4 Biggest Takeaways From AEW All In 2023

AEW All In 2023 was the biggest wrestling show ever and for the most part, everyone did what was expected of them. Kenny Omega and those boys did their thing. FTR and Young Bucks had the match we thought they would. We don’t need to go too much into detail on those.

But here are my 4 biggest takeaways from AEW All In 2023:

1. Jack Perry is weird

Earlier this year, MJF had a program with the falsely-accused ‘Four Pillars’. It exposed how MJF is so much further ahead than Sammy Guevera, Darby Allin and Jack Perry but it was Perry who looked the most out of place.

He can do all the flips and jumps but everything outside of that makes him look uncomfortable and stiff and weird. His heel turn was weird. The man is not a believable ‘cool bad’ guy. Every time he shows up on my TV he looks tinier than the previous time.

And in Jack Perry’s attempt to fully embody his new bad guy character, he’s bullshting backstage with CM Punk.

Here’s what happened between them earlier this month backstage at a taping of Punk’s vanity project, Collison:

“Jungle Boy had a vacation planned. He wanted to do a pre-taped angle with a car to write him off TV for that week. Punk told him no. He felt it was too dangerous to do a broken glass spot and said they cared about safety. Jungle was upset about that. That is very different from the story that Jack wanted to do a dangerous spot as a way to avoid having to go to work.”

Jack Perry is in the middle of a strange ECW feud in the middle of 2023 so he wanted to do some gory blood shit and CM Punk doesn’t want gory blood shit on his boyhood dream of running a wrestling show on a Saturday night instead of drinking or kissing girls.

So naturally, during the pre-show of the biggest event in wrestling history, Jack Perry took a shot at CM Punk, ya know, like a weirdo would do.

Here’s a video of Jack Perry saying, “Real glass. Go cry me a river!” This is what made CM Punk angry. It all started a couple months ago when Punk told Jack that no real glass was to be used at Collision. #AEWAllIn #AEW pic.twitter.com/NnSYZnHPze

— AEW Superfan (@SuperfanAew) August 28, 2023

“Cry me a river,” he says in the lamest way anyone has ever said anything.

I am in no way on Punk’s side when it comes to how he chooses to maneuver backstage but yea, either do this nonsense on Dynamite or do something way cooler or meaner or funnier than “cry me a river”.

And of course, Jack Perry got his ass beat.

There are multiple sides to the story being relayed to the media outlets like Fightful, PW Insider, and F4WOnline, so it’s not exactly clear what happened in this altercation yet other than things getting physical with a lot of shouting.

One side says Perry bumped into Punk backstage to start the physicality, which caused Punk to shove him and then catch Perry in some kind of choke. Another side suggests Punk was more of the initial aggressor and went after or even hit Perry.

Reaaaal tough look talking shit and then immediately getting strangled by a man twice your age moments before he goes out there and has an astronomically better match than you just did.

Jack Perry is weird, man. We either need to start saying there are only three pillars now or replacing his name with like, Ricky Starks, and pretending as if Starks was one of the original four pillars all along.

2. AEW doesn’t give a shit about women’s wrestling

Before the rant begins, it’s important to point out how unlucky the women’s division has been. Thunder Rosa was the hottest act and was sidelined with an injury. Britt Baker injured her back next. And when Jamie Hayter emerged as one of the biggest draws in the company, she suffered an injury.

So I understand the frustrations of dealing with a division that has to keep resetting and forcing storylines to be cut short.

But you’re the second biggest company on the planet and Tony Khan can’t be an upset baby who doesn’t want to play with his toys anymore because they keep breaking. Suck it up, be creative and fix shit.

I understand the stadium stampede match is a unique AEW creation and wanting to show that in front of the biggest stadium they’ve ever been in. And I understand it gives 10 people an opportunity to be on the card.

But I cannot give a shit about these random dudes having a death match for some dumb reason. For me, these brutal, bloody matches should be saved for the payoffs of big feuds and with all the injuries and guys just not being able to make it to England, I didn’t even fully understand why they all hated each other.

Why couldn’t that time by given to Willow Nightengale or Emi Sakura or Riho or Kris Statlander? WHERE IS JADE CARGILL?

Saraya is the women’s champion. Ok. So we don’t care about any of this at all, huh? A company built on the backs of the best in-ring workers is rewarding arguably the worst wrestler on the payroll while Toni Storm is deserving of a big moment or while Thunder Rosa sits in purgatory.

Whatever. I have to let this hate out of my heart because we’re in for a loooong title run as Tony Khan so clearly wants to have her lose the belt to Mercedes Mone but Mone is injured and in absolutely no rush to sign with any company.

3. Good for Chris Jericho

Sometimes, I have to remind myself that Chris Jerich is one of the greatest wrestlers ever and how Y2J was a huge factor in why I even still care about any of this. So yes, it’s annoying as hell how frequently he volunteers himself to enter momentum-crushing programs with younger talent but he’s earned the right to say “hey, I have the most professional equity and I am going to be the one to wrestle Will Ospreay in the biggest show of his career”.

Plus, Jericho wasn’t too bad. He should retire yesterday but he didn’t ruin the show which at this point in his career, he is more than capable of. I also imagine he’s very proud of himself and he gave Will Ospreay a match he dreamed about growing up. Good for Chris. Get ya girl, tho.

Shout out Sting too.

STING IS 64 YEARS OLD LMFAOOOO #AEW #AEWAllin

pic.twitter.com/ajxmq5Cnhj

— 🅰️🅾️ (@KXNGAO) August 27, 2023

Sting and Christian got to give us old mid-2000s TNA fans one final match together while Swerve Strickland continued to grow his own myth. Darby Allin and Christian still have unfinished business but I’d be curious to see what they give Swerve next because buildings will be burned down if he disappears to wrestle on Rampage.

Elderly men dominated the whole day. 2023 and Billy Gunn won a championship. And it was emotional. Tony Khan can make you give a shit about what BILLY GUNN is doing but when it’s time to come up with a compelling story for Kris Statlander, suddenly Khan has the creativity of Rebecca Black.

4. Adam Cole is the luckiest man in the world

Adam Cole hitching his wagon to the hottest act in wrestling was a genius move. There is no reason at all why Adam fucking Cole is main eventing the biggest show in wrestling history. People like him and he’s good but if it weren’t for MJF, he would have never in a bajillion years be the guy you call on to headline your mega-show.

And he gets to keep doing this. He gets to continue being tag partners with Max and continue flirting with the idea of turning on him and being around the main event every pay-per-view. Ride coattails as long as you can.

Nothing but respect for the biggest scammer in the game right now. I see you, king.