Minimum Wage Nerd

AEW took to pay-per-view once again on Oct. 18, 2025, for WrestleDream live from the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri. Coming less than a month after All Out, some fans wouldn’t be wrong for feeling WrestleDream was thrown together in fairly short order. That being said, it is still AEW on pay-per-view and no show in 2025 may have delivered a better in-ring than WrestleDream.

Tailgate Brawl

Kicking off evening was the second edition of AEW’s Tailgate Brawl, the new lead-in for the pay-per-view that airs live on TNT and HBO Max.

Claudio Castagnoli, PAC, Wheeler Yuta, and Daniel Garcia, accompanied by Marina Shafir, represented the Death Riders against Orange Cassidy, Tomohiro Ishii, Kyle O’Reilly, and Roderick Strong of The Conglomeration. The match was exactly the type of multi-man tag match AEW fans are accustomed to seeing on TV as both teams went back and forth until PAC scored the pin for his team on Ishii after a distraction and assist by Garcia and Yuta, respectfully.

Next up was Eddie Kingston and Hook, who are still getting their feet under them as a team, against Cole Karter and Griff Garrison of the Frat House. It was three minutes that saw Kingston and Hook dominate most of it, unsurprisingly, while a backstage promo by La Faccion Ingobernable aired effectively calling out Hook and Kingston.

The show then cut to a brief promo from a tailgate party in Boca Raton, Florida, Hosted by Big Boom AJ and his family. Rocky Romero and Trent Beretta appear to challenge AJ to a tag match at Full Gear before attacking AJ wrecking the party.

Third was the first of many tag matches to dot the evening as it was Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford versus Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron. The match continued to tease what fans will see when the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship Tournament kicks off. Both teams traded momentum as Bayne and Nightingale threw their opponents around while Ford and Cameron used their speed and smaller sizes to their advantage. Nightingale and Cameron took the win after Nightingale dropped Bayne on the outside with a cannonball from the turnbuckle as Cameron hit suplex on Ford, who then tagged in Nightingale to perform the Doctor Bomb on Ford to score the pin.

To close out the Tailgate Brawl was FTR, comprised of Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler, taking on ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight, or JetSpeed for short. Immediately something seemed off as the teams made their entrances with about ten minutes left on the pre-show. As time wound down, it became clear the match would effectively be kicking off the pay-per-view when it went live in an overall cool spot, but one that AEW should use sparingly. As many fans would expect, this match delivered in every way possible. FTR served as the perfect bases to JetSpeed’s style of striking and high-flying offense. After many close calls, FTR was able to steal the win as their manager Stoke held Bailey’s feet during the pin to stop him kicking out.

On the whole, this was as solid an hour of AEW TV wrestling as a viewer can find. It continued building some stuff for weekly TV, such as Kingston and Hook versus LFI and the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament, and gave people a taste of what was to come on the main pay-per-view, especially when it came to tag team wrestling, but wasn’t anything to write home about either.

OVERALL GRADE – B

The Main Card

Thekla vs. Jamie Hayter

The first official match of WrestleDream’s main card was Jamie Hayter battling “The Toxic Spider” Thekla in what was as physical a match as a fan could see without using weapons.

Hayter and Thekla laid into each other for roughly 15 minutes with all the heavy-handed strikes and suplexes they could think of. It was the type of physicality both women have been known for in and out of AEW, especially Thekla who previously wrestled for Stardom in Japan which is known for its physical, high-paced in-ring style. Hayter was able to emerge victorious after cutting of Thekla’s spear with a lariat and then the Hayter-aid for the pin.

Jurassic Express vs. The Young Bucks

Next was the highly anticipated bout between the newly-reunited Jack Perry and Luchasaurus, aka Jurassic Express, taking on Matt and Nick Jackson, The Young Bucks, in a tag team match with $500,000 on the line.

These are two teams with history going back to the formation of AEW in 2019 and it showed, though they also made it clear these four are not the same people they were back then, either. Like most Young Bucks pay-per-view matches, the energy and speed was up for most of it as both teams showed off their athleticism for around 20 minutes. After multiple close pins, Jurassic Express were able to win after blocking the Bucks from hitting the TK-Driver and then hitting Matt Jackson with the Countdown to Extinction.

But wait…..there’s more.

As Perry and Luchasaurus go to leave with their bag of money, the pair decide to go and offer a handshake to the Bucks in a show of respect. The Bucks hesitate and before they decide what to do, Josh Alexander, Lance Archer and Mark Davis of the Don Callis Family jump Jurassic Express. The Young Bucks decide not to get involved and walk off, but not before Kenny Omega comes out to help Jurassic Express and try to get the Bucks involved. The two ultimately go to the back as Jurassic Express and Omega are able to fight off the Don Callis Family.

The Hurt Syndicate vs. The Demand

Bobby Lashley, MVP, and Shelton Benjamin of The Hurt Syndicate versus The Demand’s Ricochet, Bishop Kaun, and Toa Liona in a tornado trios match.

