I was originally all set to attend WWE's WrestleMania 36 in 2020 before the pandemic hit, having previously attended UK-exclusive 'Attitude Era' PPV event, Rebellion 2000, in Sheffield - as well as several UK editions of RAW & SmackDown over the years...
WrestleMania 36 at Raymond James Stadium would have been my first-ever WrestleMania so, as you can probably imagine, I was extremely disappointed when it didn't go ahead due to the virus. Circumstances prevented me from being able to attend WM 38 or 39 (although I'm glad I didn't do WM 39 in the end because it had basically the same ending as Cardiff's "Clash at the Castle" which I also was fortunate enough to attend!)
Long story short, I was pencilled in for WrestleMania 40 next year in Philadelphia, but then when AEW's first-ever international and stadium event, ALL IN, was announced, I decided to cancel the overseas WrestleMania 40 in favour of a ringside seat in London for ALL IN (affordable because I live in the UK and didn't have to worry about travel expenses as far as flights etc go and my money was already saved up!)
I enjoy both WWE and AEW, but AEW edges it for their edgier, more adult-orientated product which to me is somewhat reminiscent of the famed WWE Attitude Era and the fact their talent are still allowed to bleed (blade) which I personally finds really adds to the realism of a given match -- although I know the practice does tend to divide opion!
Long story short, AEW's ALL IN was basically serving as my first WrestleMania-esque show, and I was definitely not disappointed!
ALL IN 2023 felt very much like what I would imagine WWE would feel like today had they never gone TV-PG in 2008 and remained TV-14.
The overall presentation of the show, from the graphics to the entrance stage (which reminded me of a hybrid of the WrestleMania 16 & 35 stages/sets, respectively) to the overhang/canopy and even to the ring itself with its WWE-like white ropes reminded me very much of a modern-day TV-14 WWE...
I feel AEW have truly cemented themselves as every bit a legitimate competitor to the mighty WWE on the strength of this event, and hopefully AEW can ride the momentum and go from strength to strength in future.
The card for ALL IN '23 came in for some criticism in the build-up to the event, with many fans suggesting there were too many multi-person matches, but I personally didn't perceive this as a negative - I thought the flavour of the card lent itself nicely to the name and overall theme of the event.
I was pleased to see plenty of pyro and some title changes befitting of a wrestling PPV of this magnitude, all of which added to the spectacle. Garnish the whole thing with a huge turnout (70,000+ according to reports) and high quality matchups throughout, and you have a winner on your hands. I also loved the choice of song for the event's official theme - Machinehead by British band Bush - which felt like a huge throwback in the best possible way!
Seeing and hearing 'Good Old JR' and Taz on commentary was also a great little touch, especially for me having attended Rebellion 2000 all those years ago as a teen which, coincidentally, was manned by JR and Taz on commentary duties! This isn't to take away from ALL IN's other commentators and announcers - I thought they all did a sterling, top-notch job!
Matches of the night for me were CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe for the "Real World Championship", the bloody and brutal Stadium Stampede, and of course the superb main event in which best friends (MJF & Adam Cole) did battle for the AEW World Championship!
Seeing Chris Jericho take on the UK's own Will Ospreay was also a treat! The same goes for Saraya in her 4-way Women's Championship match (who WWE fans should know as 'Paige!')
Seeing Chris Jericho's band, FOZZY, perform live was also a cool little bonus!
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole evening, and everyone else I saw there appeared to feel the same way! Unlike WWE's Clash at the Castle in Wales, ALL IN 2023 ended on a high note rather than a sour one, and I think all of us in attendance went home happy with some great memories made.
I may be a bit biased because I was there in person, but this was an absolute 10/10 for me!
Hopefully this bodes well for those people planning on attending next year's ALL IN event. If 2023's edition is anything to go by, it will be superb!
In closing, I would very much recommend ALL IN 2023 to wrestling fans in general ('tribalism' be damned!)
A fittingly epic international debut for AEW!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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