Welcome to another edition of AEW Heat Index, wherein we discuss the interest level for the various feuds heading into the pay-per-view events. This time around, we’re focusing on All Out 2019 coming this Sunday night.
The way this works is a pretty simple three-way breakdown of Hot, Lukewarm and Cold. If you like something and you’re very interested in how AEW is setting up the program, it’s Hot (aka Good). If you’re a bit on the fence about it and see some problems, but it’s not awful, then it’s just Okay or Lukewarm. The ones that are the most problematic that you have no interest in are Cold (aka Bad).
Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section to let everyone know what your thermometer reads for each feud as I tell you what my thoughts are below!
Without further ado, let’s get started!
AEW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Chris Jericho vs. “Hangman” Adam Page = Lukewarm
Don’t kill me…but I’m not gaga over this.
This does not feel like it’s worthy of the first world title crowning. This feels more like the secondary main event and that they should’ve swapped with Moxley/Omega when it was a thing.
The attack segments from Fight for the Fallen weren’t impressive enough to sell me on these two having a deep connection, I don’t buy Page as a strong champion option as he’s had weaker booking than I would have liked, and Jericho’s attempts at heat have fallen flat to me.
I’m not not looking forward to this, but I know that this is a bigger deal than how I feel it is. I’m supposed to view this as a 10/10 anticipation, and I’m at about a 6.
Prediction: Chris Jericho wins.
Pac vs. Kenny Omega = Hot / Lukewarm
Originally, I had Omega vs. Jon Moxley as a pure Hot, for what I thought should be the main event and the title match. The replacement with Pac is about as good of a backup option as possible, but it’s not equal or surpassing that Omega/Moxley setup.
I’ll admit, Omega/Moxley was the main reason I was interested in watching this show, and I feel like I’ll be underwhelmed with the event as a whole now that this is the alternative. I can’t help but feel like the style of this match is now going to be exactly the same as everything else, whereas the previous match would have been a refreshing change of page.
With no build and nothing to hook me other than the typical “isn’t it neat that these two are fighting?” setup that is the case with damn near everything that AEW does…I’m interested, but I’m not beyond overly hyped like most people are.
Prediction: 60% leaning toward Pac winning.
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta) vs. The Dark Order (Evil Uno and Stu Grayson) = Cold
I really, really wish I could care about this more, but I just don’t. The Dark Order hasn’t impressed me all that much, as they just come off as “local indie Undertaker fans” and not their own act or anything worth investing in.
Best Friends can be fun, but they’re not so amazing to me to save this and turn it into a Hot or anything. I’m rooting for them to win, though. At least then, I’ll be more into the tournament to come.
However, I don’t think that’s going to happen. It makes more sense for the heels to get a bye and to be protected.
Prediction: The Dark Order wins.
Cody vs. Shawn Spears = Hot
I have a bias toward WWE people, to a certain extent, due to how much more exposure to them I’ve had. When it comes to Cody and Shawn Spears, that’s also a matter of me having been a fan of them beforehand, too.
Both Rhodes and Tye Dillinger were underutilized, and it’s great to see them in a featured position, even if it had to be Cody’s company.
Unlike many other matches on this card, this actually feels like it’s important enough to be here and make a big deal about. I’m in.
Prediction: Shawn Spears wins.
Escalera De La Muerte for AAA World Tag Team Championship: The Lucha Brothers (Pentagón Jr. and Rey Fenix) (c) vs. The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) = Lukewarm
Unpopular opinion, but I’m not someone who gushes over everything these two teams do. By now, after seeing them wrestle each other twice, I’m also over the idea of seeing it a third time. I don’t expect to see anything that I haven’t seen before, other than that there’s a ladder involved, too.
Don’t get me wrong—this should still be a good match, but I can’t help but to feel like it will still be overrated as some 9 out of 5 stars extravaganza, rather than just “pretty fun.”
As far as a prediction goes, since the AAA tag titles are on the line, I can’t imagine The Young Bucks take them.
Prediction: Lucha Brothers win.
Cracker Barrel Clash: Darby Allin vs. Joey Janela vs. Jimmy Havoc = Hot / Lukewarm
Not quite a true Hot, but a little higher than a regular Lukewarm. This is just happening for the sake of happening, which hurts it, but it’s still an intriguing enough match for me to have some investment in it.
So far, in terms of my favorites, I’d rank Allin over Janela over Havoc, so I’m hoping this is a vessel to give Allin a win, but I’d be cool with Janela coming out on top, too. For the most part, I think it will be disappointing if Havoc were to win, but the match could still be fun leading up to that point, too.
Prediction: Darby Allin wins.
21-Woman Casino Battle Royale = Hot
I like battle royals, so I’m in for this one just like I’d be for pretty much any. It’s a fun way to do something different and not just have another singles match.
For this in particular, I’m curious who the remaining competitors will be and how that will factor into the future of AEW. Will everyone who shows up be signed? Are they already part of the roster and they just haven’t confirmed them yet? Very curious.
Also, this has implications for the women’s title, which means there’s an actual purpose to this, and I’m always a fan of that.
Stakes, potentially fun and some intrigue in the competitors all combined? Thumbs up!
Prediction: Britt Baker or Awesome Kong wins.
Riho vs. Hikaru Shida = Lukewarm
This is one of those matches with no substance to it, much like the Buy In tag team match. I can’t be pumped about something that boils down to “wouldn’t it be neat if these two people you barely know face each other in a match with no stakes?”
With that being said, Riho’s been pretty solid so far and I’m curious to see what the buzz about Hikaru Shida is about, since she didn’t wrestle a significant amount at Double or Nothing and has done nothing since then.
This could be something rather good, and I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt in the middle range, even though I can’t go higher than that and make it lean further toward Hot.
Prediction: Hikaru Shida wins.
Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen) vs. Angélico and Jack Evans = Lukewarm
This is essentially the same scenario as the Riho/Shida match in that there’s nothing to sink my teeth into, but it could still be fun.
Private Party have been rather impressive and I haven’t disliked Angelico and Jack Evans, even though I feel like they’re the lesser team in this segment. Naturally, because of that, I’m hoping this is a win for Kassidy and Quen.
The purpose of this is to have a fast-paced action-packed tag team match on the pre-show to show people what the rest of the night will be, and I think they’ll pull that off very well.
Prediction: Private Party wins.
SoCal Uncensored vs. Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus and Marko Stunt = Hot / Lukewarm
It might seem contrarian to a lot of my other points, considering how the build for this was absolutely ridiculous and didn’t even make me chuckle, and that this match means nothing and was slapped together at the last minute—however, I’m into this.
I really enjoyed Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus at Fight for the Fallen more than I thought I would, and SoCal Uncensored is trustworthy to put on a good show. This could be a fun 15 minutes of fast action with a little bit of comedy mixed in that will hopefully differentiate it from the rest of the night.
Prediction: SoCal Uncensored wins.
Those are my thoughts, but how do you feel about these particular feuds? What’s hot and what’s cold in your mind? Fill us in on your point of view in the comments below!
