The flames have been stoked both proverbially and literally between "Hangman" Adam Page and Swerve Strickland.
The blood feud between two of AEW's best has reached its boiling point (again) after Page set Strickland's childhood home on fire on Wednesday's "Dynamite." Now, the two will take their fire and blood and add steel to the mix at All Out this Saturday night.
Page and Swerve will pen Chapter 4 of their rivalry inside a steel cage. It won't be just any steel cage match, however: It will be an unsanctioned, Lights Out steel cage match, meaning whoever earns the win won't see it reflected on the back of their trading card.
Swerve and Hangman aren't the only two looking to settle a score on Saturday. MJF and Daniel Garcia are headed for a knock-down, drag-out fight, while old pals turned bitter enemies Willow Nightingale and Kris Statlander will grill up their beef in a Chicago Street Fight.
Saturday night is, indeed, all right for fighting, and AEW All Out will prove that. USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights, match results, grades and more from the PPV below.
The story between Perry and Danielson was easy enough, but the problem with booking a Perry vs. Danielson match is that no one actually believed Perry would win.
Perry is a better worker than people give him credit for, and the Scapegoat shtick is a good direction for him, regardless of the formula that went into creating the character.
That said, this match was just kind of there. The heat that was expected for Perry in Chicago given the fallout between him and CM Punk was there for his entrance, but it didn't stick. Perry couldn't match the physicality of Danielson, which was the story of the match. It was good, but not great. Even a ref bum and the involvement of the Young Bucks couldn't get the crowd believing Perry would win, which is saying something about both Perry and Danielson.
The most notable part of the match is what came after: After Christian Cage seemed poised to cash in his contract for the AEW championship after Danielson's victory, before he was stopped by Jon Moxley and the rest of the Blackpool Combat Club. But after a quick celebration of Danielson, Moxley, Claudio and Pac turned on Danielson (Wheeler Yuta didn't seem to be in on it), leaving Danielson for, well, very nearly dead.
The Moxley angle is mysterious and hot, like a TV dinner. Hopefully AEW sticks the landing, especially now that Danielson is involved.
Winner: Bryan Danielson
Finish: Danielson wins via Busaiku knee
Grade: 4 stars
Mone was put in a difficult position on the card: The match after a ton of good stuff and before the double main event isn't an enviable spot to be in.
The microwaved feud of Shida and Mone didn't lead to much intrigue, especially after the Britt Baker and Mercedes Mone feud that, confusingly, is already done and over with. (By the way: There hasn't been a single mention of Baker or that All In match since.)
This was an OK bout though it didn't have the crowd. The stipulation of not having Kamille at ringside led to nothing, and the match itself was good but at times sluggish. Still, Shida is a top of the card talent with a worker's reputation, but it would be nice to see her pick up wins again sooner rather than later.
Winner: Mercedes Mone
Finish: Mone wins with the Mone Maker after Shida is distracted by nearly using a kendo stick
Grade: 3.75 stars
When AEW says it's "where the best wrestle," it's not as much a slogan as it is a statement.
Okada: one of the greatest of all time. Takeshita: one of the best, brightest and young stars of this generation. Orange Cassidy: One of the best wrestling today. Mark Briscoe: One of the greatest tag team workers of all time, cementing himself as an excellent solo act, as well.
That's a recipe for greatness, so it's no surprise that the four-way, a match type which can sometimes be convoluted and hyper-choreographed, went off without a hitch.
Okada getting the definitive win rather than picking up the scraps from another wrestler's finish continues AEW's interesting and effective portrayal of the Japanese superstar. While some thought Okada's comedy side overshadows his abilities as one of the all-time greats, it's a refreshing and enjoyable look at a guy who's been at the top of the heap for a long, long time. He also is still an all-world worker when the lights are brightest, and this match was an example of that.
Winner: Kazuchika Okada
Finish: Okada hits Orange Cassidy with a Rainmaker for the pin
Grade: 4.25 stars
The feud between Nightingale and Statlander has run hot and cold, and it felt frozen when the two faced off in a mixed tag match at All In. But the former friends turned enemies penned a memorable chapter in their feud in the Chicago Street Fight on Saturday.
The two had a hell of a hill to climb as it followed Ospreay vs. Pac, and it delivered on violence. They got the crowd with the tacks, dog collars and light tubes in the process.
Where the feud goes from here is anyone's guess, but for now, this was a great installment for two of AEW's best women, even with a surprising finish.
Winner: Kris Statlander
Finish: Statlander chokes out Nightingale with dog collar chain
Grade: 4.5 stars
Will Ospreay is a singular talent. Pac is one of the best workers on the planet. What you get when you mix them is pro-wrestling excellence.
