Swerve Strickland & The New Level retained the AEW World Trios Championship against Hangman Page & Brodido at All Out.
Strickland, Kofi & Austin Creed survived a chaotic match in Chicago, with Strickland ultimately pinning Bandido after escaping the 21-Plex and hitting Big Pressure.
The match repeatedly returned to the long-running hostility between Strickland and Page. Their first physical exchange came after Strickland pulled Page from the ring, sparking a confrontation that their respective partners had to break up.
Bandido was then isolated by the champions before Brody King made the hot tag and overwhelmed Creed and Kofi.
King later allowed Creed to reach Strickland for a tag, while Page entered on the opposing side, bringing the former rivals into the match legally. They traded heavy shots before the contest broke down around them.
One of the more unusual sequences saw Bandido hoist Kofi and Strickland onto his shoulders while Creed attempted to carry King. King escaped and added Creed to Bandido’s load, allowing Bandido to drop all three champions at once.
Brodido followed with a series of tandem attacks, including a combined German suplex on Kofi and Creed, while King later came close to pinning Creed after a piledriver.
The champions answered with a triple-team sequence culminating in a 450 splash from Strickland, but King kicked out despite all three champions piling on for the cover.
Late in the match, Page appeared to have Strickland lined up for the Buckshot Lariat. Strickland pulled Creed into the path of the move instead, leaving his own partner to take the impact.
Strickland then caught Page with the House Call before Bandido returned with the X-Knee.
Bandido attempted the 21-Plex, but Strickland landed on his feet and immediately hit Big Pressure for the three-count.
The victory keeps Strickland, Kofi & Creed atop AEW’s trios division, although Strickland using Creed as a shield during the finish may provide a point of tension within the championship team.
