Looking back to 2019 is oddly euphoric some three years later.
It was a time of change in the world of professional wrestling. WWE Monday Night Raw was enjoyable on a handful of occasions(!). NXT had peaked as the black-and-gold brand. NJPW was steadily increasing its output of content while still wildly popular. But emerging from the background, draped in white and gold, was All Elite Wrestling.
Having been announced at the start of 2019, AEW immediately proved itself as a legitimate competitor to WWE following its inaugural show, Double or Nothing. By that August, it was ready to conquer the wrestling world. Double or Nothing is heralded as the company’s most memorable event of 2019, but All Out had a question to answer; was this a brand ready to take on a weekly pro wrestling television series?
Yes, is the short answer. Most, if not all, doubts and preconceptions about whether or not the Tony Khan-helmed organisation had what it took to stand opposite WWE and win a raging Wednesday Night War were removed following the first All Out. The roster, in particular, was a shining light of the potential coming out of the Jacksonville-based promotion.
Where Are They Now?
In total, 50 wrestlers stepped through the curtain at the Sears Centre to entertain the 10,000+ in attendance, with varying degrees of success following them in the ensuing years. Ranging from internationally renowned superstars to mid-card sensations, from seminal doubles acts to, well, not Elite, the career trajectories of the All Out 2019 performers were rarely one and the same, as is clear from their post-All Out bodies of work.
Note, this feature will look solely at those who WRESTLED on All Out 2019. Managers, such as Tully Blanchard and MJF, won’t be accounted for; the same goes for referees, members of the broadcast team, et al. Additionally, the likes of Ortiz and Santana, who debuted in a non-wrestling capacity, won’t be taken into consideration.
The following list of names will be, though…
Nyla Rose
Winning the women’s Casino Battle Royale at All Out, Nyla Rose captured the AEW Women’s World Championship mere months later, having come up short in the inaugural championship contest. ‘The Native Beast’ downed Riho in February 2020, reigning as the division’s second champion for three months until Hikaru Shida dethroned her at Double or Nothing.
This was the peak of Nyla’s AEW career. She’s since remained a stalwart of the division, contending the likes of Toni Storm, Skye Blue, and Ruby Soho, alongside forming a somewhat regular alliance with Marina Shafir and Emi Sakura. Outside of AEW, Nyla Rose also captured Vixens Wrestling Revolution organisation’s Vixens Championship from Raychell Rose in May 2021.
Shalandra Royal
The first women’s Casino Battle Royale, as well as the men’s incarnation the previous May, was filled to the brim with unsigned talent; among them was Shalandra Royal, now Shalonce Royal. She’s wrestled just a handful of AEW contests since, all of which were confined to the company’s YouTube programming.
Outside of the Jacksonville-based organisation, Royal is a regular in Ohio Valley Wrestling, where she recently fought for a chance to wrestle on IMPACT Wrestling that was instead won by Tiffany Nieves. Elsewhere, Shalonce has held the BellaDonna Division company’s BellaDonna Championship and challenged Kamille for the NWA World Women’s Championship.
Leva Bates
Though officially signed to AEW, Leva Bates has done very little in-ring-wise since All Out 2019 and, again, has been largely contained within AEW’s Dark and Dark: Elevation schedule. Incredibly, she hasn’t been on Dynamite since before the pandemic, though she did make it to the finals of the United States bracket for 2021’s Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament.
Behind the scenes, ‘The Librarian’ also serves as a brand coordinator. Brought into the role by Brandi Rhodes early in AEW’s history, Leva worked closely alongside the former Chief Brand Officer, though it’s unknown if she remains in this role now that Brandi has departed All Elite Wrestling.
Faby Apache
One of the more renowned names from the Casino Battle Royale, Faby Apache is an esteemed veteran of Mexican wrestling, where she is a regular attraction on Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide cards. She’s a record four-time AAA Reina de Reinas Champion, the most recent reign of which began last May and led her to a title vs. title clash with IMPACT Wrestling’s Deonna Purrazzo in August.
