In a surprising and emotional moment, veteran Dustin Rhodes captured his first-ever AEW singles title, winning the vacant TNT Championship at All In. The victory occurred in his home state of Texas inside Globe Life Field.
The title was vacated just hours before the event after it was announced that champion Adam Cole was not medically cleared to compete. In an emotional in-ring promo, Cole announced he was out of action due to an injury and was unsure about his future in wrestling.
This unforeseen development led to the creation of a four-way match to determine the new champion. The match featured the original challenger, Kyle Fletcher, alongside Rhodes’ own tag team partner, Sammy Guevara, and Daniel Garcia.
The match itself was a chaotic encounter. At one point, all three of Rhodes’ opponents executed his own signature “Unnatural Kick” against him. The finish came down to a moment of miscommunication between the tag team partners, as Guevara inadvertently struck Rhodes. Garcia attempted to take advantage of the situation, but Rhodes countered his dragon tamer submission attempt into a flash pin for the victory.
Following the pinfall, a visibly emotional Rhodes was presented with the championship. His nephews, Wyatt and Wayne Rhodes, came to the ring to celebrate with him, along with Ross and Marshall Von Erich. Despite the tension during the match, Guevara eventually shook the new champion’s hand, concluding a significant night in Dustin Rhodes’ storied career.