WRESTLEFILE EVENT FILE

All Out 2021: AEW's Roster Revolution Becomes an All-Time Pay-Per-View

The factual record, historical context, match-by-match analysis, and WrestleFile verdict.

AEWSeptember 5, 2021Now Arena
THE WRESTLEGRADEA9.4 / 10FINAL EVENT SCOREMASTER FILE RANK#29OF 1288
PROMOTION
AEW
DATE
September 5, 2021
VENUE
Now Arena
LOCATION
Hoffman Estates, Illinois
ATTENDANCE
10,126
EVENT TYPE
PPV
THE FILE

All Out 2021 is the night AEW's pandemic survival turns into expansion. The show has an all-time tag-team cage match, CM Punk's first professional wrestling bout in seven years, several strong championship defenses and a Chicago-area crowd treating the entire card like a breakthrough. Then the post-main-event angle adds Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson to a roster that already feels transformed.

Read the Full FileContinue the event-level analysis

Paul Wight versus QT Marshall is disposable and the battle royal is more functional than great, but those dips barely slow an event with exceptional peaks, enormous atmosphere and historical consequence. This is AEW operating with maximum momentum.

Event ContextBackground, stakes & historical setting

All Out was AEW's first pay-per-view outside Daily's Place since the start of the pandemic, and the change in setting feels symbolic. The Now Arena crowd in the Chicago market arrives with unusual anticipation because CM Punk has already returned to wrestling and is scheduled for his first match since 2014. That alone could have carried a major event. Instead, AEW surrounds the comeback with meaningful title matches, roster debuts and one of the promotion's most celebrated tag-team rivalries reaching a violent peak.

Miro opens the main card against Eddie Kingston, Jon Moxley faces Satoshi Kojima, and Britt Baker defends against Kris Statlander. The Young Bucks and Lucha Brothers then enter a steel cage with the tag titles at stake, giving a long-running rivalry the stipulation and championship payoff it deserves. Ruby Soho debuts by winning the Casino Battle Royale, Chris Jericho puts his in-ring career on the line against MJF, and Punk finally wrestles Darby Allin. Omega and Christian Cage provide a strong world-title main event, but the night is not finished when the bell rings: Adam Cole appears before Bryan Danielson debuts to oppose the Elite. The closing stretch makes the roster feel bigger in real time.

VIEWING GUIDE

Watch, Skim or Skip?

WATCH
  • Miro (c) defeated Eddie Kingston
  • Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (c) (with Jamie Hayter and Rebel) defeated Kris Statlander (with Orange Cassidy)
  • Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fénix) (with Alex Abrahantes) defeated The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (c) (with Brandon Cutler) - Steel Cage match for the AEW World Tag Team Championship
  • CM Punk defeated Darby Allin
  • Kenny Omega (c) (with Don Callis) defeated Christian Cage
SKIM
  • Best Friends (Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, and Wheeler Yuta) and Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus) (with Marko Stunt) defeated Hardy Family Office (Matt Hardy), Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen), and The Hybrid 2 (Angélico and Jack Evans) (with The Blade)
  • Jon Moxley defeated Satoshi Kojima
  • Ruby Soho won by last eliminating Thunder Rosa - 21-woman Casino Battle Royale for a AEW Women's World Championship match
  • Chris Jericho defeated MJF
SKIP
  • Paul Wight defeated Q. T. Marshall (with Aaron Solo and Nick Comoroto)
MATCH-BY-MATCH ANALYSIS

The Card, On the Record

01Best Friends (Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, and Wheeler Yuta) and Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus) (with Marko Stunt) defeated Hardy Family Office (Matt Hardy), Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen), and The Hybrid 2 (Angélico and Jack Evans) (with The Blade)C

Jungle Boy made Angelico submit to the Snare Trap, securing a ten-man Buy-In win for his Jurassic Express and Best Friends alliance over Matt Hardy's group. Luchasaurus had opened space for the winners with a flurry of big-man offense before Private Party and TH2 rallied against Wheeler Yuta. Orange Cassidy interrupted a potential finish on Yuta, but Hardy answered with a Twist of Fate, leaving Jungle Boy to find the deciding submission after climbing onto Luchasaurus' shoulders. The postmatch attack on Cassidy involved the returning Butcher and Hardy Family Office; it did not alter the recorded result. The pre-show bout combined five-versus-five tag structure with a single clear finishing submission, rather than a title match or an uncredited elimination.

