[5.0] "Definitely forgettable as the New Level debut technically happens during the main show because they ran the gimmick again where they go into the main show from the Buy In which I am not a huge fan of. Personally, I believe not everyone has 40 dollars right now to shill out on wrestling but let's also maybe not book the Royale for the pre-show then and have a different match in this spot. The matches that finished here were pretty forgettable with the best one being Persephone and Maya World. I think Lio Rush and Shibata could have been booked better as well as Kris Statlander. But they have to feature a TON of wrestlers on every show so they don't always have the ability to book everyone perfectly."

"I have no memory of the first two matches in this pre-show. This isn't to say they weren't effective, but noteworthiness and pre-show often do not mix. However, when you have two matches that go by in a flash followed by two title matches (with the good ol', obligatory Big Boom AJ pre show match in the middle), it makes you less invested in the title matches. Still don't know what future Britt Baker has in the company, love Persephone as TBS Champion, RIP Maya's reign, and I always like a Royale. Kinda funny to figure out who Swerve was going to team with a few minutes before it happened - or should have happened. Maybe they should have debuted RIGHT as the pay per view started, with Swerve entering right before the pre-show ended. I dunno. It's just a pre-show. 7/10"

[7.0] "Fairly good for a pre-show, no amazing matches but there was a lot to like. First half of the Trios rumble was not as good as the second but can't blame them for saving the bigger moments for the proper show. I want the Hurt Syndicate to get more to do on TV, I don't really care if they are a problem backstage or not, they are awesome."

[6.0] "The show was enjoyable enough in person, but I'd be lying if I said the point of the whole thing didn't escape me. There is nothing here that would compel someone on the fence to actually buy the PPV. The logical expectation we all had was it would end with the debut of The New Level, but that happened during the actual PPV. You could have cut an hour off of this, not even replaced it and I think the event would have benefited."

[8.0] "I found every match on here to range from enjoyable to great, and enjoyed the surprises all throughout like Thekla, Danielson, and Baker. All this did was make me even more hyped then I already was, which quite frankly I didn't know was possible."

[3.0] "The pre show is the pre show no matter what cool name you give it. I wish I skipped this because it's two hours on top of the main show which was 4 hours. Britt Baker returning is interesting but New Level technically debuted on the main card so it's all a waste of time to sit through."

[5.0] "These shows almost always forgets its concept. Cause the whole point of these shows is to persuade the fans and especially the non fans to buy the ppv, non of these shows have done their job right. It is always mid to poor. The opening was solid and so was the women's tag team match. The eight man tag was alright. The TBS title match was super disappointing as I was hyped for the match. Brit returning did not do anything for me here. Thekla's back. And the trios title match was so badly produced."

"Para mi el Buy In fue bastante flojo en el inicio, estaba bien como relleno de un programa semanal, pero no es la calidad que se busca en un PPV (o previa). El primer combate estuvo bien y era disfrutable, sin más. El tag team femenino pues lo mismo, aunque sirvió para dar visión a la mujeres que hay en el roster. El eight man es pasable justo, o suspenso alto. De cara al TBS estubo bien, pero esperaba más, la verdad y el Rumble de Trios lo disfruté, pero al ser una simple excusa para la presentación de New Level, pues perdia cierta gracia. Lo bueno vino en el PPV, no en todos los combates, pero si en casi todo."

[4.0] "A pre show is mostly just background music as you get your snacks ready and to give everyone a place on the card. I did not really think much of anything on this one and frankly it was a chore to sit through and a waste of good snacks."

[6.0] "As far as Buy Ins go this was pretty solid. I mean these shows are never fun while watching it as you have to sit through pretty boring panels and the same hype packages you've already seen but if I'm judging just the wrestling this was pretty good. It admittedly suffers from the stadium slowly filling with people until the Trios Roulette Royale Match but the matches were still competent and entertaining for the most part. The only real dud was the women's tag match which was saved by the ever capable performance of Kris Statlander. This was essentially an episode of Collision in a half full stadium, give it a watch"

[4.0] "Nothing really stood out to me here other then Brit and Thekla's return. I did laugh pretty hard when they changed the Costco Guys theme to The Hurt Syndicates theme. If that long ass trios roulette didn't go so long I prob woulda liked this better."

[4.0] "Two mediocre multi-man matches, a rather forgettable women's tag match, and then a good TBS title match. I am not including the Trios Roulette in my rating, as I view it as part of the main show. There were good segments, however, including DMD's return, Thekla's promo, and Persephone's promo--she has great delivery. Match quality: 1.75/6.5. Non-match angles and segments: 1.75/3.5. Bonus/penalty: good atmosphere for a pre-show (+0.25). Total: 3.75/10. The show was viewed live and then on MyAEW."

[5.0] "Pretty average Buy In, with FIVE matches announced, which is an entire WWE PLE or a standard Dynamite, but several matches had a pre-show vibe, which makes it easier to watch. I've seen better pre-shows, specially at All In, the bar is very high, but this one had its moments. It was decent, and despite them letting the New Level debut for the main show, the trios match also featured pretty fun moments."

