AEW WrestleDream 2024 Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights
Doc-Chris Mueller@@BR_DoctorFeatured Columnist IVOctober 12, 2024AEW WrestleDream 2024 Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights0 of 11
WrestleDreamAEW
Welcome to Bleacher Report’s live coverage of AEW WrestleDream 2024 from Tacoma, Washington.
Among the many title matches, Bryan Danielson was also fighting for his career against his former BCC stablemate, Jon Moxley.
Here is a look at the full lineup from Saturday’s show:
Bryan Danielson vs. Jon Moxley (AEW World Championship)Hologram vs. The Beast MortosMxM Collection vs. The Acclaimed”Hangman” Adam Page vs. Jay WhiteMariah May vs. Willow Nightingale (AEW Women’s World Championship)The Young Bucks vs. Private Party (AEW World Tag Team Championship)Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet vs. Konosuke Takeshita (International Championship) Jack Perry vs. Katsuyori Shibata (TNT Championship)Darby Allin vs. Brody KingMark Briscoe vs. Chris Jericho (ROH World Championship)Brian Cage vs. Atlantis Jr. (ROH World Television Championship) Harley Cameron vs. Anna JayLet’s take a look at everything that happened at this year’s WrestleDream PPV.
Zero Hour 1 of 11
WrestleDream.AEW
The ROH TV title bout was the first match on the pre-show. Cage dominated Atlantis most of the bout while the luchador played the underdog.
This was a fun but semi-predictable match. Both guys looked good, which is the most important thing with these Zero Hour bouts. Cage ended up winning to become the new ROH TV champion.
Result: Cage defeated Atlantis
Grade: B
Cameron and Jay clashed in the second pre-show bout. Jay, for once, came into a match with a significant experience advantage.
They put a lot of effort into their performance, but the bar is high for AEW PPV matches. Jay picked up the win but it looked like the ref had to help push Cameron’s shoulder down. It was not something we should have seen.
Result: Jay defeated Cameron
Grade: C
ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling @ringofhonorHERE WE GO! The #ROH World TV Title is on the line with the challenger Brian Cage looking to capture his first #ROH singles gold!
WATCH #AEWWrestleDream Zero Hour NOW!
📺 https://t.co/BCsZZtgKz5@briancagegmsi | #AtlantisJr pic.twitter.com/5Guwc5sBD1
Rico joined Mason Madden and Mansoor as their surprise guest to take on Max Caster and Anthony Bowens, who were accompanied by Billy Gunn.
Gunn referenced his history with Rico before the bout started. This played out as a regular match with a lot of comedy moments tossed in. Some worked, some didn’t.
Gunn took out Rico to set up The Acclaimed to win with a Mic Drop.
Result: The Acclaimed defeated MxM
Grade: B-
A very random eight-man match closed Zero Hour when Orange Cassidy and Kyle O’Reilly teamed up with The Outrunners to take on The Premier Athlete and Dark Order.
This was exactly what you would expect it to be. It had some comedy spots, some double-team moves and a lot of tags so everyone could get some ring time.
Mark Sterling, Josh Woods, Evil Uno and Rocky Romero all got involved before the babyfaces scored the victory.
Result: Outrunners and Conglomeration win
Grade: C+
Jay White vs. Adam Page2 of 11
WrestleDreamAEW
Two former members of Bullet Club squared off in the opening contest when White battled Page.
Switchblade slapped Hangman to get under his skin, and it worked perfectly. The always-angry Page became irate and beat White down mercilessly.
This turned into a slow, methodical match that mostly consisted of Page dishing out punishment as the crowd tried to rally behind White.
While the pace may be slower than some expected, it felt appropriate because it allowed both men to properly sell every moment and move. When Switchblade made a comeback, the crowd was popping for everything he did.
They told a story in this bout. Every big move mattered and their rivalry felt genuine by how they fought. This was a perfect example of doing more with less.
All Elite Wrestling @AEWDEAD EYE!
