The G1 Supercard in New York was especially important for New Japan to succeed in spite of anything ROH did on their half of the program, because it was their biggest show in the wake of The Elite leaving the company to form their own promotion. They’re not the only organization building for the future to pick up lapsed WWE fans stateside.
Even though AEW star Chris Jericho still plans to work with New Japan as challenging for Kazuchika Okada’s IWGP Championship soon, the show was announced and sold out while Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks and Cody Rhodes were still working with NJPW. But now they’ve aligned themselves with Jaguars owner Tony Khan for Double Or Nothing, their first PPV as a true federation.
Many wrestling fans are rooting for All Elite Wrestling to succeed as well as it can for a variety of reasons. Chief among them the hopes that they’ll be able to provide a different style of the artform on a larger scale in the US market, one that’s been controlled by WWE for so many years. After their acclaimed All In card in Chicago they certainly have momentum and the attention of the wrestling community, enough to get roughly 12,000 fans to the MGM Grand and a television deal with TNT.
Judging by the content of some of these matches, I don’t think they had too many butterflies in their stomachs. Probably plenty of protein shakes, though, and pain medication afterwards.
The Buy-In battle royale
So the early story of this battle royale is how much everyone wants to beat up MJF, understandable given his personality. Shawn Spears, the former Tye Dillinger, is more than happy to lay into him, as is Glacier who gives him a leg sweep. Michael Nakazawa’s oily strategy doesn’t work as well as it did for Hakan from Street Fighter 4, and he’s eventually sent to the back. Somehow, Bad Boy Joey Janella is able to get in a quick cigarette break during the match, staying true to his namesake. Marko Stunt gets a Codbreaker on Billy Gunn, but his flossing dance is interrupted by an MJF attack form behind.
Hangman Page is the last entry as he faces off with Janella, then fails to overpower Ace Romero. Romero hurls Marko like a lawn dart to the outside, but Jungle Boy comes from behind to get the big man out. Dustin Thomas ruins Spears’s night before MJF sends him and Brandon Cutler packing. Luchasaurus drops Janella through a table on the outside head-first, continuing Joey’s trend of incredibly dangerous bumps. Tommy Dreamer gets a face full of Sonny Kiss’s rear end while blocking his headscissors. But Jimmy Havoc eliminates the hardcore icon. Page eventually gets out Havoc, Luchasaurus and MJF to win and advance in the world championship hunt.
Kip Sabian vs. Sammy Guevara
Guevara’s panda costume is cute but woefully unfinished. True to AEW’s promise of a sports-style product, him and Sabian have a really fun match that’s a hybrid of crisp mat work and aerial tactics. I must say, Sammy has one of the most picture perfect kip-ups I’ve ever seen. Yeah, it’s weird for me to notice that, but the greatest wrestlers are incredibly skilled at the little details. Sabian gets a tope con hilo, but Guevara counters a dive and works Sabian over back in the ring. Kip quickly transitions into a grapevine anklelock before Sammy makes the ropes.
Sabian comes back with a springboard missile dropkick, and a suplex attempt sends them both crashing outside. Guevara gives Kip a shooting star press onto the barricade that looks as if both dudes landed badly, yikes. Sammy tries a 630, but is met with Sabian’s knees, followed by Deathly Hallows for the pin. This was a fun cruiserweight match with a relentless page and good logic to it.
SCU vs. Strong Hearts
I’m happy as hell to see CIMA get such a big spotlight on a national level finally, but SoCal are easily the crowd favorites here thanks to their pre-match hype intro. T-Hawk gives Frankie Kazarian a brutal chop to the chest that would make T-Hawk the character proud. Scoprio Sky, appropriately, gets a good amount of sky on a dropkick, before T-Hawk drills him with a powerbomb for two. SCU work over El Lindaman in the corner for a while before turning to T-Hawk, but Hawk and CIMA beat on Daniels for a while. Hawk, locks in a STF on Daniels before the others break it up.
