Powell’s AEW WrestleDream Hit List: Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley in an I Quit match, Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

AEW WrestleDream Hits

Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship: Everything played out exactly as anticipated until it didn’t. The match was enjoyable, and Page’s win felt like a foregone conclusion. The only thing left was for Joe to accept defeat and show respect for the man who beat him. And that’s what Joe did, right before he dropped Page with a clothesline. I didn’t see that coming, and I know I wasn’t alone. Furthermore, Powerhouse Hobbs and Katsuyori Shibata helping Joe work over Page was a surprise, if only because Hobbs tried to play peacemaker for Page and Joe during the build to this match.

“Jurassic Express” Jack Perry and Luchasaurus vs. “The Young Bucks” Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson vs. for $500,000: The financial prize gimmick continues to be ridiculous, but this was a strong match that played to a hot crowd. As enjoyable as this match was, having so many near falls during the second match on the main card took a toll on the live crowd, which clearly became numb to a lot of the near falls that took place later in the show. The post-match angle with Kenny Omega saving Perry and Luchasaurus from an attack by members of the Callis Family was a nice way to get the unadvertised Omega on the show.

Brody King and Bandido vs. Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita for the AEW Tag Team Titles: Another good tag team title defense for King and Bandido. The match suffered a bit from the feeling that nothing really mattered until the issues between Okada and Takeshita flared up, but the action was entertaining enough that it wasn’t as much of a factor as I thought it might be. Okada accidentally hitting Takeshita with a Rainmaker could have been explained away, but Okada’s big smile told the story that he had no remorse.

Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley in an I Quit match: It would be easy to put this match in the Miss section because the extreme violence isn’t for me, and because I feel it caters to a niche crowd and turns off the masses. But anyone who watches AEW television knew what they were signing up for when it came to this match. The build screamed extreme violence, and that’s what they delivered. The surprise appearance by Sting provided a nice boost, and there were no shenanigans when it came to Moxley quitting. So while it may not be my thing, it was well done for its match style.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe for the TNT Championship: Fletcher and Briscoe extended their streak of having strong matches together. Fletcher cheating to win by kicking Briscoe below the belt wasn’t the definitive feud-ending finish I was hoping for, but perhaps the company wants to revisit this rivalry at some point. If not, it will be interesting to see what comes next for both wrestlers.

“The Hurt Syndicate” Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP vs. “The Demand” Ricochet, Toa Liona, and Bishop Kaun in a tornado trios match for a shot at the AEW Trios Titles: A soft Hit. It initially seemed like a strange decision to have the babyface trio earn a title shot against babyface champions, but it made sense once The Opps turned heel later in the show. Everyone worked hard, but the finish was odd, which was an issue with a few matches on this show. In this case, Kaun pulled Ricochet to the floor to spare him from a three-on-one situation. It seemed like Kaun and his partners could have regrouped, but Kaun entered the ring as if he accepted his fate before being hit with three big moves that led to him being pinned.

Kris Statlander vs. Toni Storm for the AEW Women’s Championship: A soft Hit for a solid match with an awkward finish. Statlander’s leg vice came off like more of a rest hold than the setup for her finisher, so it felt like the finish came out of nowhere. On the bright side, it was good to see a clean finish. Storm’s post-match depression scene with Mina Shirakawa felt like a prelude to the duo entering and even winning the AEW Women’s Tag Team Title tournament.

AEW WrestleDream Misses

TBS Champion Mercedes Mone vs. Interim ROH Women’s TV Champion Mina Shirakawa in a title vs. title match: A needless addition to the pay-per-view card. I can’t imagine that this led to many late buys, given that the last mystery opponent tease for Mone on Dynamite was a dud.

Jamie Hayter vs. Thekla: A minor Miss for a good opening match until the bad finish. It was ridiculous that Thekla was on the offensive when she stopped and struck the “it was cool when Bray Wyatt did it” pose for no reason, only to stand up and immediately be hit with a clothesline and Hayterade before she was pinned. I have no problem with Hayter winning, but why make Thekla look so foolish? On a side note, they really need to put some major heat on the heels heading into the women’s Blood & Guts match.

Show length: The most common complaint about AEW pay-per-views is that they run needlessly long. In fact, the criticism is so widespread that it’s crazy that this issue hasn’t been addressed. There are some who believe the solution is for AEW pay-per-views to have afternoon start times. Crazy thought. Maybe the real solution is Tony Khan having the discipline to trim two or three matches from his pay-per-views and save those matches for television, which might even make Collision more watchable. Listen to the masses, Tony, not the Sickos.

(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time dating back to 1997. He hosts a weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and also appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)