Jim Ross has explained that he believes five-hour wrestling shows are too long, and that there are “logical” things that need to be addressed about AEW All Out’s main event.
Including the pre-show titled Zero Hour, AEW All Out will feature 15 matches, meaning that it’s likely to have a run time of over five hours.
While some fans welcome having so much action on one show and the chance to see so many of their favourite performers, others believe that such shows are simply too long. A viewpoint that AEW announcer Jim Ross heartily agrees with.
Speaking at a recent fundraiser for Steve “Mongo” McMichael alongside the likes of Conrad Thompson, Jeff Jarrett and Tony Schiavone, Ross said that no show should be five hours. The veteran joked that he’ll definitely be “wearing darks” for the show, before adding that people’s attention spans won’t be able to go the distance.
“My biggest concern is the fact that I will definitely be wearing darks because a brother’s got to p*ss,”
“This is going to be a 5-hour show. I’m not in favour of any 5-hour show. It’s just too long. Our attention spans are not going to maintain what it needs to be. It’s a chance for a lot talents to clear the deck and make a name for themselves. I say that at every pay-per-view.”
The WWE Hall of Famer also discussed All Out’s polarising main event featuring AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and CM Punk. Moxley defeated Punk on Dynamite a little over a week ago in just three minutes, leading some to question the need for a rematch.
Looking ahead to the bout, Ross conceded that there are “logical” things that need to be addressed.
“Well, I think it’s going to be very unpredictable because I don’t know how you book this card. I don’t know how you have a match on Wednesday and your champion gets his ass whipped like a government mule and then you expect to return it Sunday. Why do I need a return? You just got your ass whipped. So there’s logical things we have to address, quite frankly. I think it’s going to be a very challenging show for Tony Khan to book but it’s loaded.”
You can follow all of the action from AEW All Out live and as it happens right here on Inside The Ropes.
H/t to FigureFourOnline for the transcription.