AEW All Out 2023 HOT TAKE
Chicago's historic United Center sets the scene for AEW All Out 2023. Be part of the adrenaline-pumping event and catch every moment live on FITE!
Chicago has lived, survived and somehow thrived through amazing events and horrific tragedies alike. From the great fire that nearly decimated the city to the rise of the mafia to the rise of Navy Pier to the 1906 World Series when two Chicago teams faced off against each other, the city has been one of great pride and great resilience.
So it's only fitting that this Sunday, All Elite Wrestling will emanates from The United Center on Madison Street in Chicago, an arena that has hosted countless memories from AEW and beyond within its walls This week, it will present a proud AEW roster, a collection of amazing athletes and fierce competitors who returns from London, England.
What do you do when you conquer the UK? What do you do when you've fought in front of 90,000 fans? What do you do after taking part in one of the biggest moments in professional wrestling history? You go ALL OUT, live on FITE for international viewers across the globe.
AEW is no stranger to controversy and as usual, its competitors dive right back into the maelstrom, staring down the chaos effect as all roads lead to The Second City and these fierce main event matches as yet another chapter of All Elite excellence will be carved into the time capsule with blood, sweat and tears as these fighters compete to prove they are at the pinnacle of their career, live on FITE
AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Out of every proud AEW Champion, perhaps the most versatile is the one who speaks softest, the reigning International Champion Orange Cassidy. The beloved slacker steps into Chicago with renewed energy, despite the insane schedule that has seen him beaten and battered in recent championship defenses.
Perhaps the most brutal beating took place last week at Wembley Stadium during the All In: London Stadium Stampede, where Cassidy was bludgeoned and bloodied by his challenger at All Out, Jon Moxley. The former AEW World Champion has made it clear he wants the International title, but on this week's Dynamite on AEW+, Cassidy made it clear he's not going to let anyone run through him and all that he's accomplished. Yes, Cassidy, who often appears to be the least amount needed to accomplish his victory is ready to charge into war this Sunday in Chicago.
While Cassidy has been one of the most successful Champions in AEW's history, a win over Jon Moxley, one of the most dangerous competitors in the promotion, would ascend him to yet another level of greatness, an accomplishment that would undoubtedly be carried in his backpack to the next AEW event. To do so, however, means upending one of the grittiest, most fearsome brawlers who has ever lived….
ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
AEW All In: London featured one of the most emotional main events in the history of All Elite Wrestling, one that saw AEW World Champion MJF and his challenger Adam Cole endure a grueling championship bout that saw these unlikely best friends take the fight to each other and break all the rules in order to achieve victory, yet somehow emerge beaten and bruised, yet even more bonded than ever before. The heat of battle, the lust for gold, somehow, none of that shattered their relationship, even with MJF retaining the championship, breaking Cole's heart in the process.
Just one week later, they once again step inside the squared circle live on FITE for international viewers, defending their newly won ROH World Tag Team Championships against The Dark Order's Alex Reynolds and John Silver. Having captured the title shot on AEW Rampage, that victory springboards the New York City natives to their biggest chance inside an AEW ring in a long time, providing them a chance to truly shock the world by defeating two of the best singles wrestlers in the world today in one fell swoop.
There are a lot of unanswered questions coming out of London when it comes to the champions. Are they truly still on solid ground? Has the attempted interference of Roderick Strong started to come between Cole and MJF? Will Cole be able to actually be able to compartmentalize that he lost in London? Will MJF be able to put his own arrogance and paranoia aside to maintain tag team excellence?