Finally Scorpio gets a hot tag, only for Lindaman to hit a delayed german suplex. Sky rolls through El Lindaman’s sunset flip with a dropkick, and Kazarian hits a cool combination of a clutch pin on CIMA and a fisherman suplex on Hawk. Sky hits a flying cutter on CIMA, then Hawk and Daniels both take each other out with a double lariat. CIMA hits Daniels with a diving Meteora, which I’m certain got Michael Cole pumped somewhere. Sky gets a dive on the outside, the Bad Influence nail Lindaman with the Best Meltzer ever for the win. A fun back and forth, even if I feel one team was made to benefit far more than the other.
Britt Baker vs. Kylie Rae. vs. Nyla Rose vs. Awesome Kong
The other three competitors are surprised by Brandi’s announcement of Awesome Kong to the match as am I, given the injuries she’s dealt with over the years. Her and Nyla Rose are the powerhouses throughout this match while Rae and Baker rely on their agility.
Rose absolutely murders Rae with a spinebuster at one point. Awesome Kong comes out on top during a Tower of Doom spot. Eventually, the powerhouses are left on the outside and Raw gets a sweet deadlift german suplex, but Baker responds with a super kick and a knee brainbuster for the three-count. This wasn’t too bad and everyone worked well, especially Rae who impressed the heck out of me, but it was hurt by the limited time.
The Best Friends vs. Jack Evans and Angelico
Baretta tries to flex his muscle early gains Evans, the irresistible force meeting the immovable object as Gorilla Monsoon used to note. A hug with Chuckie T is interrupted by stereo dropkicks to get the Best Friends refocused, the Angelico and Jack works Evans with kick combos an brutal top rope stomp and submissions. Trent does the Ric Flair flip running into the corner, and maybe he’s just an exceptionally good seller, but his expression makes it look as if he was hurt legit. That doesn’t stop him from clotheslining Evans to hell anc back, though.
Chuck belly-to-bellies Jack into a prone Angelico in the corner, then delivers a sliced bread to Angelico on the floor. Baretta utterly murders Evans with a tornado DDT, followed by a running knee strike right out of Daniel Bryan’s playbook. The Friends hit Angelico with Sole Food into a half-nelson suplex, insuring he’s gonna have a bad night, and finally they get their mid-ring hug to the delight of the fans. Evans eats a crucifix powerbomb into an Ace Crusher for a very dramatic near fall, and Jack’s able to recover enough to give Trent a Code Red, an assisted Trouble In Paradise and a splash for two.
Baretta eats a nasty crucifix bomb into the turnbuckles and Evans gets a 630 splash, but Chuckie T breaks up the pin. The Friends then give Jack a Doomsday Device variation before Chuck hits a dive onto Angelico, and finally Chuckie stomps Evans into Trent’s driver for the pinfall. Not much I can say about this one, wow. Chuck Taylor is lowkey becoming one of my favorite independent talents, I’m starting to understand why there’s been so much sustained hype surrounding him.
The four competitors all hug it out in the ring, but the lights suddenly go out. When they return, they’re all mercilessly beaten down by an unknown heel stable that reminded me a bit of Punk’s Straight Edge Society crossed with Aces and Eights (hopefully this is better managed than TNA’s motley band of misfits). It’s campy, but I’m fine with it so far as it’s still rooted in traditional pro wrestling absurdity, while also staying in line with AEW’s mission intent.
Aja Kong, Emi Sakura and Yuka Sakazaki vs. Ryo Mizunami, Riho and Hikaru Shida
Mizunami comes off like an absolute boss with serious swag- Sasha Banks eat your heart out. Emi Sakura may have her outdone with the Freddie Mrcury getup, however. Shida can barely hit Sakazaki because she’s literally that fast and that tiny. It’s like trying to box a bee, you can try but you’re just amusing the bee during its workout session. Aja Kong seems like a mountain at first- literally and figuratively, as she’s mentored some of the participants, but Mizunami’s able to get her off her feet with a shoulder block which gets a big pop. Again, lt’s the little things that add to the story.