Apache hasn’t competed since 29 May, last wrestling La Hiedra. There’s no current word on her in-ring status, however, she recently announced her departure from AAA after 23 years. Her last match there came days prior on 21 May, defeating Diosa Quetzal as part of the Showcenter Tournament.
Priscilla Kelly
Priscilla Kelly was infamous prior to signing with WWE. Known as ‘The Gypsy Princess’, Kelly garnered attention for ‘the tampon incident‘ but despite this, AEW officials were keen to sign her as an on-screen valet for then-husband Darby Allin. She opted against the deal, however, which came after her second AEW outing vs. Britt Baker on the 2020 Jericho Cruise.
Now going by Gigi Dolin, she was signed by WWE in January 2021, soon forming an alliance with Mandy Rose and Jacy Jayne dubbed Toxic Attraction. Alongside the latter, she’s a two-time NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion and recently made her main roster debut on Friday Night SmackDown as part of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships Tournament.
Penelope Ford
After wrapping up her independent dates, Penelope Ford went full-time with AEW as one of the women’s division originals. ‘The Superbad Girl’ wrestled some of her finest colleagues early on, from Britt Baker and Riho to Nyla Rose and Kenny Omega, ultimately challenging for the AEW Women’s World Championship (unsuccessfully) and forming an alliance with her real-life husband, Kip Sabian.
Ford partook in a well-received Street Fight towards the end of 2021, tagging with The Bunny in a loss to Anna Jay and Tay Conti that was rated four-and-a-quarter stars by the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer. She made her return from injury after a seven-month layoff, defeating Heather Reckless and, most recently, losing to Athena on the 19 August Rampage.
Shazza McKenzie
Shazza McKenzie has wrestled just once for AEW following her participation in the women’s Casino Battle Royale, coming on the sixth edition of Dark. She has, however, continued making her impact on both the Australian and North American independent scenes, appearing in abundance for the SHIMMER, BLP, and PWA Black Label organisations.
The 34-year-old ‘Shaztastic’ performer captured the World Series Wrestling Women’s Championship this past July from Taya Valkyrie, marking her first championship victory since 2017. This followed unsuccessful jaunts at various other titles, including Warrior Wrestling’s Women’s Championship, which instead saw Athena walk away as the champion.
Sadie Gibbs
Staggeringly talented for her age, Sadie Gibbs was a standout athlete whose popularity skyrocketed following her January 2019 tour with STARDOM. GIFs of her spectacular Sasuke Special execution led to audiences being wowed, though this wasn’t the case for her in AEW; ‘The Amazing Grace’ wrestled just twice for the promotion after All Out.
A backstage tiff with Bea Priestley was reported following the event and she was subsequently cut from the promotion amid the global pandemic wrecking travel plans for her. Sadie has since retired from pro wrestling altogether, as confirmed via her Instagram in April 2021.
Big Swole
Destined for big things in All Elite Wrestling, Big Swole came into the promotion with vast experience from several top independent promotions. A push came her way leading into All Out 2020, which saw her defeat Britt Baker in the divisive Tooth & Nail match, a win that led her towards the AEW Women’s World Championship in a losing attempt.
Swole was confined to AEW’s YouTube channel for the final year of her tenure, despite continued success on the independent scene. She officially departed the company on 30 November in an up-and-down year for her after detailing her battle with Crohn’s disease, opening the new year by criticising AEW’s lack of diversity that led to the now-infamous Tony Khan tweet.
Dr Britt Baker, D.M.D
She was already a major deal on the independent scene, but signing with All Elite Wrestling was the right call for Dr Britt Baker, D.M.D. Baker quickly rose to the top of AEW upon her heel turn to the point that, even when she sat out while in a wheelchair, Britt remained a talking point for AEW programming.
Her victory of the AEW Women’s World Championship at Double or Nothing 2021 saw Britt embark on one of the promotion’s most acclaimed championship reigns, accompanied by well-received contests vs. Ruby Soho and Thunder Rosa. Now championship-less, Britt remains at the helm of AEW’s women’s division as she vies for the interim championship at All Out 2022.
