AEW All In London at Wembley Stadium
August 27, 2023
Wembley Stadium
London, England, UK
Watch: PPV / Bleacher Report / FITE (Non-US)
Meet our reviewers
Sean Sedor: It’s been a busy weekend for me so far. Watched some eventful races over the last twenty four hours (NASCAR at Daytona and F1 with the Dutch Grand Prix), and now it’s time for AEW All In in Wembley Stadium! You can find me on Twitter @SASedor2994. If you’re interested in some of my other escapades, you can watch me play the Formula 1 games on YouTube (just search my name), and you can also go to the Be The Booker forums if you’d like to check out my EWR Diary, where I play as WCW (started in 1998, currently in January of 2002).
Suit Williams: Five years after the Elite filled the Sears Center in Chicago for the biggest independent wrestling show of all time, All Elite Wrestling fills Wembley Stadium for an event that has sold more tickets than any other wrestling show in the history of the business. We are on the doorstep of history, and all that’s left is to do the damn thing. Follow me on Twitter and all Twitter variants @SuitWilliams, and check out my work on F4W Online where I cover AEW Collision and Ring of Honor on Honor Club.
Ewan: I have a twitter but I ain’t telling you, but do check out my reviews and articles right here on Voices of Wrestling 👍. I’m tonight’s UK rep so I’ll be getting comically mad at Kip Sabian saying he used to wrestle with Will Ospreay in their ‘Backyard’…it’s a Garden, Kip!
ROH World Tag Team Titles
Adam Cole & MJF def. Aussie Open (c)
Sean: I thought this was going to be the main event of the Zero Hour, but instead they’re the first ones out there. Adam Cole and MJF were about to do their pose in the ring when Aussie Open jumped them from behind. Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis were firmly in control once the match officially got underway. MJF finally found an opening and was able to make the tag to Cole, who ran wild on Fletcher. MJF backing out of a dive attempt led to Aussie Open taking control once again. The crowd EXPLODED when MJF connected with the Kangaroo Kick. Double Clothesline connects, and that’s hit. Adam Cole and MJF….win the ROH World Tag Team Titles? That was not a finish I saw coming. The match itself was pretty solid. Aussie Open played their roles well, and the crowd was going nuts for everything Cole and MJF were doing. The result does put a wrench into what most people predicted, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens in the main event. Fine start to the show. ***1/4
Suit: MJF and Adam Cole in both the opener and the main event of the biggest stadium show in wrestling history. What a f*cking pair of workers.
Seeing an AEW match in front of such a massive crowd, a crowd that still isn’t all the way filed in yet, is such an incredible sight to see. This felt like a Wrestlemania-level event. This was such a fun opener, with MJF and Cole mastering the art of the energetic house show match. The Kangaroo Kick got a massive pop, proving that MJF can and will get anything over. They kept it simple and gave the crowd what they wanted, with Cole and MJF winning the ROH Tag Team Titles with the Double Clothesline. This was a nice bit of fun, as all of these Better Than You Bay Bay matches are. Meanwhile, it was cool to see Aussie Open earn their way onto this stage, as they had been one of the best teams on the planet for multiple years. While they are capable of more than the simple bump duty they did here, it was nice to see guys that made their name as a team in the UK make it to the biggest stage in the business. ***
Ewan: I was making summer rolls and couldn’t really tell you how good this was as a match but the crowd was on fire here- a good sign for what’s to come. After watching the main event, what was the point of this??
