All Out V - 9/3/2023

[Zakk_Sabbath]

This was a great show, man. Everyone was on fire, the crowd was great, and every single match IMO delivered or even over delivered (I don't understand how anyone walks away without becoming a fan of Shane Taylor). Hobbs vs Miro could have main evented any PPV - and the ACTUAL main event was killer. I thought this one kinda harkened back to the early days, and maybe getting rid of the spectre of Punk did it, maybe not, but there was just a great energy tonigjt. Ifyou dropped the ROH stuff and threw a Cody match on the card, this one could have been right out of the early days.

[Belgian_Waffle]

Miro vs Hobbs was just absolute pro wrestling magic for me in that it was a match I expected to be decent and maybe short and perfunctory but instead they went with a slow build and long running time and let the thing snowball into something really unique and special. Crowd going absolutely nuts for a lumbering hoss battle is what I typically turn to AJPW for, so getting this on an AEW ppv--and the crowd responding as enthusiastically as they did--couldn't have thrilled me more. I can't give a match a higher compliment than Suwamaesque. 

Only major gripe was Danielson beating Starks, especially with a newly healed broken arm. But hopefully the booking in the weeks to come will explain why they felt Danielson couldn't job here. Starks was made to look like shit in his feud with Jay White and all of his wins over Punk were extremely flukey so they need to give him some big definitive wins soon or he's going to lose the future top guy aura.

Wish the main event had gone longer but I suspect that a second viewing will reveal that it was better being as compact as it was. Thought the 8 man kinda sucked but I knew going in it wouldn't be my thing; didn't expect to like Omega/Takeshita much but it ended up being pretty engaging and they did the right finish. All the other matches were very good to exceptional. 

[Niners Fan in CT]

You know it's an all-time show when a couple pages into the post-show discussion about 5 matches have been called "match of the night" ... 

[John E. Dynamite]

And let's give respect to the person who this show was truly all about, who unfortunately couldn't be there tonight The man who stared impossible odds in the face and dared to dream anyway. The man who made this whole show possible.

Thank you, Jungle Boy.

[Zac_Fu]

The Mad King's Claudio Sucks Eggs shirt is one of the best tributes I've seen AND pro wrestling as fuck.

[Octopus]

Well that was great!

[NoFistsJustFlips]

Starks and Danielson went fucking in on that gimmick. That is by far the best strap match I've seen. Two dudes just saying fuck it I know you're gonna whip the shit out of me as hard as you fucking can right in the face but that's cool, bring it. Danielson also did a hell of a job working smart and not putting that arm in too much danger at any point. I can't put this match over too much. So good. Starks passing out is going to do so much more for him than a win would.

Also think OC coming up short is the right call and he'll end up better off for it. Especially liked the way Mox did him a real solid with his post match shock / incredulous reaction like this fucking guy took me out to waters that deep, thaaaa fucck?

Such a fun show. Joe vs MJF at Grand Slam (I assume) is gonna be dope. Starks looks like a star. OC looks like a star. Miro & Hobbs looked like stars. Not sure about all the weekly tv, but I can say for sure the PPVs are gonna be just fine. Over deliver city.

[Belgian_Waffle]

An idea: they should have Ace Steele confront the Elite on Wednesday then back down when they offer to let him join their group, then at the end of the show they hit him in the nuts and beat him down like DX did to Neidhart on the Raw after Montreal (except in this case it would be funny instead of just mean and weird).

[Nineteen]

Met up with a few friends and one of them brought their sister who had been out of wrestling for a while so it was fun catching her up on who this crop of talent was and at show's end, Orange Cassidy had made at least one new fan tonight.

Also, having to explain "Scissor me, daddy ass" to a lapsed wrestling fan.

This show ruled, which is A LOT having to follow the hype and delivery of London last week and with a certain straight edge black cloud hanging over the show.

Was surprised the champs retained in the opener, yet another DARK ORDER IS BACK moment to lead to.... wondering what's up with this MJF storyline with his neck injury. He has been wrestling a lot more recently so could be a ploy to get out of future matches, but also maybe a ploy against Adam... somehow? I'm digging it either way. Also, MJF vs. Joe, sign me the fuck up.

Kind of weird that we're back in the states means Saraya is a heel again. How long was Toni under the ring for? Great match too, one of those reminders of "Oh yeah, Ruby is really good and probably should be showcased more." 

Loved the strap match and was a good "let Danielson sell for the most part since he's been out with an injury" type match. Hell of a gusher from Danielson too. 

