AEW returned to London's Wembley Stadium Sunday for All In, the biggest pay-per-view event of its calendar year, headlined by Swerve Strickland defending the AEW World Championship against Bryan Danielson, whose own career was also on the line. In front of a massive audience of 50,000-plus fans, the promotion delivered a card that also featured the culmination of the months-long feud between "Timeless" Toni Storm and Mariah May, a high-stakes and high-emotion showdown between Will Ospreay and MJF for the latter's AEW American Championship, and a dream match between Dr. Britt Baker DMD and Mercedes Moné.
Who won those matches and what grade did those in-ring bouts earn?
Find out with this recap, which also includes instant analysis for each of the show's contests.
The Pre-Show
Announced in advance of Sunday's pay-per-view extravaganza are:
- Participants: Private Party, Dark Order, Jay Lethal, Ari Daivari, Satnam Singh, and Anthony Ogogo vs. "Dynamite Kid" Tommy Billington, Kip Sabian, Rocky Romero, Top Flight, Action Andretti, and Lio Rush.
The action kicked off Sunday with a competitor-packed match that gave fans watching at home and inside Wembley Stadium a taste of things to come. The action was hot, the spots were plentiful, and none of it had much to do with any ongoing stories whatsoever. The fans were into it, though, and the late moments of the contest saw the competitors break out all of the hits, leading to Dante Martin scoring the win for his team with a crossover frog splash to Daivari.
No harm, no foul, and several involved had an opportunity to live a moment.
Results
Billington, Sabia, Romero, Top Flight, Andretti, and Rush defeated Private Party, Dark Order, Lethal, Daivari, Singh, and Ogogo.
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
Willow Nightingale earned a measure of revenge on Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway for their betrayal earlier this year, teaming with Tomohiro Ishii to defeat them in a Mixed Tag Team Match. Most of the match was centered around Nightingale and Statlander, who have established chemistry and are strong workers. The tags that brought Ishii and Hathaway into the match provided entertainment, as the latter's hubris led him to pain and suffering and, ultimately, a win for the babyfaces.
An inoffensive, fun match, it sets the table for next week's match between Nightingale and Statlander, which the former gets to choose the stipulation for by way of her victory here.
Results
Nightingale and Ishii defeated Statlander and Hathaway.
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
Participants: Dustin Rhodes, Sammy Guevara, Katsuyori Shibata, and Ross and Marshall Von Erich vs. Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Toa Linoa, Bishop Kaun, and Brian Cage
The second multi-man tag match aimed at getting everyone on the card saw Ring of Honor Tag Team and Trios champion Dustin Rhodes captain his team to victory over the Undisputed Kingdom and the Cage of Agony in 10-man tag team action. Like the opening match of the night, there was not much cohesion to it from a narrative standpoint but it jam-packed a ton of action into its run time and put the newly formed team of Rhodes and Guevara over.
Results
Rhodes, Guevara, the Von Erichs, and Shibata defeated Cage of Agony and the Undisputed Kingdom.
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
An enraged Saraya made her way to the ring, flanked by the entire Knight family, and attempted to hold up the show in protest of her not having a match on this card. Jamie Hayter made her long-awaited, hotly anticipated return and laid out everyone before standing tall to close out the segment. It was the first of what many are expecting to be countless unforgettable moments on this show and one that instantly bolsters what is already a loaded women's division.
Hayter was on one of the most impressive runs of any woman in any company prior to the injury that forced her from the ring for the last year. Now that she is back, it will be interesting to see if she picks up where she left off with a championship chase or finds herself in a side program with Saraya. Either way, the division is better for her being in it and her return created considerable excitement ahead of the official start of the show.
The Main Card
AEW World Trios Championship Match: Claudio Castagnoli, Pac, and Wheeler Yuta vs. The House of Black (Malakai Black, Buddy Matthews, and Brody King) vs. The Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson and The Gunns) vs. The Patriarchy (Christian Cage, Nick Wayne, and Killswitch)
Participants: The House of Black (Malakai Black, Buddy Matthews, and Brody King) vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Pac, and Wheeler Yuta vs. The Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson and The Gunns) vs. The Patriarchy (Christian Cage, Nick Wayne, and Killswitch)
Pac missed last year's All In due to a potentially career-ending injury. Sunday, he made up for the disappointment, fending off Cage to capture the AEW World Trios Championship alongside Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta in a punishing London Ladder Match. The triumph was the culmination of a high-risk match that saw several incredible bumps and spots, all equally dangerous and awe-inspiring.
