10 Match Star Ratings For AEW All Out 2023

9. Samoa Joe Vs. Shane Taylor - ROH World TV Title Match

Ricky Starks Star Ratings
AEW

When this match was announced, the vast majority of fans asked the same, befuddled question: What?

Why is this on the show?

The answer: to disguise an excellent angle.

When making his entrance as the opener had just barely concluded, recalling that scene of Joe bantering off MJF when he was a WWE extra, Joe barged into MJF. This led to a pull-apart confrontation which, coupled with MJF's worked neck injury, was a deliberate echo of Joe's beat-down of Roderick Strong. The intrigue now is in how Roddy reacts to Adam Cole's reaction.

Whose neck health does Cole truly care about?

This - a vintage bit of deft, dovetailing AEW plotting - should have significant repercussions on the Grand Slam tournament and the ongoing MJF/Cole story.

The match itself was pretext for more important business, but it was fine while it lasted. A nice, snug hoss fight - though one overshadowed by a superior genre offering just two matches later, which was less than ideal - the anticlimactic ending at least positioned Joe as a monster ahead of an important arc over the next month.

Star Rating: ★★¾

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!