AEW All Out preview & predictions: Opportunity knocks

Editor’s Note: This is an opinion-based preview that reflects the views of the author and not our website.

Seven years in, Saturday’s AEW All Out is both a pay-per-view and a checkpoint: a place where AEW takes stock of what it is, where they are as a company, and what it might become.

The roster is battered and its depth is tested for the first time in a long time. Yet, the company still stands tall as the most viable alternative in modern wrestling history. A second, viable North American wrestling promotion is a boon to the entire industry; iron sharpens iron and all that. A perfect approval rating will never exist, but the alternative AEW provides is needed.

Injuries to Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, and Swerve Strickland leave this year’s card without some of its most reliable big show anchors. All performers who, if they weren’t closing the show, were a sure bet to steal it. But absences lead to opportunities and AEW has a roster filled with names: Willow Nightingale, Daniel Garcia, Kris Statlander, Jamie Hayter, Queen Aminata and Konosuke Takeshita are among those who are ready for more.

A new generation in wrestling comes faster than anyone expects. For growth to continue, new stars must be developed. 

All Out 2025 (3 PM Eastern main card start on PPV) is a test of depth, of patience, and of AEW’s ability to make new stars when old ones aren’t available. Let’s take a look at the card.

Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) (with Stokely Hathaway)

FTR has to be kicking their feet in the air and giggling at the thought of this match. Two men who live and breathe tag team wrestling get to square off with Hall of Fame-level Canadians in front of their home crowd. It’s the perfect storm for Dax and Cash who have looked revitalized in recent months. Cope, for me, has always been a mixed bag — overlong matches, overstuffed with drama — but there’s no denying that he’s a living legend.

Christian, a different kind of legend but one all the same, refuses to soften his edges and fully give the crowd what they want. Together, it works.

AEW does this kind of nostalgia showcase better than anyone. FTR will do everything in their power to make the legends shine. Cope and Christian will hit their spots, soak up the deserved love, and go over. Let’s keep this one under 15 minutes, boys. 

Prediction: Cope and Christian

Big Bill vs. Eddie Kingston

It’s a stroke of booking genius to announce this match rather than have it be a surprise. It gives the audience something to be excited about while saving the outrageous return pop Kingston will receive. Kingston’s authenticity and fervor in the ring are desperately needed. His absence was glaring. I’m thrilled he’s back. 

Few things in wrestling are as satisfying as Kingston walloping another man. Bill, meanwhile, has quietly become one of AEW’s most effective big men: simple moves presented without irony. This won’t be pretty and it shouldn’t be. Kingston thrives in these meat-and-potatoes brawls, the kind where emotion carries more than execution. Bill will get his moments: a chokeslam here, a big boot there, but make no mistake, this is Eddie’s showcase. He’ll drag Bill into the deep water, spit in his face, yapping the whole time.

Prediction: Eddie Kingston 

The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin & MVP) vs. Ricochet and GOA (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)

Just because this is likely the filler match doesn’t mean it won’t be good with a solid faction on one side, a reinvented daredevil and two bruisers on the other. Lashley and Benjamin are closer to the “greatest hits” stage of their careers rather than their prime, but that can still be wildly effective when paired with Ricochet’s chicanery and the raw power of Kaun and Liona.

The wheel won’t be reinvented, but it doesn’t need to be in order to be successful. Expect Ricochet to bounce around like a pinball, Lashley to hit one or two spears that could be considered like assault, and for the Gates of Agony to show people who they are and what they can do (they’re good!).

Prediction: The Hurt Syndicate

Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin in a coffin match

I should have saved the ‘kicking their feet in the air and giggling’ reference I used earlier for this match. Moxley and Allin have to be over the moon coming up with some really sick things they can do to each other during this match. These are two men who would happily hurl themselves into actual caskets and get buried alive if the occasion called for it. Maybe even light it on fire while we’re at it, but it’s also a perfect match for a perfect pairing.

Moxley is the connective tissue of AEW. There is no situation where he can’t shine. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is, the program, or the match. You can drop him into anything and trust it will land. Darby, meanwhile, remains wrestling’s crash test dummy, a man with no regard for either his body or tomorrow. If this clicks, and it should, this won’t feel like a stipulation match, but more like a natural extension of who these two are.

Expect a car crash watched between slits in your fingers, full of blood, and bodies crumpled in unnatural shapes. No one will be left wondering if they held anything back. Darby is one of the few performers in wrestling who is not hurt by losses. Mox wins and continues his path of destruction on whoever steps up next.

Prediction: Moxley

MJF vs. Mark Briscoe in a Tables ‘n’ Tacks match

AEW is never better than when it leans into chaos and there are few wrestlers more chaotic than Mark Briscoe. He’s a one-man demolition derby. The idea of him and Darby Allin working on a blank canvas fills me with joy. Pairing Briscoe’s brand of unhinged with MJF, a man who is all about control and theatrics, is a recipe for either disaster or delight, depending on how self-indulgent the newly married Max (congrats!) is feeling.

He must show restraint and let the match itself be the theatrics. The match will be over the top without his typical antics. His job is to hold the match together and to provide structure around the madness. If he leans into being more of a conductor instead of a melodramatist, this could be special. 

