Tony Khan better not screw up AEW's most important booking decision of the year
The free Zero Hour pre-show kicks things off starting at 1 pm ET on All Elite's YouTube channel and right here at Cageside Seats. That leads right into the PPV at 3 pm ET, which you can buy from PPV.com, Amazon, and YouTube in the United States, as well as on traditional PPV. Internationally, it may be available via those providers, or you can try Triller TV.
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Tony Khan better not screw up AEW's most important booking decision of the year
The main event of All In Texas is AEW World Champion Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Page in a Texas Death match. Hangman earned this title match by defeating Will Ospreay to win the Owen Hart tournament at Double or Nothing.
Moxley has been the world champ since last October, which is around the same time that his Death Riders took over AEW. He put the belt in a briefcase for Marina Shafir to carry around, and we haven't seen the gold since. Hangman has been portrayed as AEW's main character, so it's only fitting that he's the man who will try to free the world title from that briefcase and hold it up for the world to see at AEW's biggest show of the year.
A big part of the story here revolves around Hangman's relationship with Swerve Strickland. They recently sat down to try to let go of their complicated past, which includes home invasion and arson. Both men expressed regrets about their actions in a compelling scene, which Moxley called out as weak 'crybaby crap.' Jon says he won't have any regrets or apologies for the terrible things he does to Hangman during this Texas Death match.
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There are no disqualifications in this kind of match, and the stage has been set for all kinds of interference. That may come in the form of Darby Allin, Will Ospreay, the Death Riders, Sting, and even Bryan Danielson. However, the key figure in all of this will be Swerve. Hangman left behind his chain in Swerve's locker room after their talk was over, and Swerve wrapped that chain around his fist while lost in thought. Will Strickland show up to actually help his hated rival win the AEW world title, or will he be there to fuck him over at the most critical time? That's one of the big questions that needs to be answered at All In Texas.
Moxley's world title reign was something of a disaster in its first few months, with underwhelming finishes to his PPV matches, too much attempted murder via plastic bags and toxic chemicals, and poor storytelling as AEW's inept babyfaces couldn't get their shit together to pose a formidable threat to the Death Riders. But the tide has changed over the last few months as the story has focused on Hangman, Ospreay, Swerve, and the Young Bucks.
After sitting through months of Moxley's reign of terror, AEW fans are ready for something incredible to happen at the end of All In Texas. With that in mind, Tony Khan has to make AEW's most important booking decision of the year at All In Texas, and he needs to make sure it's the right one. AEW finally has some good momentum going its way after a rough 2024, but that can change fast if today's main event leaves fans with another bad taste in their mouths courtesy of the Death Riders.
Tune into All In Texas to see what choice Swerve Strickland makes in the main event, and if it's finally time to free the AEW world title from Jon Moxley's briefcase.
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The rest of the card
These remaining 11 matches and segments are also currently advertised for today at All In Texas:
'Timeless' Toni Storm (c) vs. Mercedes Mone for the AEW women's world championship
Storm vs. Mone is the biggest women's match in AEW history. Toni is arguably the number one star in the company, with a special gimmick that is unlike anything else in pro wrestling. Mercedes is the undefeated TBS champion who has been busy collecting belts from around the world ever since she joined AEW in early 2024. Toni's goal is to rip Mercedes' tits off and prove that she just can't win the big one. Which women's star is truly the best in AEW? We'll find out at All In Texas.
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AEW International Champion Kenny Omega vs. AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada in a winner-takes-all match for the AEW Unified Championship
Omega and Okada bring their storied rivalry to AEW pay-per-view in a match where the winner walks out with three belts, because consolidating belts isn't a thing Tony Khan likes to do. Can Omega and Okada rekindle their old magic one more time at AEW's biggest event of the year?
Okada joined up with Don Callis for this one and put Omega in the hospital by targeting his diverticulitis. That brought Kenny's golden lover Kota Ibushi back to AEW to fight on his behalf. Omega is out of the hospital now and ready to finally end Okada's reign as Continental champion, which is approaching 500 days in length. Is this a match where each star will kick out of the other's finishing move multiple times, or will one Rainmaker or One-Winged Angel be enough to score a three count?
Will Ospreay & Swerve Strickland vs. Young Bucks
This could very well be the match of the night just looking at how skilled all four men are, and you know this bout will get all the time it needs. The stakes are high, as Matthew and Nicholas Jackson will lose their status as EVPs of AEW if they don't win, while Ospreay and Swerve can't challenge for the world title for one full year if they don't win. Ospreay has already gone more than one year without challenging for the world title, but I'm not sure if he realizes that. It's worth noting that Jack Perry has been seen backstage at recent AEW tapings, so perhaps he's ready to return and help The Elite win.