Order #AEWWrestleDream LIVE on PPV!https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj@JayWhiteNZ | #HangmanAdamPage pic.twitter.com/XK3ymnYQHU
White ended up getting the win by countering a Buckshot into a Bladerunner. Hangman fumed as White celebrated. This was outstanding from start to finish.
Result: White defeated Page
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
Page has gotten really good at looking like he is enraged. The crowd was chanting a lot throughout the match. Swerve Strickland’s name was even chanted as an anti-Page taunt. White sold the corner fallaway slam perfectly. The way White combated the Buckshot Lariat was brilliantly simple.Page’s powerbomb on the steps was brutal. Mariah May vs. Willow Nightingale3 of 11
WrestleDreamAEW
The AEW Women’s World Championship was on the line a Nightingale challenged May.
They started with some relatively simple but fast-paced exchanges. Much to May’s surprise, Willow pulled out The Pounce early in the match.
Both wrestlers showed a lot of aggression, but The Glamour was also taking plenty of opportunities to pose for her adoring fans. Mainly for Nigel McGuinness.
This was an energetic and competitive contest that made both competitors look great. As the only women’s bout on the main card, they represented the division well.
They had a fun final sequence that ended with May hitting Storm Zero for the win. This was a match that started off well and kept getting better.
Result: May defeated Nightingale
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
Nigel being infatuated with May is kind of funny. Willow’s cartwheel looked great. It’s so easy to forget how big May is. She is deceptively tall and muscular. The crowd went nuts when it looked like Willow might win. Jack Perry vs. Katsuyori Shibata4 of 11
WrestleDreamAEW
Shibata had a chance to win gold when he challenged Perry for the TNT Championship.
The Wrestler quickly forced The Scapegoat to take a breather and regroup at ringside. They had a nice little exchange that led to Perry taking another break.
This was a match comprised of short bursts of action followed by moments of storytelling. Perry was the disrespectful young upstart who spat in the face of the respected veteran.
While this was an enjoyable match, once the pace was established, it became slightly predictable.
However, the way Perry won by countering Shibata’s submission into a pin was an interesting conclusion. Daniel Garcia made the save for Shibata during a post-match attack, which was quickly followed by MJF’s return.
All Elite Wrestling @AEWKatsuyori Shibata is eating every single strike from Jack Perry and giving them back even harder!
Order #AEWWrestleDream LIVE on PPV!https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj@Boy_Myth_Legend | @K_Shibata2022 pic.twitter.com/mY4nKOGkcQ
As MJF and DG had a standoff, Perry hit Garcia with his title and walked away. MJF seized the opportunity to attack his rival.
Adam Cole’s return came as MJF was preparing to end Garcia. He chased MJF out of the ring and posed for an excited crowd. He helped Garcia up and they shook hands.
Result: Perry defeated Shibata
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
We didn’t get a video of Perry’s bus arriving like we usually do. Shibata no-selling will always be fun. The machine-gun chops from Shibata looked great. The way Perry hit the ring when he was suplexed at ringside looked nasty. Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet vs. Konosuke Takeshita5 of 11
WrestleDreamAEW
The International Championship was contested in a triple threat when Ospreay defended against Ricochet and Takeshita.
As soon as the bell rang, Ospreay and Ricochet teamed up on The Alpha and sent him out of the ring. He returned a moment later to break up a fast-paced exchange.
Big Take played an excellent base for the high-flyers and used his power to find ways to counter their offense. He helped make this feel completely different from Ospreay and Ricochet’s singles match.
All three men brought everything they had and left it in the ring. Takeshita did a fantastic job standing out despite not having the same agility as his opponents. His power was on full display and the other two sold for him beautifully.
All Elite Wrestling @AEWWOW!!
Order #AEWWrestleDream LIVE on PPV!https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj@WillOspreay | @KingRicochet | @Takesoup pic.twitter.com/GZjwK8E2Z0
Too many cool things happened to recap all of them. You simply need to see this bout to fully appreciate it. This had everything plus a little more.