FTW Title
HOOK def. Jack Perry (c)
Sean: Jack Perry comes out in a black limo. HOOK meets him in the entranceway and the brawl is on. HOOK tosses Perry into one of the doors, but Perry responds with a brainbuster on the roof! Dear Lord. Perry hits a Rolling Thunder on top of the limo before yelling into the camera “Real Glass? Cry me a river”. Of course, this leads to HOOK slamming Perry on the windshield of the limo. Back to ringside, and Perry is in control as he introduces a trash can. Perry uses the trash can for a bit, tries for a moonsault, but it comes up short, and HOOK uses the trash can instead. HOOK follows up with the Redrum, and that’s it! A pretty fun match while it lasted. The limo spots were probably the highlight, though the stuff they did in the ring was fine too. Not sure where things go from here now that HOOK has the FTW Title back. Do both guys move on to different things, or does the feud continue? I guess time will tell. ***1/2
Suit: “You see this? Real glass. Cry me a river.” – Jack Perry
This was the best singles match of Hook’s career, as he and Perry had a heated plunder match. They started on the ramp, where they brawled around the limo Perry made his entrance in. Perry took a suplex into said real glass on that car. Perry has officially Mega-Manned Rob Van Dam, hitting the Rolling Thunder on the car and teasing the Coast To Coast (Van Daminator? Van Terminator?). Hook fought through it all, avoiding the nutshot in the corner to hit a T-Bone Suplex into the corner. He crushed Perry with a trash can before locking in the Redrum for the win and the title. Fun opener, and a nice piece of business. ***1/4
Ewan: Jungle Boy may be on the pre-show but they gave him a car! This was pretty servicable match and Jungle Boy got some heat, but ultimately not worth going out your way for. **
“Real” World Title
CM Punk (c) def. Samoa Joe
Sean: Imagine telling someone nineteen years ago during their famous ROH trilogy in 2004 that CM Punk and Samoa Joe would one day be wrestling each other in Wembley Stadium. Joe had the early edge with some chops, but Punk tricked Joe on his usual “casually walk away from a dive” spot, and hit a rana off the top. Punk tried a high cross to the floor….and Joe casually stepped away as Punk went splat on the floor. Joe then hits the Ole Kick before tossing Punk through the bottom of the announce desk, busting Punk open in the process. Joe is firmly in control of Punk at this stage. Punk avoids the Muscle Buster and connects with a head kick. That leads to a sequence that was a fusion of John Cena’s Five Moves Of Doom and classic Hulk Hogan stuff (Punk hit the leg drop, and Joe quickly kicked out before doing the Hogan point). Punk goes for some submission attempts, first with the STF and then a Terry Funk tribute in the form of the Spinning Toe Hold.
They go up to the top rope, and after some jostling, Punk connects with the Pepsi Plunge for the win! That was a great match with some really physical action. Joe looked like a total badass (as per usual), and Punk fighting back after getting busted open was something else. I absolutely love the Pepsi Plunge, so it was cool to see Punk bust that one out here. Nothing much else to say about this one. An awesome way to kick off the show! ****1/4
Suit: This was chock full of call backs to the ROH trilogy between the two men, with Joe unable to escape Punk’s headlock, then Joe gaining control after Punk got bloodied up. Punk got bloody after Joe caught Punk on an hurricanrana attempt and swung him through the ringside announce table. Punk fought back with shoulder blocks and a Proto-plex (check out the Bummer of Punk, here on Voices of Wrestling), but after hitting a legdrop, Joe hulked up and hit a powerslam for a nearfall.
Punk locked on a Spinning Toe Hold in tribute to Terry Funk, but Joe rolled him up for a nearfall. They ended up on the top rope, where Punk hit the Pepsi Plunge to score the win. A fitting finish for the ROH callback match, and the best Punk match since his return. ****
Ewan: Given his recent attempts to book angles with the Elite and MJF in apparent search of the Main event, you have to feel a little for Pink here being put out in the opener. For the most part this was a professional wrestlers having a professional wrestling match. Like the Punk/Kojima match, Punk seemed unsure of whether he wanted to go full heel, rather he comes across as a guy walking his own line; for every bite of Joe’s forhead there’s also a Terry Funk spot. Joe was very much in ‘having fun’ rather than ‘I hate this guy’s guts’ mode, which meant this didn’t reach the highest highs but was still a nice opener. ***¾
Bullet Club Gold & Konosuke Takesh*ta def. The Golden Elite (“Hangman” Adam Page, Kenny Omega, & Kota Ibushi)
Sean: Haven’t said this yet, but the way they have the stage set up is really cool, as they basically have a hallway of screens leading out to the main stage. Don Callis joined the commentary team while The Gunns were at ringside with Bullet Club Gold. Omega and Hangman double team Juice before Ibushi and White square off once again (two men who are certainly no strangers to each other). The match breaks down, and the entire crowd claps along as Omega hits the Terminator Dive. Eventually, the heel side gains control after isolating Omega in the ring while Hangman and Ibushi got taken out on the floor.
