We are all in on All In – By Wrestle G

Hello NoDQ.com readers thank you for stopping by once again this week to sit and talk some wrestling with me, your boy, Wrestle G.

It’s been another scorcher of a week in the UK, but the good old fashioned British rain is on its way again this weekend it seems. It was a good run while it lasted hey?

But enough about the boring UK weather updates we have wrestling to discuss.

It’s a two-night SummerSlam this weekend and there’s a variety of matches I’m looking forward to. Particularly Oba Femi against Lesnar which I hope will see Lesnar finally have a match longer than 10 minutes. If it does it can really cement Oba as having that memorable match that people can hang their hat on. And then get back to letting him rip through opponents on the way to the Rumble which at this stage he has to be favourite to win.

Elsewhere on the card I think Gable and Penta have the potential to steal the show they have great chemistry together and Gable coming off of his hot AAA run has a chance to display himself as big player on the main WWE roster. I like the set up of the two main events of Cody and Punk and Seth and Roman on a star power level. I think the general heat for both feuds has been a little lukewarm, but I know all 4 can get it done in the ring. That main event scene in general needs some new fresh faces.

I’ll be doing a review of SummerSlam next week, but I like I have two big shows to watch this weekend. But we have another PPV to delve into……

Coming off of Redemption on the weekend we have AEW in full All In mode. Redemption was an interesting PPV I think coming out of it I felt like it was a solid show. For the first time watching an AEW PPV I felt like the performers were maybe a little more burned out, and the pace of the matches and show were just a tad slower than normal. But I think we are in a situation here whereby the standard of AEW PPV’s are so high that when there is a slight drop off it feels much steeper.

The show was perfectly fine and did what it needed to do in moving angles forward. A summary of my thoughts is as follows:

Speedball Mike Bailey def. The Beast Mortos, El Clon, Jack Perry, Komander & Nick Wayne (Six-Way Ladder Match) (AEW International Championship #1 Contenders Match)

The Ladder match was placed right as the opener, I really really worry for Nick Wayne. That Destroyer spot with Jack Perry was felt all the way in my living room in Wales! I was really happy for Speedball I feel like he is one of the most consistent performers on the roster since joining, and unlike many other performers in AEW who seem to take long hiatus from TV, Speedball has been a pretty prominent presence on the show. And I am glad now he has a title to challenge for, he’s earned that focus and it would be awesome to see him win it.

Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson def. Will Ospreay & Jon Moxley

Moxley and Ospreay vs the Bucks was up next and during it I just couldn’t help comparing it to Swerve and Ospreay vs the Bucks from All In last year and I genuinely think that ruined my enjoyment of the match. I’ve said in previous columns I’m not sure about the Death Riders and Ospreay angle and if I think it’s helping Ospreay on his journey to the championship. This match felt more storyline driven than technically proficient which is strange for a Bucks match. Perfectly entertaining though, just maybe Moxley was a distraction here, and maybe that word distraction is the best one I can think of in how him and Ospreay’s interactions have come across to me. Also, I can’t believe Mox managed to add the BTE Trigger to his list of moves he has no sold……. Bucks win which was the right move for everyone given all their interactions with others later in the show.

Kyle Fletcher def. Bandido (AEW International Championship)

I’m going to keep this short and sweet. Kyle Fletcher and Will Ospreay needs to be the main event of whatever show AEW puts on WrestleMania weekend (I’m convinced they will do this) and Kyle Fletcher needs to be anointed champion on that night finally overcoming his mentor. He is just that good in my opinion and as he evolves his character he is only going to get more over. This was my match of the night, and Fletcher was the right winner. Honestly, sky is the limit for this guy.

Clark Connors & David Finlay def. Jay White & Juice Robinson (Double Chain Match)

The Dogs vs the Bang Bang Gang in a chain match felt like a much more grounded affair than you get in most AEW matches but I thought both teams brought a decent intensity. Bang Bang Gang still has the best entrance in wrestling by the way. It’s nice to have Jay White back he brings a gravitas to the rest of the group and just by being there gives them direction. I really want the Bang Bang Gang to take the fight to the Death Riders over the Autumn and maybe be the ones to finally put an end to the group. Bit of a Schmoz finish which you don’t get much in AEW, but probably the best way to get this feud to the next stage.

Maya World def. Hikaru Shida (TBS Championship)

The TBS championship match felt like two underdeveloped characters being put together to put on something decent. Maya world got her moment with the belt which is great for her after all she’s been through. I feel like this match could have been better placed on Collision or Dynamite though as a main event to put some more jeopardy and importance on it to flesh it out a bit.

