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AEW All In delivered everything a WrestleMania-type show should along with another perfect moment in the close of a wrestling legend’s career.
There were surprises, long-term stories paid off and plenty of matches that will be talked about for a long time at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday.
Four new champions were crowned, and icon returned and a former WWE star made his debut in what was a very strong outing for AEW outside maybe one questionable booking decision and one match that fell a little short of the hype.
Here are five takeaways from All In:
Golden Years
Bryan Danielson’s storied career added one of its greatest chapters with Swerve Strickland being the perfect foil. Strickland threw everything at The American Dragon. He bloodied him with a Death Valley Driver on the ring bell. He kicked him in front of his family sitting ringside as the crowd hung on every big move from Danielson — whose career was on the line — as he tried to turn the match back in his favor.
Danielson rolled out of a pin after a House Call kick to the head. He began eating kicks from Strickland as the crowd began the “YES!” chant. The menacing Strickland blocked the first Busaiku Knee before “Hangman” Adam Page jumped out of the crowd and was pushed off by a ton of security.
It was the opening Danielson needed. He hit two Busaiku Knees — the first of which Strickland kicked out of — before rolling the champion into the LeBell Lock. Strickland was able to wiggle slightly free before Danielson locked it in for good to make the champion tap for the first time in AEW and send the crowd into a frenzy.
Maybe the greatest wrestler ever was back on the mountain top one more time as AEW World champion before his career end later this year. He celebrated in the ring with wife Brie and kids Buddy and Birdie along with Claudio Castignoli and Wheeler Yuta.
It’s the type of moment and emotion you strive to deliver in pro wrestling and Danielson and AEW keep doing so.
Driven Home
The ring chemistry between MJF, who was decked out in patriotic trunks similar to Lex Luger’s, and Will Ospreay really is a beautiful thing to watch as their styles clash and complement one another when they need to. They continually had counters for whatever the other was throwing at them. We even got a rare springboard moonsault to the outside from MJF after saying anyone can flip.
Late in the match Ospreay took out a camera person by accident and was distraught. It gave MJF time to get the American championship and smash Ospreay in the face with it. Ospreay kicked out of two pin attempts. The ref was then knocked out after Ospreay sent MJF crashing into Bryce Remsberg.
MJF teased a Tiger Driver 91 and then countered Ospreay’s first attempt at it with a low blow. The champion was set to hit Ospreay with a loaded fist — MJF tweeted earlier his Dynamite Diamond ring had been stolen — but a masked figure that was Daniel Garcia thwarted that attempt.
Ospreay delivered the Hidden Blade and the Tiger Driver 91 — which Danielson gave him permission to use again — to win and bring back the Internatiional championship. The seething look on the face of Garcia, who MJF took out in storyline, sets up a heated new feud.
May’s Day
Mariah May dominated early, but “Timeless” Toni Storm rebounded after the challenger dropkicked Luther and struck her mom in the stands. Storm busted May open by slamming her head into the ring steps.
Three straight hip attacks by May were met by a Storm clothesline, hip attack and Storm Zero, but May kicked out. With the ref dazed they both delivered low-blow kicks and headbutts that sent them to the mat and got a rise out of the crowd.
The challenger went to grab the belt but Luther got it first. May got to the bloody shoe instead. The champion cut her off but could not bring herself to strike May with the shoe the opponent used when she turned on her.
May made her pay with a running knee to the back and then to her front before a second May Day to get the 1-2-3 and become the new AEW Women’s World champion. The match felt like a fitting end to Storm and May’s stellar 10-month story,
Stinging Perfomace
TNT champion Jack Perry handed Darby Allin his first Coffin Match loss in absolutely dominant fashion. He got nice pop when he dumped shards of real glass on the ring before taping Allin’s hands. The two fought up the ramp before Perry pushed Allin off the stage through a table. He then quickly put Allin in a body bag and after one last try of resistance from Allin, slamed the coffin lid shut.
It brought the Young Bucks to the ring. They poured gasoline on Allin and the coffin, but the lights went out and Sting returned to save his former partner. The London crowd popped hard. We will see if this is a one-off or if it leads to some short story with Sting and Allin again. AEW continues to book Perry stronger and stronger.