Kingston's shirt - Yes.

Kenny and Takeshita was incredible. It was a weird of pacing in that Don and Takeshita couldn't cheat but in the end didn't really need to. Being in Jordan's house too, so glad we got reminded that played college ball in..... yaknow......

Having to explain what "The Bang Bang Gang" is to a lapsed wrestling fan was a high point tonight too. Also someone shared a meme that Juice Robinson looks like the Honeycomb monster and.... yeah what has been seen....... Was surprised the crowd behaved during the Elite matches since we were expecting a certain chant to hijack the show. Popped too for the mini cardboard Switchblade standees in the crowd too.

If OC's reign had to end, that was probably the best way to do it. Having sold all these injuries for months on end only to run into Final Boss of the company Mox is a damn fine challenge to fall to. There's plenty of ways this can go too. Does he take time off to heal? Build himself back up to slay the monster? Move onto MJF soon? Best Friends in the Trios division?

[Dog]

33 minutes ago, John E. Dynamite said:

And let's give respect to the person who this show was truly all about, who unfortunately couldn't be there tonight The man who stared impossible odds in the face and dared to dream anyway. The man who made this whole show possible.

Thank you, Jungle Boy.

Talk about taking one for the team.

[Belgian_Waffle]

Watching the scrum and TK seems duscernibly more relaxed and perceptive than usual, particularly his take on the drawbacks of "the online discourse of granular analysis of week to week pro wrestling" which maybe could get someone's dissertation topic. It would be nice to think he's maybe caught up on a year's worth of sleep in the past 24 hours now that elephant is out of the room.

[Octopus]

I had a good time in the theater. It was a pretty good reactive crowd. Only annoying this was near the end a guy a bit away from me moved next to me so he could talk better about how AEW needs a cruiserweight belt and Tony Khan doesn’t like Darby or something. I still enjoyed the show.

I’ll ramble in order from memory. 

I did a Target pick up before driving to the theater. Groceries and things we needed. Didn’t do time management well, so I got to Eagan with about 15 mins to spare. Tried a BK but the drivethru was too long. Didn’t want shitty theater food. Only had breakfast and planned on having a beer. So wanted to fill up beforehand. Quickly smashed Taco Bell and was very close to heartburn. 
Because of that, I came in with Max on the outside with a clear chap shot of some kind happened. Fun opener. Usually I like more dominance from the tag team in a handicap match type situation, but this worked well. Crowd and myself were pumped up. MJF coming back in while holding the back of his head was cheesy fun. His best opener performance since the Tanahashi match. Crowd was going nuts for him. In a vacuum, not my cup of tea, but to start an event I loved it.

SAMOA JOE SHOVES MJF AGAIN! I popped hard at that. Perfect next feud set up. Joe looks like a cool dick and Maxwell can get away with being roughed up in a pull apart because of his neck. I’m excited for the promos. 

This was my first (I think) Shane Taylor match. I’m impressed and will happily see more. A few clear chest slaps for sound, but that’s fine. Joe gave him a good deal so he came across looking well. But hot dang, I love me some Samoa Joe. 

Christian Cage is phenomenal. He just needs to be a piece of shit on the outside and it makes everything better. Darby is crazy, yada yada yada. Luchasaurus looked good throwing him around. The steel steps spot was wild looking. Christian mocking Nick Wayne with a towel for him to throw in was such a great prick move.

vs was wonderful. My legs were kicking and I was wiggling. Both men are people I want to see more of. Miro is great at working the crowd. They gelled so well with each other. The crowd’s chants were a lot of fun too. Sometimes it can get annoying, but in this match it worked. MEEEEEAT.

Statlander vs Ruby did fantastic in a match I thought would be tough to follow. Saraya was a great on the outside. I’m pro trash talk and yelling to your partner. Her ripping the sign was great. Both Ruby and Statlander really knocked it out of the park with this. Toni run in was a good choice. 

Danielson vs Starks was my match of the night. It was icky and I loved it. Starks is so phenomenal. His cheap shots early and showboating was done well enough you know he was going to get his comeuppance. Oh fuck, he did. That was gross. I was loudly giggling and so excited. I reacted so much to that slapping noise. They got each other in the face. Ouch oh God yikes. Steamboat was wonderful. He came across authentic to where the stammering and pausing before he’d speak to me made the match better. I was so happy and he is such a great face. Looks great too! AEW loves their legends. Also, FINAL COUNTDOWN! I wonder if that was a last minute add on to have a fun thing after the drama. Hearing a crowd sing along to “The Finnnal Countdooooown” made me smile. Maybe it’s the PPV doing? Or just this one more time.

