AEW: All Out full card preview and predictions
Cody Rhodes vs Shawn Spears
Shawn Spears signed a deal with AEW, following in the foot steps of one of his best friends Cody Rhodes. Formerly the perfect 10, Spears knew he had to shed his old gimmick and do so with cold blooded calculation. He did so by cracking a chair over Cody’s skull which resulted in 10 staples to the side of his head. That is how you make a name for yourself in a new promotion.
Spears had an interview with the legendary Jim Ross on the first episode of The Road to All Out. He would go on and state that he was triggered by Cody calling him “A good hand in the ring”. This is what began this highly entertaining series of promos and encounters to follow on AEW Road to All Out episodes.
Tully Blanchard was revealed to be Shawn Spears manager in the same episode of the show. Blanchard is one of the most well respected veteran’s in professional wrestling history. He so happened to be the long time rival of Cody’s father, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. If it wasn’t personal before between Cody and Spears, the announcement of Tully being in Spears’ corner at All Out added fuel to the fire.
This led Brandi Rhodes to speak on her husband’s behalf on episode 6 of the All Out Series. What ensued was 3 of the most bone chilling minutes of a promo you may ever see. Brandi called out Spears and proclaimed that after Shawn’s chair shot to Cody’s head, “his 15 minutes of fame were up and she had hoped Shawn enjoyed those precious minutes.”
This will likely be more of a long term feud that will have a series of encounters in the AEW promotion. More questions that will be answered. Who is Cody’s corner person going to be? Will MJF play a role in the match? I also ask, can MJF be trusted on Cody’s behalf? Is this all an act of adoration on his behalf? Only for a metaphorical back stabbing to take place? We will all be treated to a psychological thriller in this wrestling match.
I see Shawn Spears pulling off a mild upset and I will call out an MJF turn on Cody in this match to boot.
Winner: Shawn Spears
Best Friends vs The Dark Order (The winner will receive a first round bye in the AEW Tag Team championship tournament)
The 2 teams in this match have earned their way into this match smack dab in the middle of All Out. The Young Bucks promised “tag team action” at the AEW rally in Las Vegas earlier this year. The promotion has gone out of it’s way to highlight this phenomenal division.
The Best Friends have been victorious at Double Or Nothing and and Fyter Fest. The latter being a triple threat contest, defeating SCU and Private Party to earn the right to compete in this bout. Across the ring from them will be a team that has attacked them after both of their respective victories.
The Dark Order rolled into AEW as a relative unknown. They have a mystique and sadistic attitude which has served them well since their debut at Double Or Nothing. While they have left The Best Friends lying in the center of the ring twice, The Dark Order left another mark within the AEW promotion. They arrived at Fight For the Fallen and defeated A Boy and His Dinosaur and Angelico and Jack Evans in another triple threat bout.
On top of the feud that has been built due to the malice caused by The Dark Order, this match now has the stipulation where the winners of each team receive the opportunity to get a bye in the first round. The importance of a bye in tournament should not be pushed to the wayside here. It establishes a built in advantage going forward as said tag team will have the opportunity to wrestle one match less on the way to earning the AEW World Tag Team Championships.
The Dark Order has been nothing short of dominant since their arrival in AEW. While The Best Friends could extract a matter of revenge here, I expect the heels to go over here. It makes sense to have a very large threat in the tournament, one that will be feared from the on set.
Winner: The Dark Order