Tenille Dashwood
In a way, Tenille Dashwood was one of the first to step through the Forbidden Door, having been contracted to IMPACT Wrestling at the time of her AEW All Out appearance. The former Emma remained with the Anthem-helmed promotion until very recently, holding the Knockouts World Tag Team Championships alongside Madison Rayne this year.
Dashwood was a solid asset to the Knockouts division during her time there, confirming her departure on 21 August. She last wrestled Masha Slamovich on their 14 July AXS TV broadcast, with a jump back to WWE now expected. Boyfriend Madcap Moss has already teased her return to the promotion she last wrestled for in 2017.
Ivelisse
Things were going so well for Ivelisse. ‘The Huntress’ was a top indie star at the time of her signing with AEW and was soon paired with Diamante, winning the Women’s Tag Team Cup alongside her. The pair were regularly featured across AEW’s YouTube programming until Ivelisse was cut from AEW in April 2021.
Reports of legitimate issues with Thunder Rosa seemingly led to her being let go, with the pair wrestling an awkward affair in late 2020. She’s now once again featured heavily in SHINE Wrestling, where she began her record fourth reign as SHINE Champion in December 2021. At the time of writing, ‘La Sicaria’ hasn’t competed since June.
Bea Priestley
Though officially signed to AEW ahead of her Casino Battle Royale appearance, Bea Priestley did little of note before being released in August 2020, outside of a Full Gear 2019 loss to Britt Baker. Her regularity in leading joshi promotion STARDOM was likely the reason for her part-time AEW performances.
Leaving both STARDOM and NJPW, where she was associated with Will Ospreay’s United Empire, in the spring of 2021, Bea Priestley signed on with WWE’s NXT UK brand under the guise of Blair Davenport. The one-time World of STARDOM Champion has since been promoted to the NXT 2.0 brand, owing to NXT UK’s closure, and will compete on this Sunday’s Worlds Collide event.
Brandi Rhodes
Outside of her work as the then-Chief Brand Officer of AEW, Brandi Rhodes also wrestled a number of contests for AEW, though these were rarely on Dynamite. An infamous alliance with The Nightmare Collective soured many fans’ perceptions of Brandi and she failed to rebuild her reputation.
Rhodes last wrestled for AEW during the 26 January tapings of Dark: Elevation, defeating KiLynn King, with her and Cody Rhodes’ departure from the company coming that February. Brandi is yet to make an appearance on WWE programming following her husband’s in-ring return at WrestleMania 38, though she recently wrestled a behind-closed-doors match at the Performance Center.
Awesome Kong
A legendary performer, Awesome Kong was one of AEW’s first shock signings, being added to an established three-way at the 2019 Double or Nothing. She, too, was featured in The Nightmare Collective stable, though she wrestled just three matches during her post-All Out career. Her bout with Skyler Moore on the 7 January 2020 Dark was, in turn, her retirement bout.
Kong was let go from AEW last summer, subsequently announcing her retirement from professional wrestling in August 2021 at the NWA’s all-women’s EmPowerrr pay-per-view. Awesome Kong has since been inducted into the IMPACT Hall of Fame, where she stands as the second female inductee behind her acclaimed IMPACT rival Gail Kim.
Allie
Now going by The Bunny, the former Allie has endured a tumultuous AEW career that hasn’t seen her reach quite the success she had in IMPACT Wrestling. Nonetheless, a partnership with Brandi Rhodes helped her remain prominent throughout the pandemic era, reaching the finals of the Women’s Tag Team Cup.
The Bunny now stands as an intrepid asset in AEW’s women’s division, being a reliant hand whenever a spot needs filling. Heralded performances of hers include her great performance vs. a debuting Toni Storm, alongside a critically-acclaimed Street Fight on a New Year’s Eve broadcast of AEW Rampage vs. TayJay.
Nicole Savoy
Celebrated as one of the most underrated talents of her time, Nicole Savoy earned herself the moniker of ‘The Queen of Suplexes’ for her array of suplex variants. She returned to AEW for only two further matches, taking on the name of Lil Swole and tagging with Big Swole, reaching the finals of 2020’s Women’s Tag Team Cup.
