Predicting AEW All In 2026 Surprises From Britt Baker's Return to New Day's Debut

All In has been AEW's premier pay-per-view event since its inception in 2023, and the upcoming installment has the potential to be equally exceptional with what's on tap.

Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay's highly anticipated main event, Willow Nightingale and Mercedes Moné's AEW Women's World Championship clash and the first-time encounter over the AEW World Tag Team Championship are all guaranteed to be great from an in-ring standpoint, but there are bound to be several surprises in store as well.

All In 2024 featured Nigel McGuinness' return to the ring in his native England and Ricochet's All Elite Wrestling debut, while the returns of Bryan Danielson and Darby Allin highlighted All In 2025, so a precedent has been set for milestone moments occurring at the annual event.

From unpredictable outcomes to new champions being crowned, these are six shockers that could feasibly transpire at All In 2026.

Britt Baker Returns in Women's Casino Gauntlet

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It was at All In two years ago that Britt Baker, an AEW original, had her last major match in the promotion, unsuccessfully challenging Mercedes Moné for the AEW TBS Championship.

However, the battle between two of the bigger names in women's wrestling in the last decade fell well short of fans' expectations.

Baker only made a handful of appearances on AEW TV after that before disappearing entirely from programming in November 2024. Although Tony Khan has responded to inquiries regarding her absence on media conference calls since then, her status hasn't seemed to change.

Baker was brought back up again by fans recently when Fightful Select's Sean Ross Sapp revealed in a Q&A that she was internally discussed for the upcoming Rebel tribute edition of Dynamite on Sept. 9 in Georgia. The two were synonymous with each other in AEW's first few years.

It would make sense to reintroduce her before then in the women's Casino Gauntlet match at All In, where the winner will earn a future shot at the AEW Women's World Championship she once held.

The wrestling dentist doesn't necessarily have to win, but it would be quite the surprise to see her again amid social media rumors that she's eyeing an exit from the company due to her inactivity.

Kevin Knight Is Redeemed

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Kevin Knight is scheduled to have his biggest bout yet at All In when he defends the AEW TNT Championship against Darby Allin in a Falls Count Anywhere match.

The reigning champ is in the middle of a career year, having held the title since early April and racking up the most successful defenses for the TNT title ever. He also headlined last month's Redemption event with AEW world champion Kenny Omega and looked credible in defeat.

He's been a member of The Don Callis Family since shortly after turning heel at Double or Nothing in May, the same show where he betrayed his buddy, Darby Allin. Seeds have been planted over the last month that this new sinister side of Knight isn't the real him and that he'll soon see the light once he's away from Callis.

Perhaps it's his obsession with the gold that has made him so arrogant, and once he loses it to Allin on AEW's biggest stage, he'll realize the error of his ways.

While such a significant development for his character would be premature at this stage, it isn't completely out of the question for Sunday's pay-per-view.

Nigel McGuinness Wins the AEW Continental Championship

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The ongoing Continental Challenge Cup has been a unique way of determining what the AEW Continental Championship match will be at All In, and as of this writing, only four wrestlers remain.

It will be either Jon Moxley or Claudio Castagnoli taking on Kyle O'Reilly or Nigel McGuinness for the title.

As the defending champ, Moxley should walk into the event with the belt, and seeing as how he already beat O'Reilly to retain the title in May, the finals of the tournament should be Moxley vs. McGuinness at All In.

In such a situation, Moxley would be automatically expected to emerge victorious, which would make an upset from McGuinness all the more surprising.

As noted, it was at All In two years ago that he returned to the ring for the first time since 2011 in front of his countrymen at Wembley Stadium. It would be huge for him to be the one to end Moxley's lengthy title reign on that same show two years later.

McGuinness may not be a full-time member of the active roster anymore, but it would be a fitting final chapter to his career as well as a memorable moment for those in attendance.

The New Day Win the AEW World Trios Titles with Swerve Strickland

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Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have been a hot topic of conversation among wrestling fans since receiving their release from WWE at the beginning of May.

They were always expected to have interest from AEW upon entering free agency, and now their debut may be imminent.

Swerve Strickland curiously teased challenging for the AEW World Trios Championship on a recent Dynamite. Since he doesn't currently have any established allies on the roster, it was safe for fans to assume that he could be enlisting the likes of the former New Day to go after the gold with him.

Kingston and Woods obviously belong in the tag team ranks, but there's nothing wrong with starting them out with Strickland to ensure them a spot on the show. Plus, Strickland and The New Day could turn out to be quite the formidable force.

The AEW World Trios title match for All In is not yet set in stone, but if it's some sort of multi-team affair featuring a variety of trios, look for Strickland and New Day to not only enter but also to leave as the new champions.

Mercedes Moné Fails Again

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Willow Nightingale and Mercedes Moné are no strangers to each other. They've collided in both New Japan Pro-Wrestling and in AEW and have traded wins over the NJPW Strong Women's Championship and the AEW TBS Championship.

At All In, they'll meet one-on-one yet again, this time for the AEW Women's World Championship. Nightingale won the title for the first time only a month ago at Redemption, while Moné secured her shot by capturing the women's Owen Hart Cup two years in a row.

All signs point to the third time being the charm for Moné (after failing in her previous opportunities at All In 2025 and Full Gear 2025) and her taking the title that has eluded her since her arrival in the promotion, but Nightingale retaining would be the more interesting outcome.

Moné falling short would force her "crash out" to continue, and effectively turn Nightingale from a perennial chaser to a certified champion. Moné ended Nightingale's TBS title run after only one month, but history shouldn't repeat itself here.

Nightingale will again have Moné's number and pull out the win against the odds.

Sheamus, Ilja Dragunov Debut in the Men's Casino Gauntlet

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The New Day may not be the only ones making their first-ever AEW appearance at All In this weekend at Wembley Stadium.

Two more familiar faces who recently left WWE on their own terms and are presumably exploring new ventures are Sheamus and Ilja Dragunov. Both men's contracts recently expired after not being featured on WWE TV for many months.

Sheamus and Dragunov were known for their intense, hard-hitting style during their time in WWE and would be perfect fits for the AEW landscape. If they are free and clear of any contractual obligation to WWE, why not have them show up during the men's Casino Gauntlet match at All In?

One of them alone would make an immediate impact, but putting them both in the same bout would be the bigger shocker of them all, similar to how Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson debuted in AEW within minutes of each other at All Out in 2021. They wouldn't be overshadowed provided they're in there for long enough and are allowed to have strong showings.

Sheamus and Dragunov being "All Elite" is inevitable, and there would be no better time or place for them to make their presence felt and potentially punch their ticket to AEW World Championship contention out of the gate.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.