How would Tony Khan begin the biggest show of his professional wrestling booking career, All In? Would he start things slow? Get as many performers in the ring as possible? Or bring the energy early on to really get the fans up?
Well, as it turns out, he went right for the jugular, booking the AEW World Championship first, only, it wasn't the AEW World Championship match many were expecting.
No, Khan opted instead to give the honor to CM Punk, the most controversial man in professional wrestling, who would be defending the “Real” AEW World Championship – affectionately known as the AXW thanks to his spray paint job – against the toughest rival of his career, Samoa Joe.
Working at a clear disadvantage in terms of size, ferocity, and crowd reaction, with Joe remaining incredibly over with the international audience, Punk got put through the front panel of the announce table midway through the match, leading to a bloodied up forehead and a renewed intensity for the “Second City Saint.” While this strategy didn't work particularly well at first, with Joe continuing to physically dominate Punk, the “Chick Magnet” persisted like he so often does, and in the end, after a few choice kicks to the head, he secured the 1-2-3 with a Pepsi Plunge, a finish that will give more than a new fans fond memories from the old Ring of Honor days.
Did anyone really think Samoa Joe was going to become the “Real” World Champion at Wembley? No, when that title was put on the line, Punk securing the win became a borderline guarantee, but hey, after 20 years in the ring together, the “Best in the World” finally got a clean win in the ring against his greatest rival: isn't that what All In is supposed to be all about, dream matches?
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