The shadow of Chicago hangs over All Out 2026

AEW returns to the Sears Centre, and frankly, the air feels different than it did during that glorious 2021 debut. Tony Khan is in a transitional phase where the booking feels like it is stuck between trying to appease the die-hard work-rate junkies and attempting to recapture some mainstream cultural relevance. If you think the current product is hitting the same peaks as the early days, you are likely blinded by sheer loyalty to the brand.

The build for All Out 2026 has been messy. We have seen title matches slapped together because they need a draw, rather than because they feel like the culmination of a hot, logical rivalry. When you look at the recent hype cycles in tech, they move faster than AEW's long-term storytelling these days. It is time for the promotion to stop relying on nostalgia and start delivering fresh narratives that actually move the needle in the ratings.

The World Title situation is a logic puzzle

The main event features a challenger who has been cooled off for months going up against a champion who hasn't defended the belt on pay-per-view since the spring. It is a classic case of over-booking resulting in zero momentum. If the champion retains after a chaotic run-in, I am checking out until the next big tournament starts. We do not need another Dusty finish or a run-in from a masked stable that ends up changing its roster members three weeks later.

If the challenger walks out with the gold, it will likely be in the 28th minute of a grueling match, probably ending on a secondary finisher because the main ones were kicked out of twice already. I know wrestling fans love a good false finish, but watching two guys hit their move sets like they are playing high-speed security software instead of fighting for the top prize is exhausting. Give me a clean finish, a handshake, or a definitive heel turn that makes sense, not a convoluted mess of interference.

Mid-card chaos and the tag team division

The International Championship match is the only thing currently on this card that feels like it has actual stakes. Both competitors have been putting in the work since January, and their TV segments have actually focused on character motivation rather than vague challenges from the top of the ramp. I expect a clinical finish here, likely a submission victory after an exchange of counters that lasts at least 12 minutes.

As for the tag team titles, the current champions have stagnated. They are great athletes, but the lack of credible challengers makes every match feel like a foregone conclusion. If they do not drop the straps to the younger, hungrier team standing across the ring, it sends a terrible message about where the company values its future investments. It feels like the bookers are afraid to pull the trigger on a new team because they fear losing the established star power of the current holders, but that risk is what drives engagement.

Why the booking needs a reality check

Maybe the biggest flaw heading into Chicago is the sheer lack of stakes in the women's division matches. We keep seeing the same faces in title spots while promising talent is left in catering or regulated to three-minute squash matches on secondary shows. It is infuriating to watch a company with this much roster depth fail to create a challenger that the crowd genuinely believes can unseat the champ. You cannot just call a feud heated and expect the fans to feel it.

The booking team needs to understand that a great match without a story is just an exhibition. We have seen enough 5-star technical clinics that mean absolutely nothing three months later. If All Out 2026 wants to avoid being the show people talk about in the past tense, they need to prioritize character development over trading elbow strikes in the corner for five minutes straight. Stop trying to outrun your own history and start building something that people can actually sink their teeth into through the fall.