Kenny Omega

When it comes to Daniel Bryan in All Elite Wrestling and his possible debut during Sunday's All Out pay-per-view, the options seem endless.

Granted, fans don't know for a fact that Bryan will be there. Heck, fans don't even know whether Bryan would go by the name Daniel Bryan or loop back to Bryan Danielson or something else.

But all signs point to it happening, especially if the company is at all worried about fans again being unable to attend live events soon because of the pandemic. Bumping up Bryan's debut to Sunday night instead of having it take place the looming major event in New York would make sense.

With CM Punk already in the door and Bryan seemingly next up as a dramatic shift in pro wrestling's landscape continues, let's outline some of the best booking options for the big moment. Keep in mind that it's hard for AEW to go wrong with any option. Look how well it handled Punk's debut, letting him open the show for one of the most iconic moments in wrestling history, as opposed to letting crowd chants derail the broadcast until he arrived.

                          

The Kenny Omega Staredown

Part of why it's so interesting to book Bryan's AEW debut is because it's hard to get a read on what match will close the show.

But the Kenny Omega-Christian Cage bout for the AEW World Championship seems like a candidate to cap off the event. And having that result in a staredown between Omega and Bryan would go down as an all-time moment.

Omega is arguably the best in the world, with only Bryan and a few others right there alongside him. To say the two could put on a classic match would be quite the understatement. It's only natural for Bryan to show up and challenge the top dog, dream-match status notwithstanding. While Punk has made it clear he still wants to see whether he can go while helping along younger talents, Bryan is going to have a different vibe.

The career parallels between Omega and Bryan before reaching this hypothetical point make for an amazing foundational block for a feud too. Imagine those two having a staredown in the middle of the ring flanked by a sold-out crowd doing the Yes! chant (let's be honest: it transcends WWE).

But as great as that moment might seem on paper, it isn't the only option.

                        

The MJF Interruption

Much of what AEW could do with Bryan on Sunday night hinges on what sort of character he's portraying.

If he's a heel, straight-up attacking someone works. If he's a tweener, a staredown might be more appropriate. If he's just the good guy we most commonly know from WWE, that's MJF territory.

Say Bryan goes the Punk route and just debuts normally, taking a victory lap down to the ring before starting to cut a promo. That's when a heel like MJF, preferably fresh off a victory over Chris Jericho, forcing the veteran to retire, comes out.

MJF is on a rocket ship to the moon as far as being one of the best heels we've seen in decades goes. He would draw nuclear heat for spoiling a good moment with his obnoxious chatter and pinky ring, never mind help to tell an amazing long-term story.

This would also help AEW avoid the "another WWE feud rehashed" criticism while introducing viewers who don't usually check out the promotion to MJF, one of the best things going in pro wrestling today.

                   

With/Against CM Punk

First things first: Don't count out the possibility of Bryan arriving to save Punk from some scenario and then tagging with him against the likes of The Young Bucks. It writes itself.

More interesting, though, would be Bryan coming in hot and attacking Punk. The best wrestling stories weave in real life, and let's be honest, Punk stole the momentum and spotlight of Bryan's prospective arrival in AEW. A heelish Bryan could take issue with that and send a flying knee Punk's way after he picks up a win over Darby Allin during his in-ring AEW debut.

Fun, right? There are countless ways to do it, though it would seem such a moment would require it closing the show. And if it becomes clear that Punk-Allin is the main event, it would make the Bryan reveal that much more predictable. Then again, Punk's debut shows that predictable can still be historic.

Regardless, it's hard to go wrong with Punk-Bryan. Anyone who throws out a "we've seen this before in WWE" nitpick just isn't understanding or appreciating the historical connection and parallel between these two.

Poetic is the word that comes to mind if these two rekindle their connection by starting their AEW careers in earnest together. Whether it's an attack or just a staredown, this is the best option and one that would create a feud with history-making potential.

One of All Elite Wrestling's biggest annual events, All Out, will once again emanate from the Chicago area Sunday, and it will feature perhaps one of the most historically significant professional wrestling matches of all time.

After more than seven years out of the game, CM Punk will make his in-ring return in his hometown against rising star Darby Allin. It will mark Punk's first match since competing in the 2014 Royal Rumble match in WWE.

There will also be four titles on the line, including the AEW World Championship, which will be defended by Kenny Omega against Christian Cage.

On top of that, rumors are circulating that former WWE star Daniel Bryan could make his AEW debut at the show.

With excitement mounting for All Out, here is a full rundown of the card and all the information needed to watch it Sunday night.

         

Where: NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois

When: Sunday, Sept 5 at 8 p.m. ET (pre-show starts at 7 p.m. ET)

Watch: PPV available for purchase on Bleacher Report for $49.99. Can be purchased and streamed on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Xbox.

         

AEW All Out 2021 Match Card

• CM Punk vs. Darby Allin
• AEW World Championship: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Christian Cage
• Chris Jericho vs. MJF (Jericho must retire if he loses)
• AEW World Tag Team Championship Steel Cage Match: Young Bucks (c) vs. Lucha Bros.
• Jon Moxley vs. Satoshi Kojima
• AEW Women's World Championship: Britt Baker (c) vs. Kris Statlander
• AEW TNT Championship: Miro (c) vs. Eddie Kingston
• Paul Wight vs. QT Marshall
• 21-Woman Casino Battle Royale
• Orange Cassidy, Wheeler Yuta, Chuck Taylor and Jurassic Express vs. Matt Hardy, Private Party and TH2

           

Top Matches to Watch

CM Punk vs. Darby Allin

Wrestling fans have waited years to see Punk back inside a ring, and the wait will finally come to an end Sunday when he locks horns with Allin.

Punk has already been on AEW programming on a few occasions, and the reactions have been huge. That was especially true of his return on AEW Rampage in his hometown of Chicago.

It is fitting that Punk's first match back will take place in the Chicago area, which should ensure that the crowd is raucous and 100 percent behind him despite Allin's popularity.

The possibility of ring rust exists given how long Punk has been on the sidelines, but since he was one of the best in-ring workers in the world before leaving wrestling, he shouldn't struggle too much in terms of getting back in the swing of things.

The added element of Sting potentially being in Allin's corner as well brings some additional intrigue to the table, especially if there are plans in place for a Punk vs. Sting dream match in the future.

Perhaps the biggest question related to Punk vs. Allin is where it will go on the card. It could make sense as an opener, but given that it is the most highly anticipated match, it likely deserves the main event slot.

If it does go on last, perhaps an encounter between Punk and Bryan could be the way All Out goes off the air.

           

Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage

Punk vs. Allin may be the match fans most want to see, but it can be argued that the most important match on the card is Omega vs. Cage for the AEW World Championship.

Omega and Christian have been at odds for the past several weeks, and they have already faced each other once, as they went head-to-head in the opening match of the first episode of Rampage.

In that match, Omega put the Impact Wrestling World Championship on the line, and he dropped it to Cage in controversial fashion.

Omega attempted to cheat, but the wily Cage got the upper hand by hitting Omega with a Kill Switch on to a steel chair while the referee's back was turned.

With Christian having a singles win against Omega under his belt, he has the makings of a true threat to end Omega's AEW World title reign as well.

While it seems somewhat unlikely that Omega will drop the title to a veteran like Christian rather than an up-and-coming star like "Hangman" Adam Page down the line, Cage will undoubtedly have plenty of support.

Regardless of the result, it promises to be a quality match between two of the best in-ring workers AEW has to offer.

            

Young Bucks vs. Lucha Bros.

Although it isn't the most significant match of the night, the AEW World Tag Team Championship match between The Young Bucks and The Lucha Bros. has a legitimate chance to be the best match at All Out.

The Bucks and The Lucha Bros. have a long history, including the memorable ladder match they had for the AAA Tag Team Championships at All Out 2019.

Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero Miedo won that bout, but two years later The Young Bucks are at the top of the AEW tag team division.

Like Omega, The Young Bucks have experienced much of their success thanks to outside interference, but that won't be possible at All Out because of the steel cage stipulation.

