AEW All In review, grade: MJF, Adam Cole deliver emotional match

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AEW met the moment of its biggest show to date, and largest paid attendance in pro wrestling history at All In.

Adam Cole and MJF delivered a perfect story about friendship, ambition, and right and wrong in the main event.

FTR and the Young Bucks added another classic to their catalog and Saraya got to have a beautiful championship moment in front of her home crowd and family.

There are some things to nitpick down the card, but All In was a success in front of an announced crowd of 81,035 fans at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

Here are five takeaways from All In:

MJF and Adam Cole won the Ring of Honor tag team titles on the pre-show, then gave us an emotional rollercoaster main event for the AEW world championship without turning on each other.

The bromance continued after Cole, following a restart, didn’t finish off MJF when he had the chance as Roderick Strong begged him. He paid for it with MJF rolling him up for the win.

(Warning Adult Language)

These friends & #ROH Tag Team Champions Adam Cole & MJF went to war for the #AEW World Championship!Order #AEWAllIn LIVE on PPV right now!🇺🇸: https://t.co/mUn4tim61a🔗 https://t.co/p1Cr3Sb7zg#AEWWorldChampionshipMatch@AdamColePro | @The_MJF pic.twitter.com/P2ZHkCOWNg

MJF tried to console him with the ROH belts but Cole tossed his away, sending the champ into a tirade. This time he turned his back to give Cole to give him the chance to prove their bond was a sham. But like MJF before, Cole couldn’t smash him with the title and the show ended with a hug.

During the match, MJF and Cole slowly turned up the tension after starting both wearing their team shirts. The challenger was much more willing from the start to do whatever it took to win. It left MJF hesitant about doing the same and questioning Cole’s actions. He couldn’t pile driver him on the announce table at one point — only to see Cole do it to him.

In between all the story elements, there was some excellent pure pro wrestling, plenty of counter-wrestling early and it progressed into more heavy-hitting stuff like Cole suplexing MJF on the steel steps in front of his parents.

Late in the match the pair double clotheslined and laid on each other. The ref called it a double-pin and a draw.

Cole asked MJF to extend the match and he did. Cole tried to do the Eddie Guererro chair spot, but MJF put the chair over his head to surprise Cole with a pin attempt when the ref was distracted.

Late in the match, MJF moved out of the way and Cole hit the ref with a Panama Sunrise. MJF pulled out the Dynamite Diamond Ring but refused to use it. Strong low-blowed MJF. A conflicted Cole, with the ref out, delivered his two finishers, but MJF kicked out after a slow count. It took Cole’s one moment of weakness after that to cost him.

Adam Cole & MJF try to out cheat each other!Order #AEWAllIn LIVE on PPV right now!🇺🇸: https://t.co/mUn4tim61a🔗 https://t.co/p1Cr3Sb7zg#AEWWorldChampionshipMatch@AdamColePro | @The_MJF pic.twitter.com/6E1rg2ETXG

AEW delivered one of the moments that absolutely had to with Saraya winning their women’s world championship in front of her hometown fans and surrounded by her family.

Saraya, whose career was once thought to be over due to injury, is now a world champion for the first time since 2014.

She did so by appearing to finally turn her back on The Outcasts, spray painting Toni Storm in the face and hitting her Night Cap finisher on her to get the win as Britt Baker was struggling to put The Lock Jaw on Hikaru Shida.

Storm and Saraya’s alliance went away quickly as they bickered and then Storm mistakenly struck Saraya’s mom in the crowd.

Even Rubo Soho, who was punched by Storm, coming down couldn’t get them on track. The four women in the match made the most of the time they had.

Mercedes Mone’, who accidentally caused the injury that put Saraya out of action, was shown in the stand during the show.

Maybe Mone’ comes to Saraya’s aid down the road to be her tag partner versus Soho and Storm before they square off in a dream title match.

FTR and The Young Bucks delivered another absolute classic in what might not be the end of this rivalry as Matt and Nick Jackson refused to shake hands after.

The bevy of late creative false finishes built plenty of anticipation. Multiple BTE Triggers and hitting FTR with a Shatter Machine of their own wasn’t enough for the Bucks to win.

Matt Jackson also repeated the end spot from their 2020 match as Wheeler missed off the top rope, but this time his super kick didn’t do the job.

The Young Bucks with a close two-count!Order #AEWAllIn LIVE on PPV right now!🇺🇸: https://t.co/mUn4tim61a🔗 https://t.co/p1Cr3Sb7zg@youngbucks | @CashWheelerFTR | @DaxFTR pic.twitter.com/SJGYiibU6W

FTR appeared to have the match won when they hit a BTE trigger of their own followed by a Shatter Machine.

But Matt Jackson actually kicked out.

The Bucks went for a Melter Drive but FTR countered it into a second Shatter Machine to win and claim the mantle of best team in the world. Wheeler’s recent arrest didn’t seem to matter in the booking here.

The six-man tag was just a hectic display of athleticism and talent. Kota Ibushi, unfortunately, still looks a step slow and ring rusty. He slipped running up the ropes for a moonsault and had to settle for the middle rope at one point.

