12 Ups & 2 Downs For AEW All In 2023

A stunning UK debut for AEW.

by Andrew Pollard
AEW All In CM Punk
AEW

Anticipation has been high, excitement was at crazy levels, but finally the biggest show in pro wrestling history is now in the record books.

All In was expected to be a great show, and it more than delivered. In front of more than 80,000 people, All Elite Wrestling delivered a PPV that was spectacular from start to finish.

It's worth noting, this Ups & Downs has been written in live time as the PPV itself has played out, so there's not been a chance to rewatch moments or let certain moments and matches sink in. Either way, there's been enough time to cobble together some words about what really was a proper blast of a show.

Of course, the Wembley Stadium setting helped add to the pomp and circumstance of All In, and that crowd was absolutely nuts for the most part here, but when it came to in-ring AEW delivered on a high level.

So, with that in mind then, as someone who's been up for way too long by this point due to also covering last night's AEW Collision, here are the countless positives and mild negatives about a genuinely record-setting pro wrestling PPV.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.