As Ospreay was preparing to take out Don Callis, Kyle Fletcher attacked him with a screwdriver. The Alpha hit a running knee and got the pin to become the new champion.
Fletcher hit his former friend with a Tiger Driver to show he had fully turned.
Result: Takeshita won the International Championship
Grade: A
Notable Moments and Observations
Don Callis should just hang out at ringside. He’s distracting on commentary. Ospreay always has amazing ring jackets. Ospreay took some wild bumps and made it look easy. Ricochet hitting a 450 out of nowhere was amazing. This match had more backflip counters than most shows have all night. Hologram vs. Beast Mortos6 of 11
WrestleDream.AEW
Swerve Strickland came out for a promo, but MVP and Shelton Benjamin weren’t far behind. MVP made the same vague offer to join him.
Swerve turned him down and it almost turned into a fight. Officials broke it up and Swerve hugged Prince Nana. We did not get the debut of Bobby Lashley.
Up next was a battle of two very different luchadors. Hologram and Mortos are no strangers, but this was the biggest PPV match for both men in AEW so far.
This was a 2-out-of-3 Falls bout, so they were pacing themselves instead of trying to pack as many spots as they could into a short time.
All Elite Wrestling @AEWHologram & Beast Mortos continue to fight for the 2nd fall in this match!
Order #AEWWrestleDream LIVE on PPV!https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj@BeastMortos | @AEWHologram pic.twitter.com/8s5I49eyxn
Hologram won the first fall, but a gorilla press slam on the ramp slowed him down significantly. Mortos won the second fall, so it came down to the third. Hologram won after a long but entertaining battle.
Result: Hologram defeated Mortos
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
Hologram got a good response. Fans didn’t react much for Mortos. The rolling crucifix from Mortos looked awesome. The press slam was one of the most basic moves but also one of the most brutal. A few moves looked just a tad too rehearsed because you could easily see them helping each other. The reverse rana on the apron was great. Darby Allin vs. Brody King7 of 11
WrestleDream.AEW
King and Allin met for their grudge match and the first noticeable thing was that King didn’t appear to be using the House of Black entrance.
It didn’t take long for them to take the fight out of the ring and use the steps. King put the steps on top of Allin and stood on them to add pressure.
The majority of this was King dishing out a lot of punishment while Allin made occasional comebacks. It’s a common pattern in matches with this kind of size disparity between opponents.
Allin was eventually able to win after two Coffin Drops, one of which was on a set of steps. This was good, but it felt like it was lacking something that’s hard to explain.
The longtime rivals shook hands to a round of applause.
Result: Allin defeated King
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
Allin had a special music video for his entrance. The Coffin Drop to the floor looked good. King caught him well. King fell perfectly onto the steel steps. Young Bucks vs. Private Party8 of 11
WrestleDreamAEW
Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy had a special intro video before they challenged Matthew and Nicholas Jackson.
The Bucks goaded them into a fight before the match started. They battled on the stage where Quen took out everyone with a dive off the tunnel.
Once it got started, Zay almost won with a springboard crossbody. Nick and Matt regained control and used their brand of double-team offense.
Most of this was a standard Bucks match, but this was also a standpoint performance for Kassidy. He hit several impressive counters and moves that kept the crowd invested.
All Elite Wrestling @AEWGIN n JUICE!
Order #AEWWrestleDream LIVE on PPV!https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj@youngbucks | @ZayKassidy | @Marq_Quen pic.twitter.com/GjaBHXvk19
All four men did solid work, but it felt like this was designed to make Private Party look good, and it succeeded. Quen and Kassidy have been patient and AEW is finally portraying them the right way.
Both teams had several close calls before the match finally ended with The Bucks winning with a TK Driver. Zay was sobbing after the loss.
