Quick Takes: AEW All Out Fallout, Bayley's Sasha Banks Betrayal, AOP Fired, More

Between AEW All Out on Saturday and an above-average episode of SmackDown the night before, it was an eventful 24 hours in the world of wrestling, and fans are still buzzing about everything that went down.

AEW's latest outing on pay-per-view, which lasted almost five hours including the pre-show, featured several standout matches and others that are arguably better off forgotten. It was unfortunately among the company's weakest events to date, though that isn't to say the show was entirely abysmal.

Hikaru Shida vs. Thunder Rosa for the AEW Women's Championship stole the show with ease, but Rosa's incredible performance has left viewers wondering whether she'll be brought back sometime soon. The same can be said for Orange Cassidy beating Chris Jericho later in the night and if Cassidy will continue to be booked as a main event player going forward.

Meanwhile, SmackDown saw a new No. 1 contender to the Universal Championship crowned in Jey Uso, which was certainly unexpected at the very least. Equally unpredictable was Bayley's betrayal of Sasha Banks earlier in the evening and the vicious beatdown that ensued from the SmackDown women's champion and her now-former friend.

That's all in addition to WWE announcing the release of AOP members Akam and Rezar on Friday afternoon. How their departure affects the already-struggling tag team division will be discussed in this installment of Quick Takes along with the fallout from All Out, booking Bayley vs. Banks and more.

Chris Jericho made it clear with his pre-match promo Saturday night that his goal this entire time while feuding with Orange Cassidy was to make him a star. They traded wins on Dynamite this summer, and at All Out, Cassidy scored the deciding victory by pushing Jericho into a pool of mimosa.

Needless to say, it was the biggest win of Cassidy's career to date and probably the biggest win he'll ever have, unless he eventually captures a championship, which is entirely possible. Even in an era without packed crowds, he's most definitely one of AEW's most popular stars and has come across as such recently.

With Cassidy having now scored two straight wins over the inaugural AEW World champion, it becomes a question of how far he can actually go and if he'll be worth the investment. As likable as he is, it may be difficult for some to see him as a serious championship challenger.

His successful feud with Jericho obviously helps in that respect, but considering Jericho has only lost two other singles matches in AEW (including one to Cassidy), he should be owed an eventual opportunity at the AEW World Championship from a storyline standpoint.

Jon Moxley vs. Lance Archer is already set as the next world title program following Archer's Casino Battle Royale win at All Out, but beyond that, Cassidy could be next in line for a shot at the strap. As silly as that sounds, it's exactly what should happen if AEW wants to continue along this path with him as a main event player.

If he remains a comedy character, then the rivalry with Jericho will be deemed a waste. The AEW TNT Championship picture is an option as well, but him winning that title seems far-fetched at the moment with Brodie Lee being the current champion.

Cassidy has a bright future with AEW to be sure, but the aftermath of his latest high-profile win is imperative. Jericho also needs to bounce back in a major way after losing every major match he's had since February, but that can easily be resolved with Jericho having the credibility that he does.

Jey Uso was likely the last name fans expected to emerge from Friday's SmackDown as the new No. 1 contender to the Universal Championship, but sure enough, he'll be facing his cousin Roman Reigns at Clash of Champions later this month with the gold up for grabs.

He was announced as an entrant in the Fatal 4-Way after Big E was deemed unable to compete following an attack from Sheamus. Granted, it made little storyline sense that he would be granted the shot over someone who has actually been on the show in recent months, but it was a pleasantly surprising turn of events, nonetheless.

The multitime Raw and SmackDown tag team champion has been a tag team wrestler for the full 10 years he's been on WWE's main roster alongside his brother Jimmy. He hasn't done much to stand out on his own in that time, meaning he has virtually zero chance of capturing the championship at Clash of Champions.

That said, this could prove to be the perfect first program for Reigns as universal champion. Their pay-per-view match is bound to be entertaining, but the promos leading up to the event have the potential to be even better.

Reigns took some subtle shots at Jey upon encountering him backstage during SmackDown. They merely scratched the surface of what they can do together now that Reigns is a heel, and the more he patronizes his cousin, the more of an underdog Uso will be come time for their fight.