Robinson stood out, taking several of those big spills, and Mother Wayne played a key role at two different spots in the match, but it ultimately came down to a miscommunication between Cage and Killswitch that led to The Bastard's victory.
This was nonstop action, the likes of which you send a message and set a tone. It worked and laid the foundation for everything to follow on the main card.
Results
Castagnoli, Pac, and Wheeler won the titles.
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
The best storyline in all of AEW concluded Sunday in Wembley with Mariah May defeating "Timeless" Toni Storm for the women's world title. An emotionally and physically intense match started with an exchange of hard-hitting rights and lefts, built into some quality heat for May, and saw Storm avenge her brutal betrayal by bloodying the challenger with a Storm Zero on the ring steps. Her love for May, though, proved costly as she hesitated to attack her with the same shoe that did her in, allowing the heel to take advantage of the opening with two running knees and a Storm Zero of her own for the steel steps for the win. This was an incredible wrestling match, one that meshed physicality with expert storytelling from two women who excelled at every stage of this months-long program. An instant classic, it will be one of the most buzzed about matches on this card, as it should be.
Results
May defeated Storm to win the title.
Grade
A+
Top Moments and Takeaways
Hook defeated Chris Jericho Sunday to regain the FTW Championship, marking his third reign with the title his father, Taz, introduced three decades earlier. The deciding match in the months-long feud relied heavily on interference from Jericho's lackeys, "Bad Apple" Brian Keith and Big Bill, not to mention a considerable amount of plunder. The most notable spot of the match came late when Hook trapped Jericho in the Kata Ha Jime and Keith attempted to interfere. Taz left the announce table, trapped the Bad Apple in his own version of the move, and watched as his son tapped out Jericho to win the match. Hopefully, this is the end of the story and rivalry, More importantly, hopefully, it brings about a hiatus for Jericho because no one performer in AEW needs it more than he does at this point.
Results
Hook defeated Jericho to win the FTW title.
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
The Young Bucks defended the AEW World Tag Team Championship in the night's next contest, a three-way dance against challengers FTR and The Acclaimed. The match was, like the other multi-man/team matches on the show, full of nonstop action and too many bodies. The action here was nowhere near as disjointed as some of the matches earlier in the show, but the chemistry was lacking. Still, there were plenty of fun spots, elevating the quality of the match. After the Bucks retained with an EVP trigger to Dax Harwood, Grizzled Young Vets' Zak Gibson, and James Drake hit the ring and stared down the retaining champions before jumping FTR. The reintroduction of the critically acclaimed team further enhances a tag team division that is already brimming with quality tandems. While that is a good thing, teasing the idea of another multi-team rivalry over the tag titles is not the most appealing thing given the lackluster build to Sunday's title match.
Results
The Young Bucks defeated FTR and The Acclaimed.
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
Order of Entry: Orange Cassidy, Kazuchika Okada, Nigel McGuinness, Kyle O'Reilly, Zack Sabre Jr., Roderick Strong, Mark Briscoe, Hangman Page, Jeff Jarrett, Ricochet, Christian Cage, Luchasaurus
AEW promised the unexpected in the Casino Gauntlet Match for a shot at the AEW World Championship and the company did not disappoint. First, we got the in-ring return of the legendary, former Ring of Honor world champion and commentator Nigel McGuinness. From there, we had a special appearance from New Japan Pro-Wrestling star and 2024 G-1 winner, Zack Sabre Jr. The most unforgettable moment came later when Ricochet made his debut with the company, entering through the curtain to a thunderous ovation and wasting little time showcasing his explosive offense. Despite all of the surprises that stunned the fans in London, and some superb in-ring content that came about because of them, it was the arrival of Christian Cage late in the match that set up the finish. Luchasaurus emerged from the locker room as the final entrant, teasing that he had set aside the Killswitch moniker and was about to put an end to his relationship with the leader of The Patriarchy, only to lay out O'Reilly and hand Cage the victory and guaranteed title opportunity. The finish was a letdown considering everything that preceded it. We had already seen more than our fair share of teases from the dino-masked big man that his partnership with Cage was about to come to an end, only for him to do what was in the best interest of the heel. It was wholly unnecessary. Cage could have stolen a victory in any other form or fashion that would not have felt as repetitive as this did.