That's why the long-awaited showdown between the two stars for the International championship met the hype and more. The Chicago crowd ate up everything of the match from the entrances to the near falls. All Ospreay does is deliver, and honestly, Pac, too.
Ospreay has a long way to go to reestablish the International title as the preeminent No. 2 belt in the company after the seemingly pointless hot-potato act with MJF, but there's no talent better suited to do it.
As for Pac: The inaugural All-Atlantic (remember that?) champ needs a singles strap around his waist sooner rather than later if he keeps this work up. The trios belts won't do him good, even if he is a great fit with the BCC.
Winner: Will Ospreay
Finish: Ospreay lands a Hidden Blade after a Stormbreaker for the pin
Grade: 5 stars
Imagine not liking the Young Bucks.
The Young Bucks might not be in the best title reign of their career, or even the top five title reigns of their career, but they can still work. They might save it for the PPV, but they still work as hard as anyone on the card. Pair them with equally excellent workers Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta, and you get excellence.
While this wasn't a major build feud (the match loses some steam because of it), the work the two teams did in the ring lived up to both teams' reputations. That should be enough.
Where the tag division goes from here is still a major question mark. The Bucks will need a feud worthy of losing the belts at some point, but it's unclear who that may be at the moment.
Winners: The Young Bucks
Finish: Matthew Jackson sneaks a pin on Wheeler Yuta
Grade: 4.25 stars
Daniel Garcia is a star. He seldom has a bad match, has come into his own on the microphone and his character has come a long way.
To that end, it's genuinely surprising that AEW refuses to pull the trigger on a big Garcia victory. It might be another situation of wrong place, wrong time, with MJF coming off a loss to Will Ospreay at All In and Garcia's contract status still in question entering the fall.
This was an excellent match that got the crowd going early. Both guys worked hard to get the crowd, which ended up with Garcia losing but getting his revenge on MJF following the match.
Winner: MJF
Finish: MJF pins Garcia via cradle
Grade: 4 stars
Speaking of teams stalled out, the Undisputed Kingdom is still just kind of wallowing while they wait for Adam Cole's return. The teased faction warfare from earlier in the year hasn't come to pass, which is disappointing for, well, every faction not named the Elite in the company waiting to do something.
This was a pretty standard match that didn't really mean much (especially with the hodgepodge matchup of Beast Mortos and STP).
At least Top Flight's new look is cool.
Winners: Undisputed Kingdom
Finish: Roderick Strong scores pin
Grade: 2.75 stars
This was a nothing happening match between a couple teams stalled out in the trios division at the moment. Not much else to say, but Bang Bang Gang needs to keep picking up wins while they wait for Jay White to return.
Winners: Bang Bang Gang
Finish: Juice Robinson pins Evil Uno
Grade: 2.75
Not much happening in this match, which felt like another bout to just get as many guys on the card as possible.
Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara as tag champs doesn't feel like a great fit, but they make it work for what's asked of them of ROH tag champs. Surprisingly, Hologram had an off night, with a few missed spots as the match came off the rails a bit.
Not much happening here. (Josh Woods deserves better.)
Winners: Dustin Rhodes, Sammy Guevara and Hologram
Finish: Rhodes hits the Final Reckoning on Woods for the win.
Grade: 2.5 stars
The Acclaimed need to get hot again in a division that has almost no heat to it whatsoever. It feels like the pairing is just kind of aimless at the moment, but the same can be said about all of the tag division.
The Iron Savages (formerly Bear Country) are as good of a job team as you can get. They're big, believable and have a good look to them. That said, getting a win over them won't do much favors for the Acclaimed, who are too established to get any rub from an easy win like this.
This was a fine match to get the crowd going, but sticking the Acclaimed on the pre-show seems self-defeating at this point.
Winner: The Acclaimed
Finish: Bowens, Caster hit the Arrival and Mic Drop combo for the pinfall.
Grade: 3 stars
AEW All Out will take place on Saturday, Sept. 7.
The next PPV on the docket for AEW is WrestleDream, which will take place on Saturday, Oct. 12.
The main card for AEW All Out gets underway at 8 p.m. ET. The show will feature a two-hour pre-show, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET.
The Zero Hour pre-show gets underway at 6:30 p.m. ET.
AEW All In will air on traditional PPV at a $49.99 price.
Those looking to live stream the event will have several options:
The card is subject to change.
(c) indicates champion
Bold indicates correct predictions. Italics indicate incorrect predictions.
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