Result: The Young Bucks defeated Private Party
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
Referencing a win from five years ago is a very Jericho thing to do. Matt’s pearl necklaces are pretty funny. The avalanche cutter looked really good. There was a two-count that was as close as it gets. Kassidy got a massive pop for kicking out of the EVP Trigger. Mark Briscoe vs. Chris Jericho9 of 11
WrestleDream.AEW
Jericho had an opportunity to earn his second ROH world title when he took on Briscoe, but Big Bill was also lurking at ringside.
The Code of Honor was not observed and both men began throwing shots. This was more about Briscoe trying to make Jericho pay for bringing up his brother than it was about the title.
When Bill interfered, OC showed up and drove him off with a few Orange Punches. From that point, it was a fair singles match until Bryan Keith showed up and attacked Briscoe.
Rocky Romero drove The Bad Apple away right before Briscoe put The Ocho through a table Bill had set up earlier. Jericho recovered and used the Jay Driller to get a two-count.
Mark was incensed and after taking several punches, he unloaded and hit his own Jay Driller for the win. This was a solid encounter but won’t stand out much due to the rest of the show being so good.
Result: Briscoe defeated Jericho
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
Briscoe had a noticeably more serious demeanor. Jericho’s suplex from the apron to the floor looked painful for both men. This is one of Jericho’s better performances in 2024. He looked spry. Bryan Danielson vs. Jon Moxley10 of 11
WrestleDreamAEW
The main event started at roughly 11:20 p.m. EST, so the crowd was showing signs of fatigue but still looked excited for the match.
Mox attacked Danielson as he was posing for his entrance. They brawled at ringside as “The Final Countdown” continued to play.
Moxley was as aggressive as we’ve ever seen him. He did an amazing job looking like he genuinely wanted to end Danielson’s in-ring career by injuring him.
Marina Shafir interfered several times whenever Moxley could distract the ref. She also removed some of the padding at ringside to expose the concrete floor.
While this was a good match, it was in no way a traditional bout. They tried to make this feel violent and personal instead of going for technical exchanges. Even Nigel said he was split because Moxley was being so dislikable.
They tried to inject as much drama into this as possible while not trying to make the ending too obvious. Mox asked Danielson not to make him do it before hitting a piledriver and locking in a choke.
All Elite Wrestling @AEWDue to its graphic nature, AEW will not be posting the post-match attack on Bryan Danielson.
Once the ref decided Danielson could no longer compete, Moxley was declared the winner and new champion. The way it ended felt a bit anticlimactic, but we all knew it was coming.
Wheeler Yuta and Allin saved Danielson from a beatdown, but Yuta then turned on Allin and took him out. Moxley handed Yuta a plastic bag and he suffocated Danielson with it.
Allin was duct taped to the ropes and forced to watch Castagnoli crush Danielson’s neck in a chair. More people finally showed up to drive Moxley’s crew away.
Result: Moxley defeated Danielson
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
Whoever had the idea to pair Moxley with Shafir needs a raise. The song continuing to play didn’t make any sense but it made for a fun moment. Moxley biting Danielson’s back was unexpected. Excalibur was crying as Danielson was being helped. The commentators did a good job of making the ending feel legit. The Final Word11 of 11
The second-annual WrestleDream PPV was a solid show from top to bottom, but like all PPVs, a few moments and matches stood out.
The returns of MJF and Cole were expected, the betrayal by Fletcher was a good call, and Rico making an appearance was definitely a surprise.
Moxley and Danielson put on a brutal fight, May and Nightingale had a great performance, and Shibata and Perry worked well together.
The two bouts that stood out the most were Page vs. White and the international title bout with Ospreay, Ricochet and Takeshita.
If you like storytelling, Mox and Danielson may be your favorite match, but for pure bell-to-bell action, Billy Goat, Ricochet and The Alpha delivered.
The fallout from the main event will be interesting to watch. While no blood was shed, what we saw was some of the most violent imagery on an AEW Show. There are bound to be mixed feelings.
Grade: B+
