All Elite Wrestling's third edition of WrestleDream took place at the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri. The key word for each matchup listed for the night was revenge. From a grueling I Quit Match to each AEW Men and Women's Championship that was on the line for the yearly memorial show for legends Antonio Inoki and also honoring St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Famer Lou Thesz and professional wrestling in St. Louis.
AEW introducing their Tailgate Brawl and doing what the other company hasn’t done in years on it has been a nice fresh breath of air. The show featured four matches, and only one match was treated like an enhancement talent match to allow the new team of HOOK and Eddie Kingston to build chemistry together and see what they could bring out of themselves for the crowd in attendance. Overall, I would have liked to see it split down the middle when it comes to equal opportunity matches. For example, if they booked two men’s and women’s matches, I think it allows everyone to get what they want from the fans to those in the ring.
In the end, it was a solid B+ show that meshed into the PPV side of WrestleDream very well.
AEW’s WrestleDream featured eight matches and they all had one keyword for each story: Revenge.
Jamie Hayter and Thekla have been feuding since the latter debuted, and in the end, we got the chance to see Hayter overcome the rising star that is Thekla to gain the momentum and potentially be next in line for a shot at the AEW Women’s World Championship, which is held by Kris Statlander in her first reign. Grade: B
The Young Bucks continue to find ways to reinvent themselves. From being rich to being Broke Bucks. The duo have created a lot of bad blood, and Jurassic Express were going to take the knives out of their back and get back at the former EVP’s. There hasn’t been too many signs of ring rust from Jack Perry or Luchasaurus, and the Bucks keep looking for ways to be one step ahead of the tag team competition for AEW. This match was a candidate for match of the night and delivered on both ends to make Perry and Luchasaurus look strong, while keeping the Bucks still in the story to add a rubber match between both teams before the end of 2025. Grade: A
Ricochet needed to turn heel, and has proven why with his recent run and trio alongside the Gates of Agony. When the Hurt Syndicate did not bring him in, many wondered if that was a bad idea, but instead of that being the case. We have been able to see Ricochet prove naysayers wrong on the mic and in the ring. If the Hurt Syndicate, who won over the Demand are able to win the AEW Trios Championships on the next edition of Dynamite. The idea of running these two trios back in a rubber match at the Blood and Guts TV special or Full Gear for the gold would be the perfect way to close the chapter and allow them to move on to what’s next for both sides in regards to feuds, stories, and championship opportunities. Grade: C-
Kyle Fletcher and Mark Briscoe, these two could be an opener, a middle of the show match, or in the main event and you’ll still get the same energy of crazy chaos from them each and every single time. Both men walked into this tied up 2-2, and after Briscoe defeated MJF in a Tables N’ Tacks match, there was no way in Hell that anyone could deny Briscoe a championship match in his future. Meanwhile, Fletcher turning on Will Ospreay and joining the Don Callis Family has been a breath of fresh air for the last couple of months. Becoming the TNT Champion was not enough, Fletcher has elevated the gold to new heights, and as long as he is champion, it’s going to be a huge challenge for the next champion to carry the weight of Fletcher’s incredible reign so far.
It was good to see Fletcher win, and it’s very honest to say the next title challenger will have to study this match day in and out to find a clear cut way to dethrone the Protostar as the King of the TNT Championship. Grade: A-
Kris Statlander, one of the biggest fan favorites, against Toni Storm, someone who you can describe as THE biggest fan favorite of any fan of All Elite Wrestling. No one expected Statlander to dethrone Storm, but when it happened at AEW All Out, it was a moment where you had to stand up and applause all the women in the match, but also take a second to reflect on both journeys it took to get to that opportunity to show how incredible this division is. Storm elevated the division to new heights, and Statlander has been waiting to get a chance to show that her individual matches as a singles star can be boosted even bigger with gold around the waist and a big challenge against her like the woman they call Timeless.
