SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The go-home show for All-In seems like it took place over a month ago and not just seven days ago, but what a wild seven days it’s been!
Sunday’s All-In in London was a special event that the company should be extremely proud of pulling off, but that great show was overshadowed yet again by the Jack Perry-C.M. Punk nonsense. And now that nonsense leads into a week of shows in Chicago and another PPV that needs some big-time sweetening. They have a lot of work ahead of them.
Now, I usually check out the AEW YouTube preview video to get a feel for the night’s show, but this week they only promoted one match (Orange Cassidy vs. Penta). The rest of the video previewed the upcoming events later this week and in the weeks following.
There was not much to go on, so I’m curious what they’ve come up with over the past couple of days as they try to move forward. Here we go.
HITS
ORANGE CASSIDY
First the vignette, then another great match, and finally getting on the mic and delivering a solid go-home promo even without a catchphrase! The fact he rarely talks made that last promo so effective. I don’t think you can argue he is one of the top all-around performers in AEW.
RECAPS & CALLBACKS TO ALL-IN
It’s a shame it took a monumental 81,000 fan-attended event to get them to do this, but kudos to the production team for showing recaps of All-In matches all throughout the show. It not only gave viewers who did not watch the event an idea of how it looked, but gave them the opportunity to further storylines and set up matches for All Out.
TONI STORM’S FLYING SHOES
I can’t help it. I can’t get enough of Toni Storm throwing her shoe at backstage interviewers. Her “losing her mind” schtick is hit or miss (pun intended), but it always ends with me giggling after someone is trying to dodge a flying shoe.
MOXLEY
Great match as always. Great promo as always. Great job yelling at the TV during Wheeler Yuta’s match with Eddie Kingston. This guy gets it, he stays out of trouble and puts great stuff on TV week after week. I’d love to see Moxley and the BCC be in control of Collision.
CALLIS & TAKESHITA’S FILM STUDY
Loved this. It was fresh and original. Great use of a touch screen to outline the strategy needed to not only beat Omega but hurt him. As a big sports fan, I would love to see more of this. Breaking down film in this way adds to the realism and makes it easier to suspend your disbelief.
BILLY’S BIG ONE
Everybody loves the Acclaimed. The crowd loves them. I happened to love Billy looking like 1989 Brutus Beefcake with those huge scissors. They might be hokey at times, but they were one of the few acts that had the crowd going nuts on this show.
FREE SAMPLE VIP PODCAST: Today’s Wade Keller Hotline covering CM Punk-Jack Perry controversy in depth and the fallout and cascade effect of it
MISSES
JERICHO & SAMMY
At the beginning of Chris Jericho’s promo, I was very intrigued to what he would be talking about, but by the end it just fell flat to me. Having another “friendship” angle even if it’ll be short-lived just seems repetitive. The lines have been blurred so much between both of these guys on whether they are faces or heels and now we have Sammy looking dumb trusting Jericho. I’m not sure how it’s going to end, but it just gets a shrug of the shoulders for me.
UNDERWHELMING ALL OUT CARD
I’m sure there are still a couple of matches yet to be announced, but this card is full of “Winter is Coming”-type of matches. That’s not bad, but is it worth $50? I’ve bought every PPV that AEW has ever put out and I have yet to be disappointed. I’m hoping that streak will continue, but there are only two matches that really have me fired up and that’s Omega vs. Takeshita and Orange vs. Moxley. The rest of the matches suffer from lack of build; you can somewhat get away with that in front of 81,000 fans where it’s a spectacle, but not in a regular arena show.
RODDY STRONG / KINGDOM & ADAM COLE (A NEAR-HIT, BUT MORE OF A MISS)
I went back and forth on this one. The in-ring promo was well done and the storytelling was sound, but it would have been much better if these three guys were built up stronger. The audience was given a bit of a backstory, but the fact that this group has rarely been on TV and has rarely won matches makes it tough to buy in. The performances were decent, but if they knew they were going to go down this road, they should have built them up much better in the last few weeks so this meant more. I mean, even Tony Schiavone was making fun of Roddy at the end of the segment.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Headed into this show, I was hoping for some direction as they approach the weekend. I think we got a little of it, but as mentioned above, I don’t think the card is strong enough at this point to get the number of buys they are looking for. Most AEW diehards are on-board, but an opportunity to take advantage of the good press they got for the London show has come up a bit short so far.
Oh, and some sort of announcement regarding C.M. Punk would be nice over the next day or two.
RECOMMENDED NEXT: AEW COLLISION HITS & MISSES (8/26): Jack Perry’s funeral for FTW Title, Perry’s shower scene, All-Star tag with Punk and Sting, more
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: AEW Dynamite results (8/30): Barnett’s live review of Cassidy vs. Penta for the AEW International Championship, Cole speaks for the first time since AEW All In, the show’s final push for All Out
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