All The Reasons The Road to AEW All In 2026 Has Been Chaotic

Although this weekend's event looks tremendous, All Elite Wrestling's path back to Wembley Stadium in London has been turbulent.

In 2018, The Elite bet on themselves and changed the landscape of professional wrestling. On Sunday, AEW will host its fourth annual All In at the venue that transformed its proof of concept into the company's biggest show of the year.

This year's match card features the potential coronation of a hometown sensation and the latest clash in a rivalry that has been brewing since 2023. If that's not enough to pique your interest, The Young Bucks will face Christian Cage and Adam Copeland in a dream matchup.

There are plenty of surprises and high-profile bouts worthy of such a big stage. It's a fantastic card, but the weekly programming leading up to the festivities has left something to be desired.

A New Day For AEW Felt Inevitable...Until It Didn't

The go-home episode of Dynamite perfectly encapsulated how bewildering this build has been at times. We were left with more questions than answers regarding the direction of some of the biggest stars.

Swerve Strickland's status and placement on the card have been unclear for weeks. Nevertheless, he is a common foe for both the former and reigning trios champions, and their confrontation created online buzz for The New Day's AEW debut.

After all, he is outnumbered, and Ricochet quickly dismissed Strickland's chances of finding anyone on the roster who still trusts him. Aligning with his real-life friends, Kofi Kingston and Austin Creed, in their first post-WWE appearance would even the scales.

However, AEW hasn't hinted at this possibility for the last two weeks. Strickland took on Jack Perry in Wednesday night's main event, and there was no mention of it on commentary or a tease after the match.

The following day, Tony Khan announced the Trios Roulette Royale match, featuring seven teams and three surprise participants. Still, it's baffling that there was no setup for this on the company's flagship series.

Will Ospreay's Convoluted Journey to All In

Nevertheless, the weeks leading to All In: London haven't been a total bust. Willow Nightingale and Mercedes Moné have stolen the show every week in the most consistent storyline.

Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay kick-started their feud at Redemption, and their one-on-one segment on the following episode of Dynamite was a home run.

It was a much-needed shift that refocused The Aerial Assassin's quest to become world champion on their long-standing rivalry.

Ospreay's stint with The Death Riders was divisive, but AEW seemingly stuck the landing in time. So, it was puzzling to see him take another detour to deal with The Don Callis Family.

Ever since the English wrestler returned at Revolution, his route to Wembley and championship gold has been clear. The 33-year-old was the hottest star on the roster before he took time off to undergo neck surgery.

Ospreay undeniably lost some of his momentum under Jon Moxley's tutelage. It's also safe to say everyone underestimated how much fans wanted to see Omega as champion again. This has created uncertainty in a crowning moment most were eagerly anticipating in 2024.

Omega's unexplained absences may be another sign that The Best Bout Machine is still adjusting to life after suffering with diverticulitis. Callis gave Ospreay a villain of the week to dispatch in the meantime, but his inclusion further complicated a simple storyline.

In comparison, "Hangman" Adam Page's pathway from the men's Owen Hart Cup to All In: Texas last year was much more concise.

AEW's approach to long-term storytelling often caters to its audience, but Ospreay's story has taken some unnecessary twists and turns.

The Continental Challenge Cup Felt Unwarranted

The Continental Challenge Cup was also a cumbersome way to set up Moxley vs. Nigel McGuinness. Many of the matches were excellent, but the tournament took up so much TV time that could have been used more efficiently.

To that end, it's a shame that McGuinness didn't get to cut a promo and connect the dots between Mox and his most notable rival, Bryan Danielson. It would've been so easy to craft an angle around his desire to prove himself against the leader of The Death Riders.

Instead, AEW diluted the prestige surrounding the Continental Classic into a vehicle to determine Moxley's opponent. It hardly seemed worth it in the long run. Hopefully, the company will refine the concept next year.

Nonetheless, All In: London will likely exceed expectations because AEW consistently produces the best wrestling pay-per-views.

Many of our gripes about the weeks leading up to it will seem like a distant memory when The New Day and Strickland open the show and Ospreay raises the world title.

It has been a bizarre few weeks, but we believe this will be an auspicious event for AEW.