Omega is finally able to make the tag to Hangman, who runs wild. We then got some Golden Lovers action with simultaneous moonsaults to the floor (Ibushi’s didn’t look as good). A strong exchange between Omega and Takesh*ta followed, with Omega nailing Takesh*ta with a poison rana. Omega and Hangman hit some awesome tandem offense before things broke down once again. Ibushi tried for the Kamigoye, but Takesh*ta countered with the jumping knee in an incredible spot. Omega went on an offensive flurry, and looked to be on his way to winning until Takesh*ta came up from behind and rolled up Omega for the win. The finish was a tad anticlimactic, though obviously it’s going to serve as the catalyst for the eventual Omega/Takesh*ta singles match. While this wasn’t quite as great as Joe vs. Punk, it wasn’t that far off. Really fun action from start to finish with all six men getting moments to shine. Ibushi looked a little better than his outing in Blood & Guts, though he still looked….rusty, I guess you can say. We’re two for two on this main card so far when it comes to strong matches. ****
Suit: I want to take a second to credit Juice Robinson. The guy had a nice, cushy gig in NXT right at the peak of the Full Sail days. Instead of living fat and happy, he asked for his release. He bet that he could be more and do more than he was given in WWE. He started from the ground up, entering the New Japan Dojo as a young lion and earning his way up the card. It was around that point where Robinson became one of my favorite wrestlers in the world, as his story resonated with me. He earned his way up the card in New Japan, he earned his way back to a prominent role in the States, and he earned his way onto this historic card.
This was a fun all-star tag match. Ibushi still isn’t all the way back, but he hit most of his spots well, save for a stutter on the Cross Dash moonsault with Omega. Hangman and Omega felt like the biggest stars of the show, with the crowd coming alive whenever they got involved. Omega ran wild toward the end on the match, hitting V-Triggers on Robinson and White. But his original target Takesh*ta got behind him and rolled him up, scoring the biggest pinfall of his career as he beat Omega in Wembley. A good piece of business, and bragging rights for the bad guys as they score a win in Wembley Stadium. Thank you for the house, Jay White. ****
Ewan: Holy sh*t the video screens featuring Callis and Takesh*ta in a sort of Renaissance style bare-chested portrait are outstanding. Crowd are HYPED for Kenny Omega, which makes you wonder why he isn’t in a singles match on this card especially when this match’s ending basically served as as angle to forward the Takesh*ta/Omega story. It’s Wembley, the biggest show of the year and you can’t do a big blow off match?
This was a great hyper-active tag match and Hangman and White in particular shined when they interacted. This was balanced, however, with a feeling that there was just too much talent here that failed to reach their full potential due to the stipulation. ***3/4
AEW World Tag Team Titles
FTR (c) def. The Young Bucks
Sean: FTR are wearing three black arm bands each, paying tribute to Brodie Lee, Jay Briscoe, and Bray Wyatt. Meanwhile, the match gets underway, and we immediately see a “Fear The Revolver” sign facing the camera close to the front row. This one starts off pretty quickly, as The Young Bucks double team Cash Wheeler before Dax Harwood gets involved to even things out. The initial exchanges end with The Young Bucks taking control following a big dive to the floor by Nick Jackson. They isolate Cash for a few minutes, and at one point, an attempted tag to Dax was cut off by a superkick. Dax goes on the offensive after finally getting tagged in. He wipes out Nick and gets into a suplex exchange with Matt Jackson, with Dax going for German Suplexes while Matt went for his usual Northern Lights Suplexes.
Dax has another fun battle, this time with Nick Jackson, that leads to the rebound Liger Bomb. The Young Bucks escape some Sharpshooters before attempts at the Power & Glory spot are blocked by both teams. An assisted piledriver on Nick only gets two, and The Young Bucks respond with a series of superkicks and an assisted piledriver of their own. Dax avoids the BTE Trigger, and FTR follow up with their version of the BTE Trigger and the Shatter Machine, but that only gets two! Cash goes for the springboard 450 (ala Full Gear 2020), and Matt gets a close nearfall. We got some incredible back and forth between the two with BTE Trigger and Shatter Machine exchanges, and in the end, FTR retained.
