‘All In: Texas’ was the reset AEW desperately needed

AEW is back in the best possible way.

All In: Texas was more than a pay per view for All Elite Wrestling, it was the most important show they’ve had in over two years. The six-hour marathon stadium show wasn’t the company’s best show, and certainly not its most concise — but it was pivotal in order to fix the story issues which had arisen inside of AEW. In this way it wasn’t the best show, but the best booked show the company has had ... maybe ever.

Everything on the show Saturday was to service the future. It was a confident, star-focused card that leveraged what made AEW a viable WWE alternative: Elevating alternate wrestlers. Instead of leaning too much talent that rose to prominence in WWE, it focused primarily on wrestlers who cut their teeth in AEW itself, building the future for the company.

To this end we really need to look at the show in different buckets, and that’s where the brilliance of All In: Texas’ booking really shines through.

Men’s main event scene

Obviously the big element here was getting the World Championship off Jon Moxley. It’s not that Mox was a bad champ, in fact he’s unquestionably one of the best, most versatile wrestlers on the roster. The core issue is that the whole Death Riders angle just never really worked.

The vision was clear, having this group be the eminent heel threat in the company was supposed to be similar to the nWo, but it just never really worked that well. Instead of having the true “us vs. them” element of Sting, DDP and co. vs. the nWo in WCW’s glory days, instead this was more just about locking the belt away in a briefcase to where it felt like an afterthought.

Putting the strap back on Hangman is about the correct move right now. We’re overdue for a babyface world champion. Moreover, the group of challengers is fascinating now. MJF winning the Men’s Casino Gauntlet makes sense, and he’s the obvious heel challenger next — but there’s also the opportunity here to re-introduce Swerve Strickland into the hunt in some fascinating ways.

On Swerve, another great booking move was having he and Will Ospreay take the EVP titles off The Young Bucks. This Bucks run has been so confusing I’m not sure if anyone really understands where it came from. They were trying to use their power in the company, but by supporting Moxley to bring it down? It just never clicked. This opens up the Bucks to do something interesting again without being saddled with an on-screen leadership role that limited their career.

Legitimizing Kazuchika Okada was absolutely critical. Okada has been booked strongly since arriving in AEW, but he needed that signature PPV win to put it all together. Getting over on Kenny Omega does that. Now Okada is in a position where he can be the legitimate main event player he is, with the resume to back it up.

Women’s main event scene

One of the biggest surprises of the night was Toni Storm retaining against Mercedes Mone. Especially after Athena won the Women’s Casino Gauntlet match it felt like we were going to be destined for a “belt collector” storying with Mercedes vs. Athena for the Forever Championship vs. AEW Women’s Championship.

Storm is so unbelievably over right now that keeping the belt on her is the right move. There are infinitely more interesting ways this could go now with her holding the title, especially when Jamie Hayter is back in the picture.

Perhaps nobody in wrestling right now is having a better run, promos, or character than Toni Storm. Whatever they need to keep her on TV is the best possible decision for the women’s division.

Men’s undercard

This encompasses a lot of different talents including the AEW Trios Championship and the TNT Championship. Having The Opps retain the trios titles over The Death Riders was the right move, with a fascinating decision at the end of have Samoa Joe carted off injured.

It was a move that not only freed up the future of the Trios away from focusing on a Death Riders angle, but opens up a ton of potential for these titles. Powerhouse Hobbs and Katsuyori Shibata both looked like stars in the match, but now they’re in a two vs. three situation until Joe is back. Will they find a third member to elevate (read: Hook)? Or drop the belts to another hungry group? Either way it kept the rivalry between The Opps and The Death Riders strong, while also opening the future.

Having Dustin Rhodes win the TNT title is short-term booking, but it was a feel good move. More importantly: It sets the stage for Sammy Guevara to have beef with his Ring of Honor tag team partner, which could allow for Guevara to move back into a heel role he’s better in, while also allowing him to take a step towards being a necessary singles wrestler.

Hurt Syndicate retaining the tag titles is good business we’ll discuss more. Not only did the match showcase the other performers in the match, but opens the door for the Edge and Christian final run fans desperately want.

Women’s undercard

The women’s casino gauntlet match was critical in better establishing the women’s undercard in AEW, and having Athena win was unquestionably the right move.

If anything that match showed just how ludicrously deep the women’s roster is right now and how many wrestlers are extremely popular in the division. Willow Nightingale, Julia Hart, Kris Statlander, Harley Cameron — the list goes on.

What is needed now is for AEW to develop some deeper storylines for the women’s undercard beyond one-off affairs. There needs to be some better long-term programming with someone to elevate and chase the title, and Willow feels like the correct fit here considering her body or work and popularity with fans. Nevertheless, this is the first time in a while the division has felt really healthy, and that it could go anywhere.

There’s still so much to explore

Of the criticisms of AEW pacing tends to be the slow roll after a PPV, and then a mad sprint to the next one. Oftentimes the booking shows the company’s entire hand at once, and then we’re left wanting for a month or two.

This time feels so much more different. All In: Texas left me with more questions than answers about the future storylines of the company, and by not pushing every single rumored return it leaves the company room for surprises on AEW Dynamite.

Cope, Darby Allin, Eddie Kingston, Jack Perry, Orange Cassidy — so many stars shelved by injury or story are on the verge of making their returns that it opens up dozens of avenues for the company to explore.

It seems entirely likely the immediate future will revolve around The Hurt Syndicate pushing MJF to get the belt, and Athena trying to take the title of Toni Storm, but even inside these two stories are interesting new angles involving stars the company has made itself, rather than riding WWE’s coattails for a cheap pop.

This is what we’ve been lacking for the better part of two years. This is AEW back to having the confidence to run its own race and not be as concerned with WWE. Wrestling is best when every company is firing on all cylinders. Now AEW is back in the picture, and All In: Texas achieved everything it needed to.