All Elite Wrestling made a return to a 50,000+ strong Wembley crowd last night with the second successive All In Pay Per View at the iconic UK stadium. Among a delectable card of stacked matches, we saw multiple returns and new talent mark the show with special appearances.
Before the main card kicked off, Saraya delivered a promo stating she was upset at not being on the show despite winning the women’s world title last year. A returning Jamie Hayter charged the ring to attack Saraya in a measure of revenge. Hayter was notably the women’s world champion last year before she was taken out by Saraya and the Outcasts, leading to her being out of action for a year due to injury.
The main card was kicked off with a 4 team ladder match for the AEW Trios championship, with Pac alongside Blackpool Combat Club members Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta taking home the belts in a frenetic contest against the teams of Christian Cage, Killswitch, and Nick Wayne, Bullet Club Gold as well as House of Black.
Hometown starlet Mariah May won the AEW Women’s World Championship in a brutal match against former mentor Toni Storm by beating her with her own finisher. A turbulent affair, this recent feud between former master and student gave us a perfect match where even in a loss, Toni Storm managed to leave dancing to the cheers of the crowd.
We then had Hook challenge Chris Jericho for the FTW Championship which saw the use of cricket come into the wrestling business. Jericho was pelted with some cricket balls via Batsman Hook unleashing with some slogs Shahid Afridi would be proud of. With his father Taz warding off outside interference, Hook managed to choke out Jericho with Redrum to reclaim the FTW title
A 3-way affair was next on the card with The Young Bucks, donned in gear referencing Sgt. Pepper by the Beatles defeated FTR and The Acclaimed for the AEW World Tag Team Championships after hitting Dax Harwood with the belt and landing an EVP Trigger. Following the match, the team of Grizzled Young Veterans rushed to the ring to chase the cheating champs away, setting up the next feud.
Next was the Casino gauntlet match with the winner getting a guaranteed title match at a time of his choosing. Orange Cassidy and Kazuchika Okada start off the match with both trying to outsmart one another. We then had number 3 step out to sensational applause. Nigel McGuiness, returned to the ring after a career-ending injury 13 years ago with the local crowd going ballistic. Kyle O’Reilly joined in at 4 followed by G1 Climax winner Zack Sabre Jr at number 5.
Roderick Strong, Mark Briscoe, “Hangman” Adam Page, and Jeff Jarrett joined the fray at numbers 6,7,8 and 9 respectively. At number 10 we saw the debut of new AEW signing Ricochet, who already is being touted for his potential matches with longtime friend Will Ospreay. We then had Christian Cage and Killswitch at numbers 11 and 12, with Killswitch delivering a chokeslam to Kyle O’Reilly, allowing Christian to cover for the win.
In the next match, Will Ospreay, decked out in full Assassin’s Creed regalia and introduced via Ezio Auditore Da Firenze, challenged MJF for the AEW US Championship. After some hard fought to and fro action, a returning Daniel Garcia denied MJF the chance to cheat via brass knuckles and Ospreay hit the Tiger Driver ‘91 for the win. Ospreay then proceeded to reintroduce the AEW International Championship as the title.
Mercedes Moné, coming out in a carriage fit for a queen, took on Dr Britt Baker DMD for the AEW TBS Championship. In a match dogged with multiple instances of cheating as well as interference by Kamille to the detriment of Baker, Moné landed the Moné Maker after countering a lockjaw attempt to win. This feud, however, seems far from over.
Following the match for the TBS title, we had the AEW TNT Championship on the line as Darby Allin challenged “The Scapegoat” Jack Perry in a Coffin Match. It was a brutal affair, with Darby having thumbtacks on his face and rubbing them against Jack Perry. Perry proceeded to tie Darby’s hands and legs together with his own belt and tape before throwing him off the stage through some tables. Perry would then put Darby in a body bag before depositing him in the coffin to win. Following the match, Perry would be joined by The Young Bucks as they proceeded to douse the coffin in petrol. Before they could set the coffin alight, however, a returning Sting saved the day and beat away the trio to rescue Darby.
In the main event, we had “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson challenge Swerve Strickland in an emotionally charged match for the AEW World Championship. If Bryan failed to defeat Swerve, it would have meant the end of his career. With a rapturous crowd as well as his wife and kids providing some amazing support, The American Dragon managed to overcome Swerve in a brutal contest that pushed both men to their limits. After fighting through Swerve’s repeated attempts to put him away, a bloodied Bryan Danielson locked in the LaBelle Lock to make Strickland tap out and win the world title. The show ended with the beautiful image of Danielson and his family in the ring together.