AEW All Out already promises the return to the ring of CM Punk after a seven-plus-year hiatus. Might Bryan Danielson also be making his return?
All Out (Sunday, 8 p.m. ET, pay-per-view) features Punk in a match with AEW star Darby Allin on the undercard, with the main event pitting AEW world champ Kenny Omega and Impact world champ Christian Cage, who defeated Omega for the Impact belt on “Rampage” on Aug. 13.
Danielson is rumored as a surprise guest on All Out upon reports that a planned September debut for the former WWE champ in New York are being reconsidered out of concerns about the possible impact of the COVID-19 surge on live events.
How to watch
- Cable TV:Available on all major U.S. & Canadian providers, including Xfinity, Spectrum, Contour, Fios, U-verse and Optimum (U.S.); Rogers, Bell, Shaw, SaskTel and TELUS (Canada)
- Satellite TV: DIRECTV and DISH (including Sling)
- Bleacher Report (Available to purchase now on web, AEW mobile apps, and supported Roku devices.)
- Select Movie Theaters:Joe Hand Promotions
Final card/predictions
AEW world title match: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Christian Cage
Cage’s win at “Rampage” for the Impact title was a way to set up this match as a chance at a comeback for Omega, who hasn’t really been challenged since winning the AEW belt from Jon Moxley in December.
Big-money dream matches with Punk and Danielson loom on the horizon for Omega, so it’s hard to imagine him dropping the AEW title here.
I don’t expect a clean finish or anything, to protect Cage and Impact.
Prediction: Omega by pinfall (with help)
CM Punk vs. Darby Allin
This one is intriguing from a booking standpoint, for a couple of reasons. One, two faces – Punk, in his brief return already the most over guy in all of pro wrestling, and Allin, who has been a focal point for Tony Khan as a homegrown AEW talent.
Two, because they’re both so over, one of them has to lose, in a high-profile event.
Obviously, Punk isn’t going to lose, and his job, and Allin’s, is to make sure that Allin looks really, really good in losing.
Expect a classic.
Prediction: Punk by clean pinfall
MJF vs. Chris Jericho
Interesting stip with Jericho putting his AEW in-ring career on the line. And note: it’s his AEW in-ring career, which is to say, he’s not saying he wouldn’t ever wrestle again in New Japan, Impact, WWE, just AEW, with the knowledge, of course, that Jericho is still under contract to AEW, and has teased a slide over to the announce table if he loses.
I can see Jericho sliding over to full-time announcing or being the mouthpiece for the Inner Circle, I can see him losing as an excuse to give him some time off, with the stip being undone months down the line.
MJF is 3-0 head to head in this one.
Is he diminished if he’s 3-1, but the one is a loss in the finale?
Prediction: Jericho by pinfall
AEW women’s world title match: Dr. Britt Baker (c) vs. Kris Statlander
Good job with the push for Statlander, who comes in on a long winning streak, but there’s no way we see Baker’s push end before we get a rematch between her and Thunder Rosa.
Prediction: Baker by submission
TNT title match: Miro (c) vs. Eddie Kingston
This one seems thrown together, which is a shame, because I’d love to have seen Kingston with weeks to torment Miro on the mic.
Might we see a surprise appearance by C.J. Perry here?
Prediction: Miro by submission
AEW world tag team title match: The Young Bucks (c) vs. The Lucha Brothers
It would have made more sense to have Jurassic Express in this match as part of the ongoing elevation of Jungle Boy, who instead is relegated to the Buy-In show as part of a throwaway 10-man match.
Which isn’t to say that Bucks vs. Luchas is a comedown. This one promises to bring the house down.
I don’t see the Bucks giving up the belts just yet, but I’m still jonesing for the Bucks-FTR program that we were teased when FTR debuted earlier this year and only got one match of before both moved on to other dance partners.
Prediction: Young Bucks by pinfall (with help)
Jon Moxley vs. Satoshi Kojima
Moxley gets another win over an aged New Japan legend not named Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Prediction: Moxley by pinfall
Paul Wight vs. Q.T. Marshall
Nice job giving Marshall heat with the beatdown on “Dynamite” this week.
The best part of this match will be Wight climbing over the top rope in his entrance.
Prediction: Wight by pinfall
Women’s Casino Battle Royale: Nyla Rose, Julia Hart, Big Swole, The Bunny, Thunder Rosa, Red Velvet, Tay Conti, Penelope Ford, Diamante, Hikaru Shida, Emi Sakura, Jade Cargill, Kiera Hogan, Abadon, KiLynn King, Layla Hirsch, Anna Jay, TBA
The winner gets a shot at the AEW world women’s title. Hmmm …
Prediction: Thunder Rosa
The Buy-In: Chuck Taylor, Wheeler Yuta, Orange Cassidy, and Jurassic Express vs. Matt Hardy, TH2, and Private Party
Highspots galore.
Prediction: The faces
Preview by Chris Graham