TJRWrestling AEW WrestleDream 2025 Preview
It’s AEW WrestleDream with Hangman Page facing Samoa Joe, Kris Statlander against Toni Storm, a Jon Moxley-Darby Allin “I Quit” Match, and more.
AEW WrestleDream takes place this Saturday, October 18th, in St. Louis with a card featuring some big title matches and a huge “I Quit” Match that should be a bloody mess. It’s the third AEW WrestleDream PPV and will be the third last PPV of the year since Full Gear is in November and Worlds End is in December.
There are some big names missing from this card, like Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland, who are out of action due to injuries. Meanwhile, Kenny Omega is healthy, but he’s not in a match. There’s also no MJF, who has movie commitments keeping him busy. I think the show is hurt by some of those big names missing, but it’s still a deep roster.
In addition to the WrestleDream PPV matches, there are also four matches on the Tailgate Brawl episode of Collision before WrestleDream.
* FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) (with Stokely) vs. JetSpeed (“Speedball” Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight)
* Roderick Strong and The Conglomeration (Orange Cassidy, Kyle O’Reilly, and Tomohiro Ishii) vs. Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Daniel Garcia, and Pac)
* Harley Cameron and Willow Nightingale vs. Divine Vanity (Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford)
* Eddie Kingston and Hook vs. TBA
I’m not previewing any of those since they are airing on TV as a pre-show. I only watch the PPV.
There is also a Mercedes Mone match that was added to the show, where she’ll defend the TBS Championship against any champion. I pick Mone to win.
AEW WrestleDream is available on PPV, which you can watch in a number of different ways. I plan on watching and writing about it live, most likely on Prime Video or maybe YouTube. I wish the price was lower, but it is what it is and I’m happy to support AEW while doing my job. Let’s get to it.
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Thekla vs. Jamie Hayter
It is rare for AEW to put a women’s match on a PLE without a title on the line, but that’s obviously a good sign for the health of the women’s division. They are building to the first Women’s AEW Blood & Guts Match in about a month with Hayter issuing the challenge. Thekla has got her Triangle of Madness group with Julia Hart and Skye Blue, so we’ll see Hayter get some allies as the story builds and leads to two teams at Blood & Guts. I’ll go with the heel Thekla winning thanks to her allies because then it can build the story with Hayter gaining friends of her own to set up Blood & Guts. They could have Hayter win, then Thekla and friends attack after the match, but I think it’s better for the story if Hayter loses.
Winner: Thekla
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Tornado Trios Match: The Demand (Ricochet, Bishop Kaun, and Toa Liona) vs. The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP)
This feud just keeps on going. I write nearly every week that it seems like Bobby Lashley is bored in AEW as a tag team wrestler and I still feel that way. I know the man is close to 50 and probably doesn’t want to work long singles matches as much as he used to, but I think with the right push, Lashley is still a main event level guy, instead of a tag team wrestler. With that said, I do like The Hurt Syndicate for the most part. Other than the botched storyline with MJF that took up way too much TV time, I have enjoyed the group.
At AEW All Out, The Demand won thanks to Ricochet’s Spirit Gun clothesline, which doesn’t look devastating at all, but it’s a move that he can do on anybody no matter how big they are. I think the rematch is being done as a Tornado Tag to have The Hurt Syndicate get the win to end the feud. I’ll go with them. I also think The Demand will be fine even if they lose and are probably future AEW Trios Champions.
Winners: The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP)
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$500K Match: The Young Bucks – Matt & Nick Jackson vs. Jurassic Express – “Jungle” Jack Perry & Luchasaurus
The story is that The Young Bucks are bad with money because they won $500k previously, but dumbass Nick blew it gambling without Matt around to stop his brother from doing it. Is it a great and compelling wrestling storyline? No, not really. It’s Young Bucks “comedy” that is about as lame as a bad 1980s sitcom on a Friday night, but they have the power to do what they want in AEW, so here we are.
I think the match should be very good because Jurassic Express are reunited and have the fans behind them. Perry will probably be the face in peril for most of it, Luchasaurus will likely make the hot tag and clean house, and go from there. Since Jurassic Express were recently reunited, I’m picking them to win because it gives them some momentum that should lead to them being in the Tag Team Title picture soon. Meanwhile, the Bucks will continue to agonize over being “broke” as their bad comedy angle continues.
Winners: Jurassic Express – “Jungle” Jack Perry & Luchasaurus
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TNT Championship: Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Mark Briscoe
They have a history together, and now the TNT Title is on the line as Mark looks to win his biggest singles title in AEW, not counting the ROH World Title. This is why Briscoe won his feud with MJF last month, because it was done to build him up for this match. That’s the right way to book shows because people should be rewarded for winning feuds.
I think Fletcher is absolutely awesome as an in-ring performer, and you know he’s going to deliver a great match on a PPV like this. They always give him plenty of time for his matches, which feature a lot of cool moves. Sometimes I think he could sell moves better, but he’ll improve as he gets older. Briscoe is a beloved figure whom the fans adore, so the fans should be behind him here. I don’t see a title change happening because I think it’s still early in Fletcher’s long title reign. I can see Fletcher holding the TNT Title for at least six months, or maybe up to a year.
