10 Match Star Ratings For AEW All Out 2023

4. Eddie Kingston & Katsuyori Shibata Vs. Claudio Castgnoli & Wheeler YUTA

Ricky Starks Star Ratings
Katsuyori Shibata Claudio Castagnoli

After the unreal, special Strap match, it was difficult not to experience an adrenaline dump watching a tag team match that in and of itself as very, very good.

Bluntly, the average AEW pay-per-view is one match too long, and one match invariably suffers. All In - which one could argue was slightly inferior in the ring overall - was something of a rule-proving exception.

This was a victim of sequencing: the breather match before the home stretch caught ablaze. When it rocked, though, it rocked.

Katsuyori Shibata was on awesome form. He looked tentative in the early stages of an AEWROH run that remains bizarre in a way that is hard to place, whether through medical protocols or whatever else. Here, whether he is back-back or has mastered the dark arts of picking his spots, he felt like the old Shibata. Eating strikes when locking in an unbreakable submission hold, working a sequence of awesome intent with Claudio Castagnoli even when the big blows didn't land: the energy of Shibata returned, and who needs the headbutts?

Their dynamic was explored brilliantly in a match elevated by its attentive subplots and continuity.

The finish was anticlimactic - Claudio pinned Kingston with an uppercut - so much so that it almost felt botched. It should render Eddie's redemption all the sweeter, but on the night, it was a touch strange.

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!