Got my laptop issues sorted out (by buying a new one) and about time too since it’s been wild the past few weeks. Let’s start with All In which, like most AEW PPVs, was a great show. My match reviews (going to skip the pre-show matches because they weren’t worth talking about):
-Blackpool Combat Club and PAC defeat The House of Black, The Bang Bang Gang, and The Patriarchy for the AEW World Trios Title. A great opening match. I’m a sucker for ladder matches and this was a real good one. I was wincing at some of the jumps, amazed that no one here had to leave in an ambulance. Glad to see the BCC and PAC holding the titles. 4/5 stars
-Mariah May defeats Toni Storm for the AEW Women’s World Title. Easily the best AEW women’s match I’ve ever seen. May and Storm are both great wrestlers (I seriously underrated Storm when she was stuck with The Outcasts, it wasn’t her fault that gimmick was so awful) and they’re both great storytellers too. I knew May winning would be for the best but a small part of me was rooting for Storm to prevail. 5/5
-Hook defeats Chris Jericho for the FTW Title. Why was this not on the pre-show? 2/5
-The Young Bucks defeat FTR and The Acclaimed for the AEW World Tag Team Title. A very predictable match that is nonetheless still good. Not as good as The Young Bucks and FTR’s past clashes but seeing a beyond washed Chris Jericho beforehand cushioned the blow of this match. After the match, The Grizzled Young Vets came out and they may be the shot in the arm AEW’s tag team division needs. 3/5
-Christian Cage wins the 1 Contendership Casino Gauntlet Match. This was on its way to being an all-timer match and then it just falls apart at the end. We got Ricochet’s debut, Nigel McGuinness returning to the ring, and Jeff Jarrett going full Jarrett, all great stuff. We then get Luchasaurus (under his original name) storming to the ring, heading straight for Cage. At this point, I got out of my chair because I was sure I was about to witness an all-timer moment for AEW. I’ve been dying to see Luchasaurus get his vengeance on Cage. And then it winds up being a fake out and he helps Cage win again. Still, the rest of the match is pure gold. 4.5/5
-Will Ospreay defeats MJF for the AEW American International Title. An amazing match, an easy contender for best match on the show if it wasn’t for the main event. I don’t need to tell you that Ospreay is an amazing wrestler and that MJF is a great heel but they are in top form here. When Ospreay finally broke out the Tiger Driver ’91, I was fucking cheering. 5/5
-Mercedes Mone defeat Dr. Britt Baker DMD for the AEW TBS Title. Why did they put this on after Ospreay and MJF? That did this match no favors. Mone is a great wrestler but not even she can get a good match from Baker, who still wrestles like she’s underwater. I did like Baker’s Eddie Guerrero tribute but that’s it. 2/5
-Jack Perry defeats Darby Allin for AEW TNT Title. God, what a let down this match was. It starts out great with Allin yeeting himself at Perry but then it takes a bizarre turn when it’s just Perry tying up Allin and then dumping him in a casket. We then get Perry and the Young Bucks pouring gasoline on Allin (playing off Allin doing the same back in Blood and Guts) and Sting comes out with his bat. A few people were annoyed about Sting breaking his promise to retire but I don’t see it. 2/5
-Bryan Danielson defeats Swerve Strickland for the AEW World Title. Goddamn, this match was everything I was hoping for and more. Danielson is a GOAT already, both in terms of wrestling skills and storytelling, and Strickland is proving himself more and more to be a master at both too. We were threatened with the prospect of Danielson retiring if he lost the title and we thankfully get to see him wrestle some more. Also, there was a funny gaffe on commentary where Jim Ross called him “Daniel Bryan.” 5/5
Other big news from the wrestling world:
-The world said goodbye to Sid Eudy, known to wrestling fans as Sid Vicious. He was 63. He was a very divisive figure. He might have been insane (he tried to stab Arn Anderson with a pair of scissors), he was a terrible promo (he infamously asked to start a promo over while on live TV), and he wasn’t the best wrestler. But he had a great aura and so many young wrestling fans thought he was the coolest. He managed to get people booing Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels before it came out how they were gigantic tools backstage. That takes actual talent. Also, he had an amazing theme:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDOLlT9YRGU&pp=ygUQcHN5Y2hvIGRhbmNlIHNpZA%3D%3D
-Jamie Hayter made her grand return to wrestling. She showed up at the All In pre-show, beating Saraya and her awful family, indicating that she’ll be a face.
-The latest AAA TripleMania was last week and good God, how does this shit keep getting worse? AAA is doing a civic duty for wrestling fans: whenever WWE or AEW screw up, we just need to look at AAA and remember we could do a lot worse. The matches were overbooked and nonsensical, Vampiro is still wrestling despite having Alzheimer’s, there was a tasteless joke about the death of the second La Parka, the main event featured rapist scumbag Alberto El Patron winning the world title as a babyface (only to turn hell a few minutes later alongside JBL, who was inexplicably there), and there were so many swerves, even Vince Russo would shake his head. It boggles my mind that Konnan can criticize Tony Khan for his booking when he’s booking this. Speaking of Tony Khan, if you’re reading this, please raid AAA’s locker room. They have some great talent and don’t deserve to be playing second fiddle to Matt Riddle, Jinder Mahal, and other WWE washouts. Triple H, raid their locker room too.
-Saraya was featured on a song by her boyfriend’s band, Falling in Reverse. The song is called Bad Guy. I made my cousin listen to it and she hadn’t forgiven me yet.
-WWE washout/rapist shitbag Gable Steveson was cut by the Buffalo Bills. Yes, in the short time since his release, he took up football, got signed by the Bills, and then cut for being awful. Somewhere, Trevor Lee is smiling.
-We’ve got two sure to be great WWE shows this weekend, Bash in Berlin and NXT No Mercy. We’re getting Gunther vs. Randy Orton again and I’m so excited.