ALL IN, famous landmark theoretically self funded wrestling show that eventually led to AEW, was a real big deal as everybody knows at this point, but the secret behind every “spirit of ALL IN” post is that, as a wrestling show, ALL IN kind of sucked. Constructed more around Youtube vlog bits, highlighting at least two sexual predators in big spots, and generally, just not creating a show with a lot of good wrestling matches on it. It valued moments over everything else, with little behind them in terms of the actual wrestling meat and potatoes part of the equation, which is maybe a point about that fanbase best expanded on at another time. The end result is a show that I (a) missed at the time, and after having now finally watched the big stuff on it (NWA Title, Hanger/Janela with the dick spot rapist resurrection angle with cock druids, Kenny/Penta, and even Okada against the bird pervert), (b) I am not exactly sad that I waited this long to see.
This is the exception, because this fucking rocked.
I know what you’re thinking, and as always, I also imagine what you have to say to me.
“Wait, isn’t this the match that got cut down to like twelve minutes because the match before it needlessly went twenty-six minutes/because they were clearly laying out a show for the first time?”
YOU’RE GOD DAMNED RIGHT.
This is not a great match that unfortunately got cut down to twelve minutes, forcing them to only hit the biggest and wildest spots that they had planned and cutting out much of the material in between those high points.
It is a great match because it got cut down to twelve minutes, and they were forced to cut so much out of it.
Now, it’s not to say a fifteen or even twenty minute version of this is not also great. It probably is. Maybe the connective tissue here that got shredded to pieces would have been really really good. The thing is though, this is not a match with a ton of narrative weight to it, and it is not a match where I am positive what we lost was anything with preserving. What we lose is, seemingly, the least essential stuff, leaving us with a pure highlight reel from six of the best highlight reel wrestlers in the world. The only real problem with what happened is (a) someone being caught saying to go home and then the pace rapidly increasing & (b) some clear communication at points, clearly about what gets cut out. Otherwise, it’s a ton of unbelievably spectacular things in a row, and because of their need to fit this into a rapidly closing window, the match accidentally has a real sense of urgency to it at a few moments near the end.
Everything about ALL IN, to me, exists in the greatness of this match. An incredibly cool line up that found itself in the most slam dunk can’t miss format possible because of the rank amateurism on display in virtually every other spot on the card.
The happiest accident possible, cutting down a main event epic that could have been either just barely great or not great at all, and turning it into a Nitro or 1997 WCW PPV opener style display of only the wildest stuff they had to offer, with no room for anything else.
HANDWERK 