All Elite Wrestling stands at a pivotal juncture. On Saturday, September 20, 2025, the company presents All Out. This event is steeped in tradition and significance. However, this year’s installment is defined by a series of groundbreaking changes. AEW’s foundational “Big Five” pay-per-view will leave its spiritual home in the Chicago metropolitan area. This departure will be for the first time in its non-pandemic history. It will move to Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena. This geographic shift is accompanied by a strategic pivot in scheduling and distribution. The main card will commence at a special afternoon start time of 3 p.m. ET. This move is designed to create a unique viewing window. It aims to better serve a global audience on a crowded day of professional wrestling.

Perhaps most significantly, All Out 2025 marks the debut of live AEW pay-per-views on the HBO Max streaming platform. This is a landmark deal. It could fundamentally alter how fans consume the company’s biggest shows. This is more than just another event. It is a convergence of high-stakes business gambles. It also involves intensely personal, violent rivalries reaching their boiling point. There is a world championship match with an unprecedented stipulation. The card also features a coffin match a year in the making. The encounters are loaded with stipulations that are not merely gimmicks. They become the violent, logical conclusions to deeply emotional stories.  

The Great White North Gamble: All Out Breaks Tradition

The decision to move All Out from its traditional Chicago-area home is a calculated risk. It signals a new phase of international expansion for All Elite Wrestling. The event’s history is intricately linked to the city that hosted the original All In. This independent super-show served as the catalyst for AEW’s formation. By relocating to Toronto, AEW is deliberately testing the strength of the All Out brand. They are betting that its prestige can translate to a new, international market. This move builds upon the success of the company’s previous Canadian pay-per-view, Forbidden Door 2023. This event also took place at the Scotiabank Arena. It serves as a key part of a broader global strategy. This strategy includes future events in the UK and Australia. Toronto is a hotbed for professional wrestling and AEW has sold out each event they have held in Toronto.

The Afternoon Experiment and the HBO Max Debut

The strategic shifts extend beyond the venue. The 3 p.m. ET start time is a direct and pragmatic response to WWE running its Wrestlepalooza event on the same evening. AEW has chosen not to engage in a direct counter-programming war. Instead, it has opted to create a distinct viewing block. This decision was informed by the positive reception to the afternoon slot for All In Texas. This change benefits domestic viewers who may appreciate an afternoon event. It also significantly accommodates the international fanbase, particularly in the UK. There, the show will now air in a prime evening slot.  

This new accessibility is amplified by the event’s debut on HBO Max. For the first time, an AEW pay-per-view will be available to stream live. It can be accessed directly through a major subscription service, albeit as a separate purchase for $39.99. This is a monumental shift from the traditional cable and satellite PPV model. It lowers the barrier to entry for millions of existing HBO Max subscribers.

A new international host city and a non-traditional start time are part of the event changes. Additionally, a new primary distribution platform is being introduced. These factors transform All Out 2025 into a comprehensive stress test of AEW’s business model. The success of this event will not be measured solely by the gate. The gate is already a historic success, with over 10,331 tickets distributed. It is the highest-attended All Out ever. Success will also be measured by the HBO Max buy-rates and global viewership metrics. The data collected from this Toronto experiment will shape the company’s strategy. It will influence its biggest shows for years to come.  

Main Event Deep Dive: High-Stakes and Higher Tensions

The card for All Out features four marquee matchups. Each is built on months of deeply personal animosity. The tension is amplified by high-stakes stipulations. These are not just wrestling matches; they are the violent culminations of long-term, character-driven stories.

Wrestler(s)	2025 Record	Key Feud Quote
“Hangman” Adam Page	18-3-0 (Singles: 15-1-0)	“When I look at you, I see myself six years ago… but Kyle, as full of potential as you are, you are not ready.”
Kyle Fletcher	21-8-0 (Singles: 12-4-0)	“Make no mistake. I am leaving with the AEW Men’s World Championship. I will not fail like you did.”
Jon Moxley	19-11-0 (Singles: 12-2-0)	“I’m going to be putting in the ground.”
Darby Allin	1-0-0 (Singles: 1-0-0)	“I said I was going to take everything.”
Adam Copeland & Christian Cage	1-0-0 (Tag Team)	“We’re not just coming back and running the greatest hits. This is a new version of our team.”
FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler)	13-2-1 (Tag Team)	“Stokely reveals his shocking plan to expose Copeland’s weaknesses, humiliate him in Toronto, and cement FTR as the greatest tag team alive today.”
MJF	5-3-0 (Singles: 4-3-0)	“You are nothing more than a loser, a chicken farmer, a blue-collar bitch.”
Mark Briscoe	15-18-0 (Singles: 7-12-0)	“Max, you a generational prick. So how about tables and thumbtacks… I think that’ll be sufficient for me to give you the ass whooping that you been had.”

AEW World Championship – A Cowboy’s Crucible

AEW World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page defends his title in the main event. He faces the brash and talented TNT Champion, Kyle Fletcher. The story highlights Page, the established veteran and two-time world champion. He sees a reflection of his younger self in Fletcher. During their contract signing, Page referenced his own journey. He specifically mentioned his match against Chris Jericho for the inaugural AEW World Championship. This match took place at the very first All Out in 2019. Page framed this match as a crucial test for the “Protostar”. Page has challenged Fletcher. Fletcher must prove he can win on the biggest stage. He must do this without the aid of his manipulative mentor, Don Callis.  

To enforce this challenge, Page introduced an unprecedented and severe stipulation into the match contract. If any member of the Don Callis Family interferes on Fletcher’s behalf, Fletcher will lose the match via disqualification. He will also be stripped of his TNT Championship. This brilliant creative stroke instantly elevates the stakes, transforming the bout into a referendum on Fletcher’s character. His entire identity within AEW has been tied to the Callis Family. Yet now, he aims to become a double champion. This ambition is directly at odds with the very faction that brought him to prominence. The stipulation demands an answer to the feud’s central question. Is Kyle Fletcher a main-event player in his own right? Or is he merely a product of the Don Callis system? Reports suggest Fletcher was a replacement for an injured Wardlow. This high-stakes clause has created a level of psychological tension and consequence. It makes it a worthy All Out main event.  

Coffin Match – A Feud to the Death

The rivalry between Jon Moxley and Darby Allin is a story of obsession, betrayal, and a thirst for violent resolution that has been simmering for nearly a year. The conflict ignited at Grand Slam in September 2024, when Moxley goaded Allin into putting his guaranteed shot at the AEW World Championship on the line and then defeated him, stealing the opportunity Allin had earned. This act sent Allin on a downward spiral, culminating in an attack by Moxley’s Death Riders faction that wrote him off television for months.  

Since his return at All In: Texas, Allin has been a man possessed, singularly focused on a single goal: “to take EVERYTHING from MOX”. His campaign of terror against the Death Riders has been relentless, prompting Moxley to finally accept his challenge with a chilling promise to put Allin “in the ground”. The choice of a Coffin Match is the perfect narrative culmination. It is Allin’s signature battlefield; this will be his sixth such match in AEW, far more than any other competitor. By forcing Moxley into this macabre environment, Allin is dragging his tormentor into his world, seeking to literally and figuratively bury the man who stole his dream. It is a stipulation born not of novelty, but of pure, unadulterated hatred, making it one of the most anticipated bouts on the card.  

Tag Team Dream Match – A Canadian Homecoming

The match is two decades in the making. The legendary Canadian duo of Adam Copeland and Christian Cage will team up. They will compete in their hometown of Toronto. There, they will face FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler), arguably the best tag team of the modern era. The story is a complex web of friendship, betrayal, and reconciliation. Earlier in the year, Copeland and FTR were allies. Then Harwood and Wheeler brutally turned on him at the Dynasty pay-per-view in April. They sent him to the hospital. Copeland made his shocking return at All In. He saved his estranged friend Christian Cage from a similar FTR assault. This led to their reluctant reunion.  

They officially teamed for the first time in over a decade at Forbidden Door. They secured a victory and set the stage for this dream match. The bout is a fascinating clash of styles and legacies. Copeland and Cage are icons of the Attitude Era, pioneers of the TLC match, and seven-time tag team champions. FTR, meanwhile, are technical purists who have built their reputation on being the standard-bearers for tag team wrestling. The real-life friendship between Copeland and FTR complicates the dynamic. It adds a layer of personal conflict to the on-screen animosity. With FTR’s manager, Stokely Hathaway, promising to expose Copeland’s “medical secrets,” the feud has become nasty and personal. The Toronto homecoming will be anything but a friendly exhibition.  