Outside of AEW, Nicole was a well-travelled performer, competing for a number of top independent promotions, including SHIMMER, AAW, and a pre-Tony Khan-owned ROH. She last wrestled on 14 May, teaming with the Dark Sheik in a loss to Brittany Wonder and Juiced Lee, before Nicole announced her retirement from professional wrestling.
Teal Piper
Teal Piper, the daughter of wrestling legend ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper, actually wrestled her debut match when she entered the women’s Casino Battle Royale. Piper didn’t look too shabby, all things considered, but she was far from the quality that was expectant of AEW in those early days.
The daughter of ‘The Hot Rod’ has since competed in just five contests across the Florida and Mississippi independent scenes, including a match opposite the IMPACT pairing of Tommy Dreamer and Alisha Edwards. It’s unknown as of now if Teal has any growing desire to make it big in the wrestling world.
ODB
A surprising participant in the Casino Battle Royale, ODB entered to a sizeable reaction, playing up to all her old mannerisms linked to her through her extensive body of work in IMPACT Wrestling. That’s where the four-time Knockouts World Champion has worked on and off since this appearance.
Last working on IMPACT’s February 2021 loop, ODB hasn’t competed since December in her return to the Wisconsin-based Great Lakes Championship Wrestling organisation. She’s been part-time in wrestling since her original run with IMPACT concluded in 2014, and now runs a food truck under the name of ODB’s Meat & Greet.
Jazz
Despite WWE’s best efforts to leave her legacy in the past, Jazz remains recognised as a pioneer for women’s wrestling, meaning her participation in the Casino Battle Royale brought with it an aura of gracefulness. She was believed to have retired in the autumn of 2020, as the pandemic effectively prohibited her planned retirement tour, but a run in IMPACT Wrestling continued her career.
‘The Fighting Female Phenom’ featured in IMPACT for a few months, tagging with Jordynne Grace in the Knockouts World Tag Team Championships Tournament, with a loss to Deonna Purrazzo in April 2021 ending her career in IMPACT. She’s competed just a handful of times since and was also brought in by Mickie James as a producer for NWA EmPowerrr last August.
Mercedes Martinez
You have to imagine AEW would have been after Mercedes Martinez following her All Out performance, given she was one of the top indie stars at the time. Ultimately, WWE got there first, signing ‘The OG Bada**’ a few months later. She didn’t find great success in the company, outside of a rivalry vs. Rhea Ripley, and was eventually cut from the company on 6 August.
Martinez has kept herself busy in the aftermath. She enjoyed a brief yet enjoyable run in IMPACT Wrestling last winter that saw her win the Knockouts Knockdown tournament, and is now officially signed to AEW. Mercedes returned to the promotion at the end of 2021, now holding the ROH Women’s World Championship after defeating Deonna Purrazzo to unify the official and interim titles.
Private Party
Had it not been for the influx of world-class talent to AEW’s locker room over the last three years, it’s incredibly likely that Private Party would still be at the top of the doubles division. Their early work was the epitome of the AEW style and a quarterfinal win over The Young Bucks in the inaugural World Tag Team Championships Tournament cemented them as a duo for fans to take seriously.
Comprised of Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy, the pair have been aligned with both Matt Hardy and Andrade El Idolo over the last year, and have amassed a total of four unsuccessful challenges for the AEW tag titles. AEW’s working agreement with IMPACT Wrestling also saw the duo embark on a short spell in Nashville in early 2020, where they wrestled for The Good Brothers’ doubles titles.
The Hybrid2
Much like Private Party, Angelico and Jack Evans were brought into All Elite Wrestling to fill out the tag team division, though they’ve not found the triumphs they were perhaps expecting. They challenged just once for the AEW World Tag Team Championships vs. FTR, but have otherwise been utilised whenever another tandem needed putting over.
Now disbanded following Jack Evans’ departure, Angelico has been left to fend for himself, remaining united with Private Party, The Butcher, and The Blade. Jack Evans, meanwhile, has returned to the independent scene, including a return to IMPACT Wrestling at their Emergence special. He challenged X Division Champion ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey in a well-received outing.
