11 Ups & 0 Downs From AEW All Out 2021
2. A Fitting Main Event
A very worthy counterpart to the Rampage match, it was as good, which some might consider a mild disappointment. The expectation was of a blow-away undisputed classic, and while it didn't quite materialise, this was still very much in the ***3/4 - **** range.
Perhaps Christian Cage really is one of the best TV wrestlers of all time, which accounts for the lack of a significant upgrade. TV wrestling is his area of expertise. But this is nitpicking. Despite a slow build and a glaring collector's item of a Kenny Omega botch, this was a tremendous professional wrestling match.
The drama that Kenny Omega and Christian Cage generated in the space between moves was sublime, and it built expertly. The sheer heart-in-mouth anxiety of the counter sequences teased on the apron and on the top turnbuckle was the work of two masters. Two architects.
Christian Cage absorbed some particularly disgusting V-Triggers to orchestrate a frightening atmosphere that used our knowledge of his history of career-ending head injuries.
But the spaces matter more than the moves, and every set-up, struggle and counter was measured brilliantly to hook in the crowd and cast doubt over a predictable outcome. The groundwork laid on the Rampage premiere informed an exceptional Killswitch near-fall towards the finish, and the bananas avalanche One-Winged Angel finish itself was an exceptional way of preserving Christian's future role as a gatekeeper.