Now that the dust has settled on AEW All In 2026, there is definitely a case to be made that this is the greatest show in All Elite Wrestling history.
With surprises, a strong card top to bottom and the end result that everyone wanted, All In was a night of all-killer action and a display of the alternative promotion doing what it does best. There was blood, jaw-dropping moments and multiple match of the year contenders all condensed into a card that was just over 4 hours in length. There was also the fact that unlike other promotions, sponsor spots were not overbearing and the main focus was on the in-ring action.
AEW All In 2026: A Triumphant Return To Wembley
Although this was the lowest-attended Wembley Stadium show of the 3 times AEW has ran the venue, the fact that the promotion drew approximately 50,000 fans is still impressive. No arena could have drawn a crowd of that size, and the broadcast didn’t show any empty sections.
While a major criticism of AEW pay-per-views is that the shows can run too long, this is where running Wembley has an advantage for the fans. With a strict curfew of 10:30 pm, which other artists have seen concerts stopped abruptly for going over, the roster had to hit their time cues. With 8 matches and the conclusion of a pre-show match to fit into the main card, the action was virtually on a conveyor belt as commentary threw straight to the next match after the previous had concluded.
This will also be the show with arguably the most newsworthy buy-in of the year. With a new TBS Champion crowned, along with Thekla and Britt Baker each making their returns, fans were being given surprises before the main show had even begun.
Spanning the pre-show and the main card, the next surprise of the night saw The New Level, formerly The New Day in WWE, officially arrive in AEW. Teaming with Swerve Strickland, the trio captured the Trios Titles in what was a successful jump for Austin Creed and Kofi. Later in the night, the newest arrivals joined the top tag teams in AEW to remind the fans that a lot of dream matches are set for down the road.
Another title change took place next as The Brawling Birds defeated Divine Dominion to become the new Women’s Tag Team Champions. Given the right amount of time and the home team win, this was a feel-good win to bring the fans up before the heartbreak of the next match. Fellow Brit Nigel McGuinness looked to defeat Jon Moxley and win the Continental Cup, but the wrestler and announcer was dealing with an injury. Naturally, Mox targeted this throughout to try and pick up the submission victory. McGuinness was millimetres away from getting the rope break, but couldn’t get that final reach. In the end, McGuinness passed out from the pain, giving Mox the victory. Although the Continental Cup was a unique concept, having the champion just retain when all was said and done did make it somewhat redundant.
The match many had been waiting for came next as Kazuchika Oakda defeated Kyle Fletcher and Konosuke Takeshita to win back the International Championship. Although Okada and Fletcher are both in the Don Callis Family, Fletcher kicking Okada immediately after the opening bell made it clear that there would be no alliances in this one. With big moves from the outset and the infamous screwdriver coming into play, this really could have gone either way. Ultimately, Okada stole the win, demanding Fletcher show him respect afterwards. Callis, who has no issues with the family fighting, will likely want this to continue.
The Casino Gauntlet took centre stage next with Andrade El Idolo and MJF starting things off. Indie wrestler Melissa Fierce played the role of the cameo fan taking a selfie with Andrade, while MJF looked to end things early. MJF was unable to get it done in the early stages, meaning more stars made their entrances. As well as the announced names, Nick Wayne, Daniel Garcia and Jack Perry were among the unannounced names, and Justin Roberts accidentally announced Kommander as Mistico, spoiling the next entrant. Unfortunately, there were no huge surprises here and it felt like if any match could have been cut from the card, it was this one. The crowd needed a legend or a major name from the UK scene to be a part of this one to get that major pop. There was a reason why Jeff Jarrett got such a great reaction in the RevPro gauntlet the night before. That being said, Andrade fighting for the World Title could be a great match.
Potentially the more surprising result came next as Cage and Cope defeated The Young Bucks to retain their tag team titles. Cage used a spanner to his advantage, allowing the legends to defeat the EVPs. With AEW being more focused on the youth movement, having the Attitude Era veterans pick up the win wasn’t the most well-received result online. However, inside Wembley, Cage and Cope were the popular choice. As previously mentioned, more dream matches are on the way.
Giving Darby Allin no restrictions in his match was always going to set up for something big, but even Allin is able to shock the fans in 2026. Allin looked to beat Kevin Knight and win the TNT Championship, but the Don Callis Family got involved. Naturally, this led to Sting saving his friend and Steven Borden fighting alongside his father. Although the 67-year-old teased jumping off the ladder, but thankfully his son stopped him and took the dive instead. With Knight looking to escape up the ramp, Allin cut the champ off. Climbing a lighting rig, Allin jumped from a height that Jeff Hardy would be unnerved by, delivering a coffin drop and one more dive to win back the title. It was also before this match that AEW confirmed that it would be coming back to the UK in 2027 for a pay-per-view, but to Liverpool instead of London. However, the O2 in London will host an episode of Dynamite.
Given the semi-main event spot, Mercedes Mone defeated Willow Nightingale to finally win the Women’s Championship. Mone was busted open early, making the match that more intense. Nightingale went into the match with a hurt hand, leading to Mone targeting the injury. A ref bump led to Nightingale striking Mone with the title, but was still unable to capitalise. In the end, Mone got vicious and stomped on Nightingale’s hand, locking in the Statement Maker to win the match. Although this is the end of Nightingale’s reign, there is no doubt that she will be a top champion again.
Then it was time for the main event, and the match the fans came to see. England’s own Will Ospreay looked to finally win the World Championship and in the process, unseat one of the greatest wrestlers today, Kenny Omega. The build-up was full of emotion as Ospreay’s mum narrated the video package and The Aerial Assassin walked past his former rivals to the ring. With a big fight feel, this match had everything. Blood, big moves, shock kick-outs and emotion, this was exactly what it needed to be. While both men had allies ringside, this was not one for interference spots. Instead, this was simply 2 men wanting to prove they are the very best. In the end, a very bloody Ospreay hit multiple Tiger Drivers and Hidden Blades to win the match and the championship to the delight of the London crowd.
There have been times when other promotions have dropped the ball on big wins. Looking to swerve the fans for the sake of it, the World Title win hasn’t happened at the biggest show, and is instead delayed a few weeks later when the rivalry cooled off. However, despite this being a very predictable result, this was entirely the right call. Ospreay is the World Champion, and rightfully so.
AEW All In 2026 Review: Final Thoughts
It’s rare that a pro wrestling show is met with so many people agreeing on the quality. There wasn’t a bad match on the show, but others didn’t have the spark of the marquee matches. AEW has regained a lot of momentum right now, partly through its in-ring action, and partly with fan fatigue over other wrestling companies’ booking. Here’s hoping they can capitalise on this into the new year, because the fans need and deserve competition.
AEW won’t be returning to Wembley next year, but Tony Khan didn’t rule out another show inside the stadium. Here’s hoping it will return soon, but it will be a hard act to follow.
Featured image: AEW
