4 Takeaways That Mark A Turning Point

Entering AEW All Out, the question was how many risks AEW would take on a solid card without an obvious spot to create a defining moment. By the end of the night, the company had turned the page, moving past injuries with big returns, one major title change, and a sense of a new chapter. The night closed with Adam Page vs. Kyle Fletcher for the AEW World Championship.

The show even opened on a feel-good note, with Adam Copeland and Christian Cage teaming in their home country to defeat FTR.

All told, it was an event full of moments that gave AEW fresh directions heading into what should be an intriguing fall.

AEW Adds Necessary Shock Value To Future Title Matches

A fair critique of AEW for a while has been the predictability of its championship matches. It was often clear how the champion and challenger, or vice versa, were tiered going in. The same even applied to non-title bouts.

There hasn’t been enough shock and awe, and it’s honestly hard to remember the last time AEW truly pulled one off.

That’s why the AEW Women’s World Championship match was a pleasant surprise: Kris Statlander caught Toni Storm with a seatbelt pin to stun the Toronto crowd, which had been dull and quiet most of the night, and win the belt.

It felt like a foregone conclusion that Storm would retain, given AEW’s history. She’d been the dominant force for the better part of two years, wearing gold during the Mariah May feud, vanquishing Mercedes Moné, and looking unstoppable.

Now Statlander, a day-one AEW presence, gets elevated with her first world title reign in a women’s division badly in need of new stars. It narrows the gap between Moné, Storm, and the rest of the roster.

It won’t happen every time, of course, but AEW and Tony Khan have reintroduced an element of surprise into matches that once felt like foregone conclusions. And that’s a positive step.

The Death Riders Keep Expanding, But Is It Too Much?

Of course, taking the AEW World Championship off Jon Moxley would pull some spotlight from the Death Riders, but that hasn’t been a bad thing. It’s actually helped them settle in as an upper-card heel squad rather than constantly running through the main event scene.

At All Out, though, the group all but confirmed an expansion: Daniel Garcia debuted a new heel entrance to signal his alignment, Pac made a surprise return after months out with injury, and Wheeler Yuta continued to tease involvement by advising Kris Statlander before her surprise title win.

That’s a lot for a faction that already includes Moxley, Yuta, Claudio Castagnoli, and Marina Shafir. It now puts them at as many as seven members, all competing for attention, doubling down on a group that hasn’t exactly been a fan favorite.

Yuta once looked like the logical candidate to break away as a babyface, but his tie-in with Statlander complicates that, unless AEW flips the story around.

For now, there are more questions than answers about who’s sticking with the Death Riders and whether they’re becoming a super-faction. There are plenty of moving parts, and it’ll be worth watching if AEW pares things down by the time WrestleDream rolls around.

AEW Gets a Boost From the Return of Beloved Stars

Losing Will Ospreay, Swerve Strickland, Kenny Omega, and Adam Cole in such a short span gutted AEW’s babyface roster under Hangman Adam Page. It left a heel-heavy lineup badly in need of fresh energy, and at All Out, AEW made a clear effort to restore balance by spotlighting the babyface undercard.

Jungle Boy Jack Perry reunited with Luchasaurus, with the latter’s real-life health scare used as part of their story. Coming back together after years apart, complete with the fan-favorite “Tarzan Boy” entrance, gave Perry new direction and freshened up Luchasaurus after the Patriarchy’s disbandment.

Eddie Kingston also returned. His match with Big Bill was clunky, and the finish fell flat for such a long-awaited comeback. Still, Kingston’s presence after 16 months away from a brutal leg injury is significant. He brings much-needed passion and grit to AEW’s babyface side and should fit well in the mid-to-upper card, especially as a foil to the Death Riders and longtime rival Claudio Castagnoli.

And while not on screen, Orange Cassidy was confirmed for a return on the Sept. 24 Dynamite, ending a layoff since March 19. One of AEW’s most consistently over stars since 2019, his comeback is a major boost to the babyface roster. Cassidy could easily slot into a TNT Championship program or even challenge Hangman Page next.

What’s Next For Hangman Adam Page?

Speaking of which, Page and Kyle Fletcher delivered an excellent main event for the AEW World Championship. The Protostar didn’t leave with the belt, but he proved he belongs in the main event scene, whether that future comes as a heel alongside Don Callis or as a babyface built on his explosive athleticism.

Page will likely move on to a new challenger soon with WrestleDream approaching on Oct. 18. He could still find himself in a non-title match if AEW wants another bout to headline, but either way, he’ll need a fresh rival.

Could that be Mark Briscoe? Fresh off a brutal Tables and Tacks victory over MJF, the Conglomeration fan-favorite looks ready for a bigger spotlight. A Page–Briscoe program would pit two beloved babyfaces against each other, which could tilt Page toward playing with a heelish edge.

Either way, it’s a feud with potential to mix Briscoe’s grit and heart with Page’s toughness and world title pedigree, a story of two veterans who built AEW in different ways, now colliding for the world title.