I know I’m gushing about everything but I’m happy. 

I remember when Claudio joined the BCC and people were thinking his silly puns would be a bad fit for the group. It took a bit to find his voice amongst these killers, but hit dang he is a fantastic stoic villain. Yuta is a great piece of shit as well. What an excellent match up of these personalities. I loved this. Happy to see Kingston lose to Claudio to drive him made. His eventual victory will be glorious. Shibata is cool.

Omega vs Takeshita started off with good struggling grapples and I like that. An Omega match, I can see this having its fans and having its detractors. I had fun watching it. I could pick a part certain things I’d like differently, but I did love the ending. Thinking we’d get the stab, grabbed away but still reversed. Big Cinnabon win.

I’m still typing but I’m tired. I enjoyed the FTRBucks vs Bang Bang Gang. It felt like a wink to the audience that everything is OK with all the tandem mix match signature tag moves. Big win for BBG and can drive more tension between Bucks and FTR.

Main Event was great. OC took a beating but fought back valiantly. He came across like a hero. The former company Ace gets the big win in another post Punk AEW. Cassidy finishes maybe the best title run in the company. He looked like a star. 

Little things here and there, but that would just be me nitpicking that I’ll maybe do tomorrow. Tonight was a good show when they really needed it. Hopefully it gets praise and does good post event buys. This could be a good turning point for the company.

[Octopus]

Just started the press conference and Adam Cole just comes across so sweet always and I just want to be his buddy and he’s such a little stinker and he’s so kind and has such a nice smile and is just a bug in a rug. What a cutie.

Edited September 4, 2023 by Octopus

[Phantom Lord]

I didn't plan on ordering the PPV, but my brother at the last minute said he wanted to. This PPV was really good. I didn't expect much going in but I was blown away by how it delivered. I shouldn't doubt AEW when they put together what looks like a show that would be a good Dynamite.

Cole/MJF vs. Dark Order might have been the weakest match on the card tonight and it was still good.

Joe vs. Taylor was a nice slobber knocker but it was nothing compared to Miro vs. Hobbs. Oh my God what a match that was. The crowd turned it into a match that was better than it had any right to be.

Luchasarus had probably his best match ever against Darby Allin. Darby can take a beating and he has some miracle spots in him. Christian continues to rule in his role of proxy champion while Luchasarus does all the work.

Ruby vs. Statlander was good. I thought Ruby would actually win, but Toni emerging from under the ring looking all out of it and stealing the spraypaint and being mesmerized by it was perfect.

The strap match was amazing. For something thrown together at the last minute they over delivered. That might have been the best strap match since Sting and Vader. Bryan wasn't supposed to come back for another month so I'm amazed at what he pulled off. Starks looked great in defeat.

Claudio/Yuta vs Eddie/Shibata was good tag match. I was shocked how Eddie got KO'ed by a European Uppercut. I want to see Claudio vs. Shibata after this.

Omega vs Takeshita started slow but picked up real quick in it's second half. Was surprised Takeshita won in the manner he did. But it was a great match in the end.

FTR/Bucks vs. Bullet Club was a wild match. I didn't expect it to be good, but it way over delivered like everything else on this ppv.

Finally we get to the main event and wow. That was a great damn match. I honestly thought Orange Cassidy would survive somehow. Holy hell Moxley beat the shit out of him. Story wise it was epic and Orange Cassidy deserves to be a permanent main eventer after this. Put him in the World Title picture.

Overall an amazing show tonight.

 

[MoeCristyV.1.6]

That has to be top to bottom the best AEW PPV ever, right? Every match delivered, the right guys/gals won and there was no weak match to skip. Long live Tony Khan, DVDVR Mastermind. 

[Octopus]

On the press conference, Danielson super put over Starks. Said “he carried me in that match” and talked about how excellent he is. Also put over Mox as one of the best in the world, and says you could argue OC too. 
He also talked about what poetry he is reading right now.

Edited September 4, 2023 by Octopus

[Casey]

Absolutely insane that they did 100k+ PPV buys for this show. So that’s around 300k combined on back to back weekends. Wild.

[Octopus]

5 minutes ago, Casey said:

Absolutely insane that they did 100k+ PPV buys for this show. So that’s around 300k combined on back to back weekends. Wild.

