5 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dynamite (30 August - Review)
4. All Out, More Like All Oof
This SUNDAY LIVE on PPV!#AEWAllOut | @UnitedCenter #ROH World TV Championship@SamoaJoe (c) vs. @shane216taylor
?️ https://t.co/UN1cNj1kQqWatch #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS! pic.twitter.com/ZCfaDGHSg7
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) August 31, 2023
The additions to the All Out card where questionable in the extreme. The replacement make-good attraction should be so compelling that you're almost grateful the original match got cancelled. Think a debuting Claudio Castagnoli replacing Bryan Danielson at Forbidden Door last year.
Tony Khan didn't book something huge for Sunday when he needed to.
Fans were expecting something major to get excited over in the wake of CM Punk being all but certain to miss All Out, but no. That was deflating. Shane Taylor is talented, but it's baffling that he is getting a singles match on an AEW pay-per-view. Katsuyori Shibata is always more than welcome, but if this is ROH All Out, where's Athena?
Beyond the weird ROH element, the FTR and Young Bucks Vs. Bullet Club Gold set-up was annoying. Ultimately, the match just materialised by magic following a pissy argument taped in Wembley. FTR and the Bucks made amends backstage, although it was hinted that a heel turn is imminent for the latter, before BCG strolled in and called them losers. FTR stood up for the Bucks, and a Dynamite match was set for the All Out undercard.
It's the AEW locker room, lads. Throw a punch!