A unique and high-stakes tournament has been announced to determine the AEW Unified Championship match for the upcoming All Out pay-per-view. During Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite, it was revealed that three qualifying matches will be held, with the three winners advancing to a three-way match for the championship in Toronto on Saturday, September 20. The tournament adds a layer of unpredictability to the championship picture, but the most shocking element is the stipulation involving the current champion, Kazuchika Okada. In an unprecedented move, Okada will be forced to defend his AEW Unified Championship in his qualifying match against Michael Oku. This means that if Okada loses, he will not only be eliminated from the tournament but will also lose his championship before the pay-per-view even takes place.
The three qualifying matches are spread across the next week of AEW programming. The first two bouts will take place on this Saturday’s episode of AEW Collision, September 13. In the high-stakes main event, AEW Unified Champion Kazuchika Okada will defend his championship against British standout Michael Oku. In the other qualifier on that show, Konosuke Takeshita will face Anthony Bowens. The third and final qualifying match will take place on the September 17 episode of AEW Dynamite, which has been dubbed “September to Remember,” where The Beast Mortos will go one-on-one with the luchador Máscara Dorada. The winners of these three matches will then collide at All Out for the AEW Unified Championship.
The updated card for AEW All Out on Saturday, September 20 is below:
- AEW World Championship Match: “Hangman” Adam Page (champion) vs. Kyle Fletcher
- Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler)
- TBS Championship Match: Mercedes Moné (champion) vs. Riho
- AEW Unified Championship Three-Way Match: (Winner of Okada/Oku) vs. (Winner of Takeshita/Bowens) vs. (Winner of Mortos/Dorada)
- The Hurt Syndicate (Shelton Benjamin, MVP & Bobby Lashley) vs. Ricochet and the Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
- Coffin Match: Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin
- AEW Women’s World Championship Four-Way Match: “Timeless” Toni Storm (champion) vs. Thekla, Jamie Hayter and Kris Statlander
- MJF vs. Mark Briscoe (Stipulation To Be Determined)