25 Best Wrestling Shows EVER
9. AEW All In: London 2024
Certain major shows peak to such an extravagantly euphoric level that the top-to-bottom of it hardly matters.
You could (fairly) describe AEW All In: London 2024 as uneven.
Britt Baker and Mercedes Moné didn't seem to know what kind of match they wanted to wrestle; whatever they ended up landing on was sludgy and ineffective. The Young Bucks Vs. FTR Vs. the Acclaimed, while hardly bad, only underscored the stale state of the tag division - quite embarrassing, since it was a three-way match built as a coming-together of its three biggest units ever. None had ever been less over. Chris Jericho Vs. HOOK at least had the courtesy to last 10 minutes. Darby Allin Vs. Jack Perry was a real disappointment. It was cut for time, but that's no excuse; Darby excels at the sprint, and this was weirdly tame by his standards.
But, really, who cares? The vibes elsewhere were immaculate.
The 'Four Way London Ladder' match was exciting if long. Timeless Toni Storm Vs. Mariah May was a strong piece of business; the women's division had rarely felt so big time. While earnest patriotism wasn't exactly fervent, the crowd played along in adding a different, unifying tenor to the incredible MJF Vs. Will Ospreay 'American' title bout. That was much more punchy and less self-conscious than the more acclaimed hour-long original on Dynamite.
The Casino Gauntlet was surreal and euphoric. Highlighted by the improbable, moving in-ring return of Nigel McGuinness, one of the loudest shock pops ever, the work didn't need to be amazing. It was; in particular, Zack Sabre, Jr. and Orange Cassidy - whose chemistry is amazing - elevated their match-within-a-match through the urgency of the stipulation. Their submission exchange was warp-speed.
In the main event, an immortal wrestling moment unfolded. The atmosphere for Bryan Danielson Vs. Swerve Strickland was incandescent. Swerve kicked the living sh*t out of a bloodied Danielson. Bryan started to no-sell it when he caught his daughter Birdie cheering him on. She then bounced up and down in glee as Bryan no-sold it and fought back - only for Swerve, who has never looked more devious nor cool, to brush off the Busaiku knee. The resulting near-fall was excruciating, Danielson's eventual win blissful.
One of the best feel-good moments and indeed shows ever.