11 Ups & 0 Downs From AEW All Out 2021

2. A Fitting Main Event

Kenny Omega Christian Cage
AEW

A very worthy counterpart to the Rampage match, it was as good, which some might consider a mild disappointment. The expectation was of a blow-away undisputed classic, and while it didn't quite materialise, this was still very much in the ***3/4 - **** range.

Perhaps Christian Cage really is one of the best TV wrestlers of all time, which accounts for the lack of a significant upgrade. TV wrestling is his area of expertise. But this is nitpicking. Despite a slow build and a glaring collector's item of a Kenny Omega botch, this was a tremendous professional wrestling match.

The drama that Kenny Omega and Christian Cage generated in the space between moves was sublime, and it built expertly. The sheer heart-in-mouth anxiety of the counter sequences teased on the apron and on the top turnbuckle was the work of two masters. Two architects.

Christian Cage absorbed some particularly disgusting V-Triggers to orchestrate a frightening atmosphere that used our knowledge of his history of career-ending head injuries.

But the spaces matter more than the moves, and every set-up, struggle and counter was measured brilliantly to hook in the crowd and cast doubt over a predictable outcome. The groundwork laid on the Rampage premiere informed an exceptional Killswitch near-fall towards the finish, and the bananas avalanche One-Winged Angel finish itself was an exceptional way of preserving Christian's future role as a gatekeeper.

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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!