The John Report: AEW WrestleDream 2024 Review

AEW All Out featured Bryan Danielson taking on Jon Moxley, Will Ospreay in a triple threat with Ricochet & Konosuke Takeshita, and more.

I am finishing this review on a Monday morning after the show took place on Saturday night. I only saw a few matches on Saturday night after being at a birthday party for a loved one. It’s Canada Thanksgiving long weekend here, so I relaxed on Sunday and treat it like a holiday, in which I spent all day with family having a good time. I didn’t think of wrestling for a day, which is nice. Here I am on Canada Thanksgiving Monday finishing up this review.

The big story going into this one is that if Bryan Danielson loses the AEW World Title to Jon Moxley then Bryan plans to retire as a full-time wrestler. Bryan has said he needs neck surgery and he’ll likely get it after retiring. With that said, Bryan has also said he’ll continue to wrestle on a part-time basis for many more years.

Here are the Zero Hour Pre-Show match results that aired on AEW’s Youtube channel so it was free for anybody to watch:

* Brian Cage defeated Atlantis Jr. to win the ROH World TV Championship. Cage won with his Drillclaw slam for the win.

* Anna Jay defeated Harley Cameron by pinfall. Jay hit a Gory Bomb for the win.

* The Acclaimed – Max Caster & Anthony Bowens (w/”Daddy Ass” Billy Gunn) defeated MxM Collection – Mansoor and Mason Madden (w/Rico) by pinfall. Gunn hit Rico with a Fameasser near the end of the match. Bowens hit The Arrival slam and Caster hit a Mic Check elbow drop off the top on Mansoor for the pinfall win.

* The Conglomeration – Orange Cassidy & Kyle O’Reilly (w/Rocky Romero) and The Outrunners – Turbo Floyd & Truth Magnum defeated The Dark Order – Alex Reynolds & John Silver (w/Evil Uno) and Premier Athletes – Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese (w/Mark Sterling & Josh Woods) by pinfall. Truth pinned Daivari after a double team powerslam.

Kazuchika Okada, the AEW Continental Champion, was interviewed backstage by Renee Paquette, who mentioned that Okada was cleared to compete. Okada wasn’t in a match at WrestleDream, but he said he was there to support The Elite. Kyle O’Reilly walked up to Okada asking for a match. Okada: “Let me think about it. Hell no…b**ch.” Kyle punched Okada and they got into a fight. Security broke it up while AEW EVP Christopher Daniels showed up to eject Okada and O’Reilly from the building.

As a reminder, I have reviewed every AEW PPV in company history over the last five-plus years. Let’s get to it.

AEW WrestleDream
Saturday, October 12, 2024
From the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington

It’s Saturday and you know what that means. It was Excalibur on commentary with Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness. There was no opening video package. They went right to the action. They had the lights on since it was a good sized crowd at a PPV compared to their TVs with smaller crowds. It’s nice to see the lights on to show the fans.

Jay White vs. “Hangman” Adam Page

White slapped Page a few times to make him angry. Page was in control against the turnbuckle and he pounded White with forearms to the back repeatedly. White wrenched on Page’s legs. White did a catapult to send Page into the bottom rope. Page sent White to the apron and Page did a springboard clothesline to knock White down to the floor. White charged at Page, who got a boot up and Page hit White with forearms to the back. Page gave White a fallaway slam into the turnbuckle. Page trapped White in a sleeper leading to a spinning slam. White sent Page to the apron, Page kicked White down and White moved into the corner to avoid a Buckshot Lariat attempt. White suplexed Page into the turnbuckle. White hit a running uppercut followed by a DDT for two. White and Page exchanged strikes, then Page charged and White hit a flatliner for two. White hit a German Suplex for two. Page wanted a superplex, so Page did the dreaded eye gouge and White came back with a chop so that Page was upside down against the turnbuckle. White did some eye gouging of his own. After White celebrated that, Page picked up White and hit a Death Valley Driver on the apron. Page punched White to the middle of the ring, but White avoided going into the middle of the ring and then Page hit White with an elbow strike. White wrenched the left knee against the middle rope. Page gave White a Powerbomb on the apron and a Powerbomb onto the steel steps. Ouch. Page and White fought outside the ring where Page punched White repeatedly. They were in the aisle where Page took off his belt to attack, but the referee tried to stop him. White gave Page a kneebreaker onto the ramp. They were out of the ring for about two minutes with the referee Paul Turner not counting and then Turner went into the ring to start counting. White stopped the count and then back out to bring Page back in the ring.

The match continued with White hitting a dragon screw leg whip. White nailed Page with a clothesline. White hit a uranage slam for a two count. White avoided the low blow by Page and White hit a Snapdragon Suplex. Page countered White leading to a Deadeye slam, which led to Page selling the left knee injury. Page tried a Buckshot Lariat, he was selling the knee injury, so there was hesitation and Page went for the Buckshot, but White caught Page leading to the Bladerunner for the pinfall win. It went 16:20.

Winner by pinfall: Jay White

Analysis: ***3/4 It was an entertaining match that told a good story with Page selling the left knee injury for most of it and then it cost him the match because Page wasn’t able to do the Buckshot Lariat properly. White wrestled a smart match by going after the knee constantly before he found a way to get the win. I feel bad for Page going from winning the main event of All Out to losing the opening match at this show. A more consistent push for Page would be nice, but it is a good sign for White’s future.

After the match, Juice Robinson appeared to celebrate with his buddy Jay White while Hangman had a crazy look in his eyes because he was mad about the loss.

A brief video aired setting up the Mariah May-Willow Nightingale match up next.

