Half a decade ago, All Elite Wrestling embarked on a mission to host the grandest independent wrestling event ever witnessed. This past Sunday, the aspiration materialized into a record-breaking spectacle dubbed “All In 2023” held at the historic Wembley Stadium in London, England. Not only did AEW fulfill their promise, but they also smashed records by hosting the most attended live professional wrestling event in history.
The electrifying evening saw Nigel McGuinness capture the attention of the rapturous crowd, revealing the monumental attendance figure: a staggering 81,035 wrestling enthusiasts, a number that surpassed the previous record set by WWE’s WrestleMania 32 in 2016 in Arlington, TX, a night that had been notably headlined by Triple H and Roman Reigns vying for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Anchoring the All In 2023, the eagerly anticipated main event featured best friends and freshly minted ROH Tag Team Champions, MJF and Adam Cole, clashing for the coveted AEW World Heavyweight Championship. The star-studded lineup also boasted colossal matchups like Will Ospreay squaring off against Chris Jericho, the rubber match between FTR and the Young Bucks, alongside a thrilling four-way contest for the AEW Women’s World Championship.
Last-Minute Alterations to the All In Roster
In the week preceding the event, the All In card witnessed unforeseen alterations, with AR Fox and Ray Fenix being withdrawn from their scheduled appearances. AEW CEO Tony Khan shared insights on these last-minute modifications during a media conference call on Tuesday. He acknowledged that there might be additional tweaks necessitated by unforeseen real-world events, though unrelated to the wrestling universe.
Khan conveyed a spirit of optimism, emphasizing his commitment to enhancing the event’s caliber despite the adjustments. He reassured fans that the core essence of the show would remain unaltered, with the grand matches still intact and promising a thrilling experience for the viewers. Stressing the dynamic nature of pro-wrestling, Khan hinted at potential surprises urging fans to “stay tuned.”
“There will probably be some other changes to the card, necessitated by things happening in the real world,” Khan said during a media conference call on Tuesday. “Stuff in some cases, stuff that nobody’s fault, but stuff that is not related to the world of professional wrestling and I am going to try to work through this week to make it as strong as possible with (plans that will ) actually making the card hopefully better than it has been. But yeah, there will be changes to the card. I plan to add something and I might have to make some changes in the body of the card stands right now, but they’re not substantive changes that will change the quality of the show. And I’m very glad that, the big matches are in such a good position right now. And also to be honest, I think you’re gonna have to stay tuned. And then after you see some changes, I, you know, whether it’s in the scrum after the pay-per-view or whatever, I can talk to you more about when and why I decided to do those. But it’s not like they were things that even a week or two I knew about or was expecting, to have to change. And, that’s part of pro wrestling.”
Share your perspective on AEW’s historic All In 2023 event — we’re eager to hear what you think!
Check out the pre show below!