On the whole, this was a great match, but it was also the weakest match in the trilogy between these two teams. The majority of the action was pretty strong, though at the same time, there were plenty of clunky points as well. At the same time, the crowd wasn’t SUPER into it until the final few minutes when they were doing their big finisher exchanges. Despite the fact that this was the weakest match of their trilogy, I’d still say this was a low-level notebook match. Nothing amazing on this show yet, but a very good start to the main card. ****
Suit: The Bucks came out with Freddie Mercury inspired gear and a rip of “Another One Bites The Dust” before their regular music played. This match felt a little off early on. The energy I was expecting just wasn’t there in the early part of the match, and the match felt clunky early on. There was a sequence where Matt Jackson and Dax Harwood just felt like they were struggling to get on the same page. But the energy picked up toward the end once the big nearfalls came up. They ran back the finishes to the first two matches, this time with both teams kicking out. The finish then came when Harwood intercepted a Meltzer Driver and hit the Shatter Machine to score the win. This was good, but good was about it. You expect big matches from these teams to hit that next level to Match of the Year level, but this one never got there. ****
Ewan: Two great tag teams having a great technical tag match. I’ve never really been invested in either of these teams but this was solid stuff and the first match of the show that really stepped up to the plate in terms of getting a crowd on the edge of their seat. ****
Stadium Stampede
Eddie Kingston, Penta El Zero Miedo, & Best Friends (Chuck Taylor, Orange Cassidy, & Trent Beretta) def. The BCC (Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley, & Wheeler Yuta), Mike Santana, & Ortiz
Sean: Hearing Wild Thing blasting throughout Wembley Stadium was so cool. This one got started straight away as Eddie Kingston charged at Claudio in the entranceway. The majority of the combatants brawled in the ring and around ringside while Claudio and Kingston fought near the entranceway. Four of the participants disappear and Kingston and Chuck Taylor brawl to the back with Claudio and Wheeler Yuta. Moxley (who is already bleeding) brings out SKEWERS, only for Penta to use them against him in an absolutely disgusting spot. Penta then gets dropped onto some set up chairs by Santana and gets taken out by the medical team (hopefully he’s not too seriously hurt there). Meanwhile, Eddie and Claudio are brawling in the stands while Taylor and Yuta fight it out in the parking lot.
Moxley stabs Orange Cassidy repeatedly with a fork as the brawling in the stands continues. Trent Beretta then takes several NASTY spots on a ladder and a barbed wire board (he must love pain). As the brawl goes back to the ramp, Sue emerges in a van with some more plunder, while Penta returns as Penta Oscuro (yes, he did a costume change mid-match). He hit Santana with a sunset flip powerbomb through some tables, but not before the ladder collapsed on them once. We get more wild weapons spots, including Orange Cassidy putting tape around his fist and sticking it in glass for an Orange Punch. However, just as Orange got cut off, Eddie Kingston returned, and went on a Rampage before he and Orange put the BCC away to score the victory.
This was an absolutely wild match from start to finish. There were so many insane spots in this one that it was hard to keep track of everything. While there were certainly some dull moments here and there, the sheer craziness and the incredible bumps more than made up for those slower points. All ten of these guys put their bodies on the line, and it resulted in a super memorable bout. Was it the best Anarchy In The Arena/Stadium Stampede ever? Probably not, but it was still an awesome, bloody war. My Match Of The Night up to this point. ****1/2
Suit: This was messy and weird and wild and cool and fun. There are very few things that will touch the first Anarchy in the Arena to me, and this one didn’t get there. But this one had real wild moments, like Penta looking like he actually got hurt before reappearing as Penta Oscuro before a ladder broke while he was on it. Sue came in on the wrong side of a British van, actually having cookies on a cookie sheet. Orange Cassidy studied his Ian Rotten tapes and went all Taipei Death Match with glass on a taped fist. Kingston sent Moxley through a barbed wire table before Cassidy got the win with a glass-assisted Orange Punch on Castagnoli. This was the best kind of mess. ****1/4
Ewan: Was Nigel McGuiness going to be the sixth man on the BCC team before Fenix’s visa issues made this into a five on five? I say this because he posted a picture of himself in ring gear from his hotel room, and it kinda woulda made sense. This was a step above your typical garbage match but let’s be fair, you’re never going to recapture the magic of the first empty arena Stadium Stampede. Some crazy spots here and fair play to everyone for putting their bodies on the line ***3/4
AEW Women’s World Title – Four-Way Match
Saraya def. Hikaru Shida (c), Britt Baker, & Toni Storm
Sean: We got a couple of special entrances here. Saraya comes out to “We Will Rock You” by Queen with the entire Knight Family by her side. Toni Storm comes out to “God Save The King” as she dives further into this 1950s actress gimmick that’s been so much fun to watch.
This one starts out with Saraya and Toni working together, though that didn’t last very long, as they quickly began arguing over pins. This dissension between the two escalated as Toni accidentally hits Saraya’s mom when she attempted to hold down Britt for Toni. This led to an exchange in the ring between the stablemates from The Outcasts. Ruby Soho tried to calm the tension, but that failed spectacularly. There’s some more back and forth with all four women, and Shida goes on a flurry of offense before being stopped by Britt. As Shida is struggling to escape the lockjaw, Saraya uses the spray paint on Toni before hitting her finisher on Toni for the win (while Britt was totally unaware). Saraya celebrated with her family in the ring afterwards.
Despite my issues with the end result (I don’t have high expectations for Saraya as champion), the match itself….wasn’t that bad. Easily the worst match on the main card thus far, but still perfectly solid for what it was. I suppose we’re going to get an Outcasts breakup out of this, with Saraya and Toni not getting along. What I did find SUPER interesting were the constant mentions of Mercedes Moné. She was shown in the stands during Zero Hour, and commentary mentioned her as a potential contender in the aftermath of this match. Nothing is official, but you have to think something is going on there. ***1/4
Suit: Saraya came out to We Will Rock You alongside her family, with that being the closest Emi Sakura will ever get to being booked for Wembley. Good on Ricky Knight Jr getting booked on Wembley. Storm and Saraya quickly fell apart, first with them arguing over a pin before Storm accidentally decked Saraya’s mom in the front row. Ruby Soho came out to calm Storm down, but Storm decked her and Soho left. Easy payday for her.
Saraya locked Storm in her Scorpion submission before Baker drilled the prone Storm with a curb stomp. Shida ran wild for a moment, hitting a Meteora on Saraya for a nearfall. Baker tried to catch Shida in the Lockjaw, but Saraya caught Storm in the meantime with the spraypaint and the cradle DDT to score the win. I’m not excited about Saraya as champion, but this match went as well as it could’ve gone. Plus, Mercedes Mone was in the crowd in the Zero Hour, so she can save the day here. ***1/2
Ewan: If you had ‘wrestler has union jack on their gear’ on your bingo card, you would have already crossed it off when FTR appeared, but just in case you missed it, Saraya is sporting flags all over her ring outfit. I really enjoyed the Knight clan accompanying her to the ring, wrestling feels special when it does these kind of moments that acknowledge legacy and history. I still do think it would have been funny if they brought out Nick Frost and Lena Headey from Fighting with my Family.
For the only women’s match on the card this felt far too ‘TV’ for the stage it was on. Shida was clearly the most over in this match and by the end felt like an afterthought amid the Outcast drama.
On a wider note, it really sucks that this was the only women’s match on the card. And when you have a bonafide women’s legend in Emi Sakura on the roster in a company that supposedly values good wrestlers and legacies, to rub her exclusion from the card in her face with the gratuitous Queen entrance is a real sour note for those who would prefer the women’s roster weren’t treated as second class.(can you tell I’m bitter?;)) ***
Coffin Match
Darby Allin & Sting def. Christian Cage & Swerve Strickland
Sean: As a longtime ROH fan, seeing Prince Nana in Wembley Stadium brings me so much joy. Swerve has a pretty cool entrance, but then Darby Allin and Sting top that by coming out to Search & Destroy by Metallica!! It’s a brawl straightaway as Darby and Sting bust out jackets covered in thumbtacks. The heels are able to gain control as Christian ties Darby’s hands behind his back, but Darby just goes on an offense and hits a springboard moonsault and a big dive to the floor. That is followed up by Sting putting Swerve through a table while Darby hits a HUGE dropkick to the floor onto Christian.
