The minutes are ticking away to the moment ALL OUT 2021 (Order Now) hits pay-per-view airwaves on Sunday night, but before we get to the final destination, there is one last stop on the road in the form of AEW RAMPAGE! Coming off a red-hot DYNAMITE on Wednesday, all the athletes in the AEW locker room are raring for a fight and Friday night is their last chance before the PPV party begins!
The final stop on the way to ALL OUT 2021 kicks off LIVE at 10pm EDT/9pm CDT on TNT, or over on AEWPlus.com for our International audiences to catch the action! And wherever you may be on the planet, the official AEW YouTube channel is the best destination for all things Elite! Watch the latest editions of DARK: ELEVATION, AEW DARK, and ROAD TO… specials, as well as the highlights from Wednesday’s 100th edition of DYNAMITE to get ready for Friday!
And if you are in the Schaumburg area for any of our events, GA tickets are still available for the ALL OUT FAN FEST (Buy Tickets) and the multiple Meet & Greet opportunities available, so please join us in this celebration of AEW!
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR…
Darby Allin
vs.
“Red Death” Daniel Garcia
Last Wednesday on AEW DYNAMITE, the trio of Darby Allin, Eddie Kingston, and Jon Moxley were dominant in victory over The Wingmen with the former TNT Champion scoring the deciding fall over JD Drake. It should have been a moment of celebration but while Kingston, Mox, and Sting were engaged in a brawl outside of the ring with their defeated foes, Daniel Garcia picked his moment to waylay Allin during his triumphant celebration.
It’s not the first time Garcia has targeted Darby Allin, he and 2point0 made AEW’s most dangerous trio their target before Matt Lee and Jeff Parker even set foot in an AEW ring for the first time. They weren’t successful in their bid to knock off the kings, but Garcia, Lee, and Parker left an indelible impression that has led to tremendous exposure for all three men.
In the case of “Red Death”, well he immediately got a one-on-one bout with Darby Allin on the 8/11 DYNAMITE and a group assault on Moxley and Kingston during the 8/18 DYNAMITE slotted Daniel into a match with the former AEW World Champion on RAMPAGE: THE FIRST DANCE, in front of the largest AEW crowd to date. Neither match was a victory for the young man, but each proved how much of a threat he can be to any foe who opposes him.
That’s why this bout going down on Friday night, 48 hours before Darby Allin faces the returning CM Punk in one of (if not THE) biggest match in AEW’s history, is such a risky endeavor for the record-setting former TNT Champion. Allin has always wanted to face the best, to test himself inside the squared circle against all comers, and that relentless desire to be the best wrestler in the world is one of the many attributes that has drawn fans to Darby. It is certainly one thing that has drawn Punk to Darby as his first opponent in seven-plus years, but that innate drive may also be the worst possible thing in this moment. Is it wise to take on this match just two days before ALL OUT 2021 when Allin faces the highest pressure situation of his professional career? There’s something to be said for keeping the momentum going heading into a big fight, but when the foe is as lethal as Daniel Garcia, and the match has become deeper than just a battle of skills, is it the best decision to take this fight? Maybe, maybe not, but Darby would not be Darby if he wasn’t willing to dive head first into that risk!
On top of all that between Garcia and Darby, now the 2point0 and “Red Death” trio have added Punk to their list of targets alongside Allin, Moxley, Kingston, and Sting. They were doubtless quite shocked that their actions actually brought the ALL OUT 2021 foes together in a unified front, albeit temporarily, and although that set of eyes would’ve been this match regardless, now Punk has another reason to watch besides scouting Darby.
FOR THE FAMILY…
Malakai Black vs. “Big Shotty” Lee Johnson
After his total destruction of Brock Anderson on DYNAMITE last week, Lee Johnson came out to confront Malakai Black on behalf of his Nightmare Family brothers and sisters. While Black took his leave of the ring, it certainly was not out of fear. It was simply that the job was done, the message was sent via Anderson’s broken body, and time to move on. Malakai dictates the terms of engagement, no one else.
This Friday night he has dictated that “Big Shotty” will be sent off to Hades for inserting himself into the situation last week. Lee Johnson has shown so much fire, so much heart, during his tenure with All Elite Wrestling, but this encounter is something different. From the entrance to the in-ring stylings, Malakai Black is unlike anyone in professional wrestling as a whole, certainly an island unto himself in AEW.
Shotty Lee has had serious tests since he first entered into AEW, but this Friday night, this is the ultimate. Johnson witnessed his mentor laid low by Black, can he pull off the shock of the century where Cody failed?
HANDICAP MATCH…
(#1) Kris Statlander vs. Jamie Hayter & Rebel
On Sunday night, Kris Statlander will get a chance to claim the AEW Women’s World Title at ALL OUT 2021, but on Friday she has to contend with two foes at the behest of the woman who currently reigns as champion. Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D has lined up her two allies, well to be fair, based on what she said in the interview above, it might be more accurate to say her ally Jamie Hayter…and Rebel.
It hasn’t felt like Baker has had the greatest confidence in Rebel in quite some time, hence the addition of Hayter to have her back, so this is certainly more just a “stacking the odds” situation to wear down the challenger before their meeting. She did it to Big Swole last year before their “Tooth And Nail” match at ALL OUT 2020; it may not have worked out the way she hoped back then, but the effort to break Swole beforehand was certainly there.
But this is a very different situation; that was a 3-on-1 match when Baker was still recovering from her knee injury, Rebel was Rebel, and Penelope Ford kind of had to fight it out on her own. This time Baker is once again throwing Rebel to the wolves, but it is with a beast like Jamie Hayter at her side. It’s going to be a fight for “The Galaxy’s Greatest Alien” right before a huge title opportunity, and she can ill afford to come into the pay-per-view banged up.
WHEN THE REDEEMER SPEAKS…
Eddie Kingston and Miro are set for a collision course on Sunday night at ALL OUT 2021. With the TNT Title at stake, this is going to be a hoss fight unlike any other bout on the card, and this Friday night we will hear from the self-professed “God’s Favorite Wrestler” two days ahead of their championship collision!
ALL OUT 2021 (Order Now) comes your way on pay-per-view this Sunday night at 8pm EDT/7pm CDT, and the last stop on the road there comes on Friday night with AEW RAMPAGE! Will Darby Allin make it through his fight with Daniel Garcia in shape to battle over the moniker “Best In The World” with CM Punk?
The action begins LIVE at 10pm EDT/9pm CDT on TNT, or at AEWPlus.com for our International fans, and to prepare for all the action, be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel for the latest episodes of DARK: ELEVATION, AEW DARK, and ROAD TO… specials, plus highlights from Wednesday’s 100th edition of DYNAMITE!
Also, if you are in the Schaumburg area for any of our events, GA tickets are still available for the ALL OUT FAN FEST (Buy Tickets) and the multiple Meet & Greet opportunities available all day long. It’s the best way to meet the athletes of AEW, so come join us in this celebration of all things Elite!
Article source: allelitewrestling.com