10 Best Moments In AEW History

5. The Greatest Of All-Time Wins The Big One

Sting Revolution
AEW

At All In: London II - in a deafening, ultra-emotional masterpiece of a main event - Bryan Danielson finally won the big one. He defeated Swerve Strickland for the AEW World title amidst a sea of Yes! chants. Everybody in the stadium, not merely Birdie Danielson, felt like a child desperate for their hero to prevail. 

Danielson, wrestling’s preeminent genius, utilised melodrama better than anybody. He applied the concept of love not to agonise over hurting his opponent, but - upon seeing his distressed daughter in the first row - to kicking the living sh*t out of his opponent. 

Violent, bloody, distressing, euphoric: this was the perfect wrestling match. This was why you watch in the first place. 

It was Danielson’s night, but it was also a bravura Swerve Strickland performance. There are few better at portraying themselves as a badass; when Swerve shrugged off an all-time Danielson fire-up sequence, he cast true doubt over the feel-good finish with incredible body language. 

It felt like one of the most earned triumphs in the history of wrestling - a night that was as simply as special as this great sport gets.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!