SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
AEW ALL OUT 2019 FLASHBACK DVD REPORT
AUG. 31, 2019
SEARS CENTER ARENA
CHICAGO, ILL
AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE ON DVD AT SHOPAEW.COM
Radican note: I suggest watching this show beginning with disc 2, as it features the pre-show matches that kicked off the original airing of the show.
DISC TWO: THE BUY-IN PRE-SHOW
Announcers: Golden Boy & Excalibur
(a) WOMEN’S CASINO BATTLE ROYALE
Nyla Rose eliminated Britt Baker to win the match. This was average at best, but it is interesting to look back and see that current rivals Britt Baker and Nyla Rose were involved in the finish of this match.
WINNER: Nyla Rose. (**)
(b) PRIVATE PARTY vs. ANGELICO & EVANS
This was a really nice dose of action from both teams. At the time, it was one of the better pre-show matches in AEW history. In October 2019, Private Party ended up upsetting The Young Bucks during the AEW Tag Team Championship tournament.
They got a good push out the gate on TV, as during the PPV, they won this match, but Evans and Angelico got their heat back and left them lying after the match ended.
WINNERS: Private Party in 12:00. (***½)
Bonus material: All out after show. (Don’t watch this until after you’ve seen the main card)
DISC ONE: ALL OUT 2019 MAIN CARD
Announcers: Jim Ross, Goldenboy, and Excalibur.
(1) SCU (CHRISTOPHER DANIELS & FRANKIE KAZARIAN & SCORPIO SKY) vs. JURASSIC EXPRESS (JUNGLE BOY & MARKO STUNT & LUCHASAURUS) – Six Man Tag match
Looking back, what’s interesting here is who broke out on the card. From SCU, Scorpio Sky has benefited the most from his time in AEW. He’s been allowed to show his personality and has been given multiple shots at the AEW World Championship. His heel turn recently has worked out well as he’s joined forces with Ethan Page and gotten the rub from working with Sting and Darby Allin in recent months.
Frankie Kazarian is getting a push as well hunting down various members of The Elite. It is early into his push, but I am interested to see if he can work his way up the card like Scorpio Sky has.
On the other hand, it looked like Jurassic Express was going to showcase Luchasaurus, but it has been Jungle Boy to be the person that broke out from the pack. He stormed up the rankings in 2021 and had a barn burner of a match with Kenny Omega on Dynamite recently for the AEW World Championship. Even thought Jungle Boy came up short in his quest to win the AEW World Championship, he benefited from working with Omega.
SCU won the match with a double tombstone on Stunt and Jungle Boy.
WINNERS: SCU in 12:00. (***)
(2) PAC vs. KENNY OMEGA
This was a very good match to begin the show. It was a real surprise to see Kenny Omega not only lose this match, but go on so early in the show. This match set the tone for criticism of Omega’s push going forward. Omega, until this year, didn’t come across as the big stage main event player that he is capable of being.
Omega wasn’t pushed at the forefront of Dynamite storylines like I expect, but he participated in a really good long-term storyline with Adam Page that set the stage for the eventual rehabilitation of both Page and Omega as top tier singles stars for AEW in 2021.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PAC has had limited appearances in AEW, but he is someone they will can plug into a top single program once they have access to him regularly.
WINNER: PAC in 23:00. (***¾)
(3) DARBY ALLIN vs. JOEY JANELA vs. JIMMY HAVOC – Cracker Barrell Clash
These three destroyed themselves in what was a crazy match. Allin continues to take a lot of risks in the ring to this day. It’s amazing to see how far Allin has come with a sustained push on TV working first with Rhodes and then being aligned with Sting elevated him tremendously. Jimmy Havoc is no longer with the company and Joey Janela has struggled to find regular TV time on Dynamite since the company launched.
Allin really took a lot of dangerous bumps in this match, which made it hard to watch at times.