Again, the outcome of their contest won't be in doubt, but WWE can use this as an opportunity to cement Reigns as a ruthless heel by having him relentlessly beat down Uso. That would send the message that nothing means more to him now than holding the top title, not even family.

There's also the possibility The Usos join forces with Reigns and Paul Heyman as a super heel faction once they realize he can't be beaten. Either way, it will be exciting to see where this storylines goes in the weeks ahead.

Despite a vast number of WWE Superstars already being let go earlier this year, the cuts kept coming last week with it being announced that the company had come to terms on the releases of AOP's Akam and Rezar.

The former Raw tag team champions hadn't been seen on Raw since March because of Rezar suffering a torn biceps that kept him sidelined for many months. Prior to that point, the two had been aligned with Seth Rollins and appeared to be primed for another run with the tag titles.

Per Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlingNews.co), Rezar had just been cleared to compete and was ready to return when news broke that they had been fired. There's been no word on what exactly led to their departure, other than that Paul Heyman originally wanted to break them away from Rollins eventually and make them a modern-day Road Warriors.

They had a dominant two-year run in NXT and stacked up several victories over the likes of American Alpha, DIY, The Street Profits and Heavy Machinery, among other teams. The duo never seemed to quite take off on the main roster the way fans hoped due to poor booking, and injuries also didn't help their cause any.

However, unless there were extenuating circumstances that have yet to be made public, it was the wrong call to release AOP, especially at a time when the tag team divisions on Raw and SmackDown have never been weaker.

Raw could have used a talented team of their caliber to challenge Street Profits for the tag titles, or on SmackDown. Even NXT could have benefited from having them back in the fold, but now WWE's loss should be another company's gain.

At long last, Bayley betrayed Sasha Banks on Friday's SmackDown after the friends-turned-foes failed to regain the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship from Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. Instead of simply teasing tension with Banks, Bayley fully cemented their split by brutalizing The Boss to the point where she had to be stretchered out of the arena.

It was such an excellently executed angle that it would be premature for Banks to be brought back to TV anytime soon. She should be left off SmackDown to sell the beatdown until the end of 2020 at the earliest to fully maximize what they have with this storyline.

A bout between them has been in the works for so long that fans figured one of them would turn on the other eventually, but the fashion in which it happened Friday night still felt shocking. Banks is bound to be the ultimate babyface upon her return, and with their long-awaited encounter being as anticipated as it is, WWE would be wise to wait until a big stage such as Survivor Series or the Royal Rumble to deliver it.

Survivor Series is normally all about brand warfare, so Rumble might be the better bet. Banks can return in the Rumble match and win the whole thing, or face Bayley earlier in the evening and lose in order to set up a WrestleMania rematch.

Regardless of what route WWE takes with it, all roads must lead to them waging war at WrestleMania 37 for the SmackDown Women's Championship. Bayley dropping the title to anyone else this far into her reign just wouldn't make as much sense.

Bayley and Banks contested one of the greatest matches of all time five years ago at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. If WWE plays its cards right with the latest incarnation of their feud, their upcoming clash could be equally monumental.

The women's division has undoubtedly been a sore spot for AEW since its launch in early 2019. Thankfully, the promotion has at least taken steps toward improving that situation recently by bringing in NWA women's world champion Thunder Rosa to challenge Hikaru Shida for the AEW Women's Championship.

Their first-ever in-ring encounter at All Out was nothing short of spectacular and saw both women have stellar showings. Despite an exceptional effort from Rosa, she was unsuccessful in unseating Shida as champion.

Nothing happened afterward that would indicate their rivalry will continue or that Rosa will be on Dynamite again this coming Wednesday, but she absolutely should be. AEW's women's division needs top talent in its ranks, so if AEW head honcho Tony Khan can work with NWA president Billy Corgan to allow Rosa to continue competing for AEW, that would be ideal.

Shida vs. Rosa may very well have been the best women's match in AEW to date, but it should only be the beginning. Both ladies have an aura about them and stood out as stars at All Out, but now the key is building off the buzz they generated with their bout and creating more women's rivalries fans can get invested in.

Rosa proved her worth Saturday night and deserves to be showcased on a platform as big as AEW. She doesn't need to eventually take the title from Shida, but it would be massively disappointing if she doesn't stick around in some form or fashion.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.