The Young Bucks and The Lucha Bros. have already shown many times over that they have great in-ring chemistry, although they have never faced off in a ladder match.

The added wrinkle should ensure that it is a much different match than ones they had in the past, and it should allow everyone involved to shine as well.

        

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Daniel Bryan Reportedly Scheduled for AEW All Out

In addition to CM Punk competing in his first wrestling match in more than seven years, AEW All Out will reportedly feature the debut of another major star.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), multiple sources have said that Daniel Bryan will make his AEW debut at All Out on Sunday.

Meltzer noted that if Bryan does not appear, it will be because the original plans changed in some way.

Bryan wrestled under his real name, Bryan Danielson, until he signed with WWE in 2009, and he will likely revert back to that name in AEW.

The 40-year-old veteran became one of the biggest stars in wrestling during his WWE tenure, winning the world title five times in addition to being a former Intercontinental, United States and Tag Team champion.

Bryan also competed in the main event of WrestleMania twice at WrestleMania 30 and earlier this year at WrestleMania 37.

The WrestleMania 37 main event saw both Bryan and Edge fall to Roman Reigns in a Triple Threat for the Universal Championship. Bryan then lost a match to Reigns on SmackDown at the end of April, resulting in him having to leave SmackDown.

Shortly after that, it was reported that Bryan's WWE contract had expired and he was a free agent.

Rumors have been circulating for the past several weeks that Bryan was either poised to sign with AEW or had already done so, and Meltzer has essentially confirmed those reports.

If Bryan does appear at All Out, it is safe to assume he will show up after the main event. Punk vs. Darby Allin or Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage could be in that spot.

Either way, Bryan would represent another massive signing for AEW just weeks after the arrival of Punk.

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Orton vs. Lashley Reportedly Scheduled for Extreme Rules

WWE reportedly has plans for a big WWE Championship clash at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on Sept. 26.

According to Meltzer (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), WWE is moving forward with Bobby Lashley defending the WWE title against one half of the Raw Tag Team champions Randy Orton.

WWE seemed to tease the start of that rivalry on Monday's episode of Raw, as Orton and Riddle defended the Raw Tag Team Championships against Lashley and MVP.

Just before Raw went off the air, Orton hit Lashley with an RKO out of nowhere, which may have been the catalyst for their feud.

Putting Orton in the WWE Championship scene would be an interesting decision on WWE's part given that Orton and Riddle are the Raw Tag Team champions and have been one of the hottest acts in the company as RK-Bro.

Additionally, AJ Styles and Omos are still very much in the Raw Tag Team title picture after dropping the championships to RK-Bro at SummerSlam, and they were at ringside from Monday night's title match.

It stands to reason that Orton could pull double duty at Extreme Rules by defending the Raw Tag Team Championships and vying for the WWE Championship in the same night.

If WWE doesn't want to go in that direction, however, the rematch with Styles and Omos could take place on Raw instead.

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When Top AEW Contracts Reportedly Expire

AEW reportedly won't have to worry about the possibility of some of its top stars leaving for two years.

According to Meltzer (h/t Mukherjee), many of the big names that signed with AEW when the company was officially formed in January 2019 signed contracts that will keep them in the fold through early 2023.

Meltzer noted that while many of them were three-year deals, "most" had a fourth-year option that are likely to be picked up by AEW.

Although Meltzer didn't provide any specifics regarding precisely who could become free agents in 2023, some of the wrestlers who have been with AEW from the start include Omega, Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, "Hangman" Adam Page, Chris Jericho, The Lucha Bros., Britt Baker, MJF, Jungle Boy and Allin.

Given that AEW has signed many former WWE stars who were either released by the company or chose not to re-sign, there is some intrigue regarding whether WWE may try to raid AEW's roster in 2023 when some free agents become available.

To this point, the roster jumping has been one-sided with WWE paring down its roster and AEW bringing in the big names.

As wrestlers continue to make a name for themselves in AEW, however, there could potentially be some desire on WWE's part to poach that talent.

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Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).