Pruett’s AEW All In Texas Live Blog: Comments from the press box on the show headlined by Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Page in a Texas Death Match for the AEW World Championship

By Will Pruett, ProWrestling.net Co-Senior Staffer (@itswilltime)

AEW All In Texas
Streamed live July 12, 2025, on pay-per-view
Arlington, Texas, at Globe Life Field

– I am live from the press box at AEW All In at Globe Life Field offering some in-stadium perspectives. The box is open air, so we can hear crowd reactions, see all of the action, and enjoy the show. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments as well and I’ll try to answer them! Let’s enjoy some wrestling.

– The large stage and over-ring rig for this show look fantastic. AEW production is taking advantage of the size of the stadium (and some free space) to make a major league set. As a bonus, the roof being closed and available for rigging means that we don’t have large pillars around the ring like most stadium shows do.

– The windows built into the building allow in a lot of natural light, which might be great for baseball, but is a bummer given the mid-day nature of this show. I’m sure AEW’s lighting director wishes this show was in the evening.

– A really nice video package and pyro display kick off the evening and I hope the production of this show is coming across as well on TV as it is in person.

– Kicking the show off with the Trios Championship match, reminding us all that Gabe Kidd exists and is affiliated with the Death Riders.

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– There was an audible group gasp in the stadium when Powerhouse Hobbs caught a diving Wheeler Yuta and slammed him from Claudio Castagnoli’s shoulders. What a fun sequence!

– The Opps vs. Death Riders opener was a nice match that saw the crowd get a chance to celebrate disliking Wheeler Yuta – culminating in Yuta taking the pinfall after a Muscle Buster from Samoa Joe. This crowd is really into the action – hopefully that energy will stay high as the night goes on.

– From a storytelling perspective, I appreciate the idea that The Opps aren’t coming to the rescue of Hangman Adam Page later tonight. Adding mystery and removing some allies for the babyface hero just gives him more to overcome.

– AEW may want to look at how often they book post-match assaults from heels. To give important ones like this maximum effect, maybe heels should not jump their opponents after every other match on Dynamite and Collision. It has become a booking crutch.

– I do not believe a more likable wrestler than Mark Briscoe exists. AEW has brought him along slowly since he became a solo act and the result has been fans still loving the believe in him.

– While Briscoe is intensely likable, MJF is the exact opposite. He has found himself again as a heel and is involved in an intriguing story with The Hurt Syndicate. These two and done the brunt of the heavy lifting to build up the Men’s Casino Gauntlet Match this year and, I believe, by the time it ends, we should see an actual singles match between them.

– The Casino Gauntlet Match format has been really fun for AEW over the past couple of years. I am surprised we are seeing it twice in one night. If AEW had All In and All Out as close together as they traditionally are, I would rather put one Casino Gauntlet on each show. It’s a challenge to book two delayed entrance style matches in one night. 

– Bandido, coming off of his match of the year contender against Konoske Takeshita last night, is having quite a weekend. I’m surprised AEW did not move him into the TNT Championship picture after Adam Cole’s injury.

– I was surprised Mistico did not take a longer time getting to the ring to let his excellent theme song play a little longer, but then it just kept rocking through his confrontation with MJF. It’s a good theme. And crowds in the US need to learn to sing in Spanish to make that entrance even better (and to make the encouragement from Mistico make sense).

– Both Anthony Bowens and Roderick Strong could have fit in well in the TNT Championship picture following the injury to Adam Cole as well. For Bowens, I believe it is a lack of connection in his current gimmick that kept him out. For Strong, I’m not sure why you would not replace either Sammy Guevara or Dustin Rhodes with him.

– The stadium came to life with a massive roar with Brody King’s music hit. He’s among the most over wrestlers in AEW, far surpassing his current position in the company. AEW would be wise to get him in line for something major soon.

– Juice Robinson returns as the first big surprise of the night. The new look is a real surprise given how distinct his look was prior to his injury. Following up Robinson’s return with that of The Gunns made my Collision-watching heart happy. These guys getting back into the fold in AEW should be fun.

– Kota Ibushi, who looked really good when we last saw him on Dynamite 300, enters this match to a nice reaction as well. This format is really about fans counting and entrance music (much like the Royal Rumble), but with a less predictable ending. The crowd is still very into each new wrestler.

– Takeshita interrupting Bandido’s 21 Plex on Ricochet to German Suplex both of them was really fun. AEW is displaying some really nice action and roster depth with this match.

– Max Caster’s absurdly long chant has somehow lead to him being more over while losing basically every match. It’s impressive.

– MJF winning the Casino Gauntlet match after capitalizing on Mark Briscoe’s Jay Driller on Roderick Strong was a nice bit of storytelling. There is still a great issue between MJF and Briscoe – made even bigger now.