VERDICT

Jungle Boy submits Angelico in the Snare Trap for the ten-man Buy-In victory; Butcher's return occurs after the bell.

02Miro (c) defeated Eddie KingstonB+
WRESTLER FILES

Miro pinned Eddie Kingston after an unseen low blow and a high kick, retaining the AEW TNT Championship despite a challenger who repeatedly came close to dislodging him. Kingston focused on the champion's neck with suplexes and found a spinning backfist and DDT for a near fall. Miro applied the Game Over hold, but Kingston broke the submission by reaching the ropes, denying the champion his usual ending. The loosened turnbuckle pad became part of their late struggle before Miro resorted to the foul shot that the official missed. The match's identity lies in Kingston surviving Miro's hold and forcing a compromised pinfall, not in an uncomplicated domination or a recognized submission victory.

VERDICT

Miro uses an unseen low blow before kicking Eddie Kingston for the pin, retaining the TNT belt through controversy.

03Jon Moxley defeated Satoshi KojimaB
WRESTLER FILES

Jon Moxley pinned Satoshi Kojima after delivering a second Paradigm Shift in their non-title cross-promotional encounter. Kojima answered Moxley's early strikes with rapid corner chops and threatened his familiar lariat, but Moxley ducked it and survived both a brainbuster and Koji Cutter. The challenger briefly escaped a rear naked choke by reaching the ropes, extending a match built around hard forearms and repeated counters. Only the back-to-back Paradigm Shifts ended the contest. Minoru Suzuki then confronted and attacked Moxley after the bell, applying a choke and a piledriver; Suzuki's appearance advanced the international rivalry without making him an opponent in the recorded singles match.

VERDICT

Moxley pins Kojima after a second Paradigm Shift in their NJPW crossover match; Minoru Suzuki confronts him afterward.

04Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (c) (with Jamie Hayter and Rebel) defeated Kris Statlander (with Orange Cassidy)B+

Britt Baker made Kris Statlander submit to Lockjaw after landing a Pittsburgh Sunrise and curb stomp, preserving the AEW Women's World Championship in a defense that tested the champion far more than an ordinary ringside-heavy win. Statlander answered Baker's shoulder attack with a Falcon Arrow and scissors kick near falls, and she escaped enough of the champion's early control to attempt a moonsault. Baker moved away, then used the ring steps to attack Statlander on the floor before resuming the offense inside. Jamie Hayter and Rebel accompanied Baker, while Orange Cassidy encouraged Statlander, but the finishing submission belonged to the two legal wrestlers. The title did not change hands and the decisive result was a tapout, not a pinfall.

VERDICT

Britt Baker forces Kris Statlander to tap to Lockjaw after a Pittsburgh Sunrise, preserving the women's world title.

05Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fénix) (with Alex Abrahantes) defeated The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (c) (with Brandon Cutler) - Steel Cage match for the AEW World Tag Team ChampionshipA+

Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix won the AEW World Tag Team Championship when they pinned Nick Jackson after Rey's dive from the top of the steel cage and their finishing combination. The Young Bucks had nearly retained through a brutal sequence involving a thumbtack-covered sneaker smuggled in by Brandon Cutler, but Penta shielded his brother from the attack and survived the following BTE Trigger. The challengers rallied with an avalanche Canadian Destroyer and a cage-top crossbody before catching Nick in the last exchange. The Bucks' attempt to tear away the Lucha Brothers' masks added another personal turn to a match already defined by the cage and title stakes. The important outcome was a legal pin and an actual change of champions, with Cutler and Alex Abrahantes outside the sanctioned tag pairing.

