10 AEW ALL OUT 2021 Impulse Reactions

5. Women's Casino Battle Royale

Adam Cole Bryan Danielson
AEW

The Casino Battle Royale format doesn't work.

It's never worked, it'll probably never work, and AEW's persistence with it has gone from being admirable to needlessly stubborn. Virtually every entrance pop was diffused by the next one, and it was impossible to follow the arrival spots as the next wrestler from the "suit" entertained.

There were at least reactions to the bulk of the women, but yet again an obvious lack of storyline attention hampered any fleeting attempts for the competitors to try and weave together something more coherent than an over-gimmicked battle royale variant.

Same problems, same complaints, but there was at least a different and more positive vibe by the end.

Ruby Soho's arrival as the "Joker" was received with love from the live audience, and her final battle with Thunder Rosa was strong, character-enhancing stuff. That it could have gone either way before it went Soho's was good for Rosa, who will have to wait a little longer to get another crack at rival Britt Baker.

In the meantime, the former Riott Squad gaffer has a huge match to tend to - and a Champion to try and dethrone.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett