Andrade El Idolo remains the AEW National Champion after surviving Pac in the opening contest at AEW All Out 2026. The championship match delivered a volatile mixture of technical counters, aerial offense, ringside chaos and repeated interference from Marina Shafir before Andrade found a narrow path to victory.
Pac appeared close to taking the title on several occasions, particularly after he trapped Andrade in the Brutalizer during the closing stretch. Yet Andrade was able to shift his positioning and roll Pac up, securing the pinfall and leaving All Out with the AEW National Championship still around his waist.
The result came after a match in which neither competitor could consistently maintain control for long. Andrade had to contend not only with Pac’s relentless offense, but also with Shafir’s involvement whenever the referee’s attention was pulled elsewhere. Shafir created key openings for Pac throughout the bout, but Andrade ultimately weathered the disruption and capitalized when the challenger committed to his submission attempt.
A measured start turns into a fast-moving title fight
The two men did not immediately race into the high-impact pace that would define the rest of the contest. Andrade and Pac spent the opening moments assessing one another, each looking for a chance to establish an advantage. That cautious approach ended when Andrade suddenly rushed Pac and forced the match into a more physical exchange.
For more background on this topic, read Jack Perry Survives Shibata as Bang Bang Gang, Sisters of Sin Win at AEW All Out Tailgate Brawl.
Pac quickly showed that he could match the champion’s intensity. He landed a German suplex that stopped Andrade’s momentum, but Andrade responded with a rapid Dia de los Muertos. The move connected cleanly, though Andrade was unable to make the cover quickly enough to convert it into an early victory.
Andrade then attempted to build on that sequence with the Three Amigos. He completed two suplexes before Pac countered the third and escaped to the floor. It was the first major sign that the challenger had an answer for Andrade’s rhythm, and it also moved the action into the area where Shafir could become a factor.
As Andrade went outside in pursuit, Shafir intervened while referee Aubrey Edwards was distracted by Pac. Shafir gouged Andrade’s eyes twice, giving Pac an illegal but effective opening. The champion was suddenly forced to regroup while managing the challenger and the threat positioned at ringside.
Marina Shafir repeatedly changes the complexion of the match
Ringside remained a major battleground as the match escalated. Andrade and Pac traded throws into the barricades, bringing their fight close to Shafir. In the scramble, Shafir was sent into the front row. The moment briefly removed her from the immediate action, but it did not keep her from continuing to influence the championship defense.
Back in the ring, Andrade went to the ropes looking to seize control with a moonsault. He missed the first attempt, creating an opening that Pac could have exploited. Andrade recovered immediately, however, connecting with a standing moonsault instead. Pac kicked out, denying the champion a momentum-changing pinfall and ensuring the match would continue.
Pac answered when Andrade tried to charge him in the corner. The challenger caught him with a belly-to-belly suplex, once again putting Andrade on the defensive. But the champion fought back with another sequence of Three Amigos and sent Pac out to the floor.
That led to one of Andrade’s biggest offensive moments of the match. He followed Pac outside and connected with a tornillo. Andrade then paused to pose with a woman at ringside, only for Shafir to reappear directly behind her. Shafir choked the woman out, creating a disturbing distraction that immediately drew Andrade’s attention away from Pac.
The interruption proved costly. With Andrade focused on what had happened at ringside, Pac took the opportunity to regain command of the contest. It was another instance in which Shafir’s presence changed the momentum without directly producing a finish, and it kept Andrade from building a sustained advantage even after his successful tornillo.
Pac closes in on the championship
Pac made full use of the opening. He hit Andrade with a moonsault on the outside, then followed with a 450 back in the match. The challenger’s offense became increasingly urgent as he targeted every chance to keep Andrade down, turning the bout into a test of whether the champion could withstand Pac’s bursts of speed and precision.
Pac also landed a major top-rope hurricanrana, but Andrade demonstrated his ability to counter under pressure. Rather than simply absorb the impact, Andrade rolled through with Pac’s momentum and fired back with another Dia de los Muertos. It was an inventive reversal and one of the clearest moments when Andrade appeared poised to put Pac away.
Pac avoided an immediate defeat by rolling out of the ring. Once Andrade followed, Pac threw the champion over his head and into the barricade. Both competitors had to beat the referee’s 10 count to return to the ring, emphasizing how much punishment had been exchanged by that stage of the opener.
The closing phase then featured another series of near-finishes and sudden reversals. Andrade avoided Pac’s Black Arrow, denying the challenger the move that could have ended the title match. Andrade looked to answer with another attempt at Dia de los Muertos, but Shafir again diverted his attention.
Pac capitalized immediately on the latest distraction. He delivered a reverse hurricanrana into a lariat, a punishing combination that left Andrade vulnerable. Pac then applied the Brutalizer, forcing the champion into a dangerous submission predicament and bringing the AEW National Championship within reach.
Andrade finds an escape when it matters most
The Brutalizer appeared to be Pac’s final answer after the lengthy back-and-forth struggle. Andrade had endured Pac’s aerial attacks, the reverse hurricanrana and lariat, and a series of disruptions caused by Shafir. Even so, he did not submit.
Instead, Andrade managed to roll Pac up while trapped in the submission attempt. The counter gave Andrade the decisive pinfall and ended Pac’s challenge in sudden fashion. It was not a straightforward win for the champion, nor was it a finish that erased the impact of Pac’s sustained offense. Rather, it showed Andrade’s awareness in a moment when Pac seemed to have the match firmly in hand.
For Pac, the loss followed a performance filled with opportunities. He countered Andrade’s Three Amigos early, landed the 450, hit the top-rope hurricanrana, avoided a potentially match-ending Dia de los Muertos by getting to the floor, and locked in the Brutalizer late. Shafir’s interference also created several tactical advantages. But Pac could not keep Andrade down for the three count, and he could not force the submission before Andrade found the roll-up.
For Andrade, the retention keeps his AEW National Championship reign intact after a demanding All Out opener. He was tested by Pac’s offense and repeatedly pulled off course by Shafir, yet he connected with multiple Dia de los Muertos attempts, utilized the Three Amigos and tornillo, and survived the challenger’s closing assault.
The All Out 2026 opener set a difficult tone for the rest of the event. Andrade El Idolo entered as champion and exited as champion, but only after overcoming Pac’s challenge and navigating Marina Shafir’s constant presence around the match. In the end, one counter inside the Brutalizer was enough to preserve the AEW National Title.
In pictures
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.