AEW Women’s World Championship: Mariah May vs. Willow Nightingale

Willow gave May a hiptoss across the ring followed by a body slam. May came back with a running dropkick. May charged at Willow, who hit a Pounce to knock the champion down. Willow chopped May a few times and then May tripped up Willow by the turnbuckle. May worked over Willow with punches and kicks. May hit another dropkick. May did a hair pull takedown. Willow bit May in the hair or at least that’s what we were supposed to believe. Willow came back with two hair pull takedowns in a row. Willow hit a running back splash, a clothesline and a kick to the face. Willow connected with a spinebuster for two. May countered a Willow move leading to a German Suplex for two. Willow trapped May on the mat with an Indian Deathlock submission on the legs. After letting May go, Willow hit a cannonball against the turnbuckle. Willow went up top, jumped off with a moonsault and May avoided it. May hit a missile dropkick off the top. May hit the May Day slam off the shoulders for two. They bounced off the ropes with May hitting a headbutt and then Willow connected with a clothesline, so then both women decided to sell after that. May avoided a slam and turned it into a victory roll for two, so Willow rolled on top for two. Willow kicked May in the face followed by Willow giving May a Death Valley Driver into the turnbuckle for two. Willow was on the turnbuckle, May went after her, Willow wanted a Powerbomb, but May countered with a top rope hurricanrana! That was impressive. May hit a running knee followed by the Storm Zero piledriver for the pinfall win at 10:50.

Winner by pinfall: Mariah May

Analysis: ***1/2 It was a very good match with the champion May hitting that impressive counter against the turnbuckle by hitting that hurricanrana. That was really cool to see. Willow impresses me in big matches like this one too, but I didn’t expect a title change here. May continuing her reign was the right call here.

A video aired to set up Jack Perry’s TNT Title defense against Katsuyori Shibata.

TNT Championship: Jack Perry vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Shibata grounded Perry and then Perry left the ring for a break. Shibata went for an armbar, Perry avoided that and Perry left the ring again. They were back in the ring as Perry hit a suplex for two. Perry tried some chops, Shibata no sold them and Shibata hit some hard chops to the chest. Shibata chopped Perry a few more times. Shibata kicked Perry in the head, Perry hit a clothesline and then Shibata hit a suplex. Perry spat in Shibata’s face. Perry hit some weak kicks to the chest, Shibata no sold those and Shibata hit a running knee. Shibata hit machine gun chops to the chest. Shibata went for a dropkick, Perry avoided it and Shibata hit a dropkick into the turnbuckle. They left the ring where Shibata suplexed Perry on the apron. Shibata hit a running dropkick along with a suplex for two. Shibata hit a running kick. Perry caught the leg to block a kick and Perry applied the Snare Trap submission, but Shibata got to the ropes to break. Perry gave Shibata a draping DDT from the apron onto the floor for a two count. Perry went for a running knee, Shibata blocked it and Shibata hit a Death Valley Driver. Shibata slammed perry onto the knee. Shibata applied a sleeper hold with a body scissors, Perry fell back on him and Shibata held onto the hold on the mat, so his shoulders were down and Perry was on top for the three count. The fans booed that ending. It went 9:20.

Winner by pinfall: Jack Perry

Analysis: **3/4 It was okay for a shorter match on an AEW PPV. Most of their matches go longer than this, so I was surprised it was as short as this. It was a bit of a cheap win for Perry since he countered a submission by Shibata and laid on top of him for the win. It’s also a crafty win for Perry. I didn’t think Shibata had a shot to win here and the crowd felt the same way since they were quiet for some of this match. I don’t think Perry’s run as TNT Champion has been very good at all.

After the match, Perry got back up and hit Shibata in the back with a forearm. Perry hit Shibata with a TNT Title shot to knock Shibata down. Perry wanted to do more, but Daniel Garcia went down to the ring for the save. Perry stared at Garcia in the ring and then Perry left with his TNT Title. Garcia stared at Perry from inside the ring.

Analysis: I think Daniel Garcia beating Jack Perry for the TNT Title before year’s end is a possibility. It will probably happen at Full Gear next month, but maybe the World’s End PPV in December. Garcia recently signed a new long-term contract with AEW, so it makes sense that the company would want to invest in Garcia by putting a title on him soon.

The music of MJF hit as Maxwell Jacob Friedman made his way down to the ring wearing dress clothes. MJF has been back since AEW All Out last month.

MJF got into the ring with Garcia for a staredown. Perry went back into the ring and Perry hit Garcia in the back of the head with the TNT Title. Perry left. MJF took his suit jacket off and MJF punched Garcia repeatedly.

MJF put on Garcia’s throat saying that the last time he saw Garcia, MJF defeated Garcia. MJF said he has gone on to make several movies and several millions. MJF said that apparently, Garcia had a bidding war while claiming that was about as real in 2024 as the Seattle SuperSonics, so the fans booed that because the Sonics don’t have a team. MJF said he found his missing Dynamite Diamond Ring and now Garcia is going to kiss it.

Adam Cole’s music hit as Cole made his return after about a year of being out of action. Cole ran down to the ring to show that he was fine from a broken ankle injury last year. When Cole got into the ring, MJF left the ring like a coward and MJF went into the crowd. Cole did his “Boom” pose with the fans chanting along for it. Cole spoke into the camera saying MJF was a dead man.

Analysis: Welcome back to Adam Cole. Last year Cole was a part of the Undisputed Kingdom group as a heel, but then when he briefly came back for an angle with MJF, it was MJF beating up Cole and now Cole is back for revenge. There are some logic holes in the story since Cole was a dastardly heel who turned on MJF last year, but Cole was injured so there was no follow up to that other than MJF beating up an injured Cole when MJF came back a few months ago, which the fans loved. Now Cole is back as a babyface seeking revenge for that attack. It’s a bit confusing, but I think Cole as a babyface on his own is the right way to go. The MJF-Garcia rivalry should continue as well, so we’ll see if MJF is going to be around on a more regular basis now.

A video package aired about the Will Ospreay-Ricochet-Konosuke Takeshita match.

AEW International Championship: Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet vs. Konosuke Takeshita

There are no countouts and no pinfalls in a triple threat match. Don Callis was on commentary to support his Don Callis Family athlete Konosuke Takeshita.

