AEW WrestleDream 2025 Discussion

[RedTwoster]

I really, really hope they close with Statlander/Storm. Both women deserve it.

There are a few matches I’d happily chop off the card, but I can’t say I’m not excited about this one. I’ve enjoyed pretty much every AEW PPV this year, and I don’t expect this one to be any different. 

[The King Of Swing]

I'm convinced that Storm Vs. Mone 2 will probably be the first woman's match to main event an AEW PPV.

[Daaaaaad!]

35 minutes ago, The King Of Swing said:

the first woman's match to main event an AEW PPV.

Staggered to discover this hasn't yet happened. For a company that is in many ways a lot more contemporary and forward thinking, it's ridiculous that they've made it six years without a women's main event. 

[tiger_rick]

I'd agree, it should have happened by now but this absolutely isn't it. You should do stuff that matters, not just clap yourself on the back to avoid criticism like the other shitehawks.

[BomberPat]

16 hours ago, LaGoosh said:

Yeah this is such weird booking. Having the babyfaces go over in a brutal street fight then doing a straight trios match on PPV a couple of weeks later makes no sense at all. It's done, just move on! 

I'm hoping they add some other dimension to that match this week - I have a feeling it's going to be a very busy Dynamite, as I think they figured last week was a write-off due to the change of day, whereas this week they've got three hours back on Wednesday for the go-home show, so they'll stack all the actual story development on this one. Because if it's just a straight rematch after the gimmick match, it's poor booking, and reeks of Hurt Syndicate only agreeing to lose if they get their win back on PPV. I would say they should add some Trios Title implications, but one of the Trios champs is injured, another is in the World Title match, and they haven't even suggested that there's a question mark over the future of those belts.

[Infinity Land]

When it comes to a women's main event on ppv there have been a few that would have fit quite well. Just suffered by different circumstances. 

Rosa v. Britt only had the 4 ppvs back then. 

Hayter v. Britt never happened when it could have mattered due to Hayter getting injured. 

Storm v. Mercedes played 2nd fiddle to Hangman winning at All In. 

Storm v. May would have happened if May didn't let AEW know she was leaving. 

Might be some other more hypothetical ones. 

[Supremo]

Solid, if unspectacular Countdown show. Wild they didn’t put some of this on Dynamite though, especially when they had three hours to fill.

Call me crazy, but perhaps putting some of these video packages on your flagship show would have been more effective than a random Roddy Strong vs. Claudio match, performed to such silence that I had to check the sound on my TV wasn’t broken.

Biggest takeaway is that Mox vs. Darby has to headline and they better have spent hundreds of thousand on whatever mad stunt they have planned for the finish. I wonder if we’ll see Moxley start the match with his back covered in that weird flame-resistant gel Cody wore for his match with Andrade.

Knowing how desperate this company is for a big angle/shakeup, knowing how Tony Khan likes booking symmetrically, and seeing how much they focussed on them killing Bryan Danielson last year? I think Mox loses and The Death Riders murder him with a plastic bag.

You either die the bagger or you live long enough to see yourself become the baggee. 

Edited October 17, 2025 by Supremo

[Infinity Land]

24 minutes ago, Supremo said:

Solid, if unspectacular Countdown show. Wild they didn’t put some of this on Dynamite though, especially when they had three hours to fill.

Call me crazy, but perhaps putting some of these video packages on your flagship show would have been more effective than a random Roddy Strong vs. Claudio match, performed to such silence that I had to check the sound on my TV wasn’t broken.

These Countdown packages are used to fill TV. If you were watching in the US it was 3 and a 1/2 hr block of Dynamite, Collision, and the Countdown show. 

It's hardly ideal. 

[Kamran]

Mercedes has issued an open challenge for her TBS title at WrestleDream.