SoCal Uncensored
Although they rarely competed as an actual trio, SCU was a pillar of AEW’s tag team scene throughout its early history. Together, Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky were the company’s inaugural World Tag Team Champions, where they enjoyed contests with the vast majority of AEW pairings. SCU officially broke up in May 2021, though, with Kazarian and Christopher Daniels losing to The Young Bucks.
These days, Scorpio Sky is the only member prominently featured across company programming, being a two-time TNT Champion and, for a time, linked to Ethan Page, Dan Lambert, and American Top Team. Both Kazarian and Daniels rarely appear on mainstream AEW anymore, though they’ve both enjoyed fleeting returns to the IMPACT Zone; the former appeared as recently as Slammiversary.
Jurassic Express
Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus were the preeminent Jurassic Express pairing, as proven by their close bond and 2022 title victory over The Lucha Bros, but Marko Stunt was their third man for a period of time. ‘Mr Fun Size’ always brought something different to the table that made the trio stand out. Stunt was, however, let go from the company in a series of releases earlier this year.
The former AEW World Tag Team Champions are now back on the same page following a short-lived time on the dark side for Luchasaurus, where he served as Christian Cage’s henchman. As Jungle Boy’s popularity as a singles performer continues to grow, particularly with a potentially career-defining match vs. ‘The Instant Classic’ ahead of him, there may be a time limit on how long Jurassic Express lasts.
PAC
Frustrated with his run in WWE, PAC resurfaced with a rejuvenated attitude to pro wrestling. ‘The Bastard’ brought this demeanour to All Elite Wrestling, performing as, well, a bastard. He’s dangerously innovative, as proven in renowned bouts vs. Orange Cassidy, Wheeler YUTA, and Kenny Omega, the latter of whom wrestled an incredible Iron Man match with the former Neville ahead of Revolution 2020.
A months-long hiatus from AEW caused by the pandemic ended when PAC returned in late 2020. Now officially affiliated with The Lucha Bros in the beloved Death Triangle, PAC currently stands in AEW as the inaugural All Atlantic Champion. He’s thus far defended the title overseas in England and Ireland, cementing the championship’s name, and is now set for a title feud vs. Kip Sabian.
Kenny Omega
It almost doesn’t need to be stated the heights Kenny Omega has reached since All Out 2019. ‘The Best Bout Machine’ has wrestled a never-ending batch of seminal, ground-breaking contests against the likes of Jon Moxley, PAC, ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, The Young Bucks, and numerous others throughout his runs as both AEW World and World Tag Team Champion. The latter of those has been deemed one of – if not the – greatest tag team bout ever.
Omega is now back on AEW screens after returning on the 17 August Dynamite broadcast, reuniting with the Bucks to enter the first AEW World Trios Championships tournament. Prior to this, he hadn’t been seen since November 2021’s Full Gear, dropping the World Championship to Adam Page, and subsequently taking an extended period of time away from wrestling to rehab a litany of injuries.
Jimmy Havoc
Jimmy Havoc was a surprising addition to the full-time AEW talent pool. ‘The King of the Goths’ was a huge deal within the British wrestling scene at the time of his signing, but this didn’t necessarily transpire across to a mainstream organisation, which is perhaps what led to his inescapable efforts to reach above the mid-card scene.
His pairing with Kip Sabian in The Superbad Death Squad was his biggest claim to fame, with the duo going as far as facing Kenny Omega and Adam Page for the AEW World Tag Team Championships. This, ultimately, was one of his last AEW matches before he was released from AEW in the summer of 2020, amidst allegations against him in the #SpeakingOut movement. He’s not wrestled since.
Darby Allin
At just 29-years-old, Darby Allin is hailed as a pillar of AEW for all that he’s done for the promotion. Allin’s early success came through generational performances against the likes of Chris Jericho, Cody Rhodes, and Jon Moxley; all three are pivotal adversaries for the continuous success of Darby’s career.