Reynolds and Silver have captured many, many Tag Team Championships across the United States and beyond, but could Chicago end up being the site of their greatest victory to date? Will Dark Order rise up to shadow over and fragment MJF and Adam Cole once and for all? Or, will the ROH Tag Team Champions' legendary double clothesline mean yet another big victory for the most unlikely AEW tandem of all time? FITE viewers across the globe will witness this live as it happens!i
OMEGA FACES HIS PAST
It has been a harsh few months for AEW's loyalist Kenny Omega. The former AEW World Champion has dealt with emotional and physical punishment pushing him to the edge of destruction, having been betrayed by his lifelong confidante Don Callis and numerous attacks and disrespect by Japanese star Konosuke Takeshita, who seeks to make his own international reputation at the expense of "The Cleaner."
Perhaps the most embarrassing moment for Omega wasn't being attacked backstage at Triplemania XXXI: Mexico City or being slandered by Callis, but by being pinned at All In: London during a six man tag team war when Takeshita used the momentum of Omega's own V-Trigger, rolling him up and hooking the tights. The master of main events at the Tokyo Dome was pinned in the center of the ring before the largest contingent of fans to ever attend an AEW event. Omega was embarrassed before 90,000 of his fans.
Takeshita soon issued the challenge for a singles match in Chicago at All Out 2023, looking to put down Omega once and for all, and should he accomplish that, Konosuke can punch his ticket anywhere in the world as one of the best professional wrestlers of this era. The error Takeshita and Don Callis may have committed, however, was giving Omega a week to stew and strategize, because Omega has proven with wars against Chris Jericho, Kazuchika Okada, Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi, among others, that Omega can morph into the competitor needed to defeat the best in the world, so imagine what he will bring to FITE fans live this Sunday when he's had a week to prepare to go to war…
EIGHT MAN TAG TEAM MAYHEM!
Last week in London, AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR went to war with the most Elite tag team in the world, Nick and Matt Jackson, taking their rivalry to the next level with one of the most celebrated tag team battles in All Elite Wrestling history. While these explosive duos have never been on the same page and still seek to prove their supremacy as World Tag Team Champions, they find themselves in uncharted territory as they charge into Chicago's United Center this Sunday on FITE - tag team partners.
This past week on AEW+, FTR and The Bucks faced off to settle The Bucks' apparent disrespect towards the reigning champions in London, but before anything could get settled, Bullet Club Gold appeared with Jay White leading the charge, verbally attacking and knocking all four world class competitors.
With White, Juice Robinson and The Gunns obviously looking for a fight, FTR and The Bucks were happy to oblige, but how will two of the proudest teams in AEW history co-exist just days after going to war with each other? Have The Bullet Club made themselves targets for The Young Bucks and FTR to take their frustrations out on, or will they end up being the catalyst that spiral the Tag Team Championships even deeper into the abyss?
ROH WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
On a good day, Samoa Joe is looking for a fight. This week, after suffering a pinfall loss to CM Punk at All In: London, the star of Twisted Metal is going to be scraping to beat the living hell out of a hapless opponent, seeking to use the Muscle Buster and the Coquina Clutch to reassure the world that not only is the king of television not dead, but his reign of terror will live forever.
This Sunday at All Out, Joe will have anything but an easy opponent. Shane Taylor, one of the most hard-hitting competitors to ever hail from the Lone Star State, is a former ROH World Television Champion himself, one who has fought through a grueling tournament to ascend back to championship form. If there is one competitor who will be more than willing and able to throw down with Samoa Joe with strikes and massive offensive maneuvers, it's going to be Shane Taylor.
The major factor here will be which of these in-ring kaiju will make the first error, because these competitors are both renowned for their ability to break down the physical and emotional will of their opponents. The first opening that they can use to their advantage may tell the tale of which of these legendarily bad-ass competitors walk out with the prestigious World Television Champion live on FITE this Sunday evening!
TNT CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN
If there is one competitor who truly lives for the AEW faithful, it's Darby Allin, who has talked on record endlessly about what the promotion means to him, how it has saved his wife and how he will battle to his last breath in honor of All Elite Wrestling. The former TNT Champion has earned his chance to regain the title that he helped put on the mat when he steps into the ring with Christian Cage's unrelenting Luchasaurus.
