AEW President and CEO Tony Khan offered an unusual but revealing comparison during the media call ahead of AEW All Out 2026, saying he sees the company as being closer to Mocha Joe’s than Latte Larry’s from Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The question framed AEW through the lens of the two fictional coffee shops from the comedy series. Khan embraced the reference while making the broader point that wrestling, like the coffee business in the comparison, has room for more than one destination.

“In this case, I think we would be the Mocha Joe,” Khan said. “We’ve been doing All Out there, and we were very excited to be back. There is certainly a place for many coffee shops, whether it’s Mocha Joe’s or Latte Larry’s.”

Khan continued by acknowledging that the comparison can depend on perspective, but ultimately returned to the same answer.

For more background on this topic, read John Morrison Says Tony Khan Shares Vince McMahon’s Work Ethic but Has ‘a Good Heart’.

“There are probably times in life where we’ve all been a Mocha Joe or a Latte Larry, in this case probably more of a Mocha Joe.”

The lighthearted answer came as AEW prepared to present All Out later tonight on pay-per-view from the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The event marks another major All Out stop in the Chicago-area market, a setting that has long carried added significance for AEW and its fanbase.

While the Mocha Joe’s remark was delivered with humor, Khan’s response also reflected AEW’s established identity. Rather than portraying the company as an imitation of another wrestling operation, Khan positioned it as a distinct option in a marketplace that can support multiple approaches, audiences, and styles. That notion will be put into practice throughout an All Out lineup built around championship matches, a ladder match, a street fight, and a wide range of performers.

Ospreay and Moxley headline All Out

The AEW World Championship will be at stake when Will Ospreay faces Jon Moxley in the main event. It is a high-profile championship clash between two wrestlers with radically different reputations inside the ring.

Ospreay is known for speed, aerial ability, and an aggressive offense that can turn a match at any moment. Moxley, meanwhile, brings a punishing, physical style and a willingness to drag opponents into the kind of fight where endurance and toughness become as important as athleticism. With the world title on the line, the contrast in their approaches gives the match a clear central hook even before the bell rings.

All Out’s championship focus extends well beyond the main event. The AEW World Tag Team Championship will be defended in a ladder match featuring Adam Copeland and Christian Cage, FTR, and The Young Bucks. The format guarantees that the teams will not be able to rely on conventional tag-team strategy alone. Ladders introduce a heightened level of risk, and the teams must balance the need to neutralize their rivals with the race to secure the championships.

Copeland and Cage bring years of shared history into the match, while FTR and The Young Bucks have each defined major parts of AEW’s tag division. The ladder stipulation adds another unpredictable element to a contest already crowded with elite-level experience and rivalries.

Multiple titles featured across the card

The AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship match will take a far more violent route, as The Brawling Birds defend against The Divine Dominion in a Chicago Street Fight. The stipulation should remove many of the normal limits of tag competition and create a chaotic environment fitting for the stakes. In front of a Chicago-area crowd, both teams will have the chance to make a definitive statement in the women’s tag division.

The AEW World Trios Championship will also be on the line when Swerve Strickland and New Level meet Hangman Page and Brodido. Trios championships create a different set of demands than singles or traditional tag matches, placing a premium on timing, teamwork, and the ability to quickly adjust when the action breaks down. The involvement of Strickland and Page gives the title bout additional star power, while the six-man structure leaves plenty of room for momentum to shift rapidly.

Kazuchika Okada is scheduled to defend the AEW International Championship against Tommaso Ciampa. The bout presents an especially intriguing matchup of accomplished singles wrestlers, with the International title positioned as one of several championships that could change hands during the evening.

Andrade El Idolo will put the AEW National Championship on the line against PAC. Both competitors bring a reputation for intensity and technical ability, making the championship match one of the card’s potentially most competitive confrontations. The National title defense also gives Andrade the opportunity to strengthen his standing while PAC has a chance to leave Hoffman Estates with championship gold.

On the women’s side, Persephone is scheduled to defend the AEW TBS Championship against an opponent still listed as TBA. The uncertainty around the challenger makes the match one of the evening’s biggest open questions. Whoever answers the call will immediately enter a title situation with little room for error against an established champion.

Thekla and Willow Nightingale will meet in an AEW Women’s World Championship number one contenders match. The stakes are straightforward: victory places the winner in line for a future shot at the Women’s World Championship. For Nightingale, the match provides a chance to use her power and resilience to move closer to the top title. Thekla, meanwhile, can secure a major opportunity by overcoming one of the division’s most formidable opponents.

Tag contenders and Tailgate Brawl action

A second number one contenders match will determine the next challengers for the AEW World Tag Team Championship. Darby Allin and Steven Borden will face Kevin Knight and Kyle Fletcher. The match adds a significant layer to the tag title picture on the same night the championships are being defended in a ladder match.

That scheduling means the winning team will know it is moving toward a title opportunity, although the identity of the eventual champions may not be settled until after the ladder match concludes. Allin and Borden enter with one set of dynamics, while Knight and Fletcher offer another. With a championship opportunity at stake, every opening will matter.

Before the main card, the Tailgate Brawl will feature The Bang Bang Gang against Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta, Clark Connors, and David Finlay in a Tornado Tailgate Brawl. The tornado format signals that order will likely be difficult to maintain from the outset, particularly with eight competitors involved. It is designed to set an intense tone before the pay-per-view card begins.

Also scheduled for the Tailgate Brawl is Jack Perry versus Katsuyori Shibata. The singles contest brings together two wrestlers whose presence could add a hard-hitting contrast to the large-scale multi-person fight also booked for the pre-show portion of the event.

A crowded night in Hoffman Estates

Khan’s Mocha Joe’s comparison may have been playful, but the All Out card provides the more concrete representation of what AEW is bringing to the market. The show is structured around variety: a world-title main event, specialty stipulations, championship bouts across multiple divisions, a mystery challenger, and contender matches that can reshape future programming.

There is also a consistent emphasis on stakes. Ospreay and Moxley are fighting over the AEW World Championship. Three teams will chase the tag titles in a ladder match. The women’s tag champions must survive a street fight. Okada, Andrade, and Persephone each enter the event with titles to defend, while Thekla, Nightingale, Allin, Borden, Knight, and Fletcher are competing for future championship paths.

In that sense, All Out is more than a single main-event attraction. It is a card intended to affect several title pictures at once, with the potential for the results in Hoffman Estates to shape AEW’s direction after the event.

AEW All Out 2026 takes place tonight from the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, live on pay-per-view.

AEW All Out 2026 lineup

  • AEW World Championship: Will Ospreay vs. Jon Moxley
  • AEW World Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. FTR vs. The Young Bucks
  • AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship Chicago Street Fight: The Brawling Birds vs. The Divine Dominion
  • AEW World Trios Championship: Swerve Strickland & New Level vs. Hangman Page & Brodido
  • AEW International Championship: Kazuchika Okada vs. Tommaso Ciampa
  • AEW National Championship: Andrade El Idolo vs. PAC
  • AEW TBS Championship: Persephone vs. TBA
  • AEW Women’s World Championship No. 1 Contenders Match: Thekla vs. Willow Nightingale
  • AEW World Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contenders Match: Darby Allin & Steven Borden vs. Kevin Knight and Kyle Fletcher

Tailgate Brawl

  • Tornado Tailgate Brawl: The Bang Bang Gang vs. Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta, Clark Connors & David Finlay
  • Jack Perry vs. Katsuyori Shibata
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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.