IN THE IMMORTAL WORDS of Green Day, “summer has come and passed.” It’s a new month, a new season, and a new edition of the PWI Weekly. As promised, we’ve got coverage on tap from AEW’s All In: London.
There are plenty of wrestling happenings grabbing our attention, however, and plenty more to come in the weeks ahead. So, as much as we love the tune, there’ll be no need to wake us up when September ends—we’re too excited to sleep.
MATCH OF THE WEEK
Some are calling it the greatest match of all-time. While that is a tall claim—and the dust is only now beginning to settle after the All In main event—the AEW World championship bout between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay is by any reasonable standard a strong contender for Match of the Year.
From the dramatic video packages and ring introductions to the battle’s dramatic conclusion, this long-awaited showdown at Wembley Stadium is the kind of thing that many wrestling fans dream of. Our congratulations to Mr. Ospreay on his inaugural reign with the AEW World title—and our collective hats off to both men for the phenomenal performances they gave between bells.
A QUICK WORD ABOUT …
Will Ospreay wasn’t the only wrestler to realize long-held AEW World title aspirations at Wembley. Indeed, All In was an equally emotional affair for Mercedes Mone, who defeated Willow Nightingale in the evening’s semi-main event to finally capture the Women’s World championship.
Voted 2025 Woman of the Year by PWI readers, Mone has traveled the globe since her 2022 WWE departure, pushing both herself and her opponents to new limits while endeavoring to show she is truly the world’s best. On August 31 in London, she put a symbolic exclamation point on that sentiment by taking home a brand-new, shiny championship belt.
Now that she’s finally taken the throne—undeniably—of the competitive AEW women’s division, what does “The CEO” have left to prove? Is she after another Woman of the Year nod (her 2025 plaque was shown behind her on last week’s Dynamite), or perhaps another #1 ranking on our “Women’s 250” list? Whichever accolades she collects, we predict that Mercedes Mone has no intention of letting her precious new title go anytime soon.
SPOTLIGHT ON …
If you’ve been completely out of the loop for the past week or so, no, you’re not seeing things: That’s Swerve Strickland standing center ring with Austin Creed (Xavier Woods) and Kofi (Kingston).
The New Day members arrived on the scene at All In, and, alongside Strickland, promptly won the AEW World trios championship. Now known as New Level—a fitting nod to their love of video games, among other things—the team appears thrilled to have joined All Elite Wrestling following a reported request from WWE to renegotiate their contracts.
At the post-All In press scrum, Creed and Kofi sat down beside their new tag team partner, effusive with praise for their new home in AEW. Meanwhile, head honcho Tony Khan seemed just as delighted to have them on the roster. Although the honeymoon period is still going strong, here’s hoping that all parties continue to be happy with the arrangement in the months ahead.
FROM THE DESK OF …
During the recent Buy-In battle over the TBS championship, it sure seemed like Maya World was about to record a successful defense over CMLL star Persephone. Then, a hooded figure emerged, interfering in the match and unburdening the determined fan favorite of her cherished title.
From my view in the press box, the hooded figure’s height and frame were difficult to make out. I assumed that Athena might have entered the fray. After all, the ROH Women’s champ was pretty upset when Maya World had eliminated her from the Owen Hart Cup. World had robbed Athena of the esteemed semi-main event slot that was later occupied by Mercedes Mone.
Imagine my shock when the mystery assailant began to torture the now-former TBS titlist with a hold that looked exactly like the Lockjaw—the signature maneuver of Dr. Britt Baker. Of course, that’s exactly who it was!
After another lengthy absence from television, the former AEW Women’s World champion had made an unexpected return … much to the chagrin of Maya World.
It was a long weekend of wrestling for yours truly. Not only was I in attendance for All In, but I also saw stacked cards from Pro Wrestling: EVE and RevPro. All the while, I was busy snapping photographs and taking copious notes. There was quite a lot to take in.
Even with all the title changes and bombastic in-ring feats I witnessed over my three nights in London, Britt Baker’s comeback may have been the single most shocking moment. The sight of the D.M.D. returning home—even as countless fans and pundits assumed her AEW days were done—is something I won’t soon forget.
—Kevin McElvaney
Editor-in-Chief
SPOTLIGHT PHOTO
Care of PWI Contributing Photographer Sarah Barraclough: New AEW Men’s World champ Will Ospreay soaks in the adulation of the tens of thousands in attendance.