[6.0] "The first-ever AEW match was a chaotic yet entertaining battle royal, featuring both future stars like Hangman Page and MJF, as well as lesser-known or comedic wrestlers like Michael Nakazawa and Dustin Thomas. There were many unusual moments, such as a legless competitor trying to participate, Ace Romero hitting a suicide dive despite his size, and funny segments with cigarettes and oil that gave the match a bizarre character. Despite long pauses and a mix of comedy and serious wrestling, Hangman Page's victory made sense and was satisfying for fans, and the match delivered memorable moments for many of the participants."
[0.0] "This match was really stupid, this being one of AEWs first matches kinda shocks me. This battle immediately confused me right out of the gate with 5 wrestlers already being in the ring. No match has ever done that, but this did the impossible. I've never seen a wrestler competing in a battle royal with no legs. Yeah, really surprised by seeing that. Plus, why was MJF in there already like he was a local talent? This was before he became one of AEW's top stars, but still. Michael's oil segment was probably the stupidest thing I've ever seen in my life. When more people came in, as groups from a stack of cards, that just lost me even more. I mean, I was sorta getting it, but still. Shawn Spears, Billy Gunn, Glacier, & Tommy Dreamer were interesting entrances. The only one that was normal for me was Shawn Spears. Shawn Spears gave MJF freaking brutal sounding chops. No idea who Glacier was until videos I watched about him. Seeing him fight with MJF is a weird site. Janela smoking & suddenly seeing him have the cigarette on his forehead was kinda weird. Ace Romero doing a freaking suicide dive blew my mind, especially for his size. Page entering last made it obvious to me he was gonna win. Page made the most logical sense to win, I would say MJF, but again, this was before he became the man he is today. Ace getting eliminated by only Jungle Boy was just something I didn't expect. The elimination of Joey was probably the best in this whole match. That Cassidy segment was just a waste of time."
[6.0] "This was our first time seeing the rules of this format and though it be cool if everyone got their own entrance, it was a nice intro into a ton of guys and a few surprises. Surprisingly a well coordinated match as well since almost everyone got a moment, MJF's eliminations were perfect for the story of the match and we got the correct winner for this considering a few things changed the card prior to finalizing that night."
[8.0] "I thought this was a great deal of fun. The company would soon change a lot and you wouldn't see folks like Dustin Thomas or Ace Romero anymore, but I love that they were willing to try anything, and there are some great stars in this match."
[6.0] "I'm quite partial to battle royals and so even one like this that is just decent still felt like a lot of fun. I'd say the biggest strength of the match was giving moments for a lot of the eventual AEW roster to showcase their characters. 3 stars"
[0.0] "AEW's first match ever, and also my most-hated match in the company's entire history. I was excited for the debut of AEW in 2019, but watching this live gave me a lot of doubts. In a battle royal to determine the #1 contender for the AEW World Championship, you only had one guy who could've feasibly won: Hangman Page. Keep in mind, MJF wasn't a big name back then like he is now, so no way he had a chance of winning. Orange Cassidy also wasn't being taken seriously yet. The rest of the match is filled with jobbers, comedy characters, guys who never even wrestled for the company again after this, and over-the-hill wrestlers from the 90's. For a company that was advertising itself as a serious, athletic, sports-based promotion, this was the exact opposite of everything that was promised and felt like some type of cruel joke."
[7.0] "The concept is a bit special, but it's a good battle royale with pleasant arrivals and some nice sequences. Ideal for a pre-show, but would have been at home on the main card. In-ring quality: 2/4. Stakes: 1.5/2. Justification: 1/1. Place on the card: 1/1. Suspense: 1/1. Bonus/malus: none. Total: 7.5/10. Match seen on AEW Plus."
[6.0] "Interesting cast of characters for this battle royal spinoff. The match had some fun segments but also some sloppy segments and failed humor. Final 5 was 4 AEW stars and Havoc. The MJF not being eliminated and thinking he won was done very well. Overall fine first try at the Casino Royale."
[10.0] "I dunno why is this so underated. Sure it wasn't a classic, but was pretty fun, and sure there was also a lot of comedy here, but still was entertaining and not bad at all. Now to be honest the real leader should be Joey Janela since his feet didn't touch the floor after the table spot but still won't complain about the winner"
[6.0] "I thought the match was solid. The only obvious choices to win the match were Hangman Page and MJF, nobody else you would believe to win the match. I will say that one surprise for me was Glacier. Seeing Glacier in the ring interacting with MJF was just wild. There was a spot where Luchasaurus gave chokeslam through table outside to Joey Janela, which looked great. The final 2 had MJF and Hangman going at it and after MJF thought he eliminated his opponent, Hangman hit the Buckshot Lariat and eliminated him to win the MJF. Not the greatest but still had some fun moments. ***"
[2.0] "Besides them getting the winner right, I did not like this at all. I could not believe my eyes when the first thing I see from this new promotion I am really excited for, is a handicapped competitor in a gimmicked battle royale for a world title shot."
[4.0] "Despite AEW's creative rules, this is your run of the mill battle royal. Those are never that good. I suppose it fun if you're a fan of the Vegas indie scene, but this doesn't have much historical value outside of Hangman's win."
[6.0] "The first match in the history of AEW was very unusual. We just started to get acquainted with new stars, among whom were both future main eventers and rather random guys, participation of some of whom raised questions. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this madness. Just a plenty of fun that marked the beginning of the era of All Elite Wrestling."
[3.0] "Not an exciting fight, I just didn't understand any of the rules Justin Roberts laid down before the match, the story of how long such and such a wrestler has to go in. In fact, they go in by 1, 3 or even 4. Former wrestlers make nice appearances (that's classic in battle royales), but nothing to remember."
[5.0] "Eh, this was pretty average in my opinion. Just a lot of guys thrown together, there was some pretty cool spots and moments here and there but nothing really special."
[4.0] "This match caused quite the stir for one Orange Cassidy went viral for bit and two people didn't seem to like the comedy spots. Funny how so many people here never showed up again."
[4.0] "Page and MJF had decent showings here but everyone else just kinda felt like they were making up the numbers. Weird seeing how nothing Cassidy's showing was here considering how big of a deal he is in current AEW."
[4.0] "The first ever AEW match is... Kinda bad, honestly. Nothing really stands out from this other than Adam Page and MJF showing good character work from the beginning."
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