Crazy. They got me last night. I wonder how many people were planning on getting it for a while and how many recently swayed.

[TheVileOne]

CM Punk's own city turned on him. Even Chicago thinks Punk is an asshole.

Edited September 4, 2023 by TheVileOne

[Go2Sleep]

I knew this show would be good, but I didn't expect it to be that good. Honestly the 1-2 punch with the spectacle and sports entertainment of All In and the more traditional AEW workrate approach of All Out couldn't have worked any better. AEW is at its best when their backs are against the wall.

It was a good call to put Cole and MJF on first. The most over act and top guy in the company went out first and set the tone but didn't overshadow what was to come. Silver and Reynolds are the perfect filler team for BTYBB to further establish their "baseline" before they branch off into more epic matches. The transition and teaser with Joe was well done.

Joe/Taylor was fine. They could've done more, but good restraint with what was basically an ROH match.

Darby took lots of crazy bumps and made Luchasaurus look like a killer, but Luchasaurus is a bit underrated and held his own here. His bumps for the crucifix bomb and avalanche code red were smooth and good looking near-falls. The multiple tombstones was a good finish and it makes sense to build to Christian/Lucha vs. Darby/Wayne in Seattle.

Hobbs/Miro was what really kicked the show off in earnest. Started normal enough, but just kept going (in a good way) and getting bigger. The crowds meat chants hit the right balance of being cute but not taking away from the match. The not-Lana appearance was a legit surprise (but lol at her tron only being "hot and flexible"). Kind of a weird follow up to that but I'm assuming there's a plan for a bigger moment.

Stat/Ruby was a good reminder of what both women are actually capable of. Didn't feel out of place as the show got bigger.

Bryan/Starks was the most violent strap match I've ever seen. Good god those two were laying into each other. Bryan's first few real shots just shredded Ricky's back. It wasn't just how hard they hit each other, but how they didn't seem to care where they got hit. Both guys took so many strap shots to the face and neck. This was sick but I couldn't look away.

Following that with Eddie Kingston was the right idea to keep the crowd going. Solid tag match and a much needed win for Claudio and Yuta with more to come.

Omega/Takeshita was another Kenny masterpiece and a breakout match for Takeshita. It felt like the first time we've really gotten to see him get to top gear in AEW, and you couldn't ask for a better dance partner than Kenny in such a situation. Good false finishes down the stretch and while it wasn't quite as good as the Ospreay match, it really felt like Takeshita earned it.

The 8-man was a buffer to the main, but a good match in its own right. Liked how they played on the FTR/YB dynamic but the more cohesive quartet still won. Jay White is being low-key super protected.

The main event delivered as expected. There were two paths they could've gone down, and while I wasn't quite as convinced of going down the Mox path before the match, they executed the concept perfectly. The vertical drop death rider to finish it was nasty. OC still got his moment afterwards and if anything, his stock still went up a little here. The tunnel entrances before were great. I also have to point out how much I like the dichotomy of Bryan Danielson being a pure babyface defending the honor of Ricky Steamboat and then hyping up scumbag Mox on the same show. It's not actually a contradiction of his character, it's just a far more nuanced level of depth than we're used to in pro wrestling.

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by Go2Sleep

[SirFozzie]

https://twitter.com/orangecassidy/status/1698583855572099276

 

Coach Tony... give this man a two month paid vacation anywhere and everywhere he wants to go. 

What a story. Mox had it right:

"He's just a cosplay wrestler".

"He exposes the business."

"He shouldn't be in the ring with a wrestler like Jericho/Cole/Mox (etcetera, etcetera, etcetera)."

Bullshit.

He's been in AEW since pretty much day 1, and has built his reputation brick by brick by brick. Never getting into trouble outside the ring. He earned this main event, and honestly, I think while it was originally weird that MJF didn't have a title match on a PPV for the biggest title in AEW, there's no match that could have followed Moxley/Cassidy.

Actually, make it three months. Have him come back in 2024. And then put him right into the world title hunt.

[The Natural]

I paid for All In only to find out the former was free to air after I paid for it on Fite. Fuckers. I went with All In over All Out as it was on a great time for UK viewers (6pm-10pm), opposite to the usual (1am-5am). I was adamant I wasn't going to double dip till I read the DVDVR MB family reviews and so I have. Review incoming...

