AEW ALL IN TEXAS: Zilem’s look back at his experience inside the stadium with match-by-match opinions – from Grief to Glory

There were roughly 26,000 fans in Artlington Texas’s Globe Life Field as AEW held its first U.S. stadium pay-per-view. Hopes were high that it would be a night of pure celebration. It all changed rather quickly, though, when an injury forced Adam Cole to pull out of the show just hours before bell time. That unexpected adversity set the tone for the evening and galvanized it into one of the most emotionally charged nights in AEW to date.

ADAM COLE

Hours before they went on the air, AEW President Tony Khan announced that Adam Cole had been removed from the TNT Title match due to injury. It was a devastating blow. Cole, a face of AEW’s modern era, was ready for his big moment. A teary-eyed Cole spoke to the live crowd during a segment aired on the PPV itself:

“If this is the end, I just want you to know I gave it my all out there,” he said. “And I love you all.” The stadium hushed, then erupted with “Thank you, Adam!” chants. Brief but mighty, the segment established itself as the emotional underdog of the night.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

AEW’s production and match layout have improved, and I thought they did a good job throughout this five-hour event. Picking up on the emotion of Cole’s revelation, skillful sequencing gave the audience time to absorb his absence without letting the energy completely dissipate. The emotional win by Dustin Rhodes in the four-way replacement match gave way to the electric Young Bucks vs. Swerve Strickland & Will Ospreay match, which helped revive the audience, setting the stage for a high-energy second half of the show.

PRODUCTION & PACING

AEW pulled from its playbook of past marathons to adjust the sequence of matches and commentary on this night. Those strategic changes guided the audience through the intense emotions sparked by Cole’s injury and the loaded match card. It was also five hours in, and that long for the crowd to process Cole’s news and get over the shock. Momentum built again in the high-octane Bucks vs. Strickland & Ospreay contest after the emotional hangover from Dustin’s win. This deliberate ascent fueled the energy back in the arena and became one of the evening’s turning points.

MATCH CARD HIGHLIGHTS

(1) The OPPS (Katsuyori Shibata & Powerhouse Hobbs & Samoa Joe) vs. THE DEATH RIDERS (Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta) & GABE KIDD – AEW Trios Title match

The Trios Title opener effectively built tension for the main event.

(2) MEN’S CASINO GAUNTLET MATCH

The men’s Casino Gauntlet lacked fluidity and urgency and felt lackluster compared to the one last year. Mistico made a strong entrance, and AEW highlighted its depth of mid-card talent, which was appreciated; however, the match just never got off the ground. MJF winning was the right move.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

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(3) DUSTIN RHODES vs. DANIEL GARCIA, KYLE FLETCHER & SAMMY GUEVARA – AEW Title match

With Cole out, AEW shifted smoothly; Dustin’s win in the Texas setting stood out as a great moment for the “Son of Plumber” to have in the state of Texas.

(4) SWERVE STRICKLAND & WILL OSPREAY (w/Prince Nana) vs. THE YOUNG BUCKS (Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson)

This was when AEW tag wrestling was at its apex. Ospreay’s accuracy and aerial artistry jived well with Swerve’s hard-hitting, calculated offense. The Bucks, a group often slammed for overdoing it, put on one of their most grounded performances, a good mix of risk and story. The body language of the Bucks represented a symbolic passing of the torch.

(5)WOMEN’S CASINO GAUNTLET MATCH

The women’s Gauntlet was fast, diverse, and Athena’s win elevated the division.

(6) THE HURT SYNDICATE (Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin w/MJF & MVP) vs. JET SPEED (Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey) vs. THE PATRIARCHY (Christian Cage & Nick Wayne w/Kip Sabian & Mother Wayne) – AEW World Tag Team Title match

Hurt Syndicate dominated; Copeland returned to clear the ring post-match was the huge talking point after the match.

(7) TONI STORM (w/Luther) vs. MERCEDES MONE – AEW Women’s Title match

A rough, mat-based fight unfolded between the two megastars. Early, Moné used precise counters to gain control. Storm used a series of suplexes and turned Moné Maker into a top-rope Storm Zero. Both women received standing ovations following the match.

(8) KAZUCHIKA OKADA (w/Don Callis) vs. KENNY OMEGA (w/Kota Ibushi)  – AEW International Title and AEW Continental Title unification match for the new AEW Unified Title

Deep callbacks to their NJPW trilogy. Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada delivered a patient, deliberate build before chaos took over in the final stretch. Okada countered a One-Winged Angel into a thunderous Rainmaker for the win. It ended slightly too soon for my taste; three to five more minutes would’ve elevated it further. Still, Okada holding both titles high felt like the dawn of a new hierarchy in AEW’s singles division.

(9) ADAM PAGE vs. JON MOXLEY (w/ Marina Shafir) – AEW World Title match

This was narrative violence. Barbed wire chairs. Thumbtack moonsaults. Fork stabs. But it was more than just plunder; it was Hangman’s redemption arc. And after spending the better part of a year lost in the shuffle, he called on an older demon, choking out Mox with a steel chain with the assist from Swerve Strickland. The sight of Moxley bleeding and perhaps unconscious as Hangman passed out in exhaustion was chilling. Marvel’s “Endgame” wasn’t the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it was the end of a particular era — and the beginning of a new one. Likewise, Hangman’s win felt somewhat like a narrative reset for AEW. Now that the ghosts of The Elite are finally in the rearview mirror, a new era can start — one based on grit, not ego.

FINAL THOUGHTS

AEW All In Texas was a supershow, yes, but it was far more than that; it was a rousing success of adaptation. The Adam Cole injury might have been enough to derail the narrative momentum. Instead, it elevated the emotion. From the career-defining victory of Dustin Rhodes to Athena winning in her hometown, to the seminal moment when “Hangman” Page was crowned, the show offered both in-ring work at its peak and storytelling weight.