Shida tries a bridge onto Riho, only to get rolled up for a two-count. Sakazaki hits Riho with a hurricanrana and dropkick, then Team Kong beats on Riho for a bit. Kong drills Riho with a piledriver, still as brutal as the ones she delivered to opponents like Manami Toyota and Akira Hokuto back in the 1990’s. Mizunami’s able to spear Kong down, then nails Sakazaki with the Kobashi-style machine gun chops in the corner before a lariat and waterwheel suplex. Riho strikes Aja with a headscissor takedown and 619, but gets kicked in the gut coming off the top rope. Yep, Aja Kong’s still a destroyer, as I’m fairly certain Riho died after the backdrop suplex she took from her.
Riho’s zombie corpse reanimates itself enough to dodge Kong’s diving back elbow, and gets a hit tag to Shida who wages a weapons war with Kong. Aja clocks Shida in the head with a bucket before Sakura hits a corner spear on Shida, but Hikaru is able to crack Emi in the head with a knee strike before delivering a superplex. Kong hits a double suplex on Mizunami and Riho, and Sakazaki follows up with a springboard dive onto both to the floor while Kong hits Shida back inside with a brainbuster.
Emi Sakura follows up with a top rope moonsault for two….but the bell rings, which I think was a botch on the timekeeper’s part as the ref holds up two fingers. Shida then hits Sakura with a knee strike for the actual pinfall. The jacked up finish aside, I loved this match. This was a hella crazy Joshi tag war that felt true to its glory years.
Cody (w/Brandi Rhodes) vs. Dustin Rhodes
Feeling understandably cocky due to the hot crowd, Cody smashes a Triple H-style throne upon his entrance with a sledgehammer to a massive pop, which probably has Hunter thinking “game on.” I know AEW is focused on being an alternative to WWE, but I hope they don’t keep taking potshots at other companies down the road. That’s a bit of a minor complaint as this was a fun, wild and insane brawl- the Rhodes brothes have a Southern-influence ring style that incorporates modern elements. Cody gives Dustin a gutuster, works the arm and hits a dragon screw, followed by a powerslam, it’s not just mindless brawling.
Dustin’s attempt at Shattered Dreams is countered by Cody shoving him into an exposed turnbuckle, giving Dustin a nasty gusher of a cut on his forehead (we’re talking John Cena and Eddie Guerrero levels of blood during their brawls with JBL) Brandi Rhodes spears him on the floor for insult to injury, prompting Earl Henber to toss her from ringside. Brandi protests, but DDP comes out to carry her to the pack, which earn him some loud chants.
Cody hits the dropkick, beats Dustin down and hits a top rope sledgehammer, but Dustin gets his own powerslam and a figure four, followed by an old school atomic drop. He gives his younger brother’s bare butt a quick slap with his belt in a funny moment.
Dustin gets a Code Red powerbomb, a superplex and the Curtain Call (which Excalibur incorrectly calls a CrossRhodes) for two, then they trade the real CrossRhodes neckbreakers. Dustin then hits Cody with what looks like his version of the sling blade for two, then Cody responds with the Din’s Fire and another CrossRhodes for the three count.
This was certainly some enjoyable chaos, and perhaps the match of the night as the Rhodeses finally got to have the epic, classic battle they couldn’t while in their Goldust/Stardust gimmicks. Afterwards, Cody and Dustin have a sweet reunion as the two plan to challenge the Young Bucks in tag team action soon. Somewhere, Dusty is smiling proudly.
I wasn’t expecting Bret Hart to be the one AEW got for his World Championship presentation, but I can see why he’d be interested. Classy as ever, he doesn’t react outraged when MJF comes out to interrupt his congratulating of Hangman Page, nor when he references the infamous attack on him from a lunatic in the crowd during WWE’s Hall of Fame ceremony this year. Page, Jimmy Havoc and Jungle Boy then come out to beat MJF up to the back, as Hart unveils a nice looking title with an interesting and detailed plate design.
The Lucha Brothers vs. The Young Bucks
Meanwhile, the Jackson kin have their hands full against another one of the world’s most popular teams. Lots of cool maneuvers during the feeling out period as Fenix gets two arm drags at once before Nick does the same, and Matt shows some nice muscle with a press slam and a spear.