[6.0] "Probably the weakest Zero Hour of the 4 London shows they have done but it still had some cool moments. Persephone winning the TBS, Danielson pop, Thekla's return, Big Boom AJ and I guess Britt coming back. The matches weren't anything really special but i thought the first hour 20 of the show did a decent job getting the crowd hyped for the rest of the night. Then the Trios match was a bit odd like a NJPW Rambo it was hamstrung by an awful stipulation which meant lots of people laying around it also had an odd elimination order and the gaps between entrances were odd. But the pop for the New Level when it turned to the main show was fucking insane man so i will give them that. So yeah overall it was a fun two hours with some nice moments but it was hurt a bit by the first two matches which were not needed if you ask me."

[6.0] "I do not think this can be rated much higher, because in the end we are talking about a pre-show meant to get the crowd into the event. I like Lio Rush & The Rascalz, even if they do not make much sense together, but The Opps do nothing for me, they have nothing that connects them, and seeing Shibata there hurts. In the next match, Harley Cameron feels far behind the rest in-ring, although I like her pairing with Kris Statlander, and Sisters of Sin seem to be taking the right steps forward. The Eight-Man Tag is something I just pass on, because none of them appeal to me enough to be for the match, and The Hurt Syndicate at this point, if MVP was already tired of it, I am even more. I liked the TBS Match, I think Persephone and Maya World have some chemistry. It was not a fast match, but it was fluid, they are building a bit of a story together, and Britt Baker's interference gave it a different touch. I can also rate the part of the World Trios we saw, because the moment with Strong and Shafir was fun, even if both Strong and O'Reilly were taken out too quickly for me."

[6.0] "Got to see Shibata once again, and Kris Statlander. Got to see Shelton Benjamin's German Suplex and Bobby Lashley's spear. Sometimes a preshow is perfect if it gets people on the card for the live audience. Seeing Maya World's momentum decapitated was unexpected though."

[7.0] "Fun opener with Lio and Action on opposite sides. Really liked the women's tag match featuring three of my favs: Harley, and the Sisters of Sin. A Buy In staple with Boom & Doom getting a win. Only part of the TBS title match I enjoyed was the end with DMD back! The trios gauntlet was fun, but didn't get to see how it finished."

[5.0] "Take the Main Event out of this Buy-In, and maybe a few scattered highlights from some matches, and it's one of the worst Buy-Ins in history. Those two hours started to drag when we realized that, even after the TBS match, it didn't even get any better. Like I said, take the Main Event out, and you would have seen just about anything else, honestly."

[6.0] "A solid pre-show overall, with some good moments, some weaker ones, and enough returns and debuts to keep the whole thing lively. Nothing was particularly memorable in the ring, but the show did a good job of featuring plenty of wrestlers who do not always get significant exposure. The surprise appearances also added some welcome energy and made the Buy In feel more eventful than the matches alone would suggest."

"I know this is a big show for the company, but my comment on Bobby Lashley also has to extend here. WHAT IS BOBBY LASHLEY DOING ON THE PRESHOW? WHAT IS THE NEW DAY DEBUTING ON THE PRESHOW FOR? WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING?"

[6.0] "Dezmond Xavier, Lio Rush, Myron Reed & Zachary Wentz vs Action Andretti, Anthony Bowens, Hook & Katsuyori Shibata: I liked the pairing of The Rascalz and Rush as a quartet pairing, the match was solid to be honest with all involved getting their moment in the ring and Rush getting the win for his team was good to see [***]. Harley Cameron & Kris Statlander vs Julia Hart & Skye Blue: Statlander and Cameron worked well together and got the win against the more team cohesive Blue and Hart in what was a solidly competitive match in the women's division on The Buy In for All In London Statlander showcasing her power was good to see [***]. Big Boom AJ, Bobby Lashley, QT Marshall & Shelton Benjamin vs Carlie Bravo, Lee Moriarty, Shane Taylor & Shawn Dean: A match that had it's moments that were enjoyable and there was a few moments that were not that interesting in what was a suitable match for the Buy In show, overall it was fine to watch [**1/2]. Persephone vs Maya World: Persephone winning the title was fine but the way it went down was a bit of an easy way out, Britt Baker returning which cost World the title was surprising, the match in itself though was actually alright with World taking it to Persephone [***]. AEW World Trios Title Roulette Royale: Kofi and Austin Creed debuting during this match was rumoured prior to the show so was not a total surprise, it did run over to the main PPV, it was a solid match with some decent and memorable moments like Kofi getting back inside the ring with the use of Prince Nana, all teams involved brought something to the match which made it an interesting watch, New Level and Swerve Strickland winning the titles was good to see [***1/2]"

[4.0] "Fine free-pre show matches. The Trios match though was one of the worst matches I've ever seen on a proper AEW PPV (since it bled over). It was just an absolute cluster that was just in service of one "moment" that wasn't even presented in a great and suspenseful fashion. Not a great start to our trademark PPV, felt very WWE-ish."