But this was about making Konosuke Takeshita. Much of the match was about him being “the next Kenny Omega” for Don Callis as he and Omega squared off at different points.

Omega brought things to a frenzy with a V-trigger to Juice Robinson late. But as he went for one on Jay White, Takeshita caught him while he was running and pulled him into a pin that left Wimbley silent. It’s a perfect setup for Omega vs. Takeshita at All Out next week.

Seeing wrestlers such as Orange Cassidy prove his toughness and potentially launching a feud with Claudio Castagnoli after pinning him – thanks to an Orange Punch with a fist full of glass – is one thing.

But if the supposedly tough guys of the Black Pool Combat Club can’t win at Blood and Guts and now Stadium Stampede, how tough are they?

Eddie is back!With a chair!Covered in barbwire!Order #AEWAllIn LIVE on PPV right now!🇺🇸: https://t.co/mUn4tim61a🔗 https://t.co/p1Cr3Sb7zg#StadiumStampede#EddieKingston pic.twitter.com/r3l2Xz5Q8k

This match was bloody and violent with plenty of barbed wire and was probably too much for those who don’t like this genre.

Moxley got a handful of wood spikes to the head and stabbed Cassidy with a fork. Pentagon Jr. was taken away by doctors after taking a spike pile driver on a chair, but it was part of the show. He later returned as his darker Penta Oscura to put Santana through a table with a sunset flip off a ladder.

Trent Bereta’s mom, Sue, showed up in her van with more weapons and a plate of baked goods.

Kingston and Wheeler Yuta took the match into the stands and the concourse area, but most of it happened in the floor.

Kingston was the last person to return to the ring – marching down like Terry Funk with a chair wrapped in barbwire and clearing the way for Cassidy to secure the win.

Will Ospreay over Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho continues to be amazingly giving in this portion of his career, even in a match that felt short.

After Fozzy played Judas live, he was smartly the bad guy in front of a pro-Ospreay crowd. He and Sammy Guevara tried to use some nefarious means to get the win, but it wasn’t enough. It took a Hidden Blade – with Jericho egging him on to hit him – and a second Oscutter to finally put the legend down clean. Jericho pushed Guevara away when it was over as we now have a rift in their friendship.

CM Punk defeats Samoa Joe to retain the “Real” World Championship

Punk got a heel reaction and played into it. He didn’t fall for Joe’s signature move-away from his top-rope crossbody, but he did miss him on the dive outside the ring in a fun combo spot.

It led to Joe swinging Punk through the bottom of the announce table to bloody him up. Punk kept slipping away from Muscle Buster’s attempts, and the final time he countered into a Pepsi Plunge to beat Joe and retain.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the match for the #RealWorldChampionship has officially started!🇺🇸: https://t.co/mUn4timDQI🔗 https://t.co/p1Cr3SbFoO@SamoaJoe | @CMPunk pic.twitter.com/5eTg6O2VpW

Billy Gunn, Max Caster and Anthony Bowens over Malaki Black, Brodie, King and Buddy Matthews to win the AEW trios championship.

Billy Gunn got his redemption after being pinned in the team’s first meeting. He appeared to have things won with a Fame-asser but Julia Hart pulled him off a pin. Gunn then kick out of a weaker-landed Black Mass kick and triggered the finish with a Fame-asser into a second Mic Drop from Caster and Bowens to claim the championships.

Darby Allin and Sting over Swerve Strickland Christian Cage (Coffin Match)

This will go down as one of Sting’s better matches in AEW as he was a significant part of the action without an over-the-top stunt.

This has plenty of fun coffin spots from dives onto it and failed attempts to close it.

Lucharsarus saved Cage in the coffin, Sting at one point used his bat to stop the coffin from being shut and then it was closed on Strickland’s hands to delay the finish until All landed on him with a Coffin Drop.

Sting is trying to make fresh dents into the coffin with the heads of Christian Cage & Swerve!Order #AEWAllIn LIVE on PPV right now!🇺🇸: https://t.co/mUn4tim61a🔗 https://t.co/p1Cr3Sb7zg#CoffinMatch@DarbyAllin | @Sting | @swerveconfident | @Christian4Peeps pic.twitter.com/vsMrFjJ1Ki

Hook defeats Jack Perry to win the FTW championship

Perry arrived in the black limo and Hook met him halfway up the walk away and they brawled against the car. He suplexed Hook on the top of the limo and then did a mocking RVD rolling thunder onto him on the hood. Hook then suplexed Perry on a “real” glass windshield and it actually cut up Hook’s shoulder.

That was all the highlight of the match outside of a few good heel spots from Perry. Hook won with the Rubrum in a finish that lacked some drama.

(Punk and Perry, according to Fightful, got into a physical confrontation backstage. AEW President Tony Khan confirmed during the media scrum there was an incident but declined going into any details)

Biggest Winner: Saraya

Biggest Loser: Jack Perry

Best Match: Adam Cole and MJF

Predictions: 7-3

Grade: A-