Tables ‘n’ Thumbtacks – The Devil Gets His Due

The feud between MJF and Mark Briscoe has transcended typical professional wrestling animosity. It has become one of the most personal and vitriolic conflicts in recent AEW history. MJF is incensed that his path back to the AEW World Championship has been complicated by Briscoe. He has launched a series of deeply cruel verbal assaults. He has derided Briscoe as “white trash that got lucky,” a “loser, a chicken farmer, a blue-collar bitch.” In a moment of shocking cruelty, he invoked the memory of Mark’s late brother, Jay Briscoe. He told him he would send him “straight to hell”. 

In response, Mark Briscoe is a man whose legacy is forged in the bloody, no-rules brawls of Ring of Honor. He has chosen to fight MJF on his own terms. He challenged the “generational prick” to a Tables ‘n’ Thumbtacks match, a stipulation designed to inflict maximum pain and suffering. This is not a contest of technical wrestling; it is a punishment. Briscoe is dragging the arrogant, “white collar” MJF into a brutal, “blue-collar” environment where mind games and verbal barbs are meaningless. For Briscoe, this match is about vindication and forcing MJF to pay a physical price for his unforgivable words. For MJF, it is a dangerous test of his physical toughness. It is also a venture into a chaotic world far outside his comfort zone.  

The Weight of Gold: A Championship Gauntlet

Beyond the marquee grudge matches, All Out offers a series of championship bouts. Each bout holds significant implications for its respective division.

AEW Women’s World Championship – The Timeless Era’s Four-Way Threat

“Timeless” Toni Storm has reigned over the AEW women’s division. She combines old-Hollywood glamour with vicious in-ring aggression. Seeking a worthy challenge for All Out, she now faces the most perilous defense of her tenure. It’s a four-way match. She does not have to be pinned or submitted to lose her title. Each of her three opponents represents a distinct and credible threat. The match marks the high-profile return of Jamie Hayter, reigniting a classic and beloved rivalry with Storm. It features the ever-dominant Thekla, a representative of the increasingly powerful Triangle of Madness faction. And it includes the formidable Kris Statlander, whose own allegiances have grown more complicated in recent weeks. Storylines and talent converge, making the outcome utterly unpredictable. The “Timeless” era is in its greatest jeopardy yet.  

AEW TBS Championship – The CEO vs. The First Champion

In what many fans have dubbed a dream match, TBS Champion Mercedes Moné defends her title against the returning Riho. The seeds for this encounter were planted on the night of Moné’s AEW debut at Big Business. Riho was the first woman she interacted with on-screen. The feud officially began on the September 3 episode of Dynamite. Riho returned from a year-long injury and made a surprise appearance. She saved Alex Windsor from a post-match assault by “The CEO”. The confrontation features the current, dominant face of the division. She faces AEW’s inaugural Women’s World Champion. The latter is a beloved original making her triumphant return. It is a classic wrestling narrative executed by two of the world’s most talented performers.  

AEW World Tag Team Championship – Chaos Embodied: The Ladder Match

The AEW World Tag Team Championship will be decided in the pure, unadulterated chaos of a Four-Way Ladder Match. The reigning champions are the powerful and agile duo of Brodido (Brody King and Bandido). They face a murderer’s row of challengers. These challengers earned their spots in a series of qualifying matches on the go-home episode of Dynamite.

The challengers include the three-time former champions The Young Bucks. There is also the high-flying tandem of JetSpeed (“Speedball” Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight). Lastly, the formidable Don Callis Family representatives Hechicero and Josh Alexander join the competition. Four teams will compete with no rules. The titles are suspended high above the ring. This match promises to be a spectacular and unpredictable highlight of the night.  

AEW Unified Championship – Crowning a King

The finals of the Unified Championship Tournament will culminate in a three-way match to crown a definitive champion. The reigning champion, the legendary “Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada, faces a challenging defense. He must stand against two formidable tournament winners. They are the Don Callis Family’s powerhouse, Konosuke Takeshita, and the spectacular luchador, Máscara Dorada. This match highlights AEW’s global partnerships and their dedication to diverse wrestling styles. Three of the world’s best international talents face off against each other. They compete for one of the company’s most prestigious new championships.  

Grudges, Returns, and Brawls: The Best of the Rest

The depth of the All Out card is evident in its powerful undercard. It features a long-awaited return. It also includes the violent culmination of another bitter feud.

