This year’s installment of AEW: All Out formally kicked off with ROH World Tag Team Champions MJF and Adam Cole defeating The Dark Order. Early in the match, Friedman went down with a neck injury after having a chair thrown at his face, leaving Cole to fight off both members of The Dark Order on his own. Miraculously, Friedman returned to the match minutes later to a thunderous ovation, and the two were once again able to land their signature Double Clothesline for the victory. It was a basic but very effective story for the opening bout.
The tag match really set the tone for the night, as AEW: All Out was one of the better All Elite Wrestling shows I have ever seen live. The roster may have had extra motivation to over-deliver in the Chicago market and, in general, due to the attention the company was receiving because of CM Punk’s termination the day before. Many speculated that the Chicago crowd could be hostile or, worse, quiet, but the reality was quite the opposite. The fans were hot all night, and even when things got wild during The Young Bucks’ appearances in the eight-man tag match, those in attendance looked to be having a good time.
During the post-show media scrums, I asked Cole what the vibe was like in the AEW locker room the day of All Out. I also asked AEW President Tony Khan what he learned from the CM Punk situation and what changes he will be making to prevent something else like this from happening again.
“As far as the vibe, the excitement, these past few weeks about these events that we’ve had, has not gone unnoticed by anybody,” he began. “Again, All In happening, Wembley Stadium, 81,035 people breaking the record, highest paid attendance in pro wrestling history. Everyone was jazzed and so excited for that show. This week, coming into tonight and knowing that we had to follow up on such a huge event, the locker room was stoked.
“The locker room was ready to go; they were ready to put on the best show they possibly could, and, most importantly, we’re just so excited for the future, man. It’s like AEW, as a whole, has made so many incredible strides in such a short time. This company has not been around for a super, super long time. So thinking about the next year, two years, five years, ten years, has everyone so pumped. It’s so ready to go. So, the locker room’s feeling good, man. They are.”
Tony Khan did not respond to my question about the CM Punk situation and what changes, if any, he will be making.
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