Now in a pairing with Sting, Darby Allin is at loggerheads with The House of Black, remaining a top name in AEW after his legendary TNT Championship run that saw a steady rise in AEW’s ratings, as viewership increased for the majority of his defences. The TNT Championship was perfect for someone like him, and he proved he was worthy of the accolade throughout his weekly title matches.
Joey Janela
Unlike the vast majority of his AEW colleagues, Joey Janela maintained a busy schedule on the independent scene while wrestling for All Elite Wrestling. ‘The Bad Boy’ was wrestling regularly all around the independent scene and at the same time, producing a great body of work in the Tony Khan-helmed promotion, including a wonderful Lights Out match vs. Kenny Omega on the second broadcast of Dark.
Janela is now gone from AEW entirely following a cherished tag team with Sonny Kiss, with noted issues between him and the AEW management team. He’s now back wrestling solely on the indies as a GCW regular and also embarked on a short Australia tour with the World Series Wrestling promotion. As of this publication, Joey is wrestling in Japan, having debuted for DDT Pro-Wrestling on 14 August.
The Dark Order
It’s unnatural looking back on the original run of Evil Uno and Stu Grayson in AEW. They were the exact opposite of what needed to get off the ground, yet they worked everything that was sent their way and came out the other end. Eventually flanked by a whole host of additional Dark Order members, Uno and Grayson were eventually celebrated within AEW, challenging for both the AEW and IMPACT World Tag Team Championships.
Their popularity aside, the faction has seen a decline in where they stand on the AEW pedestal, with Stu Grayson even leaving AEW for pastures new at the end of April. With Uno now without his tag team partner of over a decade, he’s split his responsibilities between wrestling and representing AEW Games, having not wrestled on Dynamite or Rampage since the latter’s 20 May edition.
Best Friends
A formidable tandem on the independent scene, Best Friends have been portrayed as the nearly team in All Elite Wrestling. They’re yet to win the AEW World Tag Team Championships, despite their immense popularity but alas, Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta remain a top tandem. A five-star rated Parking Lot Fight vs. Ortiz and Santana was an early highlight for the pair in the promotion
The pair remain in the company to this day, though like The Dark Order, they’re standing has lowered with the duo – and additional Best Friends allies – typically being confined to AEW’s YouTube programming. Paired with Orange Cassidy, Taylor and Beretta were featured in the World Trios Championships tournament as they advanced past the quarterfinals by defeating The Trustbusters.
Riho
Promises of a joshi focus within AEW’s women’s division were met when Riho wrestled Hikaru Shida at All Out 2019, though the standard of the wrestling style hasn’t always matched that of the respective all-women’s Japanese promotions. She became the inaugural AEW Women’s World Champion on the company’s maiden voyage of Dynamite, holding the strap for 133 days.
These days, Riho splits her time between AEW and Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling, returning to the latter on 9 July at their Summer Sun Princess card after spending eight months in the former. Her latest AEW match as of this writing was on 27 May for the 28 May broadcasted Dark episode, tagging with Yuka Sakazaki and Skye Blue against Diamante, Nyla Rose, and Emi Sakura.
Hikaru Shida
Dissimilar to Riho, Hikaru Shida has more or less been exclusive to AEW since she began appearing for the organisation. Shida won the Women’s World Championship in just her second attempt, downing Nyla Rose at Double or Nothing 2020 and embarking on the championship’s longest reign to date at 372 days. ‘The Heavy Metal Champion’ saw off challenges from nearly everyone during this time until losing to Britt Baker a year later.
She’s remained a key aspect of AEW’s women’s division, rekindling her feud with Nyla Rose in last year’s TBS Championship tournament and, this year, producing some stellar work vs. Serena Deeb. Hikaru Shida has also returned to her native Japan, doing so on 19 March for a TJPW card, marking her first contest in Japan since October 2019.
Cody
Although he proved divisive towards the end of his AEW run, Cody (Rhodes) was pivotal to AEW’s success. Early hits post-All Out vs. Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, MJF, and Wardlow showed how superb ‘The American Nightmare’ could be, while his seminal work in the early history of the TNT Championship instantly established the title as much more than your average secondary championship.