Allin is willing to absorb inside amounts of punishment and charge into battle with infinite fearlessness in order to achieve victory and he'll need all of that and more while going to war against the massively powerful and destructive Luchasaurus, who has morphed into his more evil form since coming under the sway of Christian Cage.
International FITE fans will see a battle for the heart and soul of the TNT Championship this Sunday as Sting's partner, Darby Allin once again seeks to shock and awe the world en route to ultimate victory.
TBS CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE LINE
Since returning from injury to All Elite Wrestling and shocking Jade Cargill by ending her TBS title reign and undefeated streak in one fell swoop, Kris Statlander has remained one of the most beloved competitors inside the ring and behind the scenes within AEW. This Sunday at All Out, Statlander will have to bring everything that she's learned crisscrossing the galaxies of professional wrestling to successfully retain her championship against Ruby Soho.
Soho, one of the most gifted in-ring technical wrestlers in the world, has become more and more embittered the longer her AEW tenure has become. Falling in with The Outcasts, Soho has seen her riotous acts become more and more outrageous and disrespectful, even stealing the TBS Championship belt from Statlander this past week.
While emotions flare, the crux of this battle remains: which of these intense and talented competitors will out-last the other and emerge champion - and what will the next chapter for this coveted championship mean for the victor?
INTERNATIONAL DREAM MATCH!
There are rivalries that live on forever in infamy in professional wrestling: Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk, Tommy Rich vs. Buzz Sawyer, Tommy Dreamer vs. Raven. For fans living in the 21st century, they have their own: Eddie Kingson vs. Claudio Castagnoli. From their formative days competing in the now-defunct CHIKARA promotion to today in All Elite Wrestling, these two very different, very driven, very dangerous fighters continue to collide, their egos and attitudes exploding like dynamite and this Sunday in Chicago, they once again charge into battle as part of an incredible international dream tag team encounter.
Kingston, the reigning New Japan Strong Openweight Champion returns from a valiant effort in the G1 Climax tournament to team with the legendary ROH Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata to battle The Blackpool Combat Club's ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli and former two-time ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta. While respect is a cornerstone of Ring of Honor history, that will be cast aside here in a tag team war where each side is seeking to take the other down once and for all.
Yuta wants to prove the ROH Pure Division should be his to command once again. Shibata is seeking to retain his dominance as his career continues to ascend back to greatness. Kingston and Claudio just want to tear each other apart and put the other out of competition forever. All of these combustible elements means The Windy City could soon be torn asunder under the weight and might of true, unbridled hatred, live on FITE.
POWER VS. INTENSITY
Can the Book of Hobbs be redeemed or will The Redeemer find himself being humbled at the hands of Powerhouse Hobbs?
That is the question that will be answered as two of the most dangerous, devious and hard-hitting fighters in AEW go to war to prove to themselves and the world at large which of them is the badder man.
It's that simple.
Miro wants to break Hobbs. Hobbs wants to smash Miro. Anyone caught in their periphery during the battle is likely doomed. Pray for the official assigned to this clash.
FITE fans always want to know who's the baddest man in the world. The answer to that story will be told, live and in living color, right before their eyes, as bruises form and welts raise until one defiant titan finally falls before the final boss, who will then charge forward, seeking new opponents to decimate.
Hobbs vs. Miro for the first time, live for FITE International fans this Sunday!
This Sunday, the always insane, always controversial AEW raises the curtain on the next chapter of their patented combat sports greatness. Given how tumultuous and mind-blowing the summer of 2023 has been for All Elite Wrestling this year, there is no predicting what twists and turns everyone will experience at All Out or beyond. The only way to truly experience the explosive madness of AEW and its elite athletes is to grab your FITE devices, hold on tight and witness All Out for yourself!
Mike Johnson is the lead reporter for PWInsider.com and has been writing about professional wrestling since 1996. He can be found on Twitter @MikePWInsider and MikeJohnsonWrites.com.