All In 2018: Results In Full (SPOILERS)
It was quite the night in Chicago.
The most hotly anticipated independent wrestling show since Heroes of Wrestling has finally came to pass, and blimey, it was some night. All the attention of the wrestling industry descended upon Chicago's Sears Center, with fans waiting with baited breath to see if Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks could pull off their one-off (yeh right) supershow.
The PPV kicked off with the 'Zero Hour' pre-show, which saw SoCal Uncensored (Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky) defeat The Briscoe Brothers, and Flip Gordon earn a spot on the show by surprising Bully Ray to win the Over Budget Battle Royale and a shot at Jay Lethal's ROH title.
Actual proceedings began with an unannounced clash between former WWE trainee and Lucha Underground grappler Matt Cross opposite MJF. The former prevailed with a Shooting Star Press.
Christopher Daniels overcame TV series Arrow's Stephen Amell in a match far exceeding any realistic expectations of the rookie. Daniels downed the greenhorn Green Arrow with the Best Moonsault Ever after nearly falling to an Angels Wings reversal.
Former WWE superstar Tenille Dashwood joined the commentary team to witness Impact's Tessa Blanchard best Madison Rayne, Britt Baker and Chelsea Green. It was an excellent if sometimes sloppy match, which received a standing ovation from the Chicago crowd.
Cody Rhodes 'destiny' was finally fulfilled as he bested Nick Aldis for the NWA Worlds Championship with a sunset flip reversal. The shortcomings of both men were masked with heavy doses of, appropriately, smoke and mirrors, which included a run-in by DDP on Shawn Daivari (seriously) and Rhodes' adorable dog Pharaoh. It made for a terrifically entertaining spectacle.
Taking the gong for most unhinged match of the night, 'Hangman' Page finally dispatched Joey Janela with a Rite of Passage off a ladder through a table. The utterly insane street fight also saw a power bomb through a table, Page superkicked by his possessed boots, and a Burning Hammer onto a f*cking ladder! As if that wasn't mad enough, Page was carried off after the match by druid penises following the resurrection of Joey Ryan. This really happened.
Hats off to anyone who had Lanny Poffo down to make a notable appearance at one of the year's biggest wrestling events. Randy Savage's brother was on hand to lead Jay Lethal back to the Black Machismo side for his contest with Battle Royale winner Gordon. Lethal retained his ROH title, but not without having to overcome Gordon Hulking up in response to three Savage elbows.
The pick of the night's contests for those into sick neck bumps saw Kenny Omega down Penta El Zero, even after taking a package piledriver to the apron. After the contest, Chris Jericho blindsided Omega from beneath a Pentagon mask of his own.
In the longest match of the show, Kazuchika Okada staved off the challenge of Marty Scurll with a pair of Rain Makers. The bout sagged in the middle, but dramatically picked up towards the end, resulting in an exhilarating finish.
To conclude affairs, The Young Bucks & Kota Ibushi defeated the trio of Ret Mysterio, Fenix and Bandido in a superb spot-fest. The show went off the air pretty promptly at the finish, with time just about up.
There was no time for any major announcements about a possible sequel, though apparently Cody and The Bucks hinted towards the crowd that there could be more to come after this highly successful first venture. Watch this space...