VERDICT

The Lucha Brothers pin Nick Jackson after Rey Fénix's cage-top dive, ending the Young Bucks' tag-title reign.

06Ruby Soho won by last eliminating Thunder Rosa - 21-woman Casino Battle Royale for a AEW Women's World Championship matchC+

Ruby Soho earned a future AEW Women's World Championship match by last eliminating Thunder Rosa from the Casino Battle Royale in her surprise debut. Rosa had already sent Nyla Rose to the floor to establish the final duel, but Soho survived a dangerous exchange on the apron and knocked Rosa off with a head kick. Jade Cargill and Jamie Hayter were among the earlier eliminations as the 21-person field narrowed, making the late arrival of the mystery Joker central to the result. This was an over-the-top-rope battle royal, not a pinfall or submission, and the prize was a future title opportunity rather than the championship itself. The final elimination immediately gave Soho a credible challenger role against Britt Baker.

VERDICT

Debuting Ruby Soho eliminates Thunder Rosa last to win a future women's world-title opportunity, not the belt itself.

07Chris Jericho defeated MJFB-
WRESTLER FILES

Chris Jericho made MJF submit to the Liontamer, preserving his right to continue wrestling in AEW after an extended singles feud reached a career-stakes confrontation. MJF tried to target Jericho's arm and nearly won with the Heat Seeker, while Jericho survived long enough to land an apron powerbomb and search for the Judas Effect. MJF dodged that strike and applied the Salt of the Earth armbar, but Jericho reversed the position into the decisive hold. The match's condition is essential to the result: had Jericho lost, the announced stipulation would have forced him out of AEW competition. The Inner Circle's celebration came after the submission, not as outside assistance in the finish.

VERDICT

After the referee restarts MJF's apparent victory over a missed rope break, Jericho makes him submit to the Liontamer.

08CM Punk defeated Darby AllinB+
WRESTLER FILES

CM Punk pinned Darby Allin with the Go to Sleep in his first wrestling match in seven years, finishing a contest that deliberately contrasted Punk's methodical control with Allin's willingness to take risks. Allin threatened a victory with a Code Red and a top-rope senton, while Punk's earlier GTS sent Allin out through the ropes rather than resulting in a cover. Punk later evaded the Coffin Drop and caught a poison rana attempt before finally connecting with the finishing knee. Sting had accompanied Allin to the entrance but left them to compete without his interference. Afterward, Punk and Allin shook hands, underscoring that the outcome was a respectful singles return rather than a rivalry decided by outside involvement.

VERDICT

CM Punk counters Darby Allin's attack into a Go to Sleep for the pin in his first match after seven years away.

09Paul Wight defeated Q. T. Marshall (with Aaron Solo and Nick Comoroto)F
WRESTLER FILES

Paul Wight pinned QT Marshall after a chokeslam to win a very short non-title singles contest. Marshall's Factory partners Aaron Solo and Nick Comoroto rushed Wight early, only to be thrown aside, leaving the match to turn on a brief sequence of strikes and counters. Marshall targeted Wight's hip and attempted the Diamond Cutter, but the larger man had that move scouted and caught Marshall coming from the ropes before putting him down. The simplicity was part of the event's pacing: it served as a quick reset between Punk's return match and the AEW world-title main event. The Factory presence created an opening distraction, not an alternate winner or a longer three-on-one sanctioned match.

VERDICT

Paul Wight catches QT Marshall off the ropes and pins him after a chokeslam; the Factory attack never alters the finish.