Just as it looks like Christian is about to lose, Luchasaurus comes out to attack Darby and Sting. Nick Wayne then gets involved by attacking Luchasaurus, but he just eats a chokeslam onto a skateboard before getting taken away. Darby attempted a Coffin Drop off the top onto Swerve (who was on the coffin), but Swerve moved, and Darby landed hard on the coffin. With Darby incapacitated, Christian and Swerve take over once again, and it looks like it’s all over for Sting. Swerve tries to hit a 450 onto Sting on top of the coffin (which is now in the ring), but Sting avoids it! Scorpion Death Drop on the coffin, and then Darby would follow up with a coffin drop while Sting was sandwiched between the coffin and the door! Swerve is finally put in the coffin and that’s it.
A super fun match from start to finish. Sting continues to put out crazy performances in this AEW run, while Darby (as per usual) did some pretty insane spots. Christian and Swerve played their roles well, and even though this wasn’t nearly as wild as Stadium Stampede, it was still a super fun plunder match. ****
Suit: Just like everything else on this show, this was a sh*t ton of fun. The vibes on this show are incredible. Swerve had Flash Garments perform his song live, while Sting and Darby came out to Seek And Destroy. This was a fun plunder brawl, with Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne making cameos as well. There were some good nearfalls in this one, with Sting saving himself by sticking the bat out when the coffin was closing. Swerve fought his way out of the coffin, but Darby crushed him with a Coffin Drop onto the coffin to score the win. Shoutout to Excalibur for the Coffin Flop call when Darby missed a Coffin Drop to the floor. This show is a party. ****
Ewan: TNA fans rejoice! There’s nothing sweeter than hearing Christian’s epic theme music ringing out at Wembley Stadium. Hell, we’ve even got nods to Joker Sting here along with a WCW era Wolfpac t shirt. We even got some TNA chants as the two vets faced off.
Compared to Stadium Stampede, this was much tighter and was all the better for it. The coffin was not just something tacked on either but became an active part of the match used to build tension in and out the ring. Loved this and this is going in the notebook for sure and will be getting strong consideration for my top ten MOTY. ****1/2
Will Ospreay def. Chris Jericho
Sean: Chris Jericho can now say that Fozzy performed at Wembley Stadium, as they played Judas for his entrance while he sang the lyrics. Meanwhile, Will Ospreay coming out to Elevated in this venue was so cool to see. The match begins and right away, Ospreay is in firm control as he sends Jericho to the floor before hitting a HUGE twisting dive to the floor. The two have a strike exchange in the center before Jericho takes control with a pair of dropkicks before delivering a really nasty German Suplex on the apron. Ospreay manages to fight back, but Jericho responds with a hurricanrana off the top rope. A Lionsault attempt gets blocked, and Ospreay responds with a Shooting Star Press with Jericho draped over the top rope!
Ospreay tried for the Stormbreaker, but an incredible sequence leads to the Walls Of Jericho. A Don Callis distraction attempt allows Sammy Guevara to hit Ospreay with Jericho’s bat, but Ospreay ultimately fights out of it. Jericho tried for an Oscutter, and it didn’t look great, though he followed up with the Judas Effect for a close nearfall. Some more exchanges lead to Ospreay hitting Stormbeaker, but Jericho kicks out. Hidden Blade and second Stormbeaker secures the victory for Ospreay. While there were definitely some sloppy moments here and there (moreso in the second half), this was an awesome match on the whole. Ospreay was amazing, as per usual, and Jericho did pretty good as well, though he was clearly a little ambitious at points. I would say that it’s a tossup between this and Stadium Stampede for Match Of The Night. In the aftermath, Guevara tries to console Jericho, but he leaves him in the ring, so I suppose we’ll get some more follow up on that story on television. ****1/2
Suit: Jericho played himself out live with Fozzy, and they were better than Downstait and Bryan Danielson’s brother. They flipped alignments quickly, with the Wembley crowd being firmly behind their countryman. This one was the match of the night so far, with Ospreay being the great babyface and Jericho being so giving and willing to take risks. He even went for an OsCutter, which went a bit poorly as he dropped himself on his head. But these two worked well and had themselves a big-time main event match here. Awesome stuff here, that ended with Jericho defiantly taking the Hidden Blade and a second Storm Breaker. Ospreay beats an all-time great in Chris Jericho in the biggest show in pro wrestling history. A hell of a pitch to a man that will be a free agent in a matter of months. ****1/4
Ewan: A reminder that this is one of three singles matches on the main card and at this stage of the night has that big fight feel that Joe/Punk didn’t. I’m not saying that this wasn’t a match worthy of this stage, but there were also so many other potential singles matches that this could have shared the card with.
