AEW All In 2025

[MoS]

I found it interesting how Ospreay seemed clearly a level below Swerve, both in terms of crowd reaction and in terms of positioning/booking. Being the enthusiastic younger brother is a tough spot to be in. 

[Boss Rock]

There's nothing that really makes me squeamish in wrestling anymore. But the way Mox's head opened up with those fork shots...yeesh that got me.

[C.S.]

11 hours ago, sek69 said:

By the way, I assume everyone has seen the Players Tribune short film on the Briscoe family but if for some reason you haven't you need to watch it immediately.  Easily one of the best wrestling related things I've ever seen.

[WingedEagle]

On 7/13/2025 at 10:03 AM, Boss Rock said:

There's nothing that really makes me squeamish in wrestling anymore. But the way Mox's head opened up with those fork shots...yeesh that got me.

I usually can't handle that stuff but somehow it didn't bother me much here. Death matches in Japan are an absolute handwave for me and feel like snuff films.

[El-P]

I wasn't ready for THAT main event. Holy fucking shit. Danielson showing up in a Blue Panther mask (because of course). Darby with a promo from the Everest and dropping from the sky like Sting. Marina screaming for her life as she got dropped. Swerve and his Red Dead Redemption arc. And Mox indeed panicking as he's dying a thousand deaths and no one can save him. Hangman truly is the heart and soul.

I got my Chaka Khan moment ! Thank you for listening Coach TK !

Awesome, AWESOME show, with peaks like mofo crazy.

(the Adam Cole stuff was tough to watch (you could see it in his eyes the second he was on the ramp), hopefully he recovers and gets well soon)

[El-P]

One interesting thing about this show, was the lack of surprise, or rather, the lack of a certain kind of surprise. In the two gauntlets matches, you had the return from injury of Juice Robinson (with whatever the fuck was that look) and the Gunns (well, ok, good then), the debut of Alex Windsor, who had been announced in the previous weeks, and the appearance of Syuri (which, if you read the tea leaves, was not a big surprise either). No ex-WWE worker making a big debut, despite the fact so many have been cuts recently. Lately it seems like Coach TK has learned a lot from the last 3 years, and this is another sign of a change of attitude. I'm sure some of them will eventually show up, if they are thought to be good signees, but the fact none showed up there is quite telling. The show was focused on AEW's core roster and partners (Stardom, CMLL). 

Speaking of ex-WWE guys though, the Cope "run-in" was hilarious. The guy had to make his entire choreographed entrance event hough his old pal was getting murdered. Jeff Hardy would have been proud.

Thinking back at the show I've watched yesterday, it was truly one for the ages and felt like the creative peak of the promotion thus far. Which is something I would never have guessed 6 months ago. The one audible (Dustin winning and the eve of the terribly sad Adam Cole speech) was super cool, and everything else was booked exactly like it should have (even the Hurt Business match, really, the day they lose the titles needs to be in a straight match to a tag team they actually will put over). There was some *awesome* work in the YB vs Ospreay/Swerve match that really made you think the Bucks would win despite the awful stipulation. The Bucks are the greatest tag team ever, and their wrestling IQ is ridiculous. (and let's not even mention *this* intro, which was hilarious on several meta levels). I kinda figured Okada was winning considering how the booking went until then, but he too displayed why he's maybe the greatest big match worker ever. The idea that "he's washed" is funny as fuck. When he wants to do a G1 final level match, he just does. I felt like they left people wanting more a bit. I doubt this is the last chapter. Also, I can't say how happy I was with Athena winning the gauntlet. I really hoped she would, but wasn't sure she would.

[DMJ]

Just finished the show. Not much to say that hasn't been said.

My biggest criticism is that it felt like what I assume a boxing or UFC show would be with a bunch of preliminary matches that wouldn't have been out-of-place on an episode of Collision before things picked up with the Bucks match and, from there, the show was fine-to-great. The Women's Gauntlet Match, which I didn't love, would've probably worked better had it not been the second Gauntlet match of the show and had it not happened in the middle of a 6-hour event. Ditto for the Tag Team Title match, which was fine, but, by that point, you kinda just don't need it. Every show needs bathroom breaks and filler so, if you start the show with the Tag Title Match, then do the Women's Gauntlet, then do Young Bucks, then do the Women's Match, and then end it with Okada/Omega and Page/Mox, I think you'd actually end up with an even better-received show overall (at least from the PPV-viewing crowd, the fans in attendance can come early for the Men's Gauntlet for the Buy-In/dark match).

All three of the main events delivered. And, more than that, they were booked really well.

Toni needed the W. Loved her getting it. When we eventually get the rematch, Mercedes can win and, hopefully, fans won't get in a tizzy about it. Because I can and want to watch those two fight over and over and over. Great, great match. Mone lost none of her aura, overness, or star power in a loss and Toni now feels fully cemented as a top, top act in all of wrestling, not just AEW. Smart move, TK, and kudos to Mercedes for a great performance too. 

If you had to choose one heel to win, Okada was the choice. The only criticisms I've seen/read have all basically said the same thing and I agree - it was a great match, but not a Best Match of All Time-level match. Well, yeah. But "Best Match of All-Time" is a really, really high bar so two guys, even at their peak, not being able to meet it every time they wrestle is a really stupid criticism. People rank the Steamboat/Flair matches too and not everyone even agrees on which one is best. Ditto for Bret and Austin. So, yeah, maybe this Okada/Omega match wouldn't be considered a Best Match of All Time-caliber match...but, dang, it was pretty fucking good anyway. 

Page/Mox wasn't a Best Match Ever-caliber match either (unless you're really into death matches), but you know what it did get right? The culmination of a story, which, to me, matters even more. Now, had the first 15 minutes of the match not been filled with crazy spots and lots of great action, I don't know if the final 15 would've been as great, but, yeah, those final 15-20 minutes were just perfect. 

[sek69]

Is my recency bias showing or was that one of the all time blowoffs in wrestling history? My kneejerk reaction to thinking that was to think I'm overrating it, but I can't think of too many occasions where a feud ender hit perfectly on practically every note. 

[El-P]

9 hours ago, sek69 said:

Is my recency bias showing or was that one of the all time blowoffs in wrestling history? 

I've been watching pro-wrestling for 35 years (damn). And a whole lot of it, from all eras and territories, although of course watching something after the fact and from another culture absolutely alters your perception of it. Still. This was absolutely the greatest blowoff I've ever seen, on every level. 

As far as the so-called recency bias, my experience tells me that although it does exists, it doesn't weigh a whole lot compared to the "sacred cow bias", the "old-school bias" and globally the "things used to be better bias". There's something about people (that's including myself) having trouble being in the *now* and recognizing what's so great about it when it actually is.