I missed the first few minutes so my apologies. I probably missed Will and Ricochet doing their gymnastics routine. Takeshita hit a DDT on the floor. Will hit an impressive handspring and dive over the top onto both opponents Will hit a springboard forearm that looked phenomenal for a two count. Ricochet attacked both opponents leading to a neckbreaker/DDT combo. Ricochet hit a running SSP to the ribs of Takeshita for two. Ricochet did a rolling attack, but Takeshita stopped that with a stiff forearm to knock him down. Will bounced off the ropes with a handspring kick to knock both guys down. A table was on the floor, so the three guys fought on the apron. Takeshita gave Will a Death Valley Driver on the apron. Ricochet hit a double knee attack on Takeshita on the apron. Back in the ring, Will hit a running Spanish Fly on Ricochet for two. Ricochet countered a move into a hurricanrana pin for two. Will went for Hidden Blade, but Ricochet caught him and hit a Powerbomb for two. Ricochet went for a 450 Splash, Will avoided it and Will hit a Styles Clash for two because Takeshita broke up the pin attempt. Takeshita hit Will with two slams including a German Suplex and a clothesline. Takeshita caught a leaping Ricochet and Takeshita hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Takeshita smashed both opponents with elbow smashes. Will and Ricochet slapped hands to signal that they were teaming up. There were strikes by Will and Ricochet, but Takeshita was back up with a forearm to the head. Takeshita charged, Will hit him with an enziguri kick and Takeshita blocked an Oscutter. Will managed to connect with an Oscutter and as soon as Will landed, Ricochet hit a 450 Splash off the top rope for two. Great nearfall.

They started spamming moves with Poison Rana’s back to back by Ricochet & Will and Takeshita hit a German Suplex on both guys at the same time. The fans were cheering. Takeshita cleared the ring leading to Takeshita hitting a somersault dive over the top on both guys. Back in the ring, Takeshita hit Ricochet with a lariat for two. Takeshita hit a running kick on Ricochet. Takeshita set up Ricochet on the top, but Will tripped up Takeshita there. Will gave Ricochet a hurricanrana onto Takeshita and Ricochet covered, so Will broke it up. Will hit a superkick Ricochet, but Ricochet hit a spinning kick to the head. Ricochet went up top and jumped off with a Shooting Star Press on Will. Takeshita hit a knee on Ricochet and Takeshita pinned both guys at the same time for a two count. Ricochet and Takeshita battled on the apron while there was a table on the floor. Ricochet kicked Takeshita and then a stomp to the head. Takeshita held Ricochet upside down on the apron and gave him a Tombstone Piledriver through the table. Back in the ring, Will hit a running elbow. Takeshita was up at one. Will hit Hidden Blade for two because Callis pulled the referee out of the ring. Callis tried to hit Will with a screwdriver, but Will blocked it. Will went for a move on Callis, but a guy in a hood went into the ring and hit Will with a screwdriver to the head. The hooded guy revealed that it was Kyle Fletcher, who is Will’s best friend. Will looked up at Fletcher as if to ask what was he doing? Takeshita hit a running knee on Will. Fletcher put the referee into the ring and Takeshita covered Ospreay for the pinfall win. It went 20:45.

Winner by pinfall AND NEW AEW International Champion – Konosuke Takeshita

Analysis: ****1/2 It was an excellent match that was one of the best AEW matches of the year. I just can’t go higher than that rating because of the cheap finish. The cheap finish fits the story because of Takeshita having Calls in his corner and then Fletcher turning on Ospreay is a big deal based on their friendship. These three guys all had some cool moves throughout the match while also making every counter look easy. I was really impressed by the moves and the counters that they were doing throughout the match. Ricochet was taken out by going through the table, but Ricochet did a have a few moments where it looked like he might win. This felt like the right time to take the title off Ospreay and Takeshita as the new champion is cool to see.

After the match, Will tried to get back to his feet, but Fletcher picked him up and Fletcher gave Will the Tiger Driver slam. Will was selling a left shoulder injury. Kyle did it safely, but obviously Will is going to sell it as a big deal.

Analysis: That should set up an Ospreay-Fletcher rivalry between the two former best friends. I don’t mind that because I like Fletcher’s potential.

Orange Cassidy was standing backstage with Renee Paquette so Jerry Lynn was there to talk to him. Lynn told Orange that he has stepped up and if he really wanted to, Orange could be the man around here. Hook walked up to Lynn to say that he should listen to Jerry because he was right. Orange didn’t say anything.

Let’s Hear from Swerve Strickland

Prince Nana was in the ring and he introduced the former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland. Swerve is back after taking over a month off and he’s from the state of Washington so he was in his home state. Nana asked “Whose House?” repeatedly so the fans chanted “Swerve’s House” repeatedly. Thank you Swerve for taking that “Whose House?” bit from my LA Rams.

Swerve thanked the fans for their support. Swerve gave a medical update talking about his medical issues while taking about the pain he put his body through and he said he was medically cleared. Swerve spoke about how he wanted to talk about his hometown and his people. Swerve claimed he wanted to talk about the past a bit as well as the future.

MVP showed up with Shelton Benjamin wearing suits. MVP said that Swerve didn’t call him back or answer his emails or DMs. MVP told Swerve he must be thinking about the decisions he has to make regarding his future. MVP and Benjamin got into the ring. MVP said that he believed in Swerve before he believed in himself. MVP said he was the one that said our future was in great hands. MVP told Swerve his career was floundering right now. MVP said he was great at taking former champions and helped them reach the top of the mountain again. MVP wanted to talk some business.

Swerve said hello to him. Swerve mentioned beating MVP in a great match in Defy. Swerve said he has watched MVP take great stars and helped them ascend. Shelton said that Benjamin was a big inspiration for him. Swerve said that 12 year old Swerve would love this moment. Swerve talked about how Shelton paved the way for black wrestlers to do what they do in this ring and that’s because of Shelton. Swerve said that the stuff that MVP is saying is not wrong. Swerve claimed he couldn’t remember what happened in the cage match because he was knocked out. Swerve said since being with Nana, he lost his childhood home and his championship. Swerve said on the other hand, he said he wouldn’t have all of those things to begin with if it wasn’t for Nana. Swerve told MVP the potential of what they could do in AEW is great and he loves power. Swerve said with MVP and Shelton Benjamin, there’s a lot they can do. Swerve spoke about how he’s seeing his wages go up a little bit while claiming still sells weed to kids outside of hotels. Swerve said that the biggest thing he had to say about Nana is that he is family. Swerve told MVP he doesn’t turn his back on family for anybody. Swerve told MVP to shove his business cards up his ass because Swerve isn’t interested.

