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You see anyone missing from this show? A certain Cleaner?
It’s hard for me to talk about WrestleDream without talking Kenny Omega. This man has been rocking and ready to return. The original talk was he was going to be Kyle Fletcher’s opponent but he was worried about being able to put on the performance he wanted to in such a match. Then we had the return of Andrade, who was said to have been fired from WWE and already a free agent.
That suddenly changed to no, Andrade still has a 90 day clause and he broke it. And then that turned into no, he has a one year no-compete clause in his contract because he was fired with cause. I don’t see that being enforceable at all, but all mention of Andrade has disappeared from AEW programming.
Okay, no Fletcher, no Andrade, surely with Kota Ibushi returning they can do Golden Lovers against say Josh Alexander and Hechicero! Well, that’s off the table due to Kota Ibushi unfortunately breaking his femur in the match with Alexander. It’s a god damn tragedy. I don’t want to hear people say he’s injury prone. You don’t break your femur because you’re injury prone. That can only happen on shit luck. I’ve watched a lot of hockey and seen a lot of fractured and broken femurs. You don’t do that because of weak bones. That happens because of heavy impact at the wrong time. In hockey it’s usually due to a players body crashing hard into the boards at a speed they can’t stop. For Kota it was falling off the top rope in an awkward way to the floor.
So with Kota Ibushi now off to the hospital, what’s Kenny Omega to do? Right now? Nothing. And that’s too bad. Maybe they do something impromptu with him (I really wish they would do Josh Alexander versus Kenny Omega and give them a solid 15) but it’s too bad how this has worked for Kenny.
As for the show, I expect the same usual AEW high quality best pay per view company of all time. I’ve heard people complain that the shows don’t feel important and seem to be missing something. I think it’s just been competent. AEW has done a lot of pay per views and a lot of wrestling in a short amount of time. Going from All In Texas to Forbidden Door to All Out Toronto WrestleDream feels like a non stop grind compared to the period between Double or Nothing and All In Texas. I think for AEW it’s all about just getting this period (which I previously called Nightmare Mode, though this time it was better spaced out without a huge Grand Slam New York show in between) and then getting into the stories they really want to do.
I’ll admit that for me personally? I haven’t been as engaged in the shows as I have been in the past, but I have a different reason for that: NHL hockey. I’m getting back into hockey in a way I haven’t been in a decade, and that’s had my attention every Saturday night. I won’t be missing WrestleDream over a regular season game but I’ll probably miss a spot or two checking my phone for the scores. I think the shows have been strong, and if there’s anything missing? I think there’s a ton of top babyfaces on the roster and not enough top heels to counter them. Or the top heels have already done too much with the top babyfaces and you need something fresh but everything is a step down.
It might be time soon for AEW to bring back some of the heat. Maybe not the suffocating heat of earlier this year, but just enough heat to give the babyfaces something to chase. Maybe we get that by the end of the night, or we get that going into Full Gear. For now? Just enjoy great wrestling for five to six hours.
Saturday Tailgate Brawl
Eddie Kingston and Hook in Action
I’m not really sure what I can say about a match where I don’t know who they are facing. It would be nice if it was someone interesting. If it was someone like Swirl I would have liked to see them named and on the poster. Same with Workhorsemen or another ROH team. Would love to see the Crimson Bulldogs (my name for Tommy Billington and Adam Priest) or heck give me Cole Karter and Griff Garrison. Lots of options in ROH.
But again, if they already know? Then name them. Instead I hope we get a tag team we weren’t considering. Maybe someone from another promotion, or someone getting an AEW shot on the Saturday Tailgate Brawl. Make it a little more difficult for the Cold Hearted Handsome Devil and the Mad King.
Winner: I hope Eddie and Hook
Men’s Eight Wrestler Match
The Conglomeration (Orange Cassidy, Kyle O’Reilly, and Tomohiro Ishii) and Roderick Strong versus The Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli, PAC, Wheeler Yuta, and Daniel Garcia)
I really like the touch that Roderick Strong is not actually a member of The Conglomeration no matter how much Kyle O’Reilly tries. The other members don’t like Roddy either but they put up with his bad attitude because Kyle is such a good friend. He must be a good friend because boy that guy loses a lot of matches for them!
This might be another example of that because I don’t see how the Death Riders lose here. It sucks for Orange Cassidy to be taking so many losses after returning but he can afford it. He will be forever over. Ishii can take it too. KOR and Roddy? I think these losses do hurt them and their credibility going forward. Both still have so much to give.
