AEW Wrestling Show ‘All In’ Takes No. 1 Paid Attendance Record From WWE With 81,035 Fans
All Elite Wrestling held their biggest show to date Sunday in London, England at Wembley Stadium, the international pay-per-view “All In.” Announcing a paid crowd of 81,035 fans, the promotion has stated that it believes this sets an all-time paid attendance record for professional wrestling, giving No. 2 wrestling company AEW another entry in the history books.
“Today is the most successful day in the history of AEW. It’s one of the most important days ever in the history of pro wrestling,” AEW owner Tony Khan said as he opened a post-show press conference.
At the same time, according to media reports, there was an apparent backstage altercation between wrestlers C.M. Punk and Jack Perry. Perry is the late actor Luke Perry’s son and until recently wrestled under the name “Jungle Boy.”
“Yes, there was an incident backstage before we went live on tonight’s show,” Khan said at the press conference. “We are investigating it. Until I learn more about what happened, I can’t really address it at this time, so I can’t comment, but I did want to be honest with you and tell you that is the case.”
Still, Khan was excited to celebrate the historic attendance. He noted that, combined with thousands of comp tickets that were given out, hospitality, and staff, there were around 90,000 people in the stadium for the “All In” event. TheWrap has reached out to market leader World Wrestling Entertainment for comment.
AEW Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman, better known as “MJF,” celebrated the show’s success in comments at the post-show press conference. But he also made remarks that could be interpreted as referencing the fight.
“We’re not just an alternative. We are a gang of f–king misfit toys,” MJF said. “And yeah, sometimes we don’t get along. News flash: I’m sure you motherf–kers got people at work you want to f–king headbutt in the mouth. But the fact of the matter is, yeah, we are misfits, but guess what: we come together, we put on the best f–king professional wrestling shows this world has ever f–king seen.”
Punk has notably been involved in a number of backstage incidents over the years, including one at AEW’s “All Out” last year following comments he made at a post-show press conference that led to multiple suspensions and firings of wrestlers who were involved. This year’s “All Out” takes place next weekend in Chicago.
AEW wrestler Miro denied via social media one version of what allegedly happened before “All In.”
One user jokingly noted that Punk had previously said in the ring, seemingly in character, that “Someday, I’m going to kick your ass.”
In other news regarding a fight, wrestler Cash Wheeler performed on the show, despite being charged just nine days ago in a road rage-related incident.
AEW officially launched in 2019, building on the 2018 independent wrestling show “All In” promoted by wrestlers Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes (now back in WWE), and “the Young Bucks” Nick and Matt Jackson.
The promotion also announced that it will return for a show on the United Kingdom summer bank holiday next year, Aug. 25, 2024. Khan has previously lived in London and owns a soccer team in the country, as well as Florida’s Jacksonville Jaguars football team.
The post AEW Wrestling Show ‘All In’ Takes No. 1 Paid Attendance Record From WWE With 81,035 Fans appeared first on TheWrap.