Benjamin told Swerve he may have misread the situation. Benjamin said that they were telling Swerve that there is no Swerve without them, so you’re either with them or against them. Nana shoved Benjamin and then Benjamin shoved back. Several referees and Christopher Daniels went into the ring to break it up. Swerve’s music played to end it. Swerve and Nana hugged in the ring.

Analysis: It was a good segment to solidify the fact that Swerve was in full babyface mode while making it clear to MVP and Shelton that he didn’t want to work with them. The AEW debut of Bobby Lashley was possible for a segment like this, but it didn’t happen here and that’s fine because they can save it for another night.

It was announced that the TBS Champion Mercedes Mone will face Queen Aminata on AEW Dynamite because of a confrontation backstage on the pre-show.

It was Hologram facing The Beast Mortos up next, so there was a brief video to set it up.

They showed the Spanish announce team at ringside while plugging AEW’s new deal with Fox Sports Mexico.

2 Out Of 3 Falls Match: Hologram vs. “The Beast” Mortos

Hologram is undefeated in his AEW career. Hologram did an impressive armdrag off the ropes. They did a gymnastics routine with moves and counters leading to Hologram hitting an armdrag. Hologram sent a charging Mortos over the top to the floor. Hologram hit a tope suicida with a headbutt to the ribs while he connected with the move. Back in the ring, Mortos connected with the Slingblade two times followed by a popup Samoan Drop for two. Hologram countered a move off the top with a hurricanrana. Hologram hit a diving Crucifix Bomb off the top on Mortos followed by a crucifix pin for the first fall.

Hologram leads 1-0

Mortos was back up to his feet leading to a shoulder block that send Hologram out of the ring. Mortos hit a spinning dive through the ropes onto Hologram on the floor. Mortos gave Hologram a press slam onto the bottom of the ramp. The referee Aubrey Edwards was on the floor checking on Hologram instead of being in the ring and counting them out of the ring. Why? Because AEW refereeing is poor as I’ve written about for over five years. Back in the ring, Mortos covered Hologram for a two count. Mortos gave Hologram a belly-to-belly suplex into the turnbuckle. Mortos hung up Hologram upside down against the turnbuckle leading to Mortos hitting a running shoulder tackle to the ribs. Hologram sent Mortos out of the ring and Hologram hit a moonsault onto a standing Mortos on the floor. The referee was counting them out of the ring this time, what about last time? Theat’s my issue. The lack of consistency. Anyway, the wrestlers were back into the ring leading to Hologram hitting a reverse rana spiking Mortos into the mat. Mortos hit a backbreaker and a Powerbomb onto the knee for another backbreaker-style move. Mortos hit a lariat for the pinfall. It was noted by Tony that it was the first time Hologram had been pinned in AEW, but it was not the end of the match.

The match is tied 1-1

Mortos hit discus clothesline for a two count. Hologram set up Mortos on the top rope and Mortos tried a move, but Hologram hit a headscissors off the top rope. Hologram hit a jumping kick to the head. Hologram did another kick to the head while Mortos was on the apron. Hologram gave Mortos a Reverse Rana on the apron, which was a crazy move that was executed perfectly. Hologram went to the top rope and did a somersault dive onto a standing Mortos on the floor. Ouch. They went back in the ring where Hologram hit a double foot stomp off the top rope. Hologram went for a 450 Splash, but Mortos got the knees up to block. Hologram countered a charging Mortos with a Spanish Fly style tackle and Mortos didn’t sell it so he could hit a clothesline. They decided to sell after that. They went to the top rope where Mortos gave Hologram a press slam. It’s an impressive move, but the way the spot is set up doesn’t look very realistic. Mortos hit a backbreaker and a powerbomb onto the knee again. Mortos hit a discus clothesline for two, so Hologram kicked out of the sequence that Mortos won with earlier. They were back on the top rope (again) as Hologram hit a top rope hurricanrana. Hologram jumped off the top with a swan diving Crucifix Bomb and a crucifix pin for two. Hologram picked up Mortos and hit a spinning Powerbomb for the pinfall win at 16:40. Hologram is 15-0 in AEW.

Winner: Hologram (2-1)

Analysis: ***1/2 I thought it was an entertaining match. Mortos is a bigger dude, but he moves around the ring so well. Hologram is very exciting to watch. The first two falls were okay and then it really picked in the final fall, which is typical for a 2/3 falls match. The selling in matches like this is so inconsistent. I don’t really like spots where Mortos hit three big moves in a row and then three seconds later, Hologram is hitting a top rope hurricanrana like he didn’t just take a Powerbomb backbreaker and clothesline. More consistent selling would be nice to see. Hologram remains undefeated in AEW and I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins one of the many AEW titles very soon.

The Darby Allin-Brody King match was up next so there was a video to set it up.

A video was shown of Allin on the streets with his skateboard while wearing his ridiculous-looking pink coat. Allin was shown skating up to the building. It was probably filmed a day or two before. Allin made his entrance after that.

Brody King vs. Darby Allin

Darby Allin is from Seattle, Washington so he got a hometown (or home state) pop. Allin beat King in a Coffin Match, but he has never pinned or submitted King, according to Excalibur, who mentioned that King had beaten Allin seven times.