– I enjoy crowning a new number one contender at All In, but I don’t love the Money in the Bank-ish nature of AEW’s prize. Money in the Bank is a tired gimmick and we have seen every variation on the cash in. Why copy something so tired?

– Does MJF winning spoil the main event of this show a little bit? Does that matter when people are as excited about that main event as they are?

– After appearing in the main event of AEW’s first All In, Adam Cole has had the worst possible luck. Whatever his health issues are, I truly hope he can overcome them. Even if wrestling again is not in his future, his health matters more than his wrestling career. As someone who started wrestling deep in WWE’s monopoly era and has seen the wrestling business expand in the United States, his run will be well remembered.

– There is not a dry eye in the stadium after Adam Cole’s speech.

– Surely there is another wrestler around this week in AEW that could have wrestled three times in 24 hours instead of the 56 year old Dustin Rhodes. I’m sure Rhodes was game and truly wants any opportunity to go, but AEW is overdoing it a bit here.

– We do have commentary in the press box, so I must say that putting Matt Menard behind the desk is actually quite mean to all of us.

– It’s wild to think that Adam Cole and Kevin Owens – the defining wrestlers of the early 2010s indie scene – are both out with longterm injuries. Seeing these two wrestlers go from 400 seat venues to the biggest stages and main events possible has been a truly rewarding part of covering wrestling for the last 15 years.

– The crowd has been subdued for this four way TNT Championship match – I have to think a lot of Adam Cole stories and feelings are being shared.

– Fans are coming to life for multiple people kicking Kyle Fletcher in the groin. Homer Simpson was right: Football in the groin is our greatest cinematic work.

– While I initially thought Kyle Fletcher needed the TNT Championship coming out of tonight, seeing Dustin Rhodes win in Texas made a lot of sense. Emotions were running high following Adam Cole’s announcement and Rhodes – with his long connection with the audience – capitalizes on those emotions as well.

– I was wrong about not having Rhodes in this match. It was not only the right move, but lead to a really beautiful moment and finish. Rhodes crying as he was handed the title made a crowd that had just dried their eyes break down again.

– We are getting into one of the core matches this card will be judged on now with Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland vs. The Young Bucks.

– Will Ospreay’s entrance was the first major league special entrance of the evening. AEW delivered a Cody Rhodes-esque amount of pyro for this one and it looked fantastic.

– It’s a pleasant surprise to see Jojo Offerman pop up in wrestling again tonight performing as a part of Swerve Strickland’s entrance.

– The Young Bucks, with a major pyro display, followed by a fake boat on a scissor lift, definitely topped their fantastic humorous Double or Nothing entrance. AEW pulled out all of the silly stops here.

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– When The Young Bucks returned at Dynasty, attacking Swerve always seemed to be leading to this moment. Since their return, their performances on pay-per-view and Dynamite have been consistently great. They came back in better shape than we’ve seen them in since AEW launched and their matches have been as exciting as their work in the mid-2010s. Maybe it is helped by their opponents, but this more motivated version of Matthew and Nicholas Jackson has been a delight.

– Rick Knox is officiating a Young Bucks match in front of 25,000+ people in the United States. The American Legion Hall in Reseda may not exist anymore, but the spirit of Reseda and PWG lives.

– Do tag rules matter in this match? Absolutely not. Does this matter in general? Probably not.

– Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay vs. The Young Bucks was the stadium thriller we have been waiting for The Bucks to have since the first All In. They have not missed in this latest run.

– AEW now takes the EVP power off of their storytelling table with Ospreay and Swerve winning this match. The Young Bucks run last year introduced a lot of logical fallacies into the company and AEW has worked to strip those away in the last few months. Wrestling is better when it’s about performers and titles and not about power structures.

– The Women’s Casino Gauntlet match has a big lift here following Bucks vs. Swerve and Ospreay. While the format guarantees some crowd investment, I wonder how the action in this one will connect with the crowd after the massive investment in the prior match.

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– Harley Cameron got a massive reaction from the stadium crowd as she made her first appearance since breaking her nose. This also created a great way to get Anna Jay and Penelope Ford away from the ring.

– Willow is the clear favorite for this crowd, who would love nothing more than a win from her. AEW has been slow to give us big cathartic moments with Willow, but lining her up as the next challenger for the Women’s Championship would do just that. Add in that Willow could conceivably challenge either participant in the Women’s Championship match tonight, so she would not telegraph the ending.

– This Casino Gauntlet Match is really about the power of friendship (especially when those friends interfere in your match). AEW is, at its heart, a wrestling promotion about the power of friendship.

– Reverting back to Mina Shirakawa’s good entrance theme mid-way through a show was one of Tony Khan’s best calls of all time. That music is so fun!

