Jim Ross believes Jon Moxley has developed into the closest thing AEW currently has to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, while predicting a strong night for the company at All Out.
Ross previewed the card on the latest episode of Grilling JR, including the main event between AEW World Champion Will Ospreay and Moxley. All Out takes place Saturday, September 26 at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
Discussing the main event, Ross praised Ospreay’s athletic ability before making the comparison between Moxley and Austin, whose peak WWE run Ross called from the commentary desk. “It’ll be dramatic. It’ll be athletic. Ospreay is kind of an athletic freak of nature. He’s got great balance and leaping ability, all that,” Ross said. “And of course, Mox continues to make himself into about the closest thing that AEW has to Stone Cold right now.”
Ross explained that his comparison extends beyond Moxley’s in-ring work, pointing to the former AEW World Champion’s standing behind the scenes. “He’s in a leadership position, whether officially or unofficially, in AEW. I know he’s highly regarded by the decision makers, and as they should,” Ross said. “He has a lot to offer. I think those guys that have that kind of background and ability are hard to discount on a big game day. You just don’t do it.”
Ospreay captured the AEW World Championship from Kenny Omega at All In at Wembley Stadium last month. Moxley currently holds the AEW Continental Championship and previously defeated Ospreay in a Continental Championship match at Dynasty earlier this year.
Ross also discussed AEW National Champion Andrade El Idolo’s upcoming defense against PAC, predicting that Andrade will retain while praising both competitors. “I think El Idolo will win the match. I think it’ll be a hell of a match. Two unique styles,” Ross said. “A British-born competitor like PAC, who we talked about what William Regal said about him last week. He’s a stud now. He’s a genuine stud, no doubt about that.”
Ross has been particularly impressed by Andrade’s recent presentation and believes the former WWE star is currently producing some of the best work of his career. “But I have been overwhelmingly impressed with the repackaging, so to speak, of Andrade El Idolo,” Ross said. “He’s never been better in WWE and in AEW than he is right now. They’ve done a great job of booking him, and he’s done a great job of his hair and his ring attire. He’s just a real pro, and he’s a real good worker, man.”
According to Ross, Ric Flair recognized Andrade’s potential shortly after he arrived in AEW. “Your beloved father-in-law told me when Andrade first came into AEW that he has potential to be a big star, and that’s a true assessment,” Ross said. “He has become, he’s becoming a big star.”
Ross is already looking ahead to a potential match between Andrade and Ospreay. “I can only rub my hands together in anticipation for when El Idolo fights Ospreay, because that match will be off the page,” Ross said.
Another All Out match will see TNT Champion Darby Allin team with Steven Borden against Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight of the Don Callis Family, with the winners earning a shot at the AEW World Tag Team Championship.
Ross expects an offense-heavy encounter but warned about the potential downside of doing too much. “Lots of offense. Lots of offense from both teams,” Ross said. “A lot of guys leaving their feet voluntarily, which can bite you in the ass if you do too much, and it becomes predictable. Everybody’s going to try to outperform their adversaries.”
Ross picked Allin and Borden to win, although he acknowledged that a Fletcher and Knight victory would also be a realistic outcome. “You could be right. I mean, it’s viable. It’s possible,” Ross said.
Borden, the son of Sting, made his Dynamite debut on September 9 following a series of dark matches and remains unbeaten. All Out will mark his first AEW pay-per-view appearance.
Ross believes having Sting available to evaluate his son’s performances gives Borden an important advantage as he continues his development.
“Borden is new, and he’s going to be special. And I’m sure his dad has some influence there,” Ross said, before discussing the type of feedback Sting could provide about his son’s performances and continued physical development. “I think Borden’s going to be a big star in AEW, without question,” he said.
Looking at All Out as a whole, Ross said AEW’s history of delivering on major events gives him confidence in the show. “Nobody surpasses AEW in effort on these big events. Nobody,” Ross said. “You’ll see great performances out of these guys. It’s a good card too, Conrad. It’s well booked.”
Ross also believes the sold-out crowd will contribute to the atmosphere surrounding the event. “A sold out crowd in advance is a blessing, because the anticipation will continue to build for these individuals,” Ross said. “They know they got one of the few tickets available, and they’re going to go to the event because the card is impressive as hell.”
Elsewhere on the All Out card, Kazuchika Okada will defend the AEW International Championship against Tommaso Ciampa, the AEW World Tag Team Championship will be contested in a three-way ladder match, the women’s tag team titles will be defended in a Chicago Street Fight, and Willow Nightingale will face Thekla to determine the next challenger for Mercedes Moné.