King didn’t sell Allin’s chops and King tossed Allin out of the ring. King tossed Allin into the barricade at ringside. King moved the steel steps, Allin jumped on King’s back and King backed Allin into the barricade. King nailed Allin with a hard chop. Allin jumped off the steel steps and King flattened him with a stiff forearm to the head. King put Allin under the steel steps and King walked up the steps on Allin. Referee Paul Turner left the ring and then went back in the ring to start a count. Tony Schiavone credited the referee for seeing enough and starting a count. In reality, the referee should have been starting the count much earlier. Anyway, back in the ring King hit a senton splash on his smaller opponent for a two count. King continued the attack with a hard chop to the chest. King chopped Allin again. King tossed Allin across the ring followed by a running splash against the turnbuckle. King went for a running cannonball, but Allin pulled himself up by the turnbuckle and King went to the floor. Allin hit a suicide dive onto King on the floor. Allin hit a somersault dive onto King on the floor. Allin hit a Coffin Drop off the top onto a standing King on the floor. Back in the ring, Allin hit a Code Red on King for two. Allin jumped on King’s back on the apron so King fell backward in a backpack slam on the apron. Nigel pointed out that Allin’s left arm hit the apron first, which looked painful. King choked Allin while against the ropes.

King tossed Allin back into the ring. When Allin got up, King chopped him down. Allin slapped King in the head a few times and Allin jumped off the ropes, so King caught him. King chopped Allin in the back followed by a German Suplex across the ring. King gave Allin a German Suplex from the middle turnbuckle and he did it perfectly by tossing Allin across the ring. King gave Allin another German Suplex from the middle turnbuckle and King did a slow cover for two. King teased a move onto the steel steps, but Allin fought back with headbutts and Allin shoved King backward so he landed back first onto the top of the steel steps. Allin did a Coffin Drop off the top onto King on the steps. The fans chanted “Holy Shit” for that and it was deserved. King made it back in the ring right before the referee’s ten count. Allin jumped off the top and hit a Coffin Drop for the pinfall win at 12:20.

Winner by pinfall: Darby Allin

Analysis: ***3/4 I enjoyed the match. It’s a simple story when Allin is in a match because he’s physically smaller than most of his opponents. There are some AEW matches where they don’t have much of a story because it’s spot after spot, but at least in Allin matches, there is usually a story. That’s why I like Allin matches more than most of the wrestlers in AEW because he understands the importance of selling. This is also an example of how you don’t need 20+ minutes to have a four star level match. It’s about pacing and story. Also, selling is so important. Allin gets that as well as anybody in AEW. King is really good in his role as a powerhouse who can move around the ring well. I wouldn’t mind a singles push for King because he’s very believable as a performer. Allin got the win to get some momentum back after the recent loss to Moxley.

Darby Allin pulled himself up against the turnbuckle while King did the same. Excalibur put it over as a big deal since Allin had never pinned King before. King extended his hand and Allin shook it as a sign of respect. The fans applauded that.

The AEW Tag Team Title match was next so the video aired to set up The Young Bucks against Private Party.

The Young Bucks duo of Matthew & Nicholas Jackson made their entrance first as the AEW World Tag Team Champions. Excalibur thinks The Young Bucks are in the conversation as one of the best tag teams ever. I don’t agree with that, but he’s very biased. They showed Top Flight and friends sitting in the front row.

Prior to Private Party’s entrance, their mentor Amazing Red was featured in a video talking about how Private Party needs to realize it’s not a party anymore and they need to get serious so they can win the Tag Team Titles. During Private Party’s entrance, Stokely Hathaway was shown at ringside with a scowl on his face because Private Party turned him down as their manager.

Analysis: A cool video to try to tell the story that Private Party is more serious now.

Matthew Jackson of the Young Bucks did a promo saying we know Private Party beat the Bucks five years ago. Matt said five years later, this is the biggest match of their entire careers. Matt said that Private Party has done absolutely nothing in the five years since that win. Matt said that they will always be a midcard act and the closest they will get to these titles is sniffing them in their faces. Private Party punched the Bucks so the Bucks regrouped on the floor and teased walking out on the match. Private Party went after the Bucks so the Bucks hit double superkicks and a neckbreaker on Quen on the ramp. Zay hit a DDT/flatliner combo on the ramp. Quen hit a dive on the Bucks off the top of the entrance tunnel.

Analysis: What Matthew said about Private Party doing nothing for five years is an example of AEW’s booking of the tag team division. They should have pushed these guys a lot sooner. I know Quen had an injury and was out for a long time, but it’s nice to see them being used better now.

AEW World Tag Team Championships: The Young Bucks – Matthew & Nicholas Jackson vs. Private Party – Zay & Quen

The match started with Zay hitting a cross body block on Nick for two. Nick came back with a facebuster into the mat. Quen blocked a kick from Nick and then Quen did a double hurricanrana on both Bucks. Zay hit a twisting tornedo dive over the top on both Bucks. Quen hit a neckbreaker while legal man Zay hit a Swanton Bomb for two because Matt broke up the pin. Matt tagged in leading to a neckbreaker and the Bucks hit a double superkick on Quen. Zay was in illegally as the Bucks countered a move leading to a double superkick. The Bucks hit a double back elbow on Quen. Quen hit a jumping back kick on Nick. Matt was in illegally so that Quen could avoid both Bucks and bring in Zay. Zay hit an impressive dropkick on both Bucks. Zay kicked Matt in the head followed by Zay hitting a springboard moonsault onto Nick on the floor. Back in the ring, Zay hit a springboard DDT for two. Zay went for a hurricanrana, but Matt countered it with a Powerbomb into the turnbuckle. Zay avoided a double team move leading to a headscissors. Zay countered Nick’s facebuster by landing on his feet, so Zay hit a springboard DDT for two on Nick. Private Party went for the Silly String and then Zay took down Matt on the floor with a hurricanrana. Nick followed up with a moonsault off the top onto both PP guys on the floor. The Bucks sent Quen over the barricade near where Top Flight was. Nick hit a moonsault off the barricade onto Quen on the floor. Zay shoved Matt into Nick and Zay hit a reverse rana. Nick hit a Canadian Destroyer on Zay, but it was mostly Zay taking the bump on the floor. Quen hit a 450 Splash off the barricade on Nick. All four guys were down on the floor. If AEW had good refereeing then they would have been out for too long since it was over a minute, but then everybody got back in before the world’s slowest nine count. The fans were dead quiet.

