Title change, No heel turn - 3 biggest mistakes AEW made at All In 2023
AEW All In at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom, turned out to be a stellar show. With the record-setting attendance of over 80,000 fans, it has become one of the greatest wrestling shows of all time.
Furthermore, most of the matches delivered as well, and the competitors are being commended for their performances. However, by no means was the Wembley show a perfect event, as some of the booking decisions were questionable, and some of them even infuriated fans.
Here are the three biggest mistakes made by AEW at All In 2023:
#3. Saraya (fka Paige) winning the AEW Women's Title
The Wembley show only had one women's match, where Hikaru Shida defended her title against Dr. Britt Baker, Saraya, and Toni Storm. It was a decent contest, which concluded with Saraya capturing the AEW Women's Championship in her home country in front of her people at All In.
While it was surely a memorable moment that will be cherished, it was perhaps not the smartest decision from a booking standpoint. The reason for that is Hikaru Shida had just won the title, and it turned out to be only a transitional reign.
#2. The Stadium Stampede match booking
As the event took place at Wembley Stadium, AEW booked a Stadium Stampede match, which involved the Blackpool Combat Club alongside Santana and Ortiz against Team Eddie Kingston.
While the bout was expected to be brutal and chaos-driven, it turned out to be a hot mess. Although fans enjoyed the match for what it was, it was nowhere near the first Stadium Stampede match at Double or Nothing 2020.
Furthermore, too many competitors in front of a packed crowd did not make for a great viewing.
#1. The ending of All In 2023
It can't be denied that the AEW World Champion MJF defending his title against his tag team partner and best friend Adam Cole was a perfect main event for the biggest show, given the amazing build and unpredictability. Well, the match absolutely delivered with exceptional drama and a rollercoaster of emotions.
It had some hilarious spots, as well as some dangerous bumps to make the main event feel bigger. In the end, Maxwell Jacob Friedman managed to retain his title despite an interference by Cole's former best friend, Roderick Strong. Furthermore, fans were expecting a heel turn by either of them to close the show.
However, neither Cole nor MJF turned on the other to take their story further and turn it into a brutal rivalry for the title. Instead, they hugged it out to continue their friendship as the ROH Tag Team Champions.