– Athena is wildly over despite the fact that she appears on a wrestling show that barely exists. I really wonder why she isn’t on AEW TV full time in meaningful matches instead of ROH. At some point, she won’t be as over just hanging out in ROH and AEW may waste her peak.

– I wonder if there are more people subscribed to ROH’s streaming service or here in this stadium today.

– Thunder Rosa’s gear on this show is far cooler than the gear she wore for ROH Supercard of Honor last night.

– Syuri’s debut as a surprise entrant in this match had folks in the crowd gasping. The idea of Syuri and Athena seemed to delight folks looking on.

– And now we have Alex Windsor’s (Windsor) debut here as well. Not since Ken Kennedy have I wanted to repeat someone’s name so soon after they have said it.

– We have some rapid fire entrances happening here – a luxury of this match format as there are no set time periods.

– Kris Stantlander powerbombing Megan Bayne onto every other woman in the match was an absolutely wild moment. These women are proving that AEW has a very good and very deep women’s division.

– Athena winning this match makes total sense and this should cement her as a part of AEW’s women’s division, but just an occasional guest star. Fans are so excited to cheer for her and see Athena create magic on AEW’s big stage.

– This Casino Gauntlet Match really delivered something special and different from the tag match before it. The variety of action you can get on a major AEW show is fun to see.

– Dustin Rhodes and Athena both getting a major moment here in Texas is special. Wrestlers winning in their hometowns or states will always be cool.

– I would have really appreciated seeing AEW feature Nyla Rose for a bit in that Casino Gauntlet match. Her absence from AEW’s women’s division continues to be a real bummer.

– Speedball Mike Bailey has really been a delight since their debut in AEW. The Double or Nothing match with Kazuchika Okada felt like the return of the old Okada and the tag team with Kevin Knight has been a nice short stop for both of these wrestlers as All In took shape. Bailey is excellent.

– I know we have all accepted it as “part of wrestling” but it is kind of dumb that there are no disqualifications in a three-way match. Someone please fix the logical fallacies that have plagued wrestling for the last 30 years.

– Bobby Lashley and Christian Cage – the clash of former ECW Champions within this match.

– Every AEW pay-per-view seems to have one match where you go “oh yeah that is still happening” as entrances take place. On Double or Nothing it was the Paragon vs. Callis Family tag. On this show, it’s the Tag Team Championship match.

– “Is that legal? You can just go to any corner?” – Dax Harwood pointing out another logical fallacy in wrestling.

– Nick Wayne’s head hit the ring apron in a really ugly way in that ill-advised Doomsday Device dropkick spot. I hope he is alright. That looked ugly.

– The Hurt Syndicate wins this match, retains their titles, and Christian Cage eats a rare pin in AEW. Cage has been a lowkey very protected act in AEW since his arrival.

– Nick Wayne betraying his father, Christian Cage, to set up the next chapter for both men (and, I assume, Adam Copeland’s return).

– Is Nick Wayne going to say “I’m the dad now” at some point?

– Well this is a fun little segment, with Adam “Cope” Copeland returning, the stadium losing its collective mind, a lot of pyro, a board with nails in it, and Copeland not immediately making nice with Christian Cage. I continue to believe AEW goes with Copeland and Cage vs. FTR at All Out in Toronto.

The return of Adam “Cope” Copeland at AEW All In!

— will, from wrestling (@itswilltime.bsky.social) 2025-07-12T22:43:52.399Z

– When I am in trouble, I hope someone does not stop and pose for pyro while I am in danger. Please run if you are saving me from a certain doom.

– I really enjoyed the symmetry of Copeland saying “go find yourself” to respond to Christian’s original statement.

– Mercedes Moné has a crew of cheerleaders wearing her championship belts, because she has enough titles for a crew of cheerleaders to wear.

– I continue to rock out to Mercede’s theme and its sample of Dvořák’s New World Symphony.

– Mercedes Moné wearing white and gold implies she will win this match. I don’t make these rules. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XII made these rules.

– Toni Storm is also in a version of white and gold. I don’t know what this means now. Maybe no one wins? Or we all do?

– The crowd investment in Toni Storm vs. Mercedes Moné feels main event worthy. 

– Toni Storm, after bleeding from her nose and being broken by Mercedes’ Mone Maker, was revived by a kiss. Love conquers all.

– For the last decade I have argued that Mercedes Moné is the best big match wrestler in the world. Tonight she is proving it again with a more than game opponent in Toni Storm. This match has an entire stadium of people hanging on every move.

– Toni Storm has defeated Mercedes Moné, giving Moné her first loss in AEW and one of the best matches of either woman’s career. This was a stadium main event effort from two of the best women wrestling today. This was the least predictable match on this show and could have gone either way. The crowd reaction, as Storm finally pinned Moné, was outright elation.

