Bryan Danielson went all in at All In, and he walked out with the gold.
“The American Dragon’s” storied career is seemingly reaching its end, with the multi-time world champion upping the ante after putting his career on the line vs. Swerve Strickland on Sunday. Danielson was still searching for that first AEW championship win, and the stakes weren’t any higher when he squares off against the AEW champ in Wembley Stadium.
In front of his wife, Brie Danielson and his children, a bloodied Danielson made Strickland tap out to win the company’s top title, sending the 50,000-plus in attendance home happy.
Danielson’s victory cements his legacy as one of the best in the world today, but also one of the greatest, if not the greatest, of all time.
Elsewhere on the card, several championships were defended: Dr. Britt Baker vied for Mercedes Moné’s TBS title, while Toni Storm fell to former protégé Mariah May, losing the AEW women’s championship.
Will Ospreay also defended home turf when he faces MJF for the International – well, formerly the American – championship.
All In 2024 was a memorable and hallmark show for AEW, featuring shocking returns, stunning wins and lots and lots of juice (and Juice, too). USA TODAY Sports provided live updates, match grades and more from All In 2024 below:
- Top Flight, Lio Rush, Action Andretti, Tommy Billington, Kyle Fletcher and Kip Sabian defeat Private Party, Dark Order, Anthony Ogogo, Satnam Singh, Ariya Daivari and Jay Lethal via pinfall (pre-show)
- Willow Nightingale and Tomohiro Ishii defeat Stokely Hathaway and Kris Statlander via pinfall (pre-show)
- Dustin Rhodes, Sammy Guevara, Katsuyori Shibata and the Von Erichs defeat The Kingdom and Cage of Agony (pre-show)
- Pac and Blackpool Combat Club defeat The Patriarchy (c), Bang Bang Gang and House of Black in a ladder match for the AEW trios championship
- Mariah May defeats Toni Storm for the AEW women’s championship
- HOOK defeats Chris Jericho to regain the FTW championship
- The Young Bucks defeat FTR and the Acclaimed to retain AEW tag team championship
- Christian Cage wins the Casino Gauntlet match
- Will Ospreay defeats MJF to become the International champion
- Mercedes Mone defeats Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. to retain the TBS championship
- Jack Perry defeats Darby Allin to retain TNT championship
- Bryan Danielson defeats Swerve Strickland to become AEW world champion
In a word: Perfection.
Bryan Danielson wasn’t in kayfabe when he told everyone on the Aug. 22 “Dynamite” that he was the best wrestler in the world. While there’s some debate over who that might be (Will Ospreay, Line 1), Danielson is certainly in the conversation for not ony that, but the greatest wrestler of all time.
There are several reasons for that: Bryan Danielson is one of the most gifted technical wrestlers all time, but his ability to tell stories in ring while adapting to an opponent’s style puts him in a tier above everyone else.
There were many who wanted “Hangman” Adam Page in this position, but anyone who knows Danielson also knows that he doesn’t need too much time to get people invested, and by the end of the match, fans got furthering of the Swerve/Hangman story while also getting a Danielson victory that did everything to both continue to legitimize the AEW championship and Strickland’s reign.
Strickland was a perfect bearer for the championship after some though the MJF reign went a bit long and Samoa Joe’s reign felt more transitional. With a boatload of charisma and an ever-growing set of wrestling skills (and a little help from Will Ospreay), Strickland cemented himself as a permanent main eventer in AEW, and someone who will factor into their plans for years to come.
Winner: Bryan Danielson
Finish: A distracted Swerve takes a Busaiku knee from Danielson, and later taps out to Danielson.
Grade: 5 stars
After an uneventful stint with WWE, world-renowned high-flyer Ricochet made his AEW debut in the Casino Gauntlet match at All In.
Ricochet’s star rose alongside Will Ospreay’s in the 2010s for their series of matches on the independent scene. After stops at Lucha Underground and NXT along the way, Ricochet signed with AEW after his WWE contract expired in 2024.
Both Darby Allin and Jack Perry are known as two of the most daring wrestlers in AEW. While their match was tame by both of their standards, it was also somewhat boring.
Perry getting a somewhat decisive victory over Allin was something of a surprise: He restrained Allin and shut the casket lid on him for the victory. And while there were a few spots that were on the dangerous side, it also was in line with what you’d expect from the two.
This probably isn’t the end of the road for the feud between the two, and it’ll be worth watching to see where Sting factors in, if at all, from here on out.
Winner: Jack Perry
Finish: Perry zips Allin in a body bag, and places the body bag in the coffin for the win.
Grade: 3.25 stars
Whether it’s ring rust or a concerning trend of her career, Britt Baker seems to have taken a step back or stalled when it comes to her in-ring work. While the match with Mone wasn’t bad, it was definitely disjointed, and that was painfully noticeable throughout.
They won the crowd over with solid work, but it wasn’t enough to overcome some of the issues in this match, one that probably shouldn’t have been as sloppy as it was.
Winner: Mercedes Mone
Finish: Mone hits the Statement for the pinfall victory.
