The Countdown to All Out show on TNT was top-shelf and now the signature event of AEW is back. One year ago, the industry changed forever with All In leading to AEW and now we've got the crowning of the first AEW World Champion alongside the debut of Pac in the promotion. The Buy In battle royal doesn't get started on Youtube until the last part of it - so that's kinda shitty. Mercedes Martinez is the joker and she sends everyone to suplex city before Britt takes her down with a slingblade.
Britt superkicks Mercedes off the apron to take her out. Nyla absorbs a variety of kicks and avalanches them in the corner. Britt hits a destroyer on Bea and then we get some weird Irish whip where Britt throws her to the right-hand buckle and she heads to the left before Nyla wins when Bea turns on Britt to pull her to the floor.
Private Party is out from a location where you need an invitation. Evans and Angelico face Private Party and Evans cartwheels out of a rana. Quen plays babyface in peril after a long inverted armbar by Evans. SATELLITE DDT into a run-up diamond dust and a run-up superkick. TORNILLO! Quen lands an SSP and Evans lands an avalanche German, and Quen gets an avalanche poison rana before eating another poison rana and then the gin and juice super rana into the cutter ends it. Private Party has a lot of rough edges, but goddamn are they fun to watch. Evans and Angelico jump them after the match and then Angelico goes for a Navarro leg roll and they get actual heat for this - good.
Wardlow is shown beating up some dudes coming to a building. Okay then. He does a chokeslam, pump kick, and looks big. MJF buries fans for saying he's not on the card and says he'll be here for Cody tonight. JR comes down to a great ovation. The national anthem is played alongside some pyro - so that's kinda cool.
SCU cuts a promo on getting a full house and being all in last year. Great promo from CD and I think they're faces now. The Jurassic Express is the best and I love Jungle Boy doing a situp on Luchasaurus' shoulders. JE having matching white and gold gear is great and their theme is top-notch. Stunt dives off of the shoulders for a 2 count off a crossbody. Jungle Boy lands a great chop/discus elbow combo for 2. Luchasaurus chokeslams Kaz and gets 2 off a standing moonsault. Dude is probably the best-moving bigman in the business right now. Kaz slingshot ranas Lucha into the Boys and they hit a Best Meltzer Ever on Stunt and Jungle Boy to win.
Omega vs. PAC is up super-early. JR brings up a question a fan asked if Omega left his wrestling heart in Japan, and that is valid. A BASTARD PACK is out. Omega walks on the back off a drop-down, but Pac kicks him off a pescado attempt. Pac slingshots in and eats a Regal roll and the moonsault misses, and Pac lands a satellite DDT for 2. Teep kick and a buckle bomb from Omega lead to a sky high for 2. Electric chair German gets 2 for Kenny. SNAP GERMAN BY PAC and THEN AN EVEREST DEADLIFT GERMAN FOR 2.9! Snap dragon by Omega and a rope-trap V trigger lands for 2.
Pac catches a second and lands a kicking combo. Big boot and superkick land for Pac, but he runs into the ropes and eats another V trigger! THIRD ONE LANDS! Kenny goes for a poison rana, but Pac escapes and they just lose each other on another one and Kenny just falls into the ropes. Kenny goes for the Angel, but Pac turns it into a standing crucifix Rings of Saturn, now known as the Brutalizer and IT WINS! If it wasn't for the poison rana stuff, this would've been just about perfect.
Darby Allin's out to face Jimmy Havoc and Joey Janela in the Cracker Barrel street fight. APRON NORTHERN LIGHTS BOMB FROM JANELLA ONTO DARBY! FUCK! Janela gets a staple to the face and a monkey flip sitting in a chair - BUT LANDS ON THE CHAIR PERFECTLY. Now that was great. And then Havoc forces a paper cut on his lip before Havoc eats a brainbuster on the chair and then Darby eats a sunset bomb through a table.
Havoc drags the giant Cracker Barrel down. A "we want barrels!" chant breaks out. Havoc's on steps and Darby dives back first with a barrel and misses and lands right on the steps. Fucking ow! Giant elbow from Janela hits on Havoc for 2. Havoc eats a superplex onto the barrel and then an acid rainmaker through the barrel ends it. This was great for what it is, but I'm mentally checked out of most Abyss-style garbage matches.
The Dark Order comes down to no reaction to face the Best Friends. They have a total nothing match until Chucky gets a hot tag and runs wild. They hit a Fatality on Trent and win. THE LIGHTS GO OUT AND ORANGE CASSIDY RETURNS! He hits a hands-in-pocket tope suicida! We get an Okada rainmaker camera shot for the GROUP HUG!
Shawn Spears comes out with the chair he smashed on Cody. Tully comes out and looks like such a smug little shit. Spears is wearing goofy contacts, which is a bit much - but nothing compared to Cody coming out in Star Trek cosplay with DDP, MJF, and his dog. Pyro scares the shit out of the dog and that's just a bad idea. DDP and Cody in red shirts with MJF in yellow is a great little touch. Cody gets a wacky rising platform entrance and he picks MJF as his cornerman.
