8 Wrestlers You Totally Forgot Wrestled On All In
Remember when Rey Mysterio faced Kota Ibushi and the Young Bucks? Yeah, probably not...
All In was the ultimate party for independent wrestling.
It came at just the right moment in indie wrestling's - or, rather, non-WWE wrestling's - boom period; Ring Of Honor was heating up through association with Bullet Club at the forefront of it, New Japan was producing arguably a top-three year from their illustrious history via Kenny Omega's crowning moment, IMPACT Wrestling was slowly coming back to be a credible promotion, and just about every indie show had a name that was subsequently touted the next big deal.
From that, Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks created the pro wrestling talking point of 2018. Tickets sold out within thirty minutes, despite there being only one match officially confirmed. All in was already a success in every respect before it even happened.
It's an intriguing prospect reflecting on the event's roster. Mere months after the 1 September 2018 show, All Elite Wrestling was created, with a chunk of the roster here now signed to the Tony Khan-helmed promotion. Others, meanwhile, remain in a similar position in the promotion they had been part of prior to the show.
As for the final few? Many have forgotten they were ever part of All In to begin with.
8. Bandido
At the time of All In, Bandido's work was only just becoming discovered by a larger audience through his work in American indies like Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Combat Zone Wrestling. He's a credible worker and has a great look, turning his inclusion in All In's main event from a total surprise to a legitimately deserving spot.
The now-Ring Of Honor World Champion left the match with a ton of new fans, thanks to his slick offence during the match. Every execution from Bandido was without error. His handspring backflip to avoid a Matt Jackson strike early on was essentially him telling the audience that, if they weren't already aware, they were in for a real treat.
What was neat about Bandido's work here is that he changed his style from when he was wrestling either Matt or Nick Jackson compared to when he was tangling with Kota Ibushi. The latter adversaries saw Bandido flipping around simply because he could; a delightful scene saw him flip out of the ring onto a ringside Matt.
When he battled the 'Golden Star', however, it was all about the timing of his strikes. He held his own against the future IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, proving his worth in front of an audience that perhaps didn't have a clue who he was.