In the end, Statlander’s reign continues into its first month and the former Queen of the division now has to face the facts and realize that Storm is no longer at the top of the mountain, it belongs to Statlander, who has been waiting for this moment for years, overcoming injuries and setbacks to prove why this is her division now. Grade: B+
Mercedes Mone is on a different planet. 10 Championships was not enough for the CEO, she needed to add another one so her goal of conquering Ultimo Dragon’s record is in her rear-view mirror and she is on her way to see her statue being built in front of every arena and venue she has won gold in. The work and character of Mina Shirakawa brings a smile to anyone’s face, but when she becomes just another victim to the domination of Mone, it tends to make you wonder what is next, and could she potentially form her own tag team with (Toni) Storm to see if the two could win the inaugural AEW Women’s Tag Championships as soon as the brackets are made official. However, Mone is truly on a different planet, and it’s going to take an army to stop her from potentially adding Statlander’s AEW Women’s World Championship to her list of accomplishments. Grade: B.
Konosuke Takeshita, nor Kazuchika Okada needed to win the AEW Men’s World Tag Championships. That’s why this match become so much more interesting because two put-together teams like Take and Okada, plus Brody King and Bandido added a big “What If” to the idea of Take and Okada adding even more gold to their waist, however, the second King and Bandido were put together, it’s like nothing could stop them, and how could you? Speed, technical wrestling, and heart is all what Bandido is about, and as soon as you see King, all you see is a big beast with tattoos all over his body, showing no fear in his eyes and no quit in his soul.
The heart and soul of Brodido was what the division needed, and if a team like the duo of Takeshita and Okada couldn’t dethrone them. It makes you wonder if FTR are going to be able to use Stokely Hathaway as a bulletproof vest to get through the chops and blows coming their way from the duo of Brodido. In the end, this could very well set up a Wrestle Kingdom matchup between IWGP World Champion, Takeshita and the AEW Unified Champion, Okada. On top of that, Brodido should get a shot at going to Japan next January to battle the duo of the Knockout Brothers, Oskar Leube and Yuto Ice, just a random thought to make come to life. Grade: A+
Hangman Page from his first reign to his current reign is a much different animal, but the same beast inside. Who else is a beast? Samoa Joe, an all-time legend who can be a good guy or a bad guy, but forever has the crowd behind his back chanting his name like it’s an underground fight club and he’s the Champion among all Champions. Page is the Franchise, but it took an army behind him to help take out Jon Moxley, and despite being grateful to Joe for doing so, it would not go unnoticed and without a bag to pay back the Samoan Submission Machine.
It took THREE Buckshot Lariats to take down the beast, but the post-match beatdown from the Opps on Page proves that this is far from over, and seeing these two locked in a cage for another battle could once again cement Page as being above a legend like Joe, or it could be too much to chew for the current AEW Men’s World Champion. Overall, a fun and classic brawl between two of the very best in All Elite Wrestling. Grade: B+
In the end, it was the final showdown between Jon Moxley and Darby Allin that could only be held under one stipulation. An I Quit Match. We have seen Moxley tap before, and we have seen Allin get beaten to a bloody pulp, but to put two guys who have a pain tolerance so high in a match where the only goal is to be able to force your opponent to say two words they would never utter in their life is a whole different level of bad blood that you could only get from these two. From being thrown out the ring to the announcers table, to being drowned in a fish tank. If the scary journey of climbing Mount Everest couldn’t take him out, then this was just another day in the life for someone like Allin who has a never-say-die attitude from start to finish.
These two were supposed to battle it out at last year's WrestleDream, but allowing the build to last over a year helped culminate this in the best way possible. From the return of Sting to aid Allin to making Moxley have a taste of his own medicine with a pro wrestling style waterboarding, it was enough to force the Boogeyman to give up and put an end to a feud that has seen limits that no one else thought it would. Now it makes you wonder, what’s next for the Death Riders? What’s next for Moxley? What is next for the winner, Allin? The ending could have been a tad bit better, but a major shoutout to both men for going to places that made everyone uncomfortable and remember that these two were made for each other in the crazy, wacky, and unpredictable world of professional wrestling that we all love and devote ourselves to. Grade: C-
Overall Grade: The turn for the Opps could have been a week ago, I personally don’t think Mone needed to win the gold off of Shirakawa, and the ending to that I Quit Match made it feel a bit rushed, and not the same intensity that was felt when Hangman did it to Moxley at AEW’s All In PPV.
This was not their worst PPV show, but Full Gear should see a lot of the tension that we witnessed from WrestleDream leading into their November PPV. Grade for AEW WrestleDream: B+