Nick accidently kicks Matt in the corner, allowing the Lucha Bros to take over and Feniz giving Matt a cutter for two. But Matt gets a shiranui on Pentagon and hits some Northerm Lights suplexes, then Nick nails Rey with a springboard facebuster and a moonsault to Pentagon on the outside. Stereo sharpshooters but the Luchas make the ropes.
Fenix is hit with a powerbomb/sliced bread combo for two, then the Luchas both deliver Canadian Destroyers on the Bucks for two. Fenix gets an assisted plancha, then Pentagon gives both Bucks a Gory bomb/package piledriver combo followed by a swanton bomb by Fenix for a near fall. The Bucks then break out the superkicks, then Matt gets a top rope brainbuster on Rey, then More Bang For Your Buck on Pentagon- but it’s not enough to finish the match. Pentagon injures Matt’s arm, but they’re able to recover enough to hit a Meltzer Driver on Fenix for the win. This was the usual amazing work you could come to expect from two of the best tag teams in the world today.
Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega
We get some cool nods to prior Jericho gimmicks, including the List of Jericho, before the current edgier version emerge. At some point early in the match, Kenny gets his nose totally busted up. The two Canadians chop away at each other before going to the outside for brawling, then Jericho pushes Omega over the barricade. Kenny gets the rolling fireman’s carry and moonsault, before Y2J hits him with a missile dropkick, Jericho works him in the corner and beats on him some more, but Omega gets an enzuigiri and a V-Trigger to the back of Y2J’s head in the corner, then the Daniel Bryan-style back superplex for two. Jericho tries a lionsault, but it hits Omega’s knees.
A One-Winged Angel attempt is countered by an overhead german suplex, then another Lionsault attempt from Jericho that misses. Another exchange leads to Omega being tossed through a table on the outside. Y2J gets the triangle dropkick, and he answers Omegas crossbody attempt from the top with a Codebreaker. Omega lays in the dragon suplexes and gets out of a Liontamer attempt to hit a tiger driver for two. Y2J blocks another V-Trigger with the Liontamer, and reverses another OWA with a DDT before hitting an enzuigiri of his own.
Another DDT and Codebreaker is followed by Jericho’s new finisher, the Judas Effect- which is literally just a back elbow- for a three count. Jericho gets on the mic and berates Omega and the fans, but Jon Moxley crashes Y2J’s victory party and brawls with both guys for a huge reaction.
Booking-wise it’s an interesting call to have Omega, presumably one of the top singles stars for All Elite going forward, lose in AEW’s first show under its official branding. But it’s also probably a better idea for Jericho to go into the Dominion show with a win under his belt before he fights Okada. It’s likely AEW considers WWE to be their closer competitor than NJPW at this period, despite New Japan’s continued intent to break into the American markets.
And seriously, a reverse elbow? I’m cool with striking finishers like the Rainmaker, Roaring Elbow and Sweet Chin Music, but it feels as if the Judas Effect needs more velocity behind it to be believable right now. Then again, if the Rock can make the People’s Elbow devastating…
Overall thoughts: Just from a pure wrestling perspective and most of the presentation, this had some notable flaws but was still a fantastic wrestling show, and a great first impression for AEW in the wrestling marketplace. There were some issues with the feed dropping and the commentary felt shaky at first (though it eventually improved), but the matches were aggressive and fast-paced with strong emotion throughout.
This company is going for a TV-14 demographic, which does allow All Elite more wiggle room creatively than WWE as they’ll have different types of sponsoring. So going for a demo who wants to watch wrestling but doesn’t normally steer towards WWE’s more PG influenced booking could be beneficial for them.
Some of the jabs at WWE came off a little hamfisted, but I can’t say the audience had any complaints towards them. This is part of the crowd that’s migrating away from WWE towards newer companies looking for alternatives, and the PPV we received definitely felt different from what we’ve usually gotten on a mainstream level of visibility. AEW’s coming out with a lot of ambition, and from what I’ve observed the business end seems more steady and consistent than TNA or other upstart companies post-2001 were. They needed a strong first card, and I think they achieved what they needed to.
If you’ve had the chance to see the show, as always stop by @Offical_FAN on Twitter and tell us if you’re All In with these guys!