Fans were informed as the match began that the match was now a number one contender’s match for the AEW World Trios Championships. As with these two teams previous matches, it was a mix of athleticism and physicality as Ricochet was able to use everyone in the match as a base for his high-flying while Lashley, Benjamin, Kaun, and Liona delivered the physicality. MVP would be a regular target for The Demand as he has only wrestled three times in AEW, as opposed to Lashley and Benjamin, while the Syndicate would try to get their hands on Ricochet for much of the match.

Just as the Syndicate believe they have Ricochet corned, Kaun pulls him out of the ring and takes Ricochet’s place. It proves pointless as the Syndicate are able to hit a combination that ends with a Lashley spear to get the win and earn a match against the AEW Trios Champions, The Opps.

TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe

Next comes the first title match of the evening as TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher, representing the Don Callis Family, battled Mark Briscoe for the TNT Championship in the pair’s fifth singles match.

The chemistry between Briscoe and Fletcher is undeniable at this point as Fletcher’s high-speed, high-impact and cleaner looking offense seems to just gel with Briscoe’s wilder and more chaotic, homegrown style. It resulted in what is likely the best of the pair’s five match series that began back in June 2024 on Ring of Honor.

Briscoe and Fletcher went back and forth for almost 25 minutes before Fletcher emerged victorious to retain his TNT title. It would take multiple brainbusters, including a brainbuster to the top turnbuckle, to keep Briscoe’s shoulders down for the three-count.

AEW Women’s World Champion Kris Statlander vs. “Timeless” Toni Storm

The former champion “Timeless” Toni Storm attempting to regain her title from the current champion, Kris Statlander, was next on the docket for WrestleDream.

It marked the first singles match between Storm and Statlander in AEW history, which may surprise some fans given Statlander joined AEW shortly after Dynamite began in December 2019 and Storm in March 2022. Despite that, the two had only ever met in multi-person matches in the past including at All Out in September when Statlander pinned Storm for the title, though it was with the seatbelt pin and not the definitive defeat Storm had been searching for.

There was a big match feeling in the air as Statlander and Storm, who have long been focal points of AEW’s women’s division, locked up for their first singles match. The two traded holds for the first few minutes as the match ramped up the deeper it got into its roughly 16 minute runtime. Statlander was able to his a Night Fever before locking in a submission that Storm struggled to break out of. Storm started to break free while yelling “kill me” at Statlander, who promptly hit another Night Fever and score the definitive pin Storm had been looking for.

Statlander would celebrate in the ring after a show of respect from Storm when TBS Champion Mercedes Mone would make her entrance, using the Frat House to hold her nine other championship belts. Mone promptly told Statlander to go to the back as Mone could celebrate becoming the longest-reigning TBS Champion in AEW history and issuing an open challenge for “any champion” to put their title on the line against Mone for the TBS Championship.

TBS Champion Mercedes Mone vs. Ring of Honor Interim Women’s World TV Champion Mina Shirakawa

Mone’s challenge would be answered by the Ring of Honor Interim Women’s World TV Champion Mina Shirakawa in the title-for-title open challenge.

The match was exactly was viewers have come to expect from Mone’s matches, and this was right there in quality with the rest. If there was any notable downside to this match, it was that this was the first where the crowd showed how tired it was as a result of the high in-ring pace that dominated the night. Mone and Shirakawa were still able to deliver in the ring for its own 16 minute runtime.

Shirakawa and Mone began trading submissions and pinfall attempts as the two tried to walk away with one more belt. Ultimately, Mone won the match after a backslide pin where she was able to get a foot on the rope to stop Shirakawa from kicking out. Mone is now “11-Belt Mone” and broke Ultimo Dragon’s record of holding 10 belts simultaneously.

Statlander would come back out during Mone’s celebration as payback for earlier and made Mone flee after Statlander hit Mone with a Samoan Drop.

AEW World Tag Team Champions Brodido vs. AEW Unified Champion Kazuchika Okada and IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita

In what was the culmination of the evening’s tag team matches, Brody King and Bandido put their AEW World Tag Team Championships on the line against the Don Callis Family’s Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita.

Takeshita is fresh of winning the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Zack Sabre Jr. at New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s King of Pro-Wrestling. This appeared to only fuel the animosity between Okada and Takeshita which has been brewing for weeks.

Anyone who had seen Takeshita challenge Bandido for the Ring of Honor World Championship at Supercard of Honor in July already knew what those two would bring to the match, on top of everything King and Okada bring to the table. The next 27 minutes would see Brodido and the Don Callis Family representatives trade heavy-handed strikes and big spots, all with tensions between Okada and Takeshita bubbling underneath.