10Kenny Omega (c) (with Don Callis) defeated Christian CageB+

Kenny Omega pinned Christian Cage with an avalanche One-Winged Angel from the turnbuckles, retaining the AEW World Championship after the challenger had escaped a normal version of the move earlier. Christian drove Omega through a ringside table with a spear and later hit the Killswitch for a near fall even after the Good Brothers arrived, but the champion survived each opening. Omega answered with repeated snapdragon suplexes and V-Triggers before countering Christian's attempted avalanche Killswitch into the winning finisher. The Elite's postmatch attack brought Adam Cole into their group, then Bryan Danielson appeared to rescue Christian and Jurassic Express. Those separate debuts became the event's defining aftermath, but Omega's championship defense had already been decided by the pinfall.

VERDICT

Omega retains against Christian Cage with an avalanche One-Winged Angel; Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson debut afterward.

BOOKING VERDICTA

The event makes aggressive choices without losing clarity. Miro retains in a hard-fought opener, Baker survives Statlander, and the Lucha Brothers finally beat the Young Bucks for the tag titles in the night's best match. Jericho ends his losing streak against MJF under career-threatening stakes, while Punk's first match back is built to make Darby Allin credible even in defeat. Omega retaining against Christian keeps the world championship stable enough for the post-match angle to become the true final statement. Ruby Soho's immediate battle-royal win gives another debutant direction. The Wight-QT match is intentionally small and forgettable, but it is almost the only segment with no significant long-term upside.

CROWD & PRESENTATIONA+

The crowd is extraordinary and gives the event a scale that AEW had been unable to reproduce for more than a year. The cage match benefits from a reaction pattern that makes every escape attempt and major risk feel consequential. Punk's entrance and first bell carry the emotional weight of a genuine return rather than a normal roster debut. Even the main event, which follows several larger emotional peaks, retains enough energy to support the closing angle. Production keeps the major moments visually distinct: the steel cage feels dangerous, Punk's match is comparatively simple and intimate, and the final sequence is staged like a roster-changing reveal.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCEA+

Few AEW events have more obvious historical importance. CM Punk wrestles his first match in seven years, a comeback that dramatically expands mainstream attention around the promotion. The Lucha Brothers win the AEW World Tag Team Championship in a cage match that becomes one of the signature bouts of the company's early years. Ruby Soho debuts and wins immediately, while Minoru Suzuki appears after Jon Moxley's match and extends AEW's willingness to blur promotional boundaries.

The closing debuts of Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson make the event feel like a talent-acquisition landmark. In one night, AEW presents Punk as an active wrestler and adds two major stars at the end of the show, reinforcing the perception that the company has become a genuine destination rather than merely an alternative. The event also proves that excitement built during the Daily's Place period can transfer to a touring arena. Later roster changes cannot erase what the night represented in September 2021: AEW looked capable of growing faster than almost anyone expected.

WHAT AGED WELL
  • The Lucha Brothers and Young Bucks cage match remaining an AEW tag-team benchmark
  • CM Punk's first match back being presented with restraint instead of overbooking
  • The Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson closing debuts making the roster feel transformed in minutes
WHAT AGED POORLY
  • Paul Wight versus QT Marshall feeling like a television-level detour on an elite pay-per-view
  • The Casino Battle Royale functioning more as a debut vehicle than a memorable match
RESEARCH VERDICTWhere the Evidence Lands

All Out grades as an elite event because the show combines one genuinely exceptional match with several strong supporting bouts and historic moments that improve the live viewing experience. The cage match is enough to anchor a very good card, but Punk's return, the crowd atmosphere and the closing debuts turn the night into something larger. The weak Wight-QT segment and the merely serviceable battle royal prevent perfection, yet they occupy too little of the event to outweigh the highs. The result is one of AEW's clearest examples of match quality, booking momentum and historical timing all reinforcing one another.

RESEARCH SOURCESSources & Methodology
12 sources

These sources support the event record, historical context, critical reception, and streaming information used throughout this Event File.

