Ladies and gentlemen, strap in for an event so wild it makes a cage match look like a pillow fight! It’s that time of the year again when AEW descends upon Chicago like a pro-wrestling hurricane. AEW’s All Out returns to the NOW Arena, and even though they only had two weeks to slap this card together, the action is going to be hotter than Chicago deep dish straight out of the oven. With eight matches, five title defenses, and more drama than a daytime soap opera, September 7 is shaping up to be a night no one will forget—especially if they survive it.
Mercedes Mone: Unstoppable & Unapologetic
AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Mone, who hasn’t lost a match since she started printing her own money in March, puts her spotless 7-0 record on the line. Mone’s toughest challenge came from Hikaru Shida, the former AEW Women’s World Champion, who dragged Mone to the brink. Shida gets her rematch, and if she wins, she’ll make history as the first woman to hold both of AEW’s major women’s titles. Can Shida break the bank or will Mone just add another notch to her undefeated belt?
Ospreay vs. PAC: Britain’s Got Talent—And A Lot of Title Belts
Will Ospreay, fresh off a little gig called All In where he snatched back his AEW International Championship from MJF, is looking to shut down PAC. PAC, the first-ever International Champion and one-third of the AEW World Trios Champions, has been patiently waiting since July to cash in on this opportunity. But hey, why stop at one belt when you can go for two, right? PAC’s buddies, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta, are looking to double their title stash by challenging The Young Bucks for the AEW Tag Team Championships. Because apparently, just one championship isn’t fashionable enough in 2024.
Elite Madness: Title Defenses and a Potential Catastrophe
The Elite is busier than a coffee shop during a Comic-Con weekend. Kazuchika Okada has to defend his AEW Continental Championship in a four-way scramble against Orange Cassidy, Mark Briscoe, and Konosuke Takeshita. That’s right, folks—one match, four men, and no chill. The only Elite member not stressing over a title defense is Jack Perry. Instead, he’s trying to pull off the biggest upset in AEW history by beating Bryan Danielson for the AEW World Championship. Danielson, limping into the match like a guy who just fell down the stairs but is too proud to admit it, has already said his body is hanging on by a thread. If Perry manages to end Danielson’s reign, not only does he win the title, but he might just end Danielson’s career for good. Talk about high stakes.
Grudge Matches That Guarantee Blood
If you thought All Out was about winning belts, think again. This year’s event is also about settling personal scores, preferably with fists and weapons.
- MJF vs. Daniel Garcia: After months of animosity and enough sneak attacks to fill a Bond movie, MJF and Daniel Garcia will settle things like gentlemen. By that, I mean they’ll try to rip each other apart, and it’s probably going to end with someone face down in the mat wondering what day it is.
- Willow Nightingale vs. Kris Statlander: Originally set for a title match, this fight went off the rails when the CMLL World Women’s Championship refused to get involved. Smart belt. Instead, we get a Chicago Street Fight. No title on the line, but all the bad blood, trash cans, and possible dental bills you could hope for.
- Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland: In the grand tradition of pro-wrestling feuds, Hangman Page went and burned Strickland’s childhood home to the ground, because apparently subtlety is for the weak. AEW decided to wash its hands of this match, declaring it an Unsanctioned Lights Out Steel Cage match, meaning whatever carnage happens won’t count on the official record. So, when Page and Strickland finish dismantling each other, they’ll not only need to clean up the mess but probably check in with their therapists. AEW doesn’t want to be liable for the emotional damage.
Main Event? Maybe. Bloodbath? Absolutely.
Will Bryan Danielson and Jack Perry headline the show? Possibly. Will there be a ridiculous amount of brutality, twisted steel, and shattered dreams? You better believe it. With MJF and Garcia locked in a war of attrition, and Page and Strickland probably trying to outdo a Quentin Tarantino movie, this year’s All Out is poised to make Fight Club look like a book club.
Tune in on September 7 for the action, the carnage, and maybe a few tears (but probably from the fans who have to explain to their bosses why they can’t make it to work the next day).