Bryan Danielson Beats Swerve Strickland to Win AEW Title at All In 2024 in Wembley
Mike Chiari@@mikechiariFeatured Columnist IVAugust 25, 2024
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Bryan Danielson beat Swerve Strickland at the All In pay-per-view at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday to win the AEW World Championship for the first time and avoid having to retire from in-ring competition.
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Danielson was part of a star-studded field in the third annual Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament, and it carried more weight than ever before since the winner would go on to challenge for the AEW world title at All In.
The American Dragon defeated New Japan Pro-Wrestling star Shingo Takagi in the first round at Forbidden Door before taking down Pac in the semifinals.
Simultaneously, “Hangman” Adam Page scored wins over Jeff Jarrett and Jay White in the first two rounds, shortly after his return to AEW programming.
Danielson and Page clashed in the tournament final on the July 10 episode of Dynamite with Jarrett serving as a special enforcer. Although Danielson was battered and bloodied, he persevered and rolled up Page for the victory.
Afterward, Danielson posed with the Owen Hart Cup and alongside Owen’s widow, Martha Hart, putting a bow on one of the biggest wins of his AEW career.
However, the work was far from done for Danielson, as winning the tourney only earned him a shot to become AEW world champion for the first time.
In order to do so, he would have to take down Strickland, who has established himself as one of the top wrestlers in the world since signing with AEW in 2022.
Strickland beat Samoa Joe for the AEW world title back in April and followed it up with successful defenses against Christian Cage and Will Ospreay, the latter of whom he handed his first AEW loss.
While Strickland has been at his best in AEW, the 43-year-old Danielson has absorbed a lot of punishment in his career and has struggled physically at times in recent years.
Strickland pointed out Danielson’s injury history during the build toward their match, prompting Danielson to put his career on the line in order to prove a point.
Both Strickland and Danielson entered All In with a ton of momentum on their side, but Danielson prevailed and finally reached the top of the mountain in AEW after falling just short on several previous occasions.
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