Zero Hour begins at midnight:

 

The Saturday Tailgate Brawl show with the 4 matches also begins at midnight, it will be available through Triller in the UK:

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-tailgate-brawl-wrestledream/2phxf/

Tailgate Brawl

• FTR vs. JetSpeed
• Roderick Strong and The Conglomeration (Orange Cassidy, Kyle O'Reilly, and Tomohiro Ishii) vs. Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Daniel Garcia, and Pac)
• Eddie Kingston and Hook vs. TBA
• Harley Cameron and Willow Nightingale vs. Divine Vanity (Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford)

The main show will begin at 1am:

MATCHES

• AEW World Championship: "Hangman" Adam Page (c) vs. Samoa Joe
• AEW Women's World Championship: Kris Statlander (c) vs. "Timeless" Toni Storm
• "I Quit" Match: Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley
• AEW TBS Championship: Mercedes Moné vs. TBA
• AEW World Tag Team Championship: Brodido (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita
• AEW TNT Championship: Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Mark Briscoe
• Jamie Hayter vs. Thekla
• Tornado Trios Match: The Hurt Syndicate vs. The Demand
• $500K Tag Team Match: Jurassic Express vs. The Young Bucks

[RedTwoster]

On 10/13/2025 at 9:38 AM, tiger_rick said:

I'd agree, it should have happened by now but this absolutely isn't it. You should do stuff that matters, not just clap yourself on the back to avoid criticism like the other shitehawks.

I don’t agree - I think there’s a clear benefit and justification in this case. Firstly, there’s really no reason for Page/Hangman to go on last - it’s cold and throwaway. The only other match on the card that could realistically close the show is Darby/Mox. 

And that probably will close the show; but while there’s justification for it, I don’t think Tony Khan should confuse a storyline being prominent with a storyline being good. The prison angle worked for me, but outside of that, it’s a been story consisting of Darby doing stupid, murderous things. 

Statlander/Storm isn’t red hot, but it’s not ice cold either. It also contains one of the top two or three stars in the company in it, in Storm. You also have an outcome that’s far from certain, and an opportunity to make Statlander a bigger star. Pinning Toni Storm to close the show pretty much confirms that she’s arrived as a star. And you could follow that up by having Mercedes confront her - a big moment in itself, and one that would set up a huge match while tying all three women’s journeys together. 

They don’t need to make a huge deal about being the first women’s match to close an AEW PPV, it’s closing the show because it’s a World title match featuring a big star and a fast-rising one, and it has interesting storyline consequences whatever the outcome. 

[Infinity Land]

There might be enough goodwill for Statlander and Storm to go last. They're two popular wrestlers and can get fans into it. Even if everyone expects Statlander to retain, people will buy into the Storm pinning attempts. 

Also thinking of it from a showclosing angle. If they're trying to set-up Blood & Guts and the Women's Tag Title tournament. They could come up with something with the babyfaces standing tall against the heels. 

[Doog]

World Title matches should close the show in all but 99.9% of cases. It devalues your World Titles when they aren't the main focus of your shows. The whole point of wrestling should be that you want to be the best, i appreciate things happen, but kayfabe wise the reason you are a wrestler has to be this, you dont become a wrestler to think "i really want an i quit match against someone", again thinking in real life terms, and to be considered the "best" you need to be the World Champion.

With that in mind, you have two World Titles, and whilst I think Statlander/Storm isn't the ideal first womens main event, if that is a thing, that match has been built up far better than Hangman/Joe and feels more important, so working by my logic it should main event.

In saying that, the main focus of the TV has been Darby v Mox, and based on that it will be the main event. I find that problematic, your World Champion/s should not be seen as supporting characters to the main feud, but that's an entirely different debate.

Edited October 18, 2025 by Doog

[RIDDUM_N_STYLE]

Another 13 match card, including the Tailgate where 2/3 could easily be cut out

Mercedes’ match is being billed as a winner take all open challenge because in story she’s looking to break Ultimo Dragon’s record for most titles held at one time. I suspect it’ll be someone from Japan or even Athena but just imagine if there was a secret agreement and either Stephanie Vaquer, Tiffany Stratton, Jacy Jayne, Sol Ruca or Kelani Jordan repping WWE/TNA came out and melted the tribalistic braintrust of the internet?

[BrodyGraham]

A cracking show with loads of everything that I like about AEW that will mostly be remembered for a fucking ridiculous main event that made everyone involved look like idiots.

The I Quit match was simultaneously in predictably bad taste yet ended on a note that felt shockingly tame and lacking in catharsis. 

On a brighter note just got back in from work in time for the PPV and loved that the show started midway through Jet Speed Vs FTR. Really fun, high energy start to the show.

Thought everything in between was at worst decent and at best really, really excellent.

Edited October 19, 2025 by BrodyGraham

[FLips]

Don’t know what was more gross, the main event or the possible age gap between Lou Thesz and his wife.