Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.

This week, Robert DeFelice, Jordan Chaffiotte, and Jonathon Maldonado will be giving their thoughts on what went down at the first ever ALL IN spectacular!

It was unique. It was spectacular. It made you feel. It made you laugh. ALL IN was incredible, and game-changing in every way. So, what's next? Let's discuss…


MALDONADO: Ian Riccaboni opened commentary for the night by describing ALL IN as “a love letter to professional wrestling.” Cody was the author of that letter and he penned the emotional high point in that match. The NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship’s history and lineage is very much a history of the professional wrestling industry as a whole, and Cody winning it on this night was pitch perfect. ALL IN will go down as one of the most important wrestling events in history, and the story of this championship will now sit hand in hand with ALL IN.

With so many people tuning in and the buzz around ALL IN at a fever pitch, the profile of the NWA title has been raised. It is likely to be highly sought after on the independent scene following this event, and that’s great for NWA and the lineage it represents. There is almost a reset on the title following ALL IN. It no longer represents the past, it now represents to the present moment, a near new golden age in professional wrestling. It will represent all the hard work, passion and dedication of today’s wrestling landscape, no longer simply a call to a distant past.

CHAFFIOTTE: Are you asking me if I cried? You KNOW I cried. Once again Brandi proves to be the MVP of Bullet Club (is Cody still in Bullet Club? I can't keep track) and she also carried the emotional crux of the match, which really took this from a great wrestling match to a special wrestling match. Despite the fact, Cody's one of the best heels in the business (is Cody still a heel? I can't keep track), they got me on his side throughout the match by having him endure a brutalizing to get there. Brandi shouting "no!" as a bloody, beaten Cody was pulled away from her and back to the middle of the ring was heart wrenching, there was so much desperation to protect him and we understood perfectly how much this belt meant to him. I don't know much about the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship, but the moment Cody put it around his waist it became the most important belt in professional wrestling, which is cool. I can only assume this didn't main event because they didn't want it to seem like just a massive ego trip for Cody, it was clearly the highest stakes of the night and the most emotionally charged. ALL IN has provided a framework for all the secondary promotions to collaborate on a major scale. While no promotion has been able to compete with the WWE juggernaut on their own in some time, it's clear that by pooling resources and most importantly talent, these sort of crossover shows can deliver financially. If I had to guess where Cody wanted to dedicate his time from the business perspective, it would be in those types of multi-promotion events. He'll probably have one last WWE run before he retires, but not for many years.

DeFELICE: This was by far my favorite moment of the night. This is what I want from pro wrestling. Two guys fighting over a championship where you believed their motives because they were real. Cody is the son of one of the most famous champions of the past and you know it meant the world to him to have this moment. I loved it. Cody is perhaps the most passionate wrestler going today and I can’t wait to see what that passion brings to the revitalized National Wrestling Alliance.


DeFELICE: I genuinely feel like the match with Cody and Nick produced the best match of the evening but since I already spoke about that, I will talk about Marty Scurll vs. Kazuchika Okada. I’m not kidding when I say that I think Okada is the most underrated total package in wrestling. The reason I say this is we know that he is a powerhouse of New Japan and he’s a fantastic wrestler, but he’s also such a character and so charismatic even for the American audience and that really shown through with this match. The 205 tease before attempting The Rainmaker was probably the moment of the night for me because it just worked so well and the audience was into it and this match by far was the best-wrestled match on the card in my opinion.

CHAFFIOTTE: I'll have to give the nod to the Four Corner Survival match between Tessa Blanchard, Britt Baker, Chelsea Green, and Madison Rayne because I am always on brand. On top of featuring some of the best female talents in the world today, this match benefited from being a multi-person match. There weren't many others on the card, and like when you have three or four people in a scene of a movie, it keeps the action rolling and allows for multiple stories weaving in and out of each other. That triangulation (or quad-ulation?) made it so that you didn't need that much information coming in to understand what was happening and why. Although I felt ALL IN lacked a level of necessary exposition via video packages, this one was easier to keep up with because it was four different people interacting with one another. It helps that Tessa Blanchard is one of the greatest in-ring storytellers of her generation. They tore the house down from the moment Tessa clocked Madison to the moment she got the pin. I will say she didn't need the win as much as someone like Britt Baker, but it was incredibly emotional for the third generation wrestler to prove once again she's the best in front of her father and step-father. I may have cried...twice. Leave me alone! The hug between the four of them was a beautiful ladies supporting laddies moment. I need more of this in WWE.

MALDONADO: It’s not fair to pick one match out of this basket of pure wrestling fuego, but if I must pick a standout match it has to be the Chicago Street Fight between Hangman Page and Joey Janela. That was some of the best use of hardcore style without going over the top, CZW style. It introduced an even wider audience to Janela, who cuts his teeth at CZW but was able to show he can really go without the gimmick for the whole match. The danger factor was obviously there, but it was done tastefully and without blood. That spot off the stage onto the tables was an incredible climax to that match, and I’m glad Joey survived that somewhat botched move.


CHAFFIOTTE: Don't you know I have too much wrestling in my life as it is? What I've been trying to do recently is cut the filler out of my wrestling time, and this show definitely pushes me to do that more. I think I will always be a WWE Basic B and I'm going to happily watch it in my yoga pants while sipping a latte. That said, only about 50% of that content I'm actually glad to be watching. My goal is to fit in more of the other stuff, namely Impact, Lucha Underground, Chikara and Ring/Women of Honor, by being more liberal with the fast forward button and willingly spoiling myself. I'd rather know I'm about to watch something awesome because I know what's going to happen than watch Shawn Michaels shill for merch sales and talk about the good old days with Taker for 10 minutes. #sorrynotsorry. I'm also looking forward to doing more live indie shows, Capitol Wrestling is based about 15 minutes from me and they're really gaining a lot of traction. Chikara is not far either, so they're on my bucket list for 2019. Moral of the story: like what you like, watch what you like, don't watch what you don't like, and don't let anyone tell you you're wrong.

DeFELICE: I think it’s interesting that the other answers to this questions immediately tackle going to live shows. I guess this show makes people want to attend more live events which is cool because I think that their style is better suited to a live audience anyway but I think that what we learned with this show is that we will be seeing more viral content than ever before. More content like the 10 Pounds Of Gold series and web series’ really being the bulk of build up going forward. As for what’s next for the masterminds of the show? I believe they’ve already said they plan on going Double Or Nothing.

MALDONADO: A I don’t know that I’ll tune in more than I am now, there’s just way too much content week to week to dedicate more time. What this will do however, is get me out to more local independent shows. I live in New York City so the indie scene is already pretty phenomenal, but there’s no doubt everyone is stepping up their game following ALL IN. And with a lot of those guys doing shows like House of Glory in Queens, I’ll definitely be making time to attend these shows live.