Mone Talks
Mercedes Mone got an epic Queen of England entrance with a coach filled with Corgis. The TBS champion worked Britt Baker’s previously injured back early and it created some babyface energy when she struggled to stand.
Baker eventually used the old fake getting hit by the belt Eddie Guerrero move to get Kamille tossed from ringside. She finally got close to putting the Lockjaw on, but Mone wiggled to the rope to avoid it and then bit Baker’s hand.
The finish was a little rough and not set up great, but the damage Mone did to Baker’s back allowed her to get to the Mone Maker for the win. This match felt semi-disappointing. There was nothing wrong with it and was well put together, but outside of Baker’s counter of a top-rope body slam there was nothing that made it special.
Other Matches
Young Bucks over FTR and The Acclaimed to retain the AEW World Tag Team championships
FTR and The Acclaimed teamed up on the Young Bucks early, but midway through Max Caster teamed up with Nick Jackson for an EVP Trigger on Dax Harwood and immediately after delivered a shatter machine with Cash Wheeler as alliances kept shifting.
Matt Jackson had one of the World Tag Team championship belts ready to hit Anthony Bowens but Billy Gunn cut him off. Finally, the Young Bucks used the belts to their advantage with Nick smashing Dax from the apron. He kicked out, but a EVP Trigger finished them off.
The Grizzled Young Veterans confronted the Bucks after to a lackluster pop and the crowd grew even more silent when they attacked FTR. That couldn’t have been what AEW was hoping for.
Christian Cage wins the Casino Gauntlet match as Ricochet debuts
The Casino Gauntlet match was tremendous, minus the buzzkill finish that at least came with a swerve. Killswitch came out as Luchasaurus and looked like he was finally going to take out Christian Cage. Instead he chokelslamed Kyle O’Reilly and put Cage on top for the pin and an AEW World Championship shot.
The rest was pure fun as Nigel McGuinness, 48, got a huge pop in his home country for his first match since retiring 2011 after battles with injury and illness. He got a cool moment in the ring with Zack Sabre Jr.
It created a lot of anticipation for who was coming next as we also got “Hangman” Adam Page and Jeff Jarrett to add a chapter to their story. Page was so incensed he even put his hands on Karen Jarrett before Ricochet debuted to a big reaction. The former WWE star was flying all over the ring before taking a Buckshot Lariat from Page.
Hook over Chris Jericho to win the FTW Championship
Thankfully this feud is over, but at least it had a fun end. Taking advantage of the FTW rules, Big Bill, Jericho and Bryan Keith all attacked Hook at the start and it was three-on-one for parts of the match. Hook got a break when Jericho hit Bill over the head and he fell to the outside onto a barbed-wire board. Keith smashed Hook in the head with a belt buckle, but the challenger kicked out from a pin.
That pissed Taz off enough that he got off commentary to put Keith in the Tazmission as his son Hook locked the Redrum on Jericho to win the FTW championship back. Hook really needs to move on from the FTW championship at some point, but I’m not sure he is going back to it in a better place than before.
Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta over The Patriarchy (c), Bang Bang Gang and House of Black to win the AEW Trios Championships.
Christian Cage was at the center of everything late. He pushed Juice Robinson off the high ladder and maced Wheeler Yuta in the face. Killswitch came to the rescue when Robinson got his hands on Shayna Wayne. With Cage down, Killswitch picked him up and tried to help him up the ladder but PAC knocked them down to grab the belts as the wild-card team won a solid opener.
Notes
Jamie Hayter, who has been out with injury since May 2023, returned after Saraya and her family came out and tried to hold the show hostage at the end of Zero Hour because she wasn’t on it.
Willow Nightingale and Tomohiro Ishii defeated Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway on Zero Hour. This was a ton of fun as the Ishii‐Hathaway interactions were as entertaining as we could have hoped for. Ishii pinned Hathaway and now Nightingale gets to pick the stipulation for her match with Statlander at All Out.
Biggest winners: Bryan Danielson, Mariah May
Biggest loser: Britt Baker
Best Match: Bryan Danielson vs. Swerve Strickland
Best Entrance: Mercedes Mone and Swerve Strickland
Grade: A