Nick and Zay did a spot where they held hands, then went up top together and Nick jumped off the top with a Cutter for two. Quen blocked a TK Driver attempt and Zay rolled up Matt for a two count. Quen jumped off the top with a neckbreaker on Matt while Zay hit a DDT on Nick as well. The fans barely reacted as all four guys were down on the mat. Nick hit a diving double foot stomp on Queen after Matt held Quen in place. The Bucks hit a double superkick on Quen. After Quen stopped a double team move, Zay was in illegally for a jumping leg lariat. Private Party hit their double team Gin N Juice move that ended with a Cutter as Quen got a two count. The fans woke up with a “Private Party” chant. Private Party did the More Bang For Your Buck combo that the Bucks use and that got a two count. All four guys were in the ring again (because AEW) and Matt saved Nick from a double team move. Nick hit a dropkick that led to Zay hitting a reverse rana on Quen because of how they were positioned. Nick jumped off the top with a missile dropkick on Queen into a senton Zay. The Bucks hit the EVP Trigger double knee on Zay for two. Queen was superkicked and dumped on the floor after that. Both Bucks were in the ring illegally again (what’s the point of the referee?) Zay avoided a double knee attack so Zay cradled Matt for two. Matt got a hold of Jay and Nick jumped off the ropes for the TK Driver for the pinfall win at 15:50.

Winners by pinfall: The Young Bucks – Matthew & Nicholas Jackson

Analysis: ***1/4 It was a fun match at times, but there were also moments where the fans were dead quiet. I just don’t think AEW has done enough to build up Private Party as contenders. You need more of a story than “they beat the Bucks five years ago.” Even though the Bucks got the win here, I think Private Party will win the titles before the end of the year whether it’s at Full Gear or World’s End or another show I’m not a huge Young Bucks fan, but I’ve reviewed all their PPV matches in AEW and their matches are usually better than this. I think Isiah Kassidy aka Zay has improved a lot in the last five years and he could probably be a singles star although I assume he’ll stay in a tag team. Also, as usual for a Young Bucks match, they did a lot of illegal offense in the match where both guys were in the ring, which is why I didn’t rate it higher.

After the match, the camera stayed on Private Party in the ring while Zay had his head in his hands looking sad about the loss. Quen hugged Zay while the fans cheered, but it was not a loud applause.

Analysis: As I said above, I think Private Party will win the titles next month or maybe December. I don’t mind the loss here if it leads to a better story.

A video aired about the ROH World Title match between Mark Briscoe and Chris Jericho.

The great Jim Ross joined the commentary team for the final two matches so it’s a four-man commentary team.

Ring Of Honor World Championship: Mark Briscoe vs. Chris Jericho (w/Big Bill)

Jericho hit a Codebreaker in the first minute and Mark kicked out of that easily. Mark knocked Jericho out of the ring leading to a suplex on the floor. Mark jumped off the apron and hit an elbow drop on Jericho on the floor. Mark put a chair in the ring and Jericho tossed it aside. Excalibur mentioned ROH having a 20-count on the floor rather than a traditional 10-count and Mark is used to that. The problem with Excalibur saying that is referee Aubrey Edwards wasn’t counting at all, which is an example of AEW’s shitty refereeing yet again. Mark hit a dive onto Jericho on the floor. Mark put Jericho on the floor and hit a Blockbuster neckbreaker on the floor. The crowd barely reacted. Big Bill hit Mark with a boot to the face while Jericho was distracting the referee. Bill set up a table at ringside, so Orange Cassidy showed up and punched Bill with the Orange Punch three times in a row, so they went to the back. Jericho punched Mark on the floor, but Mark came back with a belly-to-back slam on the apron. Mark hit a rolling senton in the ring. They moved to the apron where Jericho suplexed Mark from the apron to the floor. Jericho stomped on Mark on the floor a bit and sent Mark back into the ring. Jericho chopped Mark a few times. Mark blocked a charging attack, but then Mark punched Jericho in the throat. Jericho set up Mark on the top rope leading to a hurricanrana aka Frankensteiner off the top. Mark came back by hitting two running forearm smashes. Mark hit Jericho with an uppercut followed by a Fisherman’s Buster for a two count. Jericho countered a move leading into a Walls of Jericho although it was more of a traditional Boston Crab submission, which led to Mark breaking free by grabbing the bottom rope. While Mark was up against the ropes, Bryan Keith hit Mark with a bat to the head (the referee never saw it) and Jericho covered Mark for two. Rocky Romero showed up to fight with Keith and they went fighting to the back. Mark jumped off the chair in the ring and hit a somersault dive onto Jericho, who went crashing through the table that was against the announcer’s table.

They were back in the ring where Mark went for the Froggy Bow off the top, but Jericho hit a Codebreaker for a two count. The crowd barely reacted to it. Jericho teased a Judas Effect, Mark avoided it and teased a Jay Driver. Mark charged at Jericho, who hit a Judas Effect elbow. Jericho didn’t attempt a cover. Jericho teased going for a Jay Driller and Jericho connected with it. Jericho covered for just a two count, which did get a reaction from the fans. Jericho delivered punches while Mark no sold them on his way to do a babyface fire up. Mark did some punches along with an uppercut. Mark hit a rolling senton near the ropes. Mark went up top and hit a Froggy Bow elbow. Mark didn’t cover and instead pointed to the sky to acknowledge his late brother Jay. Mark hit a Jay Driller of his own for the pinfall win at 15:20.

Winner by pinfall: Mark Briscoe

Analysis: ***1/4 I thought it was a solid match between two veterans. Mark winning the match was the result I expected. I have been reviewing Jericho matches for over 20 years and he is clearly slowing down, but it was still a three star level match for a guy in his early 50s. That’s impressive to me. The finish made sense because Jericho mentioned the late Jay Briscoe in the build up to this match, so Mark hitting Jay’s Jay Driller move was the right way to end the match. The crowd wasn’t into it the whole way, but they cared in the final moments.

The next AEW PPV is Full Gear on Saturday, November 23 in Newark, New Jersey.