This was a good little match that didn’t overstay its welcome and Jericho’s entrance made it feel like a meaningful victory for Ospreay who surely must be AEW bound soon given this booking. Ospreay was fantastic here but I never felt like I was watching a classic. ***1/2
AEW World Trios Titles – No Holds Barred
The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn def. The House Of Black (c)
Sean: The House Of Black are dressed in all white, and included a special Bray Wyatt tribute in their entrance with a small lantern. The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn chose No Holds Barred as their House Rules stipulation, and as soon as the bell rings, it’s a giant brawl. All three members of the House Of Black hit dives to the floor, but before Billy Gunn can respond, Julia Hart gets involved. This leads to her getting taken out by The Acclaimed. The brawling continues as Billy is momentarily alone in the ring with the other HOB members, though he manages to fight them off. The Acclaimed made the save after Billy got triple teamed. Brody is now bleeding, and goes to use a chain, but there’s miscommunication as he accidentally hits Malakai.
Billy hits the Fame-Asser on Buddy Matthews, but Julia Hart pulls out Aubrey Edwards to stop the pin. Billy then somehow kicks out of Malakai’s kick, and that leads to The Acclaimed going on an offensive flurry. They had to hit several finishers on Brody King, but it’s ultimately enough to put him away. The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn are the new AEW World Trios Champions. This wasn’t horrible by any means, though it was easily the weakest match on the main card. The action was….fine, but there wasn’t much else to it. Billy Gunn didn’t look great (honestly, this might’ve been the worst he’s looked in AEW, and the guy’s had plenty of matches in this company), but the moment was about The Acclaimed helping him win a title, and they got that job done. The new giants then got to do the big “Scissor Me, Daddy Ass” deal in front of 80,000 people, which was kinda cool I guess. **3/4
Suit: This was the death spot, and they certainly filled it. The Acclaimed were a real AEW original act, so them getting this spot winning the titles as a trio was nice. They hit their finish sequence twice on Brody King to score the win and the titles. Everyone rejoiced. Everyone scissored. **
Ewan: House of Black look AWESOME in their ring entrance gear. Which makes their post match humble handover feel out of character and kinda lame to be honest. Imagine telling someone 4 years ago that AEW’s biggest ever show would feature Billy Gunn winning a title in the semi-main. Fairplay. ***
AEW World Title
MJF (c) def. Adam Cole
Sean: Well….the time has finally arrived. MJF vs. Adam Cole. How is the match going to go, and what (if any) storyline implications do we get, either during the bout or after the fact? The match starts and the two….put on their T-Shirts. Ok then. We get some basic exchanges between the two before MJF goes for the eye poke. Cole responds by slapping him, and now it’s more serious. A few moments later, Cole uses referee Bryce Remsburg as a shield before sending MJF into the turnbuckle. It continues to get more hostile between the two as they go back and forth. MJF is firmly in control at this stage, as he connects with a running dive to the floor. Cole tries to fight back, but MJF is able to respond with a powerbomb onto his knee.
MJF’s attempt to hit the Panama Sunrise, but it backfires. Cole follows up by hitting MJF’s Heatseaker, but the champion gets his foot on the ropes. MJF gets destroyed with a big brainbuster onto the steps, but he manages to get back in the ring. Then, we get a “Why am I so violent” spot, where he couldn’t bring himself to hit a tombstone on the announce desk, while Cole has no problems doing it to MJF. More back and forth in the ring, and they clothesline each other at the same time….leading a double pin. It’s declared a draw, but I sense that’s not the end.