– The transformation of Toni Storm from her arrival in AEW to today has been absolutely wild. She has more than run with the opportunity presented to her and is a standard bearer for AEW.

– Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada has featured two video packages I would consider the best in AEW’s history – the initial one breaking down their four prior matches and the one that rolled prior to their entrances tonight.

– There is no cheering the press box, except for cheering for Jim Ross as he appeared. You love to see it.

– The live music entrances on this show have been better than most in AEW’s history. Often I believe AEW does live music performances this wrong way and Swerve, Hurt Business, and now Kenny Omega have all not missed.

THAT ROAR FROM THE FANS AS THE BELL RINGS FOR OKADA VS OMEGA V.My god.

— will, from wrestling (@itswilltime.bsky.social) 2025-07-12T23:33:18.582Z

– This show has been going for over four hours and the live crowd is still intensely invested. These fans came here ready for a long afternoon.

– Watching Omega vs. Okada at 6:30pm and not at 3:00am is a major difference compared to their NJPW encounters. I am grateful for this change, as I cannot stay up that late anymore. Don’t get middle aged, y’all (or do because the alternative is kind of bad).

– Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada’s matches in Japan were not without Bullet Club shenanigans, but this match with the Don Callis Family getting involved may have more shenanigans than those did.

– It’s interesting that this match, which absorbs the Continental Championship in some way, is not being contested under Continental Championship rules.

– I did not expect a finish when Okada hit that final Rainmaker in this match. This was a very good semi-main event for this show, but I will need to watch it back this week to see how it measures up to Okada and Omega’s prior efforts.

– Kenny Omega was protected by the moment where Don Callis pulled the referee out of the ring. There is room for another match between these two, but I am somehow doubtful it will happen again. This seemed like AEW needed to get to this sometime and knows they won’t be going back.

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– If the Jon Moxley title reign ends tonight, it is worth nothing that he has presided over a full reset of AEW from a storytelling perspective. While I have not enjoyed every part of this reign, he has been really great, particularly from the end of the Adam Copeland feud to now. As a standard bearer for the company, he has seen them settle into a story like they have not since 2021.

– Hangman Page and Jon Moxley playing a game of fork vs. fork. And the fork seems to be winning. For a show without a ton of blood on it, I expect this match to more than makeup for that.

– Get you someone that looks at you like Jon Moxley looks at at fork.

– I hope everyone that runs in during this match wears white, just like Hangman Page and Marina. Everyone needs to be ready for maximum blood stained clothing.

– “Give me that glass” is an absolutely wild thing to hear a wrestler say mid-match. I don’t think this will be as controversial as “real glass” but this match is delivering on its promise of violence.

– To be completely honest, I do not love Texas Death or Last Man Standing style matches – not because of the violence, but because of the long near falls where a wrestler gets up at 9.5. Actual pinfalls are far more dynamic and fun to watch.

– We have begun the festival of run-ins I expect to see in this match through interference from Wheeler Yuta and Marina Shafir. Shafir going through one of the three visible ringside tables was both predictable and delightful. It may have worked better if Hangman had not leveled her with a Buckshot Lariat on Dynamite 300.

– Add Claudio Castagnoli, Will Ospreay, and Gabe Kidd to the wrestlers interfering in this match. We are absolutely deep in this bloody and intense affair.

– If Claudio wraps the whole roster in chairs and stomps on them, will we have Dynamite on Wednesday?

– The intense reset during a lull in the run-ins really brought the crowd to its feet. And now we wait a while for a ten count! It’s not that these matches are bad, it’s just that a kick out at 2.99996 is more exciting.

– Darby Allin via video Mt. Everest. Bryan Danielson initially under a mask. We are fully into the historic run-in section of the night. And here comes Darby Allin from above the ring. The crowd is losing its collective mind as the Death Riders are driven away from the ring and we are down to Moxley and Page one-on-one.

– Bryan Danielson is “yes” chanting his way into the dugout as he runs the Death Riders away.

– The Young Bucks have appears to keep this match as unfair as it needs to be.

– We are at “Blood and Guts” levels of violence now as a bed of nails has appeared.

– Prince Nana popping up to handcuff Marina Shafir and make sure she cannot interfere in the match again was a brilliant little piece of storytelling, particularly because of what it indicated we would see in the moments to follow.

– Swerve Strickland clearing the path for Hangman Page to defeat Jon Moxley was always the direction here and it was really well done. The build to it and execution as these two men made up for the ways they have wronged each other has been a really nice piece of wrestling storytelling.

– Hangman Page won a violent war that was just what it needed to be.

I will have far more thoughts on this show this coming week! I am off to the post show press conference now!