13 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW All Out

3. Dream Match Delivers

Jon Moxley's staph infection forced AEW to change gears days before All Out. His match with Kenny Omega would've likely been a heated, story-driven brawl informed by previous fights at Double Or Nothing and Fyter Fest, as well as their excellent Road To promos. For many, it was the most-anticipated bout on the card.

Swapping Mox for PAC meant AEW had to promote an exhibition-style dream match instead. This worked out just fine. For the most part, PAC vs. Omega was a dramatic, well-paced, elite-level wrestling match that started with a simple game of oneupmanship, before progressing at a slower rate than many would have expected, given their combined athletic talents.

This wasn't a problem at all. It would've been easy for PAC and Omega to build their match around hyper-athletic cloudbursts of offence, and it was refreshing to see them eschew this approach. The spurts of violence felt meaningful and well-placed. Concussive V-Triggers blasted PAC's skull and a gruesome Moonsault to the outside crushed his shins on the barricade. The finish, too, was sublime, with PAC countering the One Winged Angel into his Brutalizer submission, forcing a referee's stoppage as the 'Best Bout Machine' shockingly folded into the mat.

A botched poisoned 'rana at a prominent late-match spot prevent Omega vs. PAC from finishing higher. It still ruled, though.