Honestly, doesn’t the Death Rider way of life fit a guy like Roderick Strong more than The Conglomeration? I mean, his wife Marina is right there. Am I overthinking this? His only real connection to KOR has been Adam Cole and Cole is gone. Maybe it’s time for Roddy to tap into who he was in Decade and No Remorse Corps and take things as serious as he wants them to.
Either way? This will be a big match Death Riders wins.
Winner: The Death Riders
Women’s Tag Team Match
Penelope Ford and Megan Bayne versus Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron
I would consider this an official match for the women’s tag team division since the belts were revealed. It’s important to get a win for one of these teams and create some buzz. In the match previews I had my doubts on whether or not this would be an official team for Harley since she’s had plenty of tag partners and usually ends up eating the pinfall. Maybe this time will be different but I have my doubts.
The only thing that could swing it is the fact in my match preview for the Women’s World Championship I mentioned how Megan Bayne has two wins on Kris Statlander. Could she be facing Statlander next for the Women’s World Championship? She could.
But I think her and Ford as a tag team is more important than that right now, and they need to establish one of the top heel teams for the women. Willow and Harley need to find different partners if they want success in this new division.
Winner: Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford
Men’s Tag Team Match
FTR versus JetSpeed
FTR is in pretty good spirits it seems but I do have to wonder if they feel like they’ve done enough to get on the main card and why they are here in the Tailgate Brawl. You could easily move this to the main card, which I guess is a blessing to the depth of AEW.
It should be a very good match, with Speedball and Kevin likely having good chemistry with a team like FTR. I could see this being one of many matches between the two teams, but I also think it’s clear which tag team is a favourite in this.
One also has to wonder, what about Adam Copeland and Christian Cage? Copeland disappeared and said he had to go find himself (or whatever) but Cage said he didn’t have a family to go back to. Do either make an appearance after this?
Winner: FTR
WrestleDream 2025
Women’s Singles Match
Thekla versus Jamie Hayter
Getting onto the main card, it feels like the winner of this will be eventually facing Kris Statlander for the AEW Women’s World Championship. Either works in this scenario, but the one who works better is Thekla. Thekla getting a big win here and moving to being Statlander’s next opponent works best.
Jamie Hayter could either look towards challenging Moné or finding a tag team partner to vie for the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship.
Winner: Thekla
Tornado Trios Match
The Demand versus The Hurt Syndicate
Those Hurt Syndicate matches sure love to surprise you with stipulations! Looks like this is a Tornado Trios match now. Okay! What’s going to be the difference between this and the street fight they had a few weeks ago?
Probably not much. And with GOA picking up the win against Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin on Dynamite this week? It’s more than likely we see a Hurt Syndicate win here. Win or lose? I need this to be over. Both teams need to move onto something else. This is a lot of really good wrestlers just running this program into the ground. I also really do not need to see MVP wrestling in 2025 ever again.
Please end this.
Winner: The Hurt Syndicate
$500,000 Tag Team Match
Jurassic Express versus The Young Bucks
Match of the night?
Very good chance.
Luchasaurus and Jack Perry have looked great returning as a tag team, and winning here would put them right back in contention for the AEW Men’s World Tag Team Championship. I don’t know what they would do with the money really. Pay to change the Scapebus into a Jungle Express? Who knows.
Even though everything inside me feels like Jurassic Express is winning this, wouldn’t it make more sense for The Young Bucks to take this one and do a rematch? You might even involve whoever is the AEW Men’s World Tag Team Champions for that match. Maybe make it a four way with FTR at Full Gear? I’m just figuring this $500,000 stipulation has to go for the Young Bucks.
Honestly, it’s a tough match to call. You want Jurassic Express to win, they just came back and the momentum would be good, but also, the money makes sense for the Young Bucks! What do you do?
Sigh.
I’m calling a draw.
Winner: DRAW
AEW Men’s World Tag Team Championship
The Don Callis Family (Konosuke Takeshita and Kazuchika Okada) versus Brodido (c)
Wait. I already used the draw on Bucks and Jurassic Express.
Shit.
Let me pop a few scenarios first.
If you have Bandido or Brody King win by pinning Kazuchika Okada, then you absolutely have to do an AEW Unified Championship match next, which is plausible.
I don’t see a world where Bandido or Brody pin Konosuke Takeshita, who just won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
I could see Okada or Takeshita winning the match, and delaying the breakup of the Don Callis Family by having them defend the belt on the short term before breaking them up. I’m sure it would make headlines in Japan to hear about Okada and Takeshita as Men’s World Tag Team Champions. Then you can later have them lose the tag team titles in a three way or four way where they don’t have to be pinned.
