11 Ups & 0 Downs From AEW All Out 2021

5. Isn't AEW Supposed To Be The Promotion Where Nobody Sells?

MJF Chris Jericho
AEW

That's funny, because in a very good and massively dramatic match against Chris Jericho, MJF sold an apron bump like it should have been sold all along.

Without being histrionic about it, the man was wailing at points in the ring. It felt like he was legitimately in agony, and every subsequent beat of the match was informed by his worked injury to lull the crowd into the drama. The selling was fantastic, and it was rendered all the more effective by how shockingly hard both men went. Top-rope powerbombs, face-first Codebreaker counters, apron-bound heat-seeker piledrivers: this was a year in the making, a stunning amount of thought went into their intricate saga, and the sheer physical effort matched up with the creative. None of it resonated as excess nor indulgence. This was worked with a real grudge tone. Every bone-rattling spot was well-earned by the sprawling ambition of the storyline.

The two masters of crowd manipulation played the greatest hits to further absorb the audience, and the crowd was on strings for the Dusty finish.

The two minutes that followed were as hot as anything on this instant classic of a show. The fans lived and died with Jericho as he fought through the Fujiwara armbar, and when MJF caught Jericho with a flash pin immediately after the restart, they thought his career was dead there and then.

Great add-ons, even better core.

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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!