Cody and Spears brawl around ringside. Cody powerslams him on the floor. Tully grabs the arm and Spears low-blows Cody. MJF accidentally distracts the ref, I'm sure. Spears lands a series of hard chops and a headbutt before Excalibur talks about the issues of not only Dusty and Tully, but Dusty and Joe Blanchard. Cody gets crotched on the post and then eats more chops. DRAPING DDT ON THE APRON BY SPEARS!
Spears grabs the weight belt and spits on it, so Earl takes it away. Tully gives Spears his belt, which Earl doesn't hear and and then Cody demands a belt shot and eats one, and then smashes him with a boot and forearms and them a mudhole stomp. Oscutter by Cody before an Alabama slam hits! Cody gets a shitty figure four that Spears reverses.
Cody gets the rope and we get some shots of Cody's back all fucked up. Spears hoists him up and lands a running DVD on the steel ramp. They're back in the ring and he goes for the Tye breaker, but Cody hits the Cross Rhodes to avoid it. Tully distracts Earl and he tapes his fist up to fight MJF. MJF makes sure to fold his scarf before he and Tully choke each other. Pump kick to MJF by Spears! Excalibur gets in a great "HE HIT HIM WIT' A BICYCLE!" line. TULLY STOMPS ON MJF BEFORE ARN COMES OUT AND HITS A SPINEBUSTER ON SPEARS!
It wasn't the prettiest spinebuster, and Arn's put on some weight - but goddamn that was great! Tully's look of absolute shock is great. Spears goes for a chair, but Cody grabs it. Spears begs off and Cody puts the chair down to land a flip, flop and fly. Disaster kick and Cross Rhodes gets the win! Before the match, I'd have had Spears win - but for the story they were telling, Cody's win is the best move. MJF teases a chairshot, but puts it down to hug him.
SLINGBLADE OFF THE LADDER TO MATT FROM PENTA! Fenix and Penta fight on a ladder, but Fenix gets knocked back and holds the fort while PENTA HITS A DESTROY OFF THE TOP OF THE LADDER THROUGH A TABLE! That was nuts and this is already the most highlight-filled ladder match in north America in at least a decade.
The younger brothers hit the respective older brothers with splashes to the floor off the top of a ladder. Fenix does a frog splash and a pose to get an Eddie chant. Sharpshooter/crossface to PENTA in the ladder! Nick takes a nasty spill off a ladder through 1 of 2 tables when his feet catch the rope. Luckily, they didn't catch more or he could've been flung right into the apron.
DOUBLE PACKAGE PILEDRIVER ON THE LADDER BRIDGE! The Lucha Bros. win the match and retain their titles. Santana and Ortiz debut as The Barucuas. And hey, if you can't use the LAX name, that's a better one overall in the long run. Street Sweeper hits and boom, the AEW tag scene is officially on fire. AEW Full Gear is announced as the November PPV.
A Thank You Jericho section holds up signs as Aubrey holds up the belt. Aubrey gives this a great big-match feel. God what a great belt that is. It's not something I see being an all-time great belt, but it is gorgeous and looks important.
Jericho hangs him up on the rope and a slugfest erupts on the apron. The triangle dropkick is met with a superkick by Page - that'll get ripped off a ton. Buckshot lariat hits, but he doesn't cover. Deadeye is met with the Walls! Page reaches for the rope and gets them.
Jericho takes a 4 count on the rope and shoves Aubrey. She tells him off and he eats a backdrop to the floor. Moonsault off the top hits, but his knee slams into the ramp! He goes for a flipping buckshot but eats a codebreaker for 2.9! Jericho slugs away on the mat and then lands some knees to the face. Big rolling elbow hits for Page! Running SSP meets knees and a codebreaker attempt is met with a Deadeye attempt once again. Jericho rolls through for 2, but eats the Deadeye for 2.9! Page can't follow up on it mentally, but eventually goes over and hits the Buckshot. He doesn't follow up and Jericho lands the Judas Effect before Page can land the killing blow in the discus forearm and wins it. Jericho won the duel. Great story there. Shame they went to a shot of Jericho losing his hair.
Ross puts over Jericho as reinventing himself once again and puts him over as an all-time great. He certainly is and probably the best ever at giving himself a totally new presentation on a regular basis and changing his style around to suit it. Now he's far better at a Memphis-style match than he was as a high-flyer. A highlight reel shows off just how great Aubrey Edwards was in this - selling Page's final nearfall perfectly. And then the director counts down to the end of the show.
The post-game show has Jericho cutting a promo on paramedics for not helping him and then cuts a promo on cheap salami and olives. Page cuts a promo in silence that hasn't been matched since 205 Live before PAC throws water at him.
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