But I’m going with the less popular choice, one that might make people upset since people seem to hate it when AEW does a disqualification finish. But if they are going to break up Okada and Takeshita without one of them getting pinned? This is the way to do it. You can have Don Callis pass say the screwdriver to Takeshita, and he takes too long to use it, and the referee sees the screwdriver and calls for the bell. Don and Kazu blame Takeshita for the loss and there’s the exit of Takeshita from the Don Callis Family.
I do think the big story coming out of this match will be Takeshita thrown out of the Don Callis Family, and the only way it won’t be is if they delay it to Full Gear by having them win. Brodido survive with a DQ victory.
Winners: Brodido by DQ
TNT Championship
The Fifth Match
Mark Briscoe versus Kyle Fletcher (c)
I don’t really see a world where Mark Briscoe ends the run of Kyle Fletcher here. Especially since Don Callis Family will already be shaken up by the departure of Konosuke Takeshita. Having Fletcher lose the TNT Championship is too many belts lost in one swoop. He’s still the crown jewel of the faction even if Takeshita was the first member.
So this fifth match will be the end of their series, and hopefully Mark Briscoe finds something else to do cool and doesn’t just get treated like he wasted his big moment from the MJF match. Kyle Fletcher is doing good things as TNT Champion but after the match with Page? He needs a new rival. He needs a new feud.
Winner: Kyle Fletcher
I Quit Match
Darby Allin versus Jon Moxley
I got a feeling this might be a lot like Hangman and Mox in the Texas Death at All In Texas. It could involve a ton of wrestlers making run ins.
Or maybe it involved nobody except Darby and Moxley. I doubt it.
I’m sure both men do everything it takes to make this feel like a major showdown. It in a lot of ways has the right to be the main event, though I would never give it that spot over the Men’s and Women’s World Championship matches myself.
If Darby quits? He has to join Death Riders. There’s no real result that makes sense except that. He would be quitting on AEW. He would be admitting Moxley was right all along.
If Jon Moxley quits? How does he look Claudio or PAC in the eye again? How does Death Riders survive afterwards? It’s tough to say.
But I do believe this is the time to give Darby Allin that big win against Jon Moxley. Another loss makes no sense. The build has been all about Darby coming back again and again. Mox having no answer to keep Darby down. I think that’s because we know Mox can tap out like he did to Page, and this time? He will say I Quit to Darby.
Winner: Darby Allin
AEW Women’s World Championship
Timeless Toni Storm versus Kris Statlander (c)
It’s a great thing for Timeless Toni Storm here to give Kris Statlander a big win in a babyface versus babyface match and anoint her the new babyface queen of the women’s division.
Storm I’m sure will not make it easy for Statlander, and this is going to be a very hard fought match. It has a great shot at being the best match on the show. It’s kind of funny that Statlander’s best potential matches would be against babyfaces. Jamie Hayter in a power battle. Willow Nightingale as former friends battling once again. And now, this match with the former champ, still a tramp.
I do believe this is Storm making her swan song out of the singles division to move into the tag team division.
Winner: Kris Statlander
AEW Men’s World Championship
Samoa Joe versus Hangman Adam Page (c)
When Samoa Joe tapped Hangman Adam Page out at Revolution 2024, he did it because Hangman didn’t want Swerve Strickland to win the title. His focus was 100% on Swerve and keeping him from becoming champ.
This time? Hangman Adam Page will be focused on Samoa Joe, and nothing else. I have a hard time seeing Samoa Joe survive a focused, dedicated, and healthy Hangman.
But I also believe Samoa Joe will do everything in his power at age 46 to try and defeat Hangman Adam Page and give this a great main event of WrestleDream. When it comes to the mid 40s and up, with Bryan Danielson retired? Samoa Joe is the best of them. He can’t turn the clock back to the 2000s and make this feel like the Ring of Honor Samoa Joe, or can he? Hangman is going to be one of the best opponents he has ever faced in the ring. Maybe Page brings it out of him.
Once this is over? It’s hard to say where both men go. Joe still has a Trios Championship he often neglects to defend, and once that’s done? Who knows if he calls it a career. Hangman on the other hand? He’s fought every top heel and now is facing babyfaces who can bring enough edge to keep him the protagonist. He needs a strong heel for Full Gear. Maybe it’s time for a return of the Max.
Winner: Hangman Adam Page
In the words of Ian Riccaboni? Happy Wrestling everyone.
