Was AEW All In: Texas TOO LONG?

AEW puts on incredible matches and delivers stacked cards… but why do their shows feel so exhausting?

I was at All In, and after six hours of non-stop wrestling, it hit me — the pacing is off. Every match is long. There’s no room to breathe.

In this video, I break down why AEW’s pay-per-views can feel overwhelming, and what they could learn from WWE, TNA, and even movies when it comes to keeping people engaged.

Subscribe to WrestleRave VAULT https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYlK5Bthjq0tLdq7Qw_WkUg/join

About WrestleRave:
WrestleRave is one of Texas’s premier independent professional wrestling promotions. Founded by Nick and Jack Irene, WrestleRave has quickly become a powerhouse in the world of indie wrestling, featuring wrestling stars from WWE, AEW, TNA, NJPW, AAA, and all over the globe!

I like AEW. I really do. But I was at all in. And by hour six of the main card, I realized I just can’t do it anymore. The shows are too long. Every match feels like it has to be 15, 20 minutes, even when there’s nothing at stake. There’s no pacing, no breaks, just wallto-wall wrestling. And sometimes that really makes it hard to care. It’s not hate. It’s fatigue. And I just I want to know, do more people feel this? Allin was six hours. Eight hours if you want to count the pre-show. There were undercard matches that I didn’t feel were the most important. These would still go 12 to 20 minutes. I mean, there’s literally no quick matches in my opinion. in a quick match would be sub 10 minutes. And a lot of these matches, maybe not a lot, but a good amount, really could have shaved off a lot of time. You know, every match does not need to be epic. That I’ll just tell you right now, that makes none of them feel special. And if if any of them feel special, it’s the ones at the very top. You know, Will Osprey is gonna be up there every time. So, if you’re trying to compete with him, that’s a losing battle. As is making your pay-per-view card six hours, you know, uh just look at any great film, any long film. I mean, it’s not all action. There’s a build, there’s pace, and then ultimately there’s a payoff, which is the most important part. And in wrestling, that’s the main event. And in this case, I do think the show still climax at the main event, even after six hours. John Moxley and Hangman Page just absolutely raised the bar even higher than it had already been raised. Like I want to make that clear. The wrestling is objectively great. These are some of the best wrestlers in the world with you know wrestling with passion, wrestling with athleticism and and heart. But ultimately the presentation of it all is what matters. You know we see the moves but after seeing the moves for so long, so many hours, so much impressive feats of athleticism that it just becomes exhausting. It’s truly too much of a good thing. You know, it doesn’t feel it doesn’t feel curated to the viewer. It feels like I mean if you’ve ever played TEW, it was a wrestling booking simulator on the computer. That’s what AEW feels like. You know, and they do tell stories. I don’t want to hear that they don’t tell stories because that’s just that’s just false. Maybe you don’t like the way they tell stories, you know, but they tell stories. I mean, that that was seen in some of the better matches on the card. It was because they had that little element, that character connection. And I don’t even watch AEW that consistently, but I felt something for Swerve and Hangman, you know? I felt that. I felt something for Swerve and Osprey’s relationship as well. It’s not that they don’t tell stories. It’s that they maybe don’t do it enough or maybe they could do it a different way. maybe a backstage interview. You know, I don’t think this pay-per-view had one backstage interview. And that’s a really simple way to make me care about who’s in the ring, about why these moves are happening. And they ran into some roadblocks obviously, you know, with with the TBS championship and Adam Cole. And, you know, that was a terrible situation, but it felt real. And you know, I I could connect with Adam Cole. And I think the show just needs more connection with the characters that are outside of the main event scene. I think Hangman is one of the best characters and wrestlers on the planet. Uh same with Will Osprey, same with Swerve. You know, the guys at the top of the card don’t really have this problem as much, but when a card is six hours and you’re devoting so much time to the midcard talent, you got to make it matter. You’ve got to make it matter. If you’re sending wrestlers out there for 20 minutes at a time, you have to have a reason to do so. And WWE structures it differently. They have so much dead time between the matches, not even necessarily building the show, more getting their ads in and collecting their uh revenue. But they structure it differently. You know, they make sure the main event isn’t outshined nine times out of 10. And I would say TNA is pretty similar in that regard. It seems like AW just doesn’t take this into account whatsoever. And that’s fine. you know, people seem to enjoy it. I just, for me personally, I’m not sure it’s my favorite format for a pro wrestling pay-per-view. And I know this was their Wrestlemania. I cannot imagine that every pay-per-view will be six hours this year. But those are my thoughts on AEW’s pay-per-view length and format. You know, I really do think the wrestling’s great. I think the passion that the fans have for the show is just unmatched. You know, it’s it feels it’s easy to get behind. It’s easy to root for. And I am rooting for AEW. I’ll watch it when I can. I can’t commit every single week because it’s not my style. It’s not my style. And that’s fine. I hope it’s your style. Uh if it’s not, let me know. And even if it’s not your style, you need to get over it, okay? I’m stating that it’s not my style. I’m still going to support AEW. They have great stuff. They have great talent. They have great moments and I’m going to catch those. You know, am I going to be seated for every pay-per-view? Am I going to be seated for six to eight hours straight? No. That’s why you have the uh opportunity to take control of your life and not force yourself to do something you don’t want to do. I know wrestling fans forget that, but you do not have to watch this if you don’t want to. Or you can watch half of it. That’s a standard pay-per-view length. Anyway, let me know what you guys think. Are AW pay-per-views too long, or am I just am I just a hater? Am I like Jim Cornette? Am I a grifter? Please, I don’t want to