WRESTLING REVIEW: AEW ALL OUT IV

Broadcasted on the big screen and branded as AEW’s answer to Wrestlemania, All Out 2022 landed with a thud.

The once prominent NXT tag champion, now going by Athena, was put into place to challenge Jade Cargill and end her so far undisputed TBS championship reign. Dressing in a return to her familiar gladiator garb, and arriving like something of a fallen angel – she was no match for the strength of the champion who arrived flanked by her Baddies in She-Hulk based apparel.

The challenger began things on the offense looking to end the match quickly with a couple flying dropkicks, meteora’s and a few Old Phase finishers that Cargill just absorbed. The Baddies attempted to interfere, which led to a strange pause in the action as Cargill set up and connected with a spear. As the referee continued to lag, Athena ended up planting one of her feet into the ropes due to an interference from Kiera Hogan, allowing Jade to set up and deliver a Jaded finisher to notch her record winning run 38-0 in less than five minutes at All Out IV. This was unsurprising given how AEW books former WWE talent, the women’s division not immune. That fact still doesn’t make this performance any less shameful, especially with the accolades Athena has attained in the past from other promotions, she could have still ate the pin; but to have taken the loss in the time reserved for a jobber was nothing short of disappointing.

Cargill is a feature attraction, nothing has changed about that, but this match was (as I have mentioned before early this year during “Bash At The Beach”) too short for me to really care. I was more concerned as to where in the world Red Velvet was, as opposed to the slaughterfest that was occurring on screen. The drama within the stable promos was more interesting than the drama inside the ring. That’s a “hell no” in pro-wrestling.

Jade Cargill needs a legitimate threat and maybe that’s just not available in the AEW world. At this point I wouldn’t mind seeing her vacate the title and head to another promotion down the line. Though Jade and The Baddies are a prime source of entertainment, given how Leila Gray was thrown into the rafters after the match by Cargill and with the absence of Red Velvet felt – a breakup is imminent. And when that does happen, Cargill’s legend will be better once it is extended on a different promotion as she preferably leaves the TBS title for something maybe more FOX blue. The double DDT finish made no sense for the interim AEW Women’s Championship Match after so much talent was on display. Hikaru Shida was the workhorse of the night, always finding herself in the fray and making her name known. From backbreaker’s to bridge suplexes and whipping out 2 kendo sticks in a resurrection attempt after a two on one assault up the ramp, Shida was a force to be reckoned with, even though from first glance throughout she was the proverbial underdog.

The DMD/Hayter alliance was a spectacle for the Chi-Town crowd. The crowd absolutely hated Britt Baker but loved Jamie Hayter, pushing Baker to betray her friend first. Always attempting to capitalize off the faces’ pin attempts or missteps, Baker’s slimy character was the most entertaining out of all four competitors because the crowd knew that she would do anything to win. Hayter seemed like a favorite for most, though her biggest spots came from throwing elbows and mostly using brute force as opposed to using technical wrestling skills. Albiet delivering a hard hitting Tombstone, Hayter lacked a Question Mark kick or a DMD glove. Hayter is absent of originality, which is why it made sense that the title did not go to her at All Out.

Surprisingly, former NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm pulled out all the stops and showed Chicago, worldwide that it was Toni Time.
From the Diamond Crossbody she early on layed on Hayter, to the piledriver’s late in the match, the suicida dives, and the headbutts she gave in tandem with Shida to remove Britt Baker’s valet from ringside, Toni Storm put in the time to earn the title. But why with two DDT’s?
One of the most simplest wrestling moves in the book… twice. That’s what it takes to win the title? After all the crazy ways that Shida was manipulating her body, almost getting carried out of the match – the title went to Storm with such a weak finish, which is fitting because that’s what AEW is when it comes down to how they book former WWE talent : weak. Whether in loss or in victory, the former WWE talent that competed in the women’s division for AEW’s All Out were stripped of whatever star power they had acquired for themselves during their respective WWE runs and looked like a shell of who they were and nothing like what they could become.

Shida had the biggest spots of the night, so essentially she was robbed and both Hayter and Baker had the most heat so they would have been the logical choices. So why Toni Storm? Storm might be a good wrestler, but she’s nothing special, especially in comparison to every wrestler who held the NXT UK title after her. Was this a veiled attempt to hurl an insult at WWE since NXT UK was folding that very day hours earlier with Worlds Collide?

Maybe so, especially upon further rumination. Rosa had to vacate the title, and usually once title’s are vacated in comes a placeholder champion. Winning with something as plain as a couple of DDT’s Toni Storm is the perfect placeholder champion and I don’t think AEW intended for their talent to look mediocre in the process of this decision or the way challenger’s are booked for contention against Cargill, but they do; and that extends beyond AEW’s women’s division to the rest of their roster.

I saw this in a movie theater. I walked out after the Storm win, with at least two hours of the show left on the big screen. I definitely did not get my money’s worth, something to keep in mind whenever you see an advertisement for tickets on sale with an “AEW” on them.

Score : 1.5/5

AEW All Out took place at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill.