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With All In mere hours away, all eyes in professional wrestling are firmly locked in on Wembley Stadium in London, England, where one of the biggest shows of the year will all but define the future of AEW.
If the show delivers, going off without a hitch in a way last year's showing simply couldn't – what with the whole CM Punk of it all – it could set the promotion up for even bigger things in the future ahead of a massive new media rights deal. But if things take a tumble, or the card simply doesn't live up to the sky-high expectations fans hold for the biggest shows AEW books, well, it could crush momentum on the spot and borderline guarantee that WWE remains on top forever.
But hey, Tony Khan does have a few tricks up his sleeve that could artificially garner the sort of pops that help to make or break this kind of show, from pulling off fan-favorite booking choices to debuting – or re-debuting – a few fan-favorite wrestlers who, for one reason or another, are now available to work in AEW. If TK pulls off even one of these big surprises, it's safe to say AEW All In will be considered nothing if not a massive success.
1. Becky Lynch joins AEW to challenge Mercedes Mone
As crazy as it may sound, Becky Lynch – or Rebecca Quin, as she may now be known professionally – has been unemployed for roughly two months now, with no official word of a contract with WWE, AEW, or any other promotion on the books.
But why? Is is because Lynch really does want to take things easy, focus on her family, and worry about professional wrestling at some point down the line? Or has she instead been sworn to secrecy to set fans up for one of the biggest, boldest, most headline-grabbing additions to AEW in the promotion's history?
If that's the case, when better to have Lynch debut than at Wembley Stadium, a few hours away from her hometown of Limerick, Ireland, especially if it means coming out to set up a feud with Mercedes Mone mere minutes after securing a massive win over Britt Baker? Mone and Lynch have an incredible history together, having spent years working together and apart as members of the Four Horsewomen in WWE, and since now that said promotion has moved away from two of its biggest stars, they could keep that flame burning in AEW, where they would all but certainly be considered a main event-caliber storyline.
TK, sign the check, as this just makes too much sense not to happen.
2. Adam Cole costs MJF the American Championship
After quite literally headlining the biggest non-WWE wrestling show of the century last year at All In, Adam Cole hasn't been on AEW television since all the way back in May, when he cut an impromptu promo at Double or Nothing before getting rocked off of television entirely by a returning MJF.
Since that fateful day, on which Roderick Strong also lost his International Championship, the OGK have lost their Ring of Honor Tag Team Championships, Wardlow has been non-existent, and other than some fun matches working alongside The Beast Mortos, the faction has been basically irrelevant ever since.
If Cole and the Undisputed Kingdom are to have any future in AEW, they need to make something happen at All In, and while that could theoretically happen in the Casino Gauntlet match, where the faction will be well represented, the better chance would be at the end of MJF's match with Will Ospreay, where the Undisputed Kingdom could guarantee that nothing shaky happens after a big Ospreay win – no less – by beating up on the “Salt of the Earth” in a very public renewal of their feud.
No matter how the match shakes out in terms of wins and losses, an appearance by Cole has to be in the cards.
3. Ricochet wins the All In Casino Gauntlet
While popular money would suggest that an All In Ricochet debut should directly correspond with whatever happens with Ospreay, as the duo have become intrinsically linked in AEW without the former having worked a single second of television time for the promotion, what if TK takes things in another route and instead has him win his way into relevancy with a big-time W in the “Billy Goat's” signature match, the Casino Gauntlet?
On paper, it makes sense, right? The winner of the match gets a shot at the World Championship, and while he doesn't necessarily have the biggest history with either Bryan Danielson or Swerve Strickland, he does have the star power needed to give either man a very good match in the future, especially as he now attempts to prove himself the sort of star his previous promotion never allowed him to become.
Now granted, Ricochet doesn't need to win a Casino Gauntlet match to justify his debut in a surprise effort; he could simply tear the roof off the joint, accept his flowers, and watch as someone like “Hangman” Adam Page earns a pin over someone like Michael Oku – who should also officially become All Elite on the show – but debuting him with an actual match instead of just an appearance would sure make for a “welcome to the NFL” moment the likes of which fans haven't seen since what, Leo Rush?
Bonus – AEW announces their new media rights deal
And last but not least, after literally years of anticipaton, Khan finally announces that AEW has signed a new, long-term deal with Warner Brothers Discovery. Why? Because asfter months of hinting, when better than Wimbley to make the big announcement?