The trios match features The Hurt Syndicate. Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP are in this faction. They compete against the team of Ricochet and GOA. GOA consists of Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona. It is a grudge match born from rejection and revenge. The story began months ago when MVP rescinded an offer for Ricochet to join his faction. In response, Ricochet aligned himself with GOA. The trio deliberately cost Lashley and Benjamin their AEW World Tag Team Championship at Forbidden Door. This led to this inevitable collision.  

One of the most anticipated moments of the night will be the official in-ring return of Eddie Kingston. The “Mad King” was out for more than a year with a torn ACL and meniscus. Now he is back to answer a challenge from the imposing Big Bill. Kingston’s return is a massive emotional boost for the show. One of AEW’s most authentic and beloved brawlers finally steps back into the ring.  

Even the pre-show, branded as the Saturday Tailgate Brawl and airing on TNT and HBO Max, is stacked. It will feature an Eight-Woman Tornado Tailgate Brawl. The team of Harley Cameron, Mina Shirakawa, Queen Aminata, and Willow Nightingale will compete against Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford. They will also face the Triangle of Madness, which includes Julia Hart and Skye Blue. Additionally, Daniel Garcia will face the legendary Japanese striker Katsuyori Shibata in what promises to be a technical wrestling masterclass.  

Match	Stipulation / Championship
“Hangman” Adam Page (c) vs. Kyle Fletcher	Singles match for the AEW World Championship. If any member of the Don Callis Family interferes, Fletcher will be stripped of the AEW TNT Championship.
Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley	Coffin match
Adam Copeland and Christian Cage vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood)	Tag team match
Mark Briscoe vs. MJF	Tables ‘n’ Thumbtacks match
“Timeless” Toni Storm (c) vs. Jamie Hayter vs. Kris Statlander vs. Thekla	Four-way match for the AEW Women’s World Championship
Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Riho	Singles match for the AEW TBS Championship
Brodido (Brody King and Bandido) (c) vs. The Young Bucks vs. JetSpeed vs. Don Callis Family (Hechicero & Josh Alexander)	Four-way Ladder match for the AEW World Tag Team Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Máscara Dorada	Three-way match for the AEW Unified Championship
The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP) vs. Ricochet and GOA (Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona)	Trios match
Big Bill vs. Eddie Kingston	Singles match
Pre-Show: Saturday Tailgate Brawl
Harley Cameron, Mina Shirakawa, Queen Aminata, and Willow Nightingale vs. Megan Bayne, Penelope Ford, and Triangle of Madness (Julia Hart & Skye Blue)	Eight-woman Tornado Tailgate Brawl
Daniel Garcia vs. Katsuyori Shibata	Singles match
The Opps (Samoa Joe and Powerhouse Hobbs) vs. The WorkHorsemen (Anthony Henry and JD Drake)	Tag team match

The Aftermath of Toronto and the Road to WrestleDream

All Out 2025 is strategically positioned to serve as a major reset point. It will redefine All Elite Wrestling’s creative direction. This change is planned for the fall season. The card is deliberately structured to provide definitive, violent conclusions to several of the company’s longest-running and most personal feuds. The Coffin Match between Moxley and Allin is designed as a blow-off. The Tables ‘n’ Thumbtacks war between MJF and Briscoe is also climactic. The hometown dream match for Copeland and Cage against FTR will clear the narrative slate.

The results of these matches will create a ripple effect across the entire promotion. The victors will emerge with immense momentum. They will be ready for new championship pursuits and fresh rivalries. AEW is building toward its next major events, WrestleDream in October and Full Gear in November. The vanquished will be forced into new character arcs, whether they be quests for redemption or descents into further villainy. The potential for surprise appearances is a hallmark of past All Out events. This adds another layer of intrigue. Fans are speculating about who might emerge to set up the next big program.

On a personal note, I can not wait for this event. It will be the first major wrestling promotion event that I will be bringing my son to. I have brought him to some local independent wrestling company shows. Now, he will get to experience these events. He will also appreciate the differences between them in person. Even is we are sitting in the 300 level.

Ultimately, All Out in Toronto is more than a pay-per-view; it is a critical narrative engine. The outcomes in the Scotiabank Arena will define the landscape of All Elite Wrestling for the remainder of 2025. They will also provide a clear verdict on the success of the company’s boldest strategic gamble to date.