It’s really hard to write at the moment. The news of PAC passing away just broke and it very much impacted the viewing enjoyment of this show, which took place about 24 hours after it went live.
All Out 2026 was an enjoyable night of pro wrestling. There wasn’t anything on the show that was groundbreaking, but it was mostly better than average as a whole and with a main event that carried the card like main events should.
Here are my Brass Ring Ratings for the event and here’s how they work … I call it like I see it and grade accordingly. One brass ring = bad. Five brass rings = epic, all-time greatness, and perfection.
Andrade El Idolo vs. PAC - AEW National Championship
A strong opener from multiple different angles. First, it was entertaining as hell. Both guys worked at a fast pace, while also making sure the big spots meant something with selling. Second, thumbs up to the story. PAC working the eye and then later Marina Shafir doubling down on it was a good hook. I could’ve done without the Shafir choking out a fan spot, because it was overly cute, but outside of that her involvement was fine. Lastly — and most importantly — the match didn’t overdo it. For as good as this was, these two have another gear or two to get to, but for the good of the show, didn’t go there. The opening match can’t burn out the crowd and this was excellent, while also not doing that.
*Soon after I watched this match on Sunday, AEW announced the news of PAC’s death. Just devastating news and my thoughts are with him, his family, friends, and loved ones.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO 1/4
Darby Allin and Steve Borden vs. Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight - AEW Men’s World Tag Team Championship Number One Contender Match
Man, this was a tough watch. Steven Borden looked totally unconscious after the double coast to coast with Knight. Up to that point, the match built to the hot tag for Borden. Allin took a ton of damage, but it got the crowd invested in his team winning and that important hot tag. Borden didn’t look great during some early grappling with Kyle Fletcher at the start of the match, but nailed his tag-in moment. In the end, none of that matters much. Hopefully Borden is ok.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 1/2
Persephone vs. Dani Luna - TBS Championship
This overstayed it’s welcome. It wasn’t a bad match, but the audience didn’t react much to the early going, which made what was supposed to be a dramatic finish feel kind of flat. Dani Luna is a big free agent get for AEW, but wasn’t able to showcase what makes her special. Luna brings aura with her and that didn’t bounce off the screen like I thought it would.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 1/2
Kazuchika Okada vs. Tommaso Ciampa - AEW International Championship
A very fun match. Ciampa’s daughter going Steve Austin style and flipping Okada the double bird was more comedic than this wanted to get given the intense build, but it worked like a charm in the moment. Hard-hitting like most Ciampa matches and Okada was able to add doses of his heel comedy on top of that physical foundation. Definitely another match is in the cards between these two if Tony Khan wants it.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO 3/4
The Brawling Birds vs. Divine Dominion - AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship Chicago Street Fight
Well, if you were worried that this wouldn’t live up to it’s “street fight” stipulation, don’t fret. The match had alllllll the street fighting you could have wanted. Tables, chairs, glass, and thumbtacks. Alex Windsor took an insane back bump choke slam on a pair of chairs, which sent a shiver up my spine watching it. Ouch. Overall, a very good match. The women each worked hard to tell a physical story that was worthy of the personal feud they’ve had. With The Brawling Birds retaining the belts, it seems as if the story between these teams is over for now.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO 1/2
Swerve Strickland and The New Level vs. Adam Page and Brodido - AEW World Trios Championships
A helluva match. The New Level run continues. Kofi and Austin Creed are having a blast out there and showing a large range of in-ring prowess that they hadn’t shown in WWE near the end. The stuff that needed to land in this, landed. Especially the physicality between Adam Page and Swerve Strickland. Page and Strickland teased fighting at multiple points during the beginning of the match. When they finally went to blows. the audience lost it. Once that happened, the match was on and then stayed at a different level.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO 1/4
Willow Nightingale vs. Thekla - AEW Women’s World Championship Number One Contender Match
It was so refreshing to see this match revolve around Nightingale’s injured hand. Yes, it was obvious, but it’s exactly how a fight would go inside that circumstance. The story of the hand was made even more effective because of how over Nightingale is as a babyface. The screams of pain weren’t over the top, but instead a calculated effort to build sympathy. On the opposite side, Thekla looked vicious in assaulting the hand. Great heel work on her part.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Ratings - OOO 1/2
Adam Copeland and Christian Cage vs. The Young Bucks vs. FTR - AEW Men’s World Tag Team Championship Ladder Match
An absolute wild display of spots. In some ways that was the expectation here and the match certainly lived up to that specific hype. The creativity with the ladders was unique and all three teams had the audience from the minute the bell rang. That said, a lot of the match felt like the teams were taking turns doing stunts rather than actually fighting one another to be the best. The BTE Trigger on top of the ladder was a cool finish to the match and stood out because minutes before all of the teams were on the ladder working to grasp at the belts. There wasn’t a lot of climbing and chasing the titles throughout the match, but because it was emphasized when it was, the finish stood out. The Young Bucks are now four-time tag champs in AEW and the first team to accomplish that feat. Given their importance to the company, I’m not sure there’s a booking move more obvious for Tony Khan to make.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Ratings - OOO 1/4
Will Ospreay vs. Jon Moxley - AEW Men’s World Championship
The match of the night. Awesome action and a match that was a hybrid between the Ospreay and Moxley style. The chain wrestling was an absolute chef’s kiss. Watching Moxley get the better of Ospreay during those exchanges only for Ospreay to flip the table and beat him at his own game was a thing of beauty. Plus, the Hidden Blade finish that was delivered to a laughing Moxley was as true of a passing the torch moment that there is. An awesome finish to the Moxley and Ospreay story. AND. All the Death Rider and United Empire interference was unnecessary. The match was about Moxley and Ospreay. That’s it. The run-ins got a little heat for Moxley, but mostly didn’t resonate other than the fact that they created a little chaos. This exact match could exist without the interference and it would have been even better than it was.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Ratings - OOOO 1/2
What was your favorite match this year at All Out? Let us know in the comments!
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