10 Match Star Ratings For AEW All Out 2023

10. Better Than You Bay-Bay Vs. Dark Order - ROH World Tag Team Title Match

This was as fun as a lot of people weirdly didn't anticipate it to be - and a very astute old-fashioned PPV opener. Too often, a long, great match just happens to open the show and isn't an "opener" proper. This was a proper opener, and allowed the rest of the card to unfold without exhausting the crowd.

Once again, MJF is so gifted and so over that he can somehow navigate house show opener material and never not appear like the biggest deal in the company.

In and of itself, this bit is hugely entertaining, but it's even more compelling when you consider the bigger picture of his character arc. He's an expert manipulator, hence why he is able to get massive arenas rocking for his new, basic babyface move-set - but is that the point?

Is he doing an uncanny emulation of a babyface as part of a long con? Is this what the full babyface MJF will actually wrestle like, or will he play it more seriously when the unqualified turn actually happens?

As it turns out, the Dark Order pairing of John Silver and Alex Reynolds were ideal in this slot: while nobody bought a title switch, when MJF was carried to the back after a worked neck injury, Silver and Reynolds were so rapid and explosive with their double team handicap spots that the crowd didn't have time to think about their less-than-credible title credentials.

Star Rating: ★★★½