WINNER: Jimmy Havoc in 15:00. (***½)
(4) THE DARK ORDER (EVIL UNO & STU GRAYSON) vs. BEST FRIENDS (TRENT & CHUCK TAYLOR)
At the time, both of these teams were struggling to find their footing in the company. It is a testament to AEW booker Tony Khan that both of these teams got over and participated in a number of memorable feuds and angles. Brody Lee being introduced as the leader of The Dark Order really brought out the best in The Dark Order as a heel stable when he debuted with the company in 2020.
Lee’s tragic death in December has made the group even stronger and AEW booker Tony Khan had no choice but to turn them face in the wake of his death. They’ve been a strong part of AEW in 2021 and I don’t see that changing.
I had my doubts about how Orange Cassidy would translate to a mainstream wrestling product. He was a great novelty act on the independent scene at the time this show aired and he saved Best Friends from a post-match attack with a lights off/lights on appearance. He got a huge reaction from the live crowd and the reactions Cassidy got did not stop going forward until the COVID-19 pandemic put his live reactions to a halt. This match serves as a great memory of just how far Cassidy has come and how he has shattered all expectations as a singles wrestler in AEW.
WINNERS: Evil Uno & Stu Grayson. (**½)
(5) HIKARU SHIDA vs. RIHO – Winner faces Nyla Rose to crown the first AEW Women’s Champion
Riho won this match after a flurry of reversals and went on to face Nyla Rose to crown the first AEW Women’s Champion. It was a good match, but at this point the show was dragging a bit.
This was a good introduction to Shida, who would go on to become the longest reigning AEW Womens’ Champion in history. Shida really grew into her role as champion. It’s just a shame that she didn’t get to tour different arenas across the country during her reign due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
WINNER: Riho. (**1/2)
(6) CODY vs. SHAWN SPEARS
Shawn Spears has had a hard time getting over in AEW, but his recent push as part of The Pinnacle has been his best push yet and his feud with Sammy Guevara building out of the Inner Circle vs. Pinnacle feud has been nicely done.
This was a good old school match that built from start to finish. Looking back at this time, the setup for MJF turning on Cody was in motion and they did a nice job of teasing his eventual turn on Rhodes after the match when he grabbed a chair, but did not hit Cody after he won the match.
WINNER: Cody. (***¾)
(7) THE LUCHA BROS. vs. THE YOUNG BUCKS – AAA World Tag Team Championship Ladder match
This was a crazy match that holds up today. These two teams had a great series of matches in 2019 and this was one of the best matches from that feud. The post-match debut of Proud & Powerful is an even bigger deal in hindsight than it was at the time the show took place.
The Lucha Bros. vs. Young Bucks Ladder match was by far the best thing on this show. I loved the psychology of the match as it was more about individuals splitting up between both teams and going at it as opposed to both teams trading turns on the advantage. They pulled off some incredible spots and I got worried late about Nick and Matt taking some nasty bumps.
WINNERS: The Lucha Bros. in 22:00. (****¾)
(8) HANGMAN PAGE vs. CHRIS JERICHO – AEW Championship match
The main event was good. I don’t think anyone bought that Hangman Page was going to win and that hurt the match when it took place. They kept the match in the ring and went away from Jericho’s usual brawling formula that he was employing at the time.
Page’s strengths aren’t selling and coming from behind against someone that he looks more physically imposing than. That definitely showed here. The match finished out of nowhere with Jericho hitting the Judas Effect. The combination of the match being slow to build and the finish coming out of nowhere was a bit of a letdown to end the show.
WINNER: Chris Jericho in 26:00 to become the first AEW World Champion. (***¾)
Overall thoughts: (7.0) – This was a good show to go back and watch on DVD to compare what AEW had going on in 2019 compared to today, as they were on the cusp of the premier of Dynamite on TNT at the time the PPV aired live.
The most interesting thing to look back on from this event is the evolution of several key talents such as Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, Dark Order, Britt Baker, and Hangman Page. The length of the show and the lack of established acts hurt the show, but AEW has fixed those issues since that time.
You can purchase All Out 2019 at aewshop.com
Contact Sean at radicansean@pwtorch.com. Follow him on Twitter @SR_Torch)
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