The stipulation pushes MJF out of his comfort zone while Briscoe will gleefully throw himself through every piece of furniture in the building if it means entertaining the crowd. Blood is promised; just how much is the unknown. As much as I’d like to see Briscoe gain some constant momentum, I don’t think that’s happening. 

Prediction: MJF

TBS Champion Mercedes Mone defends against Riho

Mercedes Mone is at her most compelling when she can lean into cruelty. Against Riho, she has a rare size and power advantage which should allow her to work with a different cadence: stretching her out, bullying her, making every bump feel violent.

Riho is an AEW original, someone who can pull on the crowd’s heartstrings and rallying them through her resilience. The success of this match depends on contrast: Mercedes as the precision villain vs. Riho as the stubborn survivor. Play that chord and we have some music. It’s not an epic waiting to happen, but it’s a smart piece of matchmaking.

It’s always nice to see Riho pop back up for her semi-annual six-week run. There were certainly signs of ring rust, but she’s a proven performer on big stages. There’s the potential for some seriously gruesome bumping in this match. Count me in. 

Prediction: Mone retains

AEW Unified Champion Kazuchika Okada defends against Konosuke Takeshita and Mascara Dorada in a three-way

For all of Okada’s undeniable greatness, this match feels like Takeshita’s to define. He’s been on the cusp of superstardom for what feels like forever and it’s only a matter of time before he makes his move to that tier. If Kenny Omega couldn’t bring out the full Okada experience, can Takeshita? At some point, perhaps, but not in a triple threat.

The subtle teases for an Okada/Takeshita collision have been there for a while, but this doesn’t feel like two titans settling a final score. This is the amuse-bouche for something more and hopefully something greater. It should lead to the Don Callis family imploding in some capacity with Takeshita emerging as a top of the card babyface that’s been inside of him all along.  

The intrigue comes in the form of Dorada. He prevents the straight-line collision between Okada and Takeshita. He’s certainly not here to win, but to add a sense of bombast and excitement to the match. Besides, if Big Kazu decides to run this one at 60% capacity, Dorada can certainly pump up the heartbeat of the match.

Prediction: Okada retains

AEW World Tag Team Champions Brodido (Brody King & Bandido) defend against The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson), JetSpeed (Kevin Knight & “Speedball” Mike Bailey) and The Don Callis Family (Hechicero & Josh Alexander) in a four-way ladder match

This is AEW at its most AEW: eight wildly different wrestlers thrown into a ladder match with full intentions to tear the house down. JetSpeed brings the juice, Knight and Speedball look better and better every week, and Hechicero’s unorthodox brilliance meshing with Josh Alexander’s no-nonsense power.

Then there’s Brodido, a pairing that shouldn’t work on paper but absolutely does. What do you mean the lead singer of a hardcore band is partnering with a masked bandit?  That brings us, then, to the Young Bucks. Not much needs to be said about these absolute legends. 20 years of wrestling their style, wrestling their way, and transforming an industry. Their style doesn’t lend itself to longevity, but here they are, as good as they’ve ever been after all this time. 

Expect insanity, expect bodies flying off ladders, and expect at least one terrifying spot that will have the older pro wrestling ‘intelligentsia’ clutching their pearls. But don’t expect the belts to change hands. Let Brodido cook for awhile as they’re too much fun to cut short. The Bucks will come close, JetSpeed will shine, and the Callis Family will menace, but Brodido stays on top.

Prediction: Brodido retains

AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm defends against Jamie Hayter, Kris Statlander and Thekla in a four-way

An ace elevates everyone around them. Toni Storm is exactly that. More than anyone else in the company, she is a foundation. The entire women’s division works because of her. She is the sun everything revolves around. Not everything is a home run, but nothing ever misses. The three most important people to AEW right now are Toni, Moxley, and Hangman and she’s not third on that list.

Kris Statlander is here to take the pin, I fear. She remains AEW’s perennial “almost,” talented enough for the spot but perpetually stuck in holding patterns. The parallels with Daniel Garcia’s character are certainly noted. Booking replete with half measures and unfulfilled teases leave her in perpetual limbo. The talent is well and truly there, but something has to change for it to completely click. 

Prediction: Storm retains

AEW World Champion Hangman Adam Page defends against Kyle Fletcher

When I listed people ready to make the leap, Kyle Fletcher’s name wasn’t listed. That’s because he’s already made it. He’s seized his opportunity and run through a wall with it. He is ruthlessly efficient. His moves hit hard and hit with purpose. His rise has been consistent with no moment too big for the preternaturally talented Aussie. This is the biggest moment of his career. I doubt he shrinks from it.

Page is as reliable a champion as AEW could want. He’s always good for a fight, always capable of tapping into emotion. Will this be as memorable as his clashes with Omega or Swerve? Probably not as there’s not enough heart in the story. When emotion is involved, no one is better than Hangman. If this had a few more weeks, maybe we could get there. As is, we’re looking at an incredibly solid main event with the potential for more.

Expect Hangman to give Fletcher a ton, maybe too much, before closing the door. The goal of this match isn’t for Page to dominate, but to put the final stamp on the main event version of “The Protostar” Kyle Fletcher.

Prediction: Page retains