Adam Cole calls for five more minutes, and MJF responds by saying that they’ll keep going until there is a winner. A pin exchange leads to the referee getting taken out, and we get an Eddie Guerrero spot that leads to MJF hitting the Heatseaker for a close nearfall. Cole hits MJF with a German Suplex on the apron, and follows up with the Panama Sunrise on the floor. He goes for Panama Sunrise, but the referee gets caught in the crossfire. MJF refuses to use the Dynamite Diamond Ring, and that leads to Roderick Strong coming out and kicking MJF in the nuts. Panama Sunrise and Shining Wizard get two. Strong wants Cole to use the belt, but Cole refuses. He goes to get MJF, but the champion catches him in a small package and pins him.
Not going to spend a ton of time on the post-match. All I’ll say is that it involved….a lot of crying. So much crying (that was honestly incredibly embarrassing and easily the worst part of the show). This is such an incredibly hard match to rate for me. The storyline stuff is going to be the big talking point, and while I’m not as…..over-the-top with their hatred of this storyline, I’m definitely not a fan of it, and it did actively hurt this match for me, for sure. THAT BEING SAID….the actual wrestling in the match was actually really good. I can’t call this match bad or throw a DUD at it because the wrestling in the ring was actively good (even though it was clearly overbooked to oblivion). If you combine a positive with a negative, I guess you end up in the middle, so that’s what I’ll go with on this match (probably would’ve given it the old Gentlemen’s Three if not for the sob fest after the bout). I still like AEW, and I still like Cole and MJF, but if we’re going to continue down this road, I suppose I’ll be picking and choosing what I watch from AEW a little more often (in particular, not watching the MJF/Adam Cole stuff) going forward. This storyline is CLEARLY connecting with people, much like The Bloodline is clearly connecting with people, but I don’t think it’s connecting with the audience that got AEW to where it was in the first place. Don’t forget the fans that got you here, Tony Khan. Don’t forget the fans that brought you to the dance in the first place. That’s all I’ll say on that. **1/2
Suit: The first All In back in 2018 had an action-packed trios main event that went a mile a minute – mostly because the show was running over time – that left the crowd breathless. All In 2023 ended with a match jam-packed with drama and overbooking, but still had the crowd the entire time. At the end of the match, when MJF and Cole hugged and proved their friendship was real, a packed Wembley Stadium blew the roof off of the building.
AEW has always been a friendship promotion, as the rise of Hangman Page to the World Title circled around his broken friendship with the Elite. But this went more towards the Wrestlemania-style epic stadium match, with the double pin fakeout to MJF’s repeated reluctance to go too far to Cole’s heel turn tease that never materialized. It felt like a post-peak NXT Takeover match, one where the bloom was off the rose but they kept going further in that direction. Welp, Adam Cole was in those too. It was way too much, but it works. 81,035 tickets were sold to this show, and they’re coming back next year. They’re gonna do massive business next year too off of the heels of this show. But I’m not going to love it as much if these are the main events I’m going to get. Omega and Hangman had a sprinkle of that type of drama, this was a dump truck full of it. This was still a great show and a great accomplishment. And a lot of fans will see this main event as a great match, but from that perspective, I’m just on the outside looking in. ***1/2
Ewan: BIG FIGHT FEEL here. The first part of this match was beautifully worked and combined that sort of stadium melodrama that WWE has become known for in recent years with great technical wrestling. It all got a bit much when Roddy Strong interfered which is basically the subtext of the night. You don’t book a battle royal to get everyone on the card so you end up peppering every single match with interference from seconds.
I can see why this style of match which ran the gamut from comedy to violence might not appeal to everyone and the crowd and the stage did a lot to make this work but I thought this was entertaining as anything in the first two thirds, while they over egged the pudding in the final stretch. Interference was kind of the story of the night and if you can’t book a clean finish for the biggest show ever, then when can you? ****1/4
Powered by RedCircle
