Biggest Wins That Changed AEW All In History

Posted by admin on August 16th, 2025

On the first episode of “AEW Collision” after All Out 2023, Bryan Danielson announced that he didn’t have much time left as an in-ring performer, and after promising his daughter Birdie that when she turned seven years old he would spend more time with her, the “American Dragon” stated that the next 12 months would be his last as a full-time wrestler. In that time, he wrestled at the Tokyo Dome for New Japan Pro Wrestling, Arena Mexico for CMLL, got to compete in a round-robin tournament to make up for the fact that he wouldn’t be able to compete in a G1 Climax, and essentially cherry-picked his opponents for an entire year.

The only thing he hadn’t done was win a championship, and after realizing that time was against him, he not only entered, but won the 2024 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, earning himself a shot at the AEW World Championship at All In London, an event he missed in 2023 due to suffering a broken arm. However, the champion going in to All In London 2024 was Swerve Strickland, the self-proclaimed most dangerous man in AEW, and someone who had become one of the biggest stars in the industry during his run as the AEW World Champion. Danielson, knowing the weight of the situation he was in, decided to literally go all in, and vowed to completely retire from wrestling if he lost to Swerve.

Dubbed “The Final Countdown” as a nod to the entrance music that cost someone’s yearly salary every time it got played on television, Danielson and Swerve wrestled in the main event All In London with everything on the line, and it ended up becoming perhaps the second biggest peak of AEW’s entire year behind Sting’s retirement at Revolution 2024. However, if someone was to argue that this match was a bigger moment than Sting’s final match, it would be hard to argue with them.

The majority of London itself was cheering on the “American Dragon” during this match, including his wife Brie Bella and their two children who were sitting ringside. Birdie was even seen crying at one point because her dad was getting the life beaten out of him right before her eyes, but the moment where Danielson, covered in blood (or ketchup as he describes it to his kids), absorbing Swerve’s kicks to the chest, is screaming “I LOVE YOU SO MUCH” at his kids is a moment that will give even the most jaded of wrestling fan goosebumps.

On that night, it was the “American Dragon” who flew highest, winning the AEW World Championship in a match Danielson values more than his iconic victory at WWE WrestleMania 30. It is one of the biggest feel good moments in AEW history, and what makes it even more historic is that it was the first domino to fall in a chain of events that would eventually lead to another huge All In moment, but we’ll get to that later.

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Former Impact World Champion Sami Callihan Loses, Officially Retires At TNA Emergence

Posted by admin on August 16th, 2025
Sami Callihan in TNA TNA Wrestling

Sami Callihan has officially called time on his pro wrestling career after losing to Mike Santana at TNA Wrestling’s Emergence pay-per-view.

Callihan and Santana faced off in a Baltimore street fight on Friday night, with the stipulation stating that the former would have to retire if he lost. That, unfortunately for Callihan, came true at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, as Santana landed a Spin The Block to secure the win.

After the match, Callihan removed his wrestling boots and left them in the ring to symbolize the end of his career. The crowd chanted, “Please don’t go,” but Callihan continued to untie his laces, and the visibly emotional star placed his boots in the middle of the ring and rolled out of the ring one final time as “Thank you, Sami” chants rang out. He waved and kissed goodbye to the fans before walking back to the locker room.

Callihan, a veteran of 20 years, had said ahead of the match that he wanted to test himself and see if he’s still capable of performing at a high level. 

The 37-year-old star began his pro wrestling career in the indies in 2005, before wrestling in promotions like ROH, CZW, and EVOLVE. He had a three-year stint in WWE, where he featured in “NXT,” and later joined TNA/Impact Wrestling, wrestling in the promotion between 2017 and 2023. His last and final run with TNA began last year. 

Callihan revealed a few years ago that an injury he sustained in Impact in 2021, where he broke his leg, left him less than 100 percent fit and also caused him to gain weight.

