11 Match Star Ratings From AEW All In

7. FTR Vs. The Young Bucks - World Tag Team Title Match

One elaborate sequence didn't entirely land early.

Dax Harwood and Matt Jackson worked a long, long suplex exchange/counter spot. The idea was to get the crowd on their feet and make them go increasingly banana the longer it went. Wembley was meant to be in disbelief at the cardio and the spirit, and then give them the stranding ovation, but when it didn't materialise, the sequence felt a bit slowy and flat. The next couple of minutes were eerily quiet, the sort of flattened atmosphere that threatened an unfathomable disappointment. And then the last eight minutes happened. The volume of earned, loud, convincing false finishes here was unreal even by the standards of a Young Bucks match. They subverted the rule of three in incredible fashion.

After nearly defeating FTR twice, Cash looked on with a look of resignation on his face moments before eating a BTE Trigger. The rhythm of the match, pacing of the sequence and the fact that Cash, given his legal situation, could well have done the job, all converged to create an all-timer of a near-fall. The pulsating action was electric by the finishing stretch. The callbacks to and updates on the first match - Cash spearing Nick from Wembley Stadium to King's Cross Station, Cash actually hitting the 450 - were mind-blowing. That Full Gear 2020 match was bittersweet, a dream match in a nightmarish time. This, in beautiful contrast, was the best possible occasion on which to run it back. Elevated immensely by a special second half, this was a masterful display of crowd psychology.

Everybody rejoiced, and with the biggest wrestling crowd ever, the old tweet was almost literally true.

Star Rating: ★★★★¾

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!