Grade: 3 stars
The will-he-won’t-he saga of Will Ospreay using the Tiger Driver ’91 came to an end on Sunday, when he used it to defeat MJF to win the AEW International (formerly and temporarily, the American) championship.
There were one of two options for Ospreay to using the dangerous maneuver: To put down a hated heel who had it coming, or to use it on a beloved face to spark a heel turn. In this scenario, Ospreay used it for the former, and while MJF is the top heel in the industry, to build to this point and not use it in a main-event spot feels rushed.
Daniel Garcia making his return to a massive ovation should put to bed the re-signing rumors, and it made sense within the scope of the story.
The match itself was what you’d expect from two of AEW’s – and the world’s – best workers. While it didn’t reach the highs of their one-hour “Dynamite” clash, it managed to be fresh and hit all the right notes in about half the time.
Winner: Will Ospreay
Finish: Ospreay hits the Tiger Driver ’91, beats MJF via pinfall
Grade: 4.5 stars
The Casino Gauntlet match has been a staple of AEW since it was first introduced in April. AEW should caution itself to not keep going back to the well with the match. That said, outside of the first rendition, each Casino Gauntlet has been a complete home run, Sunday’s edition included.
Christian’s entry to the match and subsequent victory were both shocking; as was Nigel McGuinness’ return to a wrestling ring after a lengthy stay away from the ring due to a medical issue. A debuting Ricochet also spiced things up, as did the furthering of the Adam Page revenge story.
Luchasaurus – not Killswitch – making his way to the ring led some to believe that the long-awaited face turn was coming. It did not, and that led to Cage’s win.
Winner: Christian Cage via pinfall
Finish: Luchasaurus chokeslams Orange Cassidy leading to a Cage victory.
Grade: 4.5 stars
The AEW tag team division has taken a turn for the worse in recent years after being one of the hottest divisions in the wrestling world. While slapping the titles on the Bucks is almost always the right decision for a course correction, the tag titles haven’t been in the spotlight as much as they should have been leading into this three-way feud and match.
Both The Acclaimed and FTR have been ice cold heading into this match, and the crowd wasn’t buying the bout until it neared its end. It was fine enough, but it felt totally inconsequential.
Winners: The Young Bucks retain via pinfall
Finish: Nicholas Jackson hits Dax Harwood with a belt shot, Harwood kicks out at 2. EVP Trigger seals the pinfall for Matthew Jackson.
Grade: 3.5 stars
While Chris Jericho can still build meaningful feuds and programs, his in-ring work has suffered, since Father Time remains undefeated.
Jericho’s current “Learning Tree” gimmick has been incredibly divisive, and his feud with HOOK has felt very derivative of Jericho feuds over the last two or three years.
Building this match with Bryan Keith and Big Bill was a smart decision, considering it hid a bit of Jericho’s in-ring shortcomings. Putting the ceremonial strap back on HOOK was also the smart decision, because Jericho didn’t do much to elevate it in the time he’s had it.
Winner: HOOK via submission
Finish: Hook locks in the REDRUM on Jericho; Taz intervenes and stops Bryan Keith from interfering and locks in a Kata ha jime of his own
Grade: 3.75 stars
There have been some questions surrounding Mariah May’s ability to get over while not being involved with Toni Storm. Those theories are going to be put to the test now.
Mariah May gets a shot to run with the top women’s belt in the company with her win over former mentor Storm. What has never been a question is May’s in-ring work: Again, while some say her opponents have had better showings than she has in her matches, it takes two to tango.
This was an excellent match that maybe should have gotten a few more minutes, but Storm’s inability and unwillingness to pull the trigger on using the shoe to get her revenge cost her the match and her title. This was an excellent match in, what should be, a mile marker in their feud.
Winner: Mariah May via pinfall
Finish: May hits a pair of running knees and the Storm Zero for the 3 count.
Grade: 4.25 stars
What do you get when you add 12 men, trios championships and a metric crap-ton of ladders? Pure fun.
The opening bout to the main card of All In was pure, chaotic fun. There are so many things that can potentially go wrong in a ladder match, but that’s almost never the case when Christian Cage is involved. Fostering a reputation for being one of the smartest minds when it comes to laying out ladder matches, Cage seldom has a bad showing in these matches, and that was evident again in this match.
With Pac securing the win for the Blackpool Combat Club, his post-Death Triangle roadmap is clear, and he should be a seamless fit in the group. Pac also finally secured his long-needed elusive big-time victory after being handed crushing losses after the last year, making for a feel-good story in his home country.
Winners: Blackpool Combat Club
Finish: Pac climbs the ladder to secure the win for the BCC; Luchasaurus fails to stop Pac from climbing.
Grade: 4.25 stars
Some things are worth the wait.
Jamie Hayter has been out of action for over a year as she nursed injuries. What better spot, what better stage for the UK native to come back at than Wembley Stadium? Even more so: Getting to punch fellow countrymate Saraya a few times in the face was probably pretty sweet, too.
This match was more of a reminder that ROH exists and is a thing than it was anything else.
