AEW didn’t pack 81,035 fans this year inside London’s Wembley Stadium for their now annual All In event, but they did pack together a card that more than delivered in front of a still stellar crowd of over 50,000. On the big shows, you need the big matches to deliver and they did at this event.
Not only was All In a good show from an in-ring perspective — a reality that has become synonymous with AEW these days — but, it was a newsworthy event for the company as well. Two new world champions were crowned, two different mid-card titles changed hands, and surprise appearances from legends and new, everyday talent stocked multiple matches.
With big plans for international expansion and an All In event in the United States set for 2025, the company needed to deliver with this one and they did.
Here are my Brass Ring Ratings for the event and here’s how they work … I call it like I see it. Period.
The Patriarchy vs. BCC & PAC vs. House of Black vs. Bang Bang Gang - London Ladders Match for the AEW World Trios Championship
A fine opener because of the action packed nature of AEW ladder matches, but nothing special here to note. It went exactly as anticipated with big spots, lots of waiting around, and some tables on hand to get broken by human bodies. A car crash match in every way. The tables were temperamental throughout and I’m sure the talent in this match are feeling that now.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 1/4
Toni Storm vs. Mariah May - AEW Women’s World Championship
Tremendous. The question for me going into this match was whether or not both May and Storm would be able to deliver on the expectations setup by the wonderful build that the match had. They did. Not only was this emotional, but it had dramatic moments that exactly lined up with the build. Storm feeling the moment of what it would mean to crush May with the shoe was a chefs kiss callback to the start of their feud. Outside of the match narrative, the in-ring work was crisp and hard-hitting. May winning was the only way to go and she’s now fully elevated to a main event player in the women’s division.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO 1/4
Chris Jericho vs. Hook - FTW Championship
Not great, but fine for it’s place on the show. I’m not sure when FTW Championship matches became silly gimmick bouts for “weapons” like bocce balls, but alas, that’s what we saw here. In the end, Hook got the win thanks to the help of his Dad, Taz, which was a cool moment, but Hook remains exactly in the same position that he was going into the feud with Jericho. Jericho did the job in the match and his web of influence took another “L” on the night as well.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - O 3/4
The Young Bucks vs. FTR vs. The Acclaimed - AEW World Tag Team Championship
Probably the most inconsequential match on the show, which is saying something given that Chris Jericho vs. Hook happened right before it. There wasn’t any emotion in this. It was a Young Bucks style match, but the audience didn’t come unglued for it. Their secret formula is wearing off. The match happened, it ended, and by the time the next match started it faded into the ether.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO
Casino Gauntlet Battle Royal
Just excellent. Exactly what you’d want to see in something like this. The match had big time regulars like Adam Page and Kazuchika Okada, legends like Nigel McGuinness and Zack Sabre Jr, but also signature debuting talent like Ricochet. Check, check, and check. The Nigel stuff was great. You felt good for him and his random appearance didn’t bog down other key storylines in the company. This was the right spot. Ricochet looked like he was moving a million miles an hour and only revealed the tip of the iceberg on what he’s going to be able to do in the ring for AEW. Christian Cage securing the win was a bit of a surprise, but also forecasted the outcome of the main event. Still, a really fun time and a cool specialty feature match for AEW’s biggest show of the year.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO 1/4
MJF vs. Will Ospreay - AEW American (International) Championship
Excellent match and a nice second chapter to their feud. This built on the foundation of the first match from a move perspective, but moved quicker because the pace wasn’t set for an hour long affair. I was never a fan of the Tiger Driver story, but it was smart to book the finish to incorporate it. No surprises, just a straight up finish that made sense given all that happened. As for Daniel Garcia getting involved — why? He’s so far below both Ospreay and MJF that he shouldn’t be featured in an impactful way on a major show and within a major match. Television stuff? Fine, but here, nah, I’d have left that at the door.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO 1/4
Mercedes Mone vs. Britt Baker - TBS Championship
Ehhh, not great. The worst match on the show and not because it was the worst wrestled, but because it was the worst received by the audience. The crowd was tired and therefore tepid in their response to Britt Baker as a babyface. That hurt the dynamic of the match as so much of it was about her coming back from underneath to potentially win. That story didn’t land because the reaction wasn’t there. Further hurting the match was seeing the reality out in the open that Britt Baker is a giant step behind wrestlers like Mercedes Mone. The match seemed to move slow so Baker could hit her spots, but lacked connectivity. Mone and Baker were too ambitious, which is on Mercedes as a mistake as much as it is on Baker.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - O 3/4
Jack Perry vs. Darby Allin - TNT Championship Coffin Match
Way less violent than I thought it would be and better off because of it. Kind of a quicker match here and while it featured glass and other weaponry, it didn’t cross the line into violent buffoonery. Perry needed this win and he got it.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO
Swerve Strickland vs. Bryan Danielson - AEW World Championship
The match of the night. Strickland and Danielson were tremendous. They started the match with a chop fest and both men sold it perfectly. A little pain, but a lot of annoyance. It laid a foundation of drama. In the end, both guys did what they said they would do — Swerve attempted and almost crippled Danielson in front of his family and Danielson overcame it to win. Flipping the family narrative on it’s head and Danielson using them and their presence to fire up was wonderfully done and the culmination of him yelling that he loves them while getting pierced with kicks worked to a “T.” There was a point in the match where I thought Adam Page was going to ruin a good thing, but thankfully that didn’t happen he didn’t factor into a finish. Swerve tapping out was definitive and sets up Danielson’s run as champion and final run as a full-time wrestler with all the momentum in the world.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO 3/4
What did you think of AEW All In 2024? Let us know in the comments!
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