Some wrestlers refer to themselves as the Best in the World. Others let the fans and their peers do it for them. Bryan Danielson is the latter. The American Dragon has spent the last 25 years cementing his legacy as one of the very best to ever do it, and he put that career on the line at . Facing Swerve Strickland for the AEW World Championship, Danielson put his retirement up against the belt, confirming that he’d step away for good if he lost. Fortunately for all of Danielson’s fans out there, his career continues for a little while longer, and now he can add the grandest prize in All Elite Wrestling to his resume.
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The main event of AEW’s All in card began with an emotional entrance, as “The Final Countdown” rang through Wembley Stadium and Danielson entered for potentially the last time. His wife and kids were ringside for the entire match, adding another layer of emotion to the entire situation.
For most of the match, Swerve looked to be in control, beating down Danielson and taunting his family in the process. But one of the signature’s of Danielson’s career has been his ability to get back up when he’s down, even when facing the most dire circumstances. A serious neck injury couldn’t end his career, and neither could Swerve Strickland.
No matter what Swerve threw at him, Danielson kicked out and got back up. The tide really started to turn, though, when Danielson made eye contact with his family, and began shouting “I love you so much” as Swerve delivered blow after blow. The American Dragon also got a little bit of help when Adam Page ran into the arena looking for Swerve. He didn’t interfere in the match, but the kerfuffle was enough to distract the champion.
Surprisingly, Danielson actually made Swerve tap out to end the match. Since arriving in AEW in 2022, Strickland has never tapped out to an opponent. Danielson defeated one of AEW’s best champions to-date, and will leave the United Kingdom with one of the biggest prizes of his career.
And it’s so exciting to know that career isn’t over just yet.
AEW All In Card
- AEW World Championship Title vs. Career Match: Swerve Strickland (C) vs Bryan Danielson
- AEW Women’s World Championship Match: Toni Storm (C) vs Mariah May
- AEW American Championship Match: MJF (C) vs Will Ospreay
- AEW TBS Championship Match: Mercedes Mone (C) vs Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D.
- AEW TNT Championship Coffin Match: Jack Perry (C) vs Darby Allin
- AEW Trios Championships London Ladders Match: The Patriarchy vs. Bang Bang Gang vs. House of Black vs. PAC, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta
- FTW Championship Match: Chris Jericho (C) vs. HOOK
- Casino Gauntlet Match: Orange Cassidy vs. TBD
- Mixed Tag Match: Willow Nightingale and Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway
