the end, not like this.
Match #5 - MJF vs. Daniel Garcia
https://www.youtube.com/embed/GKVlDX4HfpQ?si=MzpHUJOxcyEgK0sr
The story - MJF appeared to be on Daniel Garcia’s side, actually showing up in his corner for Garcia's attempt to snatch the International Championship from recent MJF rival Will Ospreay. After Garcia fell short by refusing MJF’s offer to cheat, MJF savagely attempted to teach Garcia a lesson, leaving him in a bloody heap post-match and knocking him off TV for months. In the interim, MJF managed to capture the International Championship himself, putting the rebranded title on the line at All In. Things came full-circle when a masked figure interfered in the match, allowing Ospreay to recapture the title. The perpetrator was...well you probably see where this is going. Now with both parties primed for revenge, they clash at All Out.
Why we’re excited - The term pillar is used a lot to describe AEW’s young talent, but these two really earn that moniker. MJF needs no introduction, the self-described fastest rising star in professional wrestling and lone wolf, MJF will likely be the face of AEW for years to come (he does have a tattoo to that effect). No matter the prowess, a lone wolf is a dangerous way to operate in a locker room full of factions and alliances. And when faced with another young foundational talent such as Daniel Garcia, it is fair to wonder if MJF will wish he had some backup against the brutal striking of Garcia.