There was a video package about the Bryan Danielson-Jon Moxley match for the AEW World Title.

Jon Moxley made his entrance first for the AEW World Title match joined by Marina Shafir, who is the wife of Roderick Strong and the on-screen ally of Moxley. I believe Moxley has only won one AEW match in the past four months, but here he is in a PPV main event.

Bryan Danielson was up next as the AEW World Champion, but Moxley attacked Bryan while Bryna was on the turnbuckle. Bryan managed to fight back. Bryan went for a running knee, but Moxley blocked him with a forearm. The Final Countdown song from Bryan’s entrance was still playing. Moxley grabbed a cable from under the ring and choked Bryan with it. Bryan came back with some cable choking of his own. Shafir jumped on Bryan’s back, so Bryan tossed her down. Moxley hit Bryan with a clothesline on the floor. Moxley brought a chair into the ring, so Bryan dropkicked the chair into Moxley’s face. The referee called for the bell.

Analysis: That was a wild sequence and it was before the match even began.

AEW World Championship: Bryan Danielson vs. Jon Moxley (w/Marina Shafir)

Bryan hit an overhead suplex and he hit a running Busaiko knee on Moxley for a two count. Moxley left the ring, so Bryan jumped off the top rope onto Moxley on the floor. Moxley went back in the ring and onto the floor on the other side. Bryan hit a suicide dive onto Moxley on the floor. They were on the Spanish announce table where Bryan kicked Moxley in the chest repeatedly. Moxley did a thumb to the eye. Moxley hit a piledriver onto the commentary table. The referee Bryce Remsburg checked on Bryan rather than administer a countout. Moxley choked Bryan with a cable until the referee made him stop. The back of Bryan’s neck had tape on it, so Moxley elbowed the back of the neck. Shafir delivered knees to Bryan’s head/neck area while the referee was looking at Moxley. The offense from Moxley continued with a stomp to Bryan’s neck. Moxley chopped Bryan multiple times. Bryan came back with chops, so Moxley nailed him with a forearm. Moxley held Bryan’s arms followed by some stomps to the head. Moxley hit a neckbreaker. Moxley delivered multiple elbow smashes to the neck. Shafir got more cheap shot knees on Bryan that the referee didn’t see because Moxley was preventing the referee from seeing it. Moxley did some finger snapping. Marina Shafir pulled the mat off the floor to expose the cement. Moxley put his foot on Bryan’s neck by the steel steps. Moxley tried a piledriver on the exposed cement, but Bryan backed out of it with a back body drop on the floor. Bryan went up top, Moxley went after him there and Moxley pulled the tape off the back of the neck. Moxley even bit Bryan’s back, which is gross but I guess that’s the point. Bryan tripped up Moxley and bit Mox in the forehead. Bryan worked over Moxley with kicks followed by Bryan hitting a running dropkick. They battled on the turnbuckle where Bryan connected with a Spider German Suplex. Bryan pulled himself back up and Bryan went for a headbutt, but Moxley avoided it. Moxley hit The Stomp for a two count. Moxley applied the Bulldog Choke until he decided to let go. Moxley applied a side headlock on the mat. Bryan was able to get back up to his feet and Bryan rolled right into a piledriver of his own.

They both took their time to get back up to their feet so that they could have a staredown in the ring. They traded forearm smashes to the face. It took a while for them to start selling as the fans chanted “boo” and “yes” for the strikes. Moxley went for a running kick, but Bryan blocked the kick. Bryan hit a running clothesline. Bryan managed to take control with a barrage of kicks to the body along with a roundhouse kick to the head. Shafir held Bryan’s foot, so the referee Bryce Remsburg saw that and ejected Shafir from ringside. As Bryan approached Moxley, it led to Moxley hitting a Cutter. Bryan hit a German Suplex followed by a Busaiko Knee for a two count. Bryan held onto Moxley’s arms leading to repeated stomps to the head. Bryan applied the LeBell Lock, Moxley got near the ropes, Bryan held onto the right arm as well and Moxley managed to get his foot on the ropes to break the hold. Moxley left the ring, Bryan tried a suicide dive and Moxley hit a Death Rider DDT-like move on the floor. Moxley sent Bryan into the ring and covered for just two. Moxley jumped on Bryan’s back going for a sleeper, so Bryan went to the turnbuckle and Bryan fell back with a backpack slam for two. Bryan managed to get more offense with strikes followed by another Busaiko Knee for a two count again. Bryan charged at Moxley, so Moxley nailed him with two lariats in a row. Moxley hit Bryan with the Death Rider, but Bryan kicked out at just a one count. That popped the crowd. Moxley picked up Bryan and told him don’t make him do it. Moxley hit a Gotch-style piledriver that’s sometimes called a cradle piledriver. Bryan applied a sleeper hold and took Bryan down to the mat with Moxley legs wrapped around the waist. Bryan sold it like he was passed out , so referee Bryce Remsburg called for the bell. Jon Moxley is the AEW World Champion again. It went 27:02. That was the longest match on the show.

Winner by submission AND NEW AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley

Analysis: **** It was a very good match, but I don’t know if I’d call it some epic match that’s at the level of the top matches that these guys have had in AEW. Moxley wore down Bryan throughout the match, Bryan tried to fight back and eventually, Moxley was just too much for him. I liked the intensity shown by both guys and how it felt like a fight from the beginning of the match. There were a lot of nearfalls for big moves of course, but I like the idea that Moxley didn’t win by pinfall. Instead, it was a submission move that wore Bryan out and Bryan passed out meaning the referee had to call for the bell because Bryan wouldn’t quit on his own. I liked the story of the match. I’m not shocked by the title change because I think AEW loves putting the World Title on Moxley and now that he’s this despicable heel character, it gives him a lot of power.

Jon Moxley was on his knees in the ring looking at a fallen Bryan. Referee Bryce Remsburg was handed the AEW World Title and Moxley took the AEW World Title. Claudio Castagnoli, Pac and Marina Shafir joined Moxley in the ring. Moxley handed the AEW World Title to Claudio, who put the title in a bag. Moxley had a plastic bag in his hand, but Wheeler Yuta and Darby Allin with a chair showed up for the save, so the heels retreated. When Allin turned around, Yuta hit a running knee on Allin. Pac put his boot against Allin’s throat and Shafir used duct tape to tape Allin’s wrists to the ropes.

Jon Moxley handed the plastic bag to Wheeler Yuta and then Danielson backed into Yuta, which led to Yuta putting the plastic bag around Bryan’s head. Yuta told Bryan to stop moving. There were some skinny security guys trying to get in there and some other wrestlers, but Moxley’s group was fighting them off. Guys like Jeff Jarrett and Private Party tried to help, but they were beaten up.

Claudio Castagnoli put a steel chair around Danielson’s neck and Moxley did a hand gesture, so then Claudio stomped on the chair that was on Bryan’s neck. The AEW locker room finally emptied out. JR: “Where the hell have you guys been?” A fair question. The babyface wrestlers went into the ring, so Moxley and friends ran away in the back part of the arena. Darby Allin was freed from the tape that was used to tape him to the turnbuckle.

Bryan Danielson was placed on a board while the EMTs checked on him. The fans chanted “Thank You Bryan” while Excalibur was choked up trying to speak. Tony Schiavone called this the worst scene he has ever seen in his life. JR called it a scary situation that affected so many people. They showed Bryan in the ring getting looked at while Allin was at ringside with Orange Cassidy looking stunned by it all. That was the end of the show.

Analysis: I think AEW really enjoys doing these shock angles hoping that it’s going to get them a lot of attention. They want people to talk about a guy getting a bag put on his head and having to be put on a stretcher afterward because they think that going to extremes like that is a good idea. I’m not a big fan of the idea, but I get why they do it because they think they need to try crazy shit like that to get more attention for the company. Their thinking is that if you do things that another wrestling promotion would never do then the idea is that it might be considered “cool” by fans. I think a noteworthy part of this was JR asking where the others have been because here is this beloved babyface AEW World Champion being attacked in a gruesome way and it took five minutes for the other talent to get out there. I get that Moxley’s group is scary and sometimes you need to throw logic out the window to allow a story to take place, but it doesn’t make Bryan look good to have nobody try to help the guy when he’s being suffocated. The way this was done makes me think there will be a long-term angle where Darby Allin is the one who beats Moxley for the AEW World Title since Allin is considered the “heart of AEW” and he was the one who actually tried to help Danielson.

Anyway, we know that this is the end of Bryan Danielson as a full-time wrestler. Technically he’s a free agent as well, but it’s expected that he’ll stay with AEW long term. Bryan has also said he’s going to need neck surgery and after that, he’ll probably wrestle again. We’ll see him in a part-time role that leads to a few matches in a year.

AEW WrestleDream had a runtime of 3:59:53 on pay-per-view.

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Five Stars of the Show

1. Bryan Danielson – Just because it’s the end of his full-time run as a pro wrestler. We don’t know when he’ll come back from this because if he has neck surgery then it’s going to be a long time until he wrestles again.
2. Konosuke Takeshita-Will Ospreay-Ricochet
3. Jon Moxley
4. Jay White-Hangman Page
5. Darby Allin

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Final Thoughts

It gets a 7.75 out of 10 from me.

I liked WrestleDream for the most part, but I don’t think it was as good as their better PPVs this year. The company obviously loves the shock factor story because after Jon Moxley beat Bryan Danielson to win the AEW World Title, poor Bryan was turned on by Wheeler Yuta, who suffocated Bryan with a bag over his head. That’s the second “bag over head” for Bryan on a PPV this year. Poor Bryan barely had anybody in AEW come out to try to help him until it was several minutes later. It gets heat on Moxley’s group, so I understand why it’s done. I don’t feel like it’s a great storyline, but we’ll see how it develops and if a babyface like Darby Allin can take the title from Moxley in the future.

The Will Ospreay triple threat match with Ricochet and Konosuke Takeshita was the best of the bunch although the cheap finish keeps it from being as good as Will’s better matches. I don’t mind the story they told with Kyle Fletcher turning on best friend Will to help Takeshita win the AEW International Title, though. That’s a good story. Other matches were very good like Darby Allin’s win over Brody King and Jay White beating Adam Page. Other matches felt just average to me.

The non-wrestling segments were a mixed bag. I wasn’t that interested in Swerve Strickland turning down MVP’s guidance, but it should lead to Bobby Lashley showing up to attack Swerve to set up that rivalry. It was nice to see MJF back because he’s arguably the best performer in AEW and it looks like Adam Cole is finally ready to return to the ring after one year away.

There were several points in the show where the crowd was dead quiet at times when you think they might be making noise. That’s the problem with doing a 5.5-hour show (counting the pre-show). There have been so many AEW PPVs I have reviewed where the fans were hot the entire night and then for this one it just wasn’t like that. At least it was a bigger crowd than a typical Dynamite so they kept the lights on rather than hiding the lack of fans with darkness. This is not me taking a shot at AEW for having smaller crowds. It’s me telling AEW to book smaller arenas and don’t turn the lights off because it’s depressing to watch. Anyway, I hope things get better, but they need better long-term storylines.

Here are my AEW PPV reviews of 2024 so far:

Revolution: 9 out of 10 – March 3 (Sting & Darby Allin vs. The Young Bucks)

All Out – 8.25 – September 7 (“Hangman” Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland)

All In London – 8.25 – August 25 (Bryan Danielson vs. Swerve Strickland)

Double Or Nothing 8.25 – May 27 (Anarchy In The Arena: The Elite – The Young Bucks, Kazuchika Okada & Jack Perry vs. Team AEW – Bryan Danielson, FTR & Darby Allin)

Dynasty: 8.25 – April 21 (Swerve Strickland vs. Samoa Joe)

WrestleDream: 7.75 – October 12 (Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson)

Forbidden Door: 7.5 – June 30 (Swerve Strickland vs. Will Ospreay)

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