The Von Erichs and Rhodes are the ROH six man champs, while Rhodes and Guevara recently won the ROH tag titles from the Kingdom. Cage of Agony are former ROH six-man champs, while Shibata is a former ROH Pure champion.
So, logically, there was a reason to have this match, with a story built in already. That said, it wasn’t anything special, and at times it was disjointed and more of a car wreck than the earlier 16-man tag match.
Post-match, Kevin Von Erich locked in the Iron Claw on Matt Taven, which brought the crowd to its feet.
Winners: Dustin Rhodes, Sammy Guevara, Katsuyori Shibata and the Von Erichs
Finish: Sammy Guevara hits Taven with a Senton Bomb, Taven is pinned by Rhodes.
Grade: 2.5 stars
For a partnership and feud that has gone on for months now, crowds haven’t seemed entirely invested in the Nightingale vs. Statlander feud. Most of the match was the two friends-turned-rivals going 50-50, which the crowd wasn’t overly into.
The highlight of the bout came when Hathaway got some unexpected offense in on the “Stone Pitbull,” including a 10-punch and a drop toe hold.
It was all for naught, however, as the team of Nightingale and Ishii picked up the win.
Winners: Nightingale and Ishii win via pinfall
Finish: Ishii hits a sliding forearm on Hathaway
Grade: 2.75 stars
For what seems like a bloated concept – can we try and keep tag matches to like, eight-man tags, please? – this was a fun pre-show opener.
Hometown heroes Kip Sabian, Anthony Ogogo and Tommy Billington got some shine in the match, and the crowd sopped it up early.
The match didn’t take long to turn into a finish spot fest, but if what you want from an opener is just some light-hearted, low-stakes fun with high spots and plenty of likeable stars on both sides of the ring, then you got what you wanted. It also didn;’t overstay its welcome.
Winners: Top Flight, Lio Rush, Action Andretti, Tommy Billington, Kyle Fletcher and Kip Sabian
Finish: Dante Martin hits a splash on Ariya Daivari for the 3 count.
Grade: 3 stars
AEW All In will take place on Sunday, Aug. 25. AEW All Out is two weeks later, on Saturday, Sept. 7.
- Main card: 1 p.m. ET (6 p.m. BST)
- Pre-show: 11 a.m. ET (4 p.m. BST)
The main card for AEW All In gets underway at 1 p.m. ET. The show will feature a two-hour pre-show, which will begin at 11 a.m. ET.
AEW is presenting a hefty two-hour pre-show. You can watch it on YouTube and PPV.
The stage for All In this year seems to be a bit more intricate than the 2023 designs. Here’s a look, courtesy of Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp:
AEW All In will air on traditional PPV at a $49.99 price.
AEW All In live stream
Those looking to live stream the event will have several options:
- Triller TV is offering a bundle of AEW All In and All Out at a discounted rate of $84.99.
- B/R Live will also carry the PPV for $49.99.
The card is subject to change.
(c) indicates champion
- Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway vs. Willow Nightingale and Tomohiro Ishii (pre-show)
- 16-man tag match: Satnam Singh, Jay Lethal, Private Party, Anthony Ogogo, Ariya Daivari, Dark Order vs. Top Flight, Lio Rush, Action Andretti, Tommy Billington, Kip Sabian and Kyle Fletcher (pre-show)
- “Timeless” Toni Storm (c) vs. “The Glamour” Mariah May for the AEW women’s championship
- MJF (c) vs. Will Ospreay for the AEW American (International) championship
- Jack Perry (c) vs. Darby Allin in a coffin match for the AEW TNT championship
- Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Dr. Britt Baker for the AEW TBS championship
- Casino Gauntlet match, winner gets a future AEW world championship match
- Chris Jericho (c) vs. HOOK for the FTW championship
- The Young Bucks (c) vs. FTR vs. The Acclaimed for the AEW tag team championship
- The Patriarchy (c) vs. Bang Bang Gang vs. House of Black vs. Pac and Blackpool Combat Club in a ladder match for the AEW trios championship
- Swerve Strickland (c) vs. Bryan Danielson in a title vs. career match for the AEW world championship
Bolded lines indicate correct predictions; Italicized lines indicate incorrect predictions
- Willow Nightingale and Tomohiro Ishii defeat Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway
- “The Glamour” Mariah May defeats Toni Storm for the AEW women’s championship
- MJF (c) defeats Will Ospreay to retain the AEW American (International) championship
- Darby Allin remains undefeated in coffin matches, defeats Jack Perry for the AEW TNT championship
- Mercedes Moné (c) outlasts Dr. Britt Baker to retain the AEW TBS championship
- “Hangman” Adam Page wins the Casino Gauntlet match, earns a future AEW world championship match
- HOOK regains the the FTW championship, defeats Chris Jericho
- FTR outlasts The Young Bucks and The Acclaimed to win the AEW tag team championship
- Bang Bang Gang regains the AEW trios championship, defeating the Patriarchy, the House of Black and Pac and Blackpool Combat Club
- Bryan Danielson defeats Swerve Strickland, extending his career and winning the AEW world championship