13 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW All Out

2. The Mid-Show Lull

There seems to be an unwritten rule amongst wrestling promotions that big pay-per-views cannot run shorter than four hours. All Out came closer to five if you include the Buy In pre-show, and the elongated runtime felt particularly painful during the middle of the show.

The Dark Order vs. Best Friends and Riho vs. Hikaru Shida suffered as a result of this. The crowd weren't totally out of it, but they were significantly less engaged than during the preceding matches. It's a shame, as both bouts featured good work, but trimming was definitely needed.

Why must every match go 12 minutes plus? Yes, it gives the wrestlers a bigger spotlight, but it actively detracts from the viewing experience. At least a couple of All Out's matches could've benefitted from adopting the sprint format to keep the fans from switching off, and while this show wasn't anywhere near as drawn-out as Fight for the Fallen, the lull was still noticeable.

Speaking of which...

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.