Results
Cage won the guaranteed title opportunity.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
Will Ospreay made a successful homecoming Sunday, defeating self-proclaimed "AEW American" champion MJF and bringing back the AEW International Championship. The victory came at the end of a match that was every bit as good as one would expect and also hit all of the storyline notes along the way. MJF worked over the previously injured neck of Ospreay and late in the match, appeared poised to steal a win via championship shot to the face. The resilient babyface fought through it, kicked out at two, and remained in the fight. From there, an unknown competitor clad in black appeared, preventing MJF from utilizing brass knuckles. He removed the ski mask, revealing himself to be Daniel Garcia. The distraction set up a Hidden Blade and Ospreay finished his opponent with the Tiger Driver 91 for the win.
Results
Ospreay defeated MJF to win the title.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
Mercedes Moné and Dr. Britt Baker DMD had the unenviable task of following up MJF vs. Ospreay, in front of a crowd already five hours into the show. They did their best, having quality match that struggled to get the fans to invest in it. Moné worked over the injured back of her challenger, punishing her in an attempt to take away her core and power advantage. Baker fought back but struggled to muster sustained offense as the TBS champion controlled the pace. Later, as she mounted a comeback, Baker did her best Eddie Guerrero impression and got her opponent's muscle, Kamille, ejected from the ringside area. Even with the odds in her favor, though, the challenger could not best her opponent. Moné delivered the Moné Maker and scored the pinfall victory. The effort was there but the chemistry was off and the crowd really struggled to get into it. Perhaps it was the one-dimensional nature of the story that accompanied it. Whatever the case, it was a good match that never really reached that "dream" level expected when the match-up was announced.
Results
Moné defeated Baker to retain.
Grade
B-
Top Moments and Takeaways
Jack Perry handed Darby Allin his first loss in a Coffin Match Sunday in London, retaining his TNT Championship in the process. The Scapegoat overcame an early onslaught by Allin, who had thumbtacks glued to his face, and neutralized him. First, he bound his hands together, then his feet. He tossed Allin off the ramp and through a table below. Despite one last-gasp attempt by Allin to mount some comeback, Perry was able to put him in the coffin and close the lid for the win. Afterward, The Young Bucks appeared with a gas can and doused the coffin in the flammable liquid. Before they could escalate the situation, the lights went out and Sting made his way to the ring. He laid out the Bucks while Perry escaped. From there, The Icon helped Allin and stood tall to cement his return to the company.
This very much felt like a match that was short-changed on time. It felt like a Cliff's Notes version of an Allin pay-per-view match rather than the wild, chaotic brawl that we have typically seen out of him. Maybe that was always the plan, to put Perry over strong. If so, it worked.
Results
Perry defeated Allin.
Grade
B-
Top Moments and Takeaways
Bryan Danielson won the AEW World Championship in the closing moments of All In, defeating the seemingly unbeatable Swerve Strickland to claim his first singles title in the company and preserving his in-ring career for another day. It was not easy. Danielson overcame damage to his head and neck, including a proverbial crimson mask, caused by a focused and relentless Strickland. Everything he threw at the champion, Strickland literally or figuratively brushed off, seemingly unfazed by the offense of The American Dragon. The turning point came when Hangman Page jumped over the guardrail and attempted to interfere. The distraction allowed Danielson to fight his way back into the match but did not guarantee him victory. Instead, it was a busaiku knee to the back of the head and the LeBell Lock, with a little joint manipulation thrown in for good measure, that allowed the babyface to earn the win and title. It was a phenomenal match; one that lived up to the expectations, with some strong story beats in the form of Strickland's continued willingness to get personal with his opponent's family and Page's interference. The post-match celebration was special and made the Danielson victory feel like one of the biggest moments in the history of the company, which it is. How long we have the new champion for, as his health continues to weigh on the length of in-ring time he has left, remains to be seen but he is a competitor who long ago earned the spotlight and championship that Sunday's victory provided.
Results
Danielson defeated Strickland to win the title.
Grade
A+
Top Moments and Takeaways
The biggest show of the AEW calendar delivered. Toni Storm and Mariah May stole things from the second spot on the card, delivering a classic, story-driven match that created a new star and propelled the women's division forward. Will Ospreay had his moment in front of his fellow countrypeople, defeating MJF for the AEW International Championship, we had the big return of Jamie Hayter on the pre-show and the debut of Ricochet in the Casino Gauntlet Match. Throw in strong in-ring content up and down the card and you have a triumphant pay-per-view extravaganza for AEW at a time when it has found itself under scrutiny. How it builds on the momentum it has following Sunday's event in time to turn right back around and deliver a quality All Out event is the question Tony Khan and Co. will have to answer next.
