AEW All Out: Pac was the MVP of the PPV

AEW All Out featured several awe inspiring performances, but none were more impressive than Pac’s in a last minute entry to the Pay-Per-View card.

This weekend produced so much wrestling goodness from practically all angles. WWE, NJPW, and of course AEW all came through with some stellar PPV events on the same day. All Out alone was spectacular thanks to a show stealing Ladder Match, an inaugural World Champion, and numerous memorable performances. However, they all paled in comparison to that of Pac, who I’d go as far as to say was the MVP of the night.

Before I explain myself, I think it’s important to first recap how we got to this match to begin with. And it dates all the way back to June.

First, one of the most hotly anticipated matches going into AEW’s first PPV, Double or Nothing, was Pac vs. Hangman Page. At the last minute, the match was dropped from the card. Supposedly, the story goes that the match ultimately boiled down to “creative differences,” where Pac refused to lose a match while holding Dragon Gate’s top title, and AEW refused to allow a match to end in a screwy finish at their first show. Page was moved to the Casino Battle Royale and Pac was left off the card entirely.

Pac was not seen in AEW since and ironically, while his first match was originally cancelled, he returns as a replacement for another last minute match cancellation.

That match was Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega, a match that had been teased ever since the aforementioned Double or Nothing. Unfortunately, Moxley pulled out due to a serious MRSA infection in his elbow, the same one that almost killed him a couple years back. With about a week or so to spare before All Elite Wrestling’s fourth PPV, Pac was made the replacement.

The Man That Gravity Forgot was given such little time to prepare for the match and neither he or Kenny Omega had a story going into their match. Even worse, for a lot of people, Moxley vs. Omega was the most anticipated match of the PPV and anything replacing it would’ve been a letdown. Yet, they were able to put on one of the best matches of the night.

While Young Bucks vs. Lucha Bros. by far had the best match by far, Pac vs. Kenny Omega exceeded expectations. It went from being a last minute replacement to one of the most talked about matches of the entire wrestling weekend.

Perhaps that was always going to happen given the skills of both competitors, but I think this truly is a testament to Pac as a performer. He missed all of AEW’s PPVs at this point and in just one performance, he was able to successfully establish himself as a top star in AEW by outshining a man so many view as the best wrestler in the world. In one night, Pac was able to make a notable impact in the promotion as one of the most talked about stars coming out the show..

Prior to All Out, it was hard to imagine exactly how or where Pac would fit among AEW’s roster given how much time he’s missed. Now, he wouldn’t look out of place in a World Title match vs. Chris Jericho. The way he performed on Sunday, someone none the wiser would never guess that he missed the last three months of AEW PPV.

Pac gave an excellent performance and as a mainstay of AEW TV, he has a wealth of potential.

Pac is too much of an industry mainstay to say he had a breakout performance, but he sure did have a homecoming on Sunday.