Adam Copeland & Christian Cage def. PAC & Claudio Castagnoli (AEW World Tag Team Championships)

The Death Riders lost in their tag team match, and I know this review and column is going to sound like I’m down on the Death Riders, but I just don’t understand the ethos sometimes. Outside of Moxley this group just doesn’t win. Yuta has been consistently beat down, they lost another title match tonight. They are meant to the be the Elite group that others in the company are matched by. They are meant to look down on other performers as not having what it takes to beat them. But outside of Moxley they lose regularly. They need a major refresh or to go their separate ways before Christmas for me. This match was more about the end. Having won the titles Cope and Christian are met by the Young Bucks and the All In graphic goes on the screen. The last two Generations of wrestling these two teams have been supremely influential. There’s talk of adding more teams to this, but I think that would take away from it. Let these two teams have the spotlight against each other and let the Bucks finally have a Wembley and All In moment of victory.

Painmaker Chris Jericho def. Tommaso Ciampa (No Holds Barred) 

The next match finished with a Drill supposedly going into Someone’s head. I’ve nothing further to add.

Andrade El Idolo def. Mark Davis (AEW National Championship) 

Mark Davis has been one of the most improved talents over the past 18 months from any major company. When he first returned from injury, I wasn’t digging his sweatpants look, he looked like he didn’t care and that he was lost without Fletcher. What we have seen since that time is someone who has really found their voice in both character and in ring work. I was slightly disappointed to see him lose the National Title here. Especially with the strange ending to the match. Andrade took an age to take his trousers off and left Davis floundering in the middle of the ring just stalling, then Andrade took an age to get to the top rope for davis to put his knees up. Just made the ending really clunky. Andrade won and his work up until this match has been great. I hope Davis and Jake Doyle can be put into something meaningful as a tag team now and assert and establish themselves. Because as a team they look fantastic and their size and bulk make them such a different proposition in AEW.

Willow Nightingale def. Thekla (AEW Women’s World Championship) 

I was so torn on the Women’s world title match. On one hand you had Willow Nightengale who I have longed campaigned for to be the face of the division. And then on the other you have Thekla who has been one of the best and engaging performers across men or women on AEW television. This felt like a match that maybe didn’t need to be booked just yet with Willow only just returning. I do think though that this points to the winner of the Men’s world title match at All In, Willow is a babyface and having two big babyface wins at All In may have felt like overkill or maybe I’m looking too much into this?

This was a fun match, and Willow picks up the win, I’m really not sure where this division goes but I hope that Willow gets chance to put her stamp on this title reign and stake her claim to being the top woman in the company.

Kenny Omega def. Kevin Knight (AEW World Championship)

This Main event felt very Bret Hart vs 1-2-3 Kid from 1993 to me. The established champion coming up against a plucky upstart who wants to make his mark. The new kid on the block busting out some of these fancy new moves and has an air of desperation about him to take his chance in the main event.

Kenny is looking as fluid and as good as he has in a while and the ratings bump which has accompanied his title win has shown that the gamble to take the title off of MJF was one that has paid off. This match was a perfectly good main event match and Kenny wins clean.

It was the aftermath where all the major talking points took place. Ospreay comes down and refuses to put the bag over Omega’s face. He defied the instructions of Moxley who has been on a mission to make Ospreay more ruthless. For me the biggest failure in Logic is that currently Mox has been much more face than he has heel, and yet the bag was the huge heel move on the turn on Bryan Danielson previously. I’m left wondering who the heels and faces are here? Ospreay comes out the best looking like his face status is intact. Moxley and the Death Riders feel more like heels which is where I think they work best. And then Omega makes the first strike on Ospreay hitting a one – winged angel to heed the advice of the Bucks not to trust Ospreay.

We have our battle lines drawn for our All In Main event. I’m intrigued to see how the table is set on Dynamite later tonight. I’d like less Death Riders these next 5 weeks and let Kenny and Will take this on. One thing is for sure that main event match quality wise is going to be off the charts. We’ll explore the potential legacy of this main event in the coming weeks….

Overall Redemption as a PPV would be a 7/10 its one of the most functional PPV’s that AEW has had to do and the close proximity to the previous show felt a little more rushed than they have recently. But there’s no doubt it was value for money. We now go forward to AEW’s biggest show of the year in All In I have my ticket and many more are getting there’s.

Right, that is all for this week. Enjoy Dynamite and enjoy SummerSlam and I’ll see you all next week.

Until Next Time,

Cheers,

G