12 Ups & 2 Downs For AEW All In 2023

Ups...

12. The Zero-Hour Pre-Show

Away from the matches on the Zero Hour pre-show, the two hours as a whole was a whole bunch of fun, with Kip Sabian in particular being a highlight as he, Renee Paquette, Paul Wight, and Anthony Ogogo led the charge in selling the All In PPV for those in two minds whether to purchase what's billed as the biggest event in pro wrestling history.

Sabian is extremely well spoken, offered great insight, and his chemistry with Wight was notably fantastic.

Elsewhere, there were surprise appearances from Powerhouse Hobbs, Miro, Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh, Sonjay Dutt, Karen Jarrett, Grado, and physicality from Wight and Ogogo. Not to mention, our own Simon Miller rocked up as security for the Hobbs/Miro segment, with the Billington Bulldogs - nephews of the Dynamite Kid - also amongst those joining Miller.

The biggest talking point in terms of appearances, though, has to be Mercedes Moné being shown in the Wembley Stadium crowd.

It was also a lovely touch from Renee Paquette to open the pre-show with a quote from the late, great Windham Rotunda.

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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.