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Nobody Wanted This John Cena Appearance

Posted by admin on August 16th, 2025
John Cena in a good moodRob Van Dam and John Cena wrestling in the mid 2000s Wwe/Getty Images

Some fans may not remember ECW One Night Stand 2006. That’s understandable; the event’s reputation paled in comparison to the first ECW One Night Stand a year earlier, considered one of the best one-off PPV’s in history, and the ECW revival that followed the 2006 One Night Stand left many with a bad taste in many mouths. But if nothing else, One Night Stand 2006, where Cena defended the WWE Title against Rob Van Dam, stakes a strong claim for being peak of the Cena backlash. Much like the Punk match, Cena was at a disadvantage, facing an ECW legend in hollowed ECW ground, the Hammerstein Ballroom. And yet, whereas MITB 2011 was about fans embracing Punk, one can’t shake that One Night Stand 2006 was less about supporting RVD and more about extending a giant middle finger to Cena.

It starts quickly with the “If Cena Wins, We Riot” sign seen at the start of the show, then hits like a ton of bricks during Cena’s entrance and pre-match activities, where his attempts to throw his t-shirt into the crowd resulted in it being thrown back multiple times. Every jeer and every middle finger can be felt throughout the rest of the match, and much like with the Punk match, it’s apparent it inspired Cena. At the time still considered an average wrestler, Cena’s performance against RVD remains among his best work, as Cena adapted to the hostile situation brilliantly, making it all the more sweeter when RVD ultimately toppled him to win the WWE Championship, while simultaneously revitalizing the ECW World Heavyweight Championship. In a way, ECW One Night Stand 2006 and MITB 2011 teach us a valuable lesson about John Cena the performer; when fans didn’t want him around, that’s when he seemed to perform at his best.

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Tommy Dreamer Says These Multi-Generational WWE Stars Have Surpassed Their Fathers

Posted by admin on August 16th, 2025
Tommy Dreamer is smiling Bryan Steffy/Getty Images

In the wrestling business, last names like Hart, Flair, and Rhodes are often associated with success. For the younger generations with those names, however, also comes the added pressure of living up to the ones that preceded them.

On a recent episode of “Busted Open Radio,” Natalya (aka Nattie Neidhart) opened up about some of her experiences as a third-generation wrestler. In that position, WWE alum Tommy Dreamer believes she, like Charlotte Flair, has actually eclipsed the in-ring career of her father.

“As both second generation wrestlers, well you’re third, you both have surpassed your fathers. That’s number one,” Dreamer said. “Number two, as every parent, we want our children to do better than us, so that burden should never be there. Because yes, I want my daughters to succeed in their life, be happier in, life, have more money than I’ve ever made. That’s what a great parent does. I feel bad because a lot of second and third generation wrestlers, I feel that burden. But if you just look at the grand scheme, the moment your kids are born, you’re like, ‘Oh, this will be better and I will do this for them so they are better.’ It’s really easy. It’s a done argument, but that weight has to be lifted off their shoulders.”

In Natalya’s case, her father was WWE Hall of Famer Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, who enjoyed two reigns as WWE Tag Team Champion. In her respective career, Natalya has captured both the WWE Divas and SmackDown Women’s Championships. Charlotte Flair’s father is “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, a 16-time world champion under the WWE banner. Charlotte trails shortly behind with 14 to her own name.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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Former WWE, AEW Stars Reminisce About Opening Acts Of Timeless Toni Storm Gimmick

Posted by admin on August 16th, 2025
Toni Storm ahead of her match on an episode of "AEW Dynamite." AEW/Lee South

Toni Storm’s “Timeless” gimmick has largely been praised across the industry by fans and veteran wrestlers alike from the get-go of its formation. Recently, former AEW names, Saraya and Bea Priestley, recalled their relationships with Storm, with Priestly revealing that she was around the AEW Women’s Champion when she pitched the gimmick.

“When I first got to AEW, she was too nervous to pick up a microphone,” Saraya said during her “Rulebreakers” podcast. “Right? So, we were doing, like, The Outcast stuff or whatever, but I remember she had, like, this one line that she had to say and she kept going over and over.” Saraya then claimed that Storm ended up doing well, but once she found what she was really passionate about – in essence, her “Timeless” gimmick – she nailed it.

“I was at her house when she was still thinking [of] this idea, and she pitched it to me,” Priestley added, recalling how Storm called herself the “modern-day Marilyn Monroe” and just threw everything into the character. “She’s like: ‘You know what? F**k it! I’m just going to do this and see what happens. I’ll be Timeless Toni Storm!’ And like, it’s just her being silly and fun, but that’s how she is all the time.” Priestley then added that comedy wrestling is difficult to get right and expressed that she’s happy for Storm and the position she currently holds in AEW.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Rulebreakers” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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