Edited September 4, 2023 by The Natural

[Ziggy]

5 hours ago, TheVileOne said:

CM Punk's own city turned on him. Even Chicago thinks Punk is an asshole.

Werent they already starting to turn on him at the first taping? I'm a Punk fan but he was never going to get the same reaction as the first dance 

[For Great Justice]

All In + All Out is the best possible pro wrestling double album. This was AEW’s Use Your Illusion 1 and 2.

The glitz, glamour, celebrity and scale of All In. Then the grittiness, raw attitude of All Out. It’s a beautiful, artful thing.
 

I’d get the Blu Ray set immediately if available.

[Matt D]

I was able to catch everything but the women's match, Omega/Takeshita which I'm skipping, the Eddie match, and the 8 man, and what I've seen was tremendous.

• Not much to say about the Battle Royal. Good for Hangman that he was over and it was fun to see him against the Gates of Agony. I am getting spots of this confused with spots from the Rampage one but I did get a kick out of the boys just putting Menard down. They have to do something with Garcia in the next two weeks badly.
• Six-woman match was fun but probably didn't get to breathe quite enough with the Athena stuff. I had wanted her involved with the Outcasts angle months ago as sort of their wild and uncontrollable Randy Savage and you got some of that vibe here. They should have teased a Billie Starks/Skye Blue match maybe? I don't think the crowd was quite ready for Athena but they went up for the Athena vs Shida tease.
• Team Jarrett hating that Aubrey was the ref was good. It was an easy well for them to go back to. Maybe don't go back too many more times. I'm ready to see Satnam do some more. Rodman not leaving the ring was really funny.
• I really do enjoy the MJF act. After he became champ, he started working in 80s heel spots like the abdominal stretch holding the rope. Now he's going over the top with 80s babyface spots like the double noggin knocker and ten count punch and really showing how you can build up absolutely anything as meaningful so long as you make the fans care and show that you care. That's my only regret in this, that he didn't have time feuding with Silver/Reynolds to come up with another new signature spot. It'll probably get old at some point but we're months away from that. Weird that I've never seen Reynolds/Silver's combo look worse than on Cole who is a guy who should be able to take it. Usually it's pretty beautiful.
• Taylor vs Joe was solid, with the notion that either guy could cut the other off at any point. The abrupt finish was good because it set the stage for the rest of the night. And the pre-match shove was great on multiple levels, calling back to multiple things, though probably got a little too cute once Joe locked the choke on. But no one's going to tell him he can't own this; he deserves it.
• Darby vs Luchasaurus was very good overall but maybe too similar to Mox vs OC in the end, especially considering the results. Two different sort of monsters. And a third on the outside in Christian. All of the big spots worked. The German was nuts. Wayne was effective as a second. I think I would have liked the finish more if Darby leaped at Christian and lost because of that as opposed to Luchasaurus just recovering.
• Miro vs Hobbs had that same "anyone can take over at any moment" vibe. I liked the early stuff but thought Miro might have been taking a bit too much of it. He'd clobber Hobbs in the corner and Hobbs wouldn't really get to answer, though the answer was the big belly to belly where Hobbs had to power him up and over. Once the meat stuff started, Miro (of the Rusev Day experience) knew exactly what he had with it and leaned in hard. Just amazing skill in adapting to a crowd. He had to see Dollar Signs in his eyes. It's also amazing that the crowd wasn't chanting it all night after. Real testament to what followed. Glad to see CJ there, just because they needed some sort of debut.
• Danielson vs Starks was absolutely amazing. Cross-section of violence and brutality and purpose. I was worried for Danielson's brain on some of those strap matches, but he also worked it very smartly in other ways in protecting his arm. The Punk match would have been different, more cinematic; it would have breathed more, but this was just visceral and straight down your throat. It was merciless to the wrestlers and the viewers. Just a hell of a thing.
• Mox vs OC was also pretty grisly, especially when you saw blood just dripping out of Cassidy's head. Starks was helped in the loss. I don't think OC needed this kind of help at this point of his run.  I think the show, the crowd, the company needed him to go over after that match even if you have Mox win it in a gimmick match in the next couple of weeks. I liked the idea that Cassidy could only even be in the match with all of his biggest stuff. That wasn't him taking over, it was just him staying alive. Things did build well for his comeback and ultimately taking over and the crowd was electric. Given the finish, Danielson vs Starks should have probably main evented. That's one way where the initial plan would have been better.

Everything I saw was overall excellent even if I have nitpicks.