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The Bucks, Ospreay, and Swerve may all show up again later in the night to interfere in the main event. Does the outcome of this match affect the decision Swerve might have to make about helping his hated rival Hangman Page?
Men's Casino Gauntlet match
This might just be AEW's most entertaining gimmick match. Two wrestlers start the gauntlet, with new entrants joining the fray at irregular intervals. The match ends as soon as the first fall is scored, so there is no guarantee that some wrestlers will even make it into the ring if their number is too far down the list.
Mark Briscoe and MJF are the first two entrants, and Mark is looking to whoop Max's ass after he recently tried to get heat by bringing up his dead brother Jay. CMLL's top star Mistico is also in the mix, and he has a score to settle with MJF as well. Some other wrestlers who will be ready to join this match include Ricochet, Bandido, and Brody King. Keep your eye out for surprise entrants like Darby Allin, Keith Lee, or Eddie Kingston. The winner of this match earns a world title match whenever he wants it.
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Women's Casino Gauntlet match
This is the only women's match at All In Texas besides Toni vs. Mercedes, so pretty much everyone else on the AEW women's roster might show up here if the match goes long enough. Kris Statlander and Megan Bayne kick off the action as the first two entrants. Some of the other wrestlers who have been featured in the build up include Thekla, Queen Aminata, Willow Nightingale, Athena, Thunder Rosa, Tay Melo, Anna Jay, Julia Hart, and Mina Shirakawa. Is there any chance that missing stars like Britt Baker or Hikaru Shida make their surprise return in this one? Just like with the men, the winner earns a world title match at any time of her choosing.
Hurt Syndicate (c) vs. JetSpeed vs. The Patriarchy for the AEW world tag team championship
Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin steamroll through most of their challengers without much trouble, but they walk into this title defense banged up after Christian Cage repeatedly smashed Bob's knee in with a chair on Dynamite. The idea is to create some doubt about the outcome of this match, but I'd say MVP's group is still the overwhelming favorite to retain the gold.
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The Opps vs. Death Riders & Gabe Kidd for the AEW world trios championship
PAC is out of action with an injury, so Gabe Kidd is joining up Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta as they try to win back the trios titles from Samoa Joe, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Katsuyori Shibata. Is HOOK ready to return to AEW and play a role in the finish of this title match?
Adam Cole (c) vs. Kyle Fletcher for the TNT championship
I don't blame anyone who has a hard time remembering that Adam Cole is the current TNT champion. Meanwhile, the Don Callis Family is still trying to recruit former champ Daniel Garcia to turn his back on Paragon and join up with them. Kyle Fletcher might not need any help to win this match given he already has a PPV win over Will Ospreay.
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The Outrunners vs. FTR (pre-show)
FTR and The Outrunners used to work out and train together, but that was before Big Stoke entered the picture. Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler have since turned on Adam Copeland and now try to spike piledrive anybody who has a bad thing to say about them. They already picked up a win over Turbo Floyd and Truth Magnum earlier this month on Collision. However, the rematch was made official after Dax took the fall in one of AEW's never-ending series of All-Star 8-man tag team matches.
Big Boom AJ & The Conglomeration vs. Don Callis Family (pre-show)
AEW is Where The Best Wrestle, so the Costco Guy is back for another match. This time he's teaming up with Hologram, Kyle O'Reilly, and Tomohiro Ishii to take on Lance Archer, Trent Beretta, Rocky Romero, and Hechicero. Hologram remains undefeated nearly one year after his AEW debut, so you already know which team is going over.
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The Sons of Texas vs. Shane Taylor Promotions (pre-show)
You can't run the biggest show of the year in Texas without including the Von Erichs and Dustin Rhodes, right? Shane Taylor Promotions lose nearly every match they have on AEW programming, and it sure looks like they are here to do the job as well.
Summary
The top four matches at All In Texas carry most of the intrigue and could deliver some of the best wrestling matches of the year. The booking decisions on Hangman vs. Moxley, Mercedes vs. Toni Storm, and the Young Bucks vs. Ospreay & Swerve will go a long way towards shaping AEW's creative direction for the rest of 2025. Can Tony Khan keep AEW's positive momentum going by nailing the booking on his biggest show of the year?
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