He shockingly departed All Elite Wrestling this past February, wrestling his final match for the company on the January Beach Break special of Dynamite in a five-star Ladder match vs. Guevara. Rhodes is now back with WWE, returning in magnificent fashion on night one of WrestleMania 38. Currently out injured, Cody was on his way to being a main event-level WWE Superstar through his work vs. Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins.
Shawn Spears
It’s difficult to figure out how AEW responds to Shawn Spears’ work. ‘The Chairman’ can be a featured act for a matter of weeks before then disappearing from television in the snap of a finger. His early storyline trying to find the perfect tag team partner did little to help him, as did an abysmal Double or Nothing 2020 outing vs. Dustin Rhodes; it was a dud on an otherwise perfect pandemic era pay-per-view.
The former Tye Dillinger hasn’t wrestled since his 25 May Steel Cage match vs. Wardlow, with MJF’s sabbatical effectively halting Spears’ push as well. It’s unknown when he’ll return to the organisation, though with rumours swirling of ‘The Salt of the Earth’ making a comeback during All Out 2022 week, perhaps we’ll soon see the chair-swinging Shawn Spears back too.
The Lucha Bros
As is the case wherever they compete, The Lucha Bros have been used exactly as they should be throughout their AEW stint. A distinguished tag team, Penta Oscuro and Rey Fenix have been granted the ability to display this on a regular basis, achieving three separate five-star matches vs. The Young Bucks alone. That includes their spectacular Escalera de la Muerte bout from All Out 2019.
Alongside respective singles runs in AEW that included Fenix’s unbelievable World Championship clash vs. Kenny Omega, the former IMPACT stars are one-time AEW World Tag Team Champions, winning the straps from the Jackson brothers in another well-received All Out contest in 2021. Now, they’re aligned with AEW All Atlantic Champion PAC in the Death Triangle stable.
The Young Bucks
The reception to The Young Bucks has changed as AEW has progressed. At first, the once-in-a-lifetime tag team used their power within the company to put over rising stars, such as Private Party and Proud’n’Powerful. As time went on, though, the Bucks became more dominating, enjoying a near-year-long reign as AEW World Tag Team Champions in a run that saw a plethora of must-see contests.
Ahead of All Out 2022, the two-time AEW doubles champions are favourites to win the inaugural AEW World Trios Championships. Alongside Kenny Omega, they’ll enter the finals of the tournament at the 2022 All Out event, where they’ll face either Best Friends or The Dark Order to crown All Elite Wrestling’s first three-man champions..
Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho has had many, many career-defining moments. All Out 2019 was one of them, as not only did he lift the AEW World Championship, but he debuted his acclaimed ‘A little bit of the bubbly!‘ line. ‘Le Champion’ had an impeccable reign that benefitted from his Inner Circle faction, who were part of both Stadium Stampede matches, thus crafting some of AEW’s most memorable moments.
Jericho now leads The Jericho Appreciation Society and is a continuous genius of evolution. ‘The Wizard’ doesn’t sit on gimmicks for too long, allowing them to peak before he moves onto something else or, in a recent case, harks back to a character of old, as evidenced when he brought back the Lionheart persona for an AEW World Championship clash with Jon Moxley. He’s a revolutionary talent in every aspect.
Adam Page
Arguably AEW’s biggest success story, ‘Hangman’ Adam Page’s career has changed drastically since All Out 2019. He went from being the funny man of The Elite to the top guy in the company within a matter of years, reaching the pinnacle when he toppled Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship at Full Gear 2021 – the Full Gear after Omega himself had pinned Page to earn his own title opportunity.
Page’s popularity hasn’t really died down either. Even when paired against polarising AEW roster members throughout his reign, such as Bryan Danielson and his ultimate successor CM Punk, AEW audiences still couldn’t get enough of ‘The Millenial Cowboy’; the same goes for when he entered Forbidden Door’s IWGP World Heavyweight Championship contest. He himself is now a polarising AEW star.
Fans can watch AEW All Out via Bleacher Report (United States only) and Fite TV on 4 September.