10 Match Quality Predictions For AEW All Out

7. Riho Vs. Hikaru Shida

PAC Kenny Omega
AEW

A genuine potential undercard show-stealer, it helps that AEW's audience has been very receptive to the unfamiliar, imported joshi talent - and this match features the two most well-rounded performers the company has showcased thus far.

Riho has impressed across all three of AEW's shows, and did particularly well to hold the snake-bit Fight For The Fallen Buy In tag match together. She is a superb babyface, dazzling in her aerial work - her double foot stomp soars - and able to show a winning ingenuity with flying escapes from impact moves and finisher attempts she can leap into from anywhere. Her disposition is charming, too, which accounts for her bond with the audience.

Hikaru Shida is a great opponent because her persona stands in such contrast. More serious and more technically advanced, she can perform a more calculating role that will see her punish Riho's impetuous, emotion-driven approach.

That the company have even decided to place this on the main card - a meeting between two impressive relative unknowns - is a real indication of its potential.

Projected Star Rating: ****

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!