11 Ups & 0 Downs From AEW All Out 2021

9. Jon Moxley Wins A Clever, Brutal War; Invites Another

Moxley Kojima

A fun, hard-hitting match positioned well on a card that was sequenced brilliantly, Jon Moxley Vs. The New Japan Dads Must Continue - only with no irony this time, because this genre of match rules.

As witty as it was physical, the wonderful charm of late-period Satoshi Kojima was perfect for the early slot. After winning an early striking exchange, he poked fun at Mox with a titty-pec dance; then, after biting back at Mox's forehead, he retched, as if he couldn't believe what an animal his opponent was. Surly, post-paternity Mox is a delight, and Kojima allowed him to play his f*cked-off tweener role wonderfully. The moments of levity were grounded with tight, lovely, immersive work. Mox set up a hold that Kojima could only trap himself into by kicking out of a pinning combination in a beautiful use of grappling technique. The expected lariats were launched into with proper, uplifting force. Kojima took light-switch flat-backs like he was a young man looking to impress, and not the actual living legend that he is.

Again: AEW is a tremendous finish company. Mox didn't allow Kojima to kick out of the Paradigm shift, but he deployed it twice just to make sure - and to make sure Kojima exited Chicago with his legendary aura intact.

The post-match scene was awesome: Minoru Suzuki arrived to a shock, arena-shaking rendition of 'Kaze Ni Nare' and, after a penetration step no 53 year-old man has the right to do, he choked Mox out to build a killer of a match on Dynamite.

This was magic, unadulterated fan service on a night on which being a fan of pro wrestling was rarely so exciting and rewarding.

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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!