AEW News: Former Champion In WWE To Face Kenny Omega At ‘All Out’ Following Jon Moxley Injury
Wrestling Inc. is reporting that Pac — who some WWE fans remember as the former Cruiserweight Champion Neville — will compete against Kenny Omega All Elite Wrestling’s upcoming All Out pay-per-view.
The match comes in the wake of an injury to Jon Moxley, who was originally scheduled to face Omega at the big show, which is set to air next Saturday. As documented by 411Mania, Moxley, himself, a former WWE superstar who went by the moniker Dean Ambrose, picked up while wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling.
As noted by Wrestling Inc., Moxley also shared the news of his injury on Twitter, revealing that he’s “gutted” about the situation.
“I’m absolutely gutted to have to deliver this news but I’d rather it come directly from me. In a nightmare scenario, a serious case of MRSA has returned in my elbow. The timing couldn’t be worse. In this circumstance I am forced to pull out of the fight 8/31 vs Omega at All Out.”
While the injury won’t keep him out of action long-term — he’s expected to return in time for the first episode of AEW’s weekly show, which will debut in October — it’s still a huge blow for the performer and the company.
Moxley made his first appearance at AEW’s inaugural Double or Nothing pay-per-view, attacking Omega following his grueling main event match with Chris Jericho. He made his in-ring debut at Fyter Fest in a well-received winning effort against Joey Janela, which ended with Omega getting some payback on the former WWE Champion.
Moxley’s injury will likely raise some questions about AEW’s decision to allow marquee talent to compete for other promotions. Some of the company’s performers aren’t exclusively signed to the company, meaning that they’re at higher risk of picking up unexpected injuries.
BREAKING: AEW has announced PAC as Kenny Omega's opponent for All Out after Jon Moxley pulled out through injuryhttps://t.co/CCHlt0x2Kz
— WrestleTalk News (@WrestleTalk_TV) August 23, 2019
Moxley’s injury also means that AEW has missed out on an opportunity to bring Pac back into the fold in a more surprising way. At Double or Nothing, he was supposed to face Adam Page in a number one contender’s match to crown the first-ever AEW World Champion.
According to Fightful, however, he couldn’t make the event due to alleged issues with his visa and had to be withdrawn as a result. As part of the storyline, he revealed that he was done with AEW, so the company keeping his return a secret would certainly have caused some excitement among the fans.
At the same time, Omega versus Pac is still a huge match in its own right, and it’ll likely encourage more people to order All Out on pay-per-view next Saturday night.