10 Times AEW Were Moments From Disaster
7. Jon Moxley Contracts MRSA Before All Out 2019
All Elite Wrestling pay-per-views risked having a snakebitten vibe about them in the company's first year.
After Double Or Nothing lost one of its first built matches (and AEW lost its first match full stop - more on that elsewhere), All Out's semi-main event was thrown into disarray when a surging Jon Moxley got hurt before he could take on first major rival Kenny Omega.
The pairing was a dream match set to define the new sandbox wrestlers could suddenly play in, with former WWE and NJPW big hitters waging a brand new war under a brand new banner they both wanted to be brand new flag-wavers for. The best available stakes for a brand without titles or television, everything was perfectly placed until Mox contracted MRSA ahead of the battle.
Thinking quickly and creatively, the company booked PAC as a more than suitable replacement and had Omega cut a blistering promo about Moxley trying so hard to be him competing in New Japan that he got hurt before they could even lock up. Such inspiration in a pinch was just as powerful as the original clash would have been, heating fans up for the eventual encounter as well as encouraging them to stick with AEW as a unique and thoughtful organisation.