  1. All Out (2021) - WikipediaEvent identity, card structure, business-context and historical-context corroboration.
  2. 7/28 AEW Dynamite results: Powell's live review of Fight For The Fallen with "The Painmaker" Chris Jericho vs. Nick Gage in a No DQ match, Adam Page and Dark Order vs. The Elite in an elimination match, FTR vs. Santana and Ortiz, Lance Archer vs. Hikuleo for the IWPG U.S. Championship - Pro Wrestling Dot NetEvent results, match-order and later editorial match-quality evidence.
  3. 8/11 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of Chris Jericho vs. Wardlow, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson vs. Evil Uno and Stu Grayson for the Impact Tag Team Titles, Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, and Nick Jackson vs. Matt Sydal, Mike Sydal, and Dante Martin, Nyla Rose vs. Kris Statlander - Pro Wrestling Dot NetEvent results, match-order and later editorial match-quality evidence.
  4. 8/13 AEW Rampage results: McGuire's live review of the premiere edition with Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage for the Impact World Championship, Britt Baker vs. Red Velvet for the AEW Women's Championship, Miro vs. Fuego Del Sol for the TNT Championship - Pro Wrestling Dot NetEvent results, match-order and later editorial match-quality evidence.
  5. 8/20 AEW Rampage results: McGuire's live review of CM Punk's returns to pro wrestling, Private Party vs. Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy in an AEW Tag Title Eliminator tournament match, Jon Moxley vs. Daniel Garcia, Jade Cargill vs. Kiera Hogan - Pro Wrestling Dot NetEvent results, match-order and later editorial match-quality evidence.
  6. 8/25 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of CM Punk's first appearance on AEW Dynamite, Varsity Blonds vs. Lucha Brothers in an AEW Tag Title Eliminator tournament match, Chris Jericho addresses his future, Jamie Hayter vs. Red Velvet, Orange Cassidy vs. Matt Hardy, Malakai Black vs. Brock Anderson - Pro Wrestling Dot NetEvent results, match-order and later editorial match-quality evidence.
  7. 8/27 AEW Rampage results: McGuire's live review of Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix vs. Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus in the AEW Tag Title eliminator tournament final, Kenny Omega and Brandon Cutler vs. Christian Cage and Frankie Kazarian, Tay Conti vs. The Bunny, CM Punk and Darby Allin video package - Pro Wrestling Dot NetEvent results, match-order and later editorial match-quality evidence.
  8. AEW All Out results: Powell's live review of CM Punk vs. Darby Allin, The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Bros in a cage match for the AEW Tag Titles, Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage for the AEW Title, Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander for the AEW Women's Title, Chris Jericho vs. MJF - Pro Wrestling Dot NetEvent results, match-order and later editorial match-quality evidence.
  9. Powell's AEW All Out Hit List: Big surprises, CM Punk vs. Darby Allin, The Young Bucks vs. Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix in a cage match for the AEW Tag Titles, Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage for the AEW Championship, Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander for the AEW Women’s Championship - Pro Wrestling Dot NetEvent build, card, identity or historical-context corroboration.
  10. All Elite WrestlingFirst-party event results and match-by-match recap.
  11. Original event organizer plus independent contemporaneous exact battle royal full participant listsFive clubs, five diamonds, five hearts, five spades and the final Ruby Soho joker; Ruby last eliminated Thunder Rosa, AEW primary results plus chronological list.
  12. Original event organizer plus independent contemporaneous exact battle royal full participant listsFive clubs, five diamonds, five hearts, five spades and the final Ruby Soho joker; Ruby last eliminated Thunder Rosa, AEW primary results plus chronological list.
WHERE TO WATCH

Stream This Event

Checked September 14, 2026STATUS
No confirmed full-event stream

Replay availability varies by territory and catalog. No territory-safe direct viewing destination is asserted here.

WrestleFile lists only streaming options we have specifically confirmed. Availability varies by country and can change.