by Michael Davis
Tony Khan teased an announcement this past Wednesday on Dynamite. For the first time ever, All Elite Wrestling will go to London attempting to sell-out Wembley Stadium on August 27th for their “All In” pay-per-view.
AEW was built on a challenge. In 2018, a group of wrestlers (current AEW Trios Champions Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, along with current WWE superstar Cody Rhodes) were told they could not sell 10,000 tickets for an independent wrestling event. On September 1st, these men proved the critics wrong packing Now Arena in Chicago with 11,263 in attendance for All In.
Because of the success of All In, All Elite Wrestling exists. AEW has held “All Out” since 2019 and this year is no exception. AEW still intends holding its annual All Out event in Chicago the week after their All In event at Wembley Stadium.
This is big news for London. This is the first wrestling event in the new Wembley Stadium since it opened in 2007. The old Wembley Stadium held one pro wrestling event in its history: SummerSlam on August 29, 1992. Over 80,000 WWE fans packed the stadium to see Bret “The Hitman” Hart lose the Intercontinental Championship against The British Bulldog in the main event.
Fast forward to 2023, AEW sets to accomplish its largest attendance record (which currently sits under 15,000). They have never attempted a stadium show before, so they are relying on the diehard UK fans to support wrestling on their continent and pack Wembley.
With WWE in the headlines this week after Vince McMahon sold WWE to Endeavor, AEW has silently put the pieces together leading up to their Wembley Stadium debut. Last week, former WWE announcer Nigel McGuinness signed with AEW. McGuinness is a London-born wrestler who has worked for WWE, Ring of Honor, and Impact Wrestling.
And in the biggest acquisition of 2023, AEW Dynamite started this week with the arrival of Jay White, silencing the rumors he was WWE bound. White got his start in the UK before going to Japan and leading the world-renowned Bullet Club. White left New Japan in January, sparking rumors he might join WWE after WrestleMania.
Time will tell how many fans decide to show up in Wembley Stadium for All In, and what matches will take place at the historic event. It’s evident Tony Khan and AEW are going “all in” on a successful trip across the pond
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