Winner: Kyle Fletcher
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AEW Tag Team Championships: Brodido – Brody King & Bandido (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita
I think this might be the best match on the show in terms of match quality. King and Bandido have struck gold together as a team and are so fun to watch. They have undeniable chemistry even though they look so different. They just click when the bell rings. The Okada/Takeshita story is that they are both guys with big egos who are so talented in the ring, but they don’t love working together because there’s jealousy of the other guy. Perhaps they will win the titles as a dysfunctional team. I’m not predicting that, though.
This feels like the kind of match where Okada and Takeshita are going to come close to winning multiple times, but they will come up short and then have issues after the match. Brodido should keep the titles for at least another month or two. I think Takeshita may turn babyface by leaving the extremely large Don Callis Family, and that would set up his rivalry with Okada, which would lead to some incredible matches between them.
Winners: Brodido – Brody King & Bandido
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AEW Women’s World Championship: Kris Statlander (c) vs. Toni Storm
It’s the first time Kris Statlander has faced Toni Storm in a singles match in AEW. I was surprised when Statlander won the AEW Women’s Title from Storm in a 4-way match at All Out. It didn’t bother me. I’m just saying I didn’t expect it. Statlander won with the Seatbelt pin on Storm and it was treated like a big deal, as it should be. Since then, the story has been about whether Statlander can beat Storm in a singles match while Storm tries to navigate life without being the Women’s Champion in AEW. Easy story to follow, I think. I think it has been booked well.
I think booking Stat to have a one-month title reign would be a big mistake because it would do more harm than good, so I’ll go with her to win. Storm has had an incredible AEW run and she’ll be fine without the AEW Women’s Title. It should be a good match with a lot of nearfalls, while Statlander will use her power to find a way to win.
Winner: Kris Statlander
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I Quit Match: Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley
This will be the wildest, bloodiest and most chaotic match on the show with two of the craziest AEW wrestlers in a match where anything goes. There will be some gross spots like using some weapon to cut another person’s head open or maybe some ear cutting with a weapon. It’s hard to predict what these two crazy dudes are going to use. Part of me actually likes these crazy matches because I want to see what insane things they’re willing to do, but then I’m also genuinely concerned for the safety of these guys.
I think Darby Allin should win since Jon Moxley won the Coffin Match at All Out last month, thanks to Pac. In this match, Allin will likely need some allies to help him handle Moxley’s Death Riders group, so maybe we’ll see some babyfaces help Allin, unlike what happens on Dynamite most weeks. I don’t know how it will happen or what will be done, but I think Allin should get the win. Perhaps it will lead to a third match between them at Full Gear that is a blowoff match, but I don’t know if that’s the plan. For this match, I’m going with crazy Darby to win in a match that goes 30+ minutes.
Winner: Darby Allin
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AEW World Championship: “Hangman” Adam Page (c) vs. Samoa Joe
The story here is that Samoa Joe and The Opps helped Hangman beat Jon Moxley for the AEW World Title at All In, so the good guy Page is willing to put the title on the line against Joe as a way of saying thanks. There’s also the storyline that Page has never beaten Joe, who is a former AEW World Champion, so the idea is that it may be a tough match for Page to win.
The way I see it is that AEW is severely lacking in main event babyfaces after Jon Moxley and MJF, who Page has already beaten. They really didn’t have a lot of options to put against Page in this AEW World Title match at WrestleDream. I like Joe a lot, and he has a lot of credibility as a former World Champion who has been a dominant wrestler for 25 years. However, he hasn’t been used in singles matches much in the last few months, and now he’s getting an AEW World Title match. I understand what AEW is going for with the story going into the match. However, I think they could do a better job of building up challengers for the babyface champion Page.
We have seen Page go 30+ minutes and even 40 minutes for some of his title matches, so we know he can go a long time. I don’t think this match will be as long with a 46-year-old Samoa Joe as the opponent, but I think they will get around 20 minutes before Page finds a way to hit the Buckshot Lariat for the win. It wouldn’t surprise me if it took two Buckshot Lariats to beat Joe.
Winner: “Hangman” Adam Page
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BONUS TOPICS FOR AEW WRESTLEDREAM
The Match I’m Looking Forward To The Most
Brodido – Brody King & Bandido (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita – I think it will be the best match.
The Match I Care About The Least
Jamie Hayter vs. Thekla.
Longest Match
I Quit Match: Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley – I can see it going about 35 minutes.
Shortest Match
Jamie Hayter vs. Thekla around 10 minutes.
Excitement Level on a Scale of 1-10 (1 being low, 10 being high)
I’m going 7.5 out of 10, which is around the normal rating that I put for AEW shows going into them. I don’t expect a lot of title changes for this show. I didn’t pick any title changes in my predictions, but I’m sure I could be wrong on one or two of those. Most of the other title matches are obvious wins for the champions. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Darby Allin-Jon Moxley match goes on last because I think it’s been built up the best and is worthy of being in a main event spot. However, having Hangman Page go on last is good for the AEW World Champion and would end the show on a happy note, so maybe they want to do that.
I’ll be back with a review of AEW WrestleDream on TJRWrestling.net on Saturday. You can also tweet me on X/Twitter at @johnreport as well.
If you want to send an email, send it to me at [email protected]. Thanks for reading.