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Ring of Honor’s All In PPV was a historic night, but no one could have foreseen the aftermath of the event, which led to the formation of AEW a few months later, which would turn the wrestling world on its head. The show itself was a blast, with or without the implications that it would have on the future, with a lot of noteworthy things happening on the show. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it began a movement that would elevate the wrestling scene in the USA, with it also bringing together several promotions in a working relationship over the next few years.
The Elite Took Up A Challenge From Dave Meltzer To Produce All In
In 2017, Dave Meltzer inadvertently got the ball rolling for what would become All In, as he claimed that the Ring of Honor promotion couldn’t sell out 10,000 tickets in an arena. Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks of the Bullet Club decided to take up the challenge, and with the backing of ROH, began to promote and produce “All In”. After deciding on the venue – the Sears Centre in Chicago, Cody, and The Bucks, who were also part of The Elite, began making several huge announcements in terms of who would appear on their YouTube show, Being The Elite.
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This generated a lot of buzz, so much so that the tickets sold out in less than 30 minutes, which was an astounding feat, especially since there was just one match announced at that time. This proved that wrestling fans were desperate for something new and different, outside of WWE, and that there were plenty of +high-quality professional wrestlers out there who could stand on their own without joining the world’s largest promotion. This has been further evidenced by the huge ticket sales from the recently announced "Forbidden Door" PPV.
All In Had Several Strong Matches And Moments
A pre-show kicked off proceedings, which featured an array of talents from around the world, with SCU and the Briscoes in the opening match. This was followed by a battle royal which included the likes of Billy Gunn, Bully Ray, Ethan Page, Brian Cage, The Hurricane, Moose, Best Friends, and many more. The high caliber of participants in the pre-show indicated how star-studded the show itself would be. Matches on the card included a celebrity crossover match which saw Christopher Daniels take on TV star Stephen Amell, which exceeded expectations, a street fight between “Hangman” Adam Page and Joey Janela, and a main event with The Golden Elite defeating Rey Mysterio, Bandido, and Rey Fenix.
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The more notable matches felt like big-time clashes, for example when Cody defeated Nick Aldis to win the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, which was a nice moment, following in his father’s footsteps, and furthering his rise to stardom outside of WWE. In the other world title match, Jay Lethal defeated Flip Gordan to retain the ROH Championship.
Perhaps the most important match came when Kenny Omega defeated Penta, though it was the aftermath of that contest that drew the most newsworthy headlines. Following the match, the lights went down, with Penta seemingly attacking Omega when they came back on. However, it was quickly revealed that Chris Jericho had replaced Penta, attacking Omega as the audience became unglued. Previously, Jericho had indicated that he had no intention of appearing in any American promotion outside of WWE, but this marked a big change in that, with him being such a huge name in wrestling history.
The Success Of All In Led To The Creation Of AEW
The success of the event, despite some production and timing issues, led to members of The Elite leaving their respective promotions, vying to follow in their very own footsteps to create yet another milestone, which would see them found All Elite Wrestling. With the backing of billionaire Tony Khan, they managed to bring in many of the stars who appeared at All In, such as MJF, SCU, Britt Baker, the Lucha Brothers, Jericho, and more, all of whom would be big parts of the company.
All In was also hugely significant in what it meant for the often spoken about Forbidden Door. At the event, stars from ROH, NJPW, Impact, CMLL, MLW, NWA, and AAA all competed, showcasing just how effective working on a cross-promotion basis can be, and how much of a benefit it is to the entire wrestling world. This was likely a huge catalyst in what would become the relationships between AEW and Impact, NJPW, and NWA. Another noteworthy thing to be taken from all of this is that Tony Khan has now purchased ROH, meaning that the All In show can now be fully associated with AEW, as they previously didn’t have the rights to it. AEW’s PPVs have mostly all been superior to the All In event, but the quality of the show was never the most important element – it was how much it changed the wrestling landscape for good.