Things came to a head as Bandido tried to survive a two-on-one situation against Okada and Takeshita. After catching Bandido, Okada attempted a Rainmaker but Bandido ducked and Okada ended up clotheslining Takeshita instead. Okada feigned regret for a minute before a giant smile formed on his face and he flipped off Takeshita, who rolled out of the ring to the floor. Bandido took the chance to regain his composure and catches Okada as he turns back around before hitting him with the X-knee. Bandido attempted the 21-plex after but couldn’t hit it due to his left arm, which had been hurt in a title defense about two weeks before against Hechicero. King came back in the ring to help Bandido soften Okada further before diving to the outside, taking out Takeshita. Bandido was then able to hit a one-armed 21-plex on Okada to retain the World Tag Team titles.

Cut to backstage where Lexi Nair is with a bereft Toni Storm, who is joined shortly after by Mina Shirakawa. Storm laments how the pair have nothing left before Shirakawa reminds Storm that they have each other, hinting that these two will likely be a team chasing the new Women’s Tag Team titles.

AEW Men’s World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page vs. AEW World Trios Champion Samoa Joe

“Hangman” Adam Page, the current AEW Men’s World Champion, then made his entrance to defend his title against one-third of the World Trios champions and former-AEW Men’s World Champion, Samoa Joe. The match came about after Page unwittingly offended Joe in what Joe read as a show of disrespect after defeating the Death Riders in a trios match on Dynamite weeks earlier.

Like most of Joe’s matches, it was a reminder that age really is just a number for the 26-year veteran and former world champion. Joe’s physicality was on full display against Page, who has made his career in AEW with wars against the likes of Jon Moxley, Kenny Omega, Swerve Strickland, and MJF, and this is exactly what fans got for 19 minutes.

Joe was eventually able to catch Page and apply the Coquina clutch, though Page was able to get to the ropes to break it up. After escaping Joe’s attempt at a Muscle Buster, Page hit Joe with the Deadeye for a two-count. Page followed this up with a pair of Buckshot lariats and scored the pin to retain his world title.

Joe’s teammates in The Opps, Katsuyori Shibata and Powerhouse Hobbs, came to the ring afterward to check on their partner. Page handed Joe his Trios title and the two embraced in a show of respect before Joe dropped Page with a lariat as Hobbs and Shibata began attacking Page. Joe would then crack Page with the AEW Men’s World Title and hit him with a Muscle Buster.

The camera then cut to the back where Mone let Statlander know she isn’t happy with Statlander raining on Mone’s parade and challenged Statlander for the Women’s World Championship at Full Gear. It was then confirmed on the next Dynamite that The Opps would be defending the Trios Championship against the Hurt Syndicate, Kazuchika Okada will defend the Unified Championship against Bandido, and the brackets for the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship tournament will be revealed.

“I Quit” Match – Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley

It is time for the main event as Darby Allin and Jon Moxley face off in an “I Quit” match to close out the show.

Allin comes to the ring alone while Moxley is joined by his Death Riders’ compatriot, Marina Shafir.

The next 25 minutes saw Allin and Moxley, two wrestlers known for their violent and physical matches, delivering war as the two tried to make the other quit. Shafir would make her presence known at random points during the match, though much of its first half kept the focus on Allin and Moxley as the two didn’t waste time getting physical. Allin, especially, would be put through the physical ringer as he was slammed, thrown, and even tased and have a skewer shoved into one of his fingers by Moxley.

Allin would get back at Moxley randomly, thanks in part to a bag of weapons he brought with him which included the AEW flag Allin took a photo with after summitting Mt. Everest earlier in 2025.

As Allin would start to pick up momentum later in the match, the rest of the Death Riders would emerge to help their leader try to finish Allin off. This resulted in an aquarium being taken out and filled with water, which Moxley held Allin’s head under multiple times though he refused to quit. Eventually, the lights cut out for a few moments and when they returned, Sting was in the ring armed with his metal bat to aid Allin. Sting ran off the rest of the Death Riders, tossed Allin the bat, and carried Shafir backstage. Allin didn’t waste time taking the aluminum bat to Moxley before using the AEW flag to choke Moxley and hitting a Scorpion Death Drop and Coffin Drop. Allin then locked in a Scorpion Death Lock and Moxley quickly quit as Allin celebrated with flag as WrestleDream faded to black.

Final Thoughts

AEW has had a banner year in 2025, with the overall quality of the product managing to pick back up after a rocky few years tracing all the way back to the infamous “Brawl Out” backstage fight in 2022.

While it could be argued the build to WrestleDream felt a bit rushed due to the relatively short-turnaround from All Out, AEW was able to deliver what may be its best in-ring pay-per-view of 2025.

Each match felt different enough from the one previous that the crowd, even when tired, was engaged for the roughly 4.5 hour pay-per-view, or 5.5 hours if including the Tailgate Brawl. It highlighted something AEW has done better in 2025 than it had in recent years which was keeping the core focus on the ring and only shifting focuses when it needed to.

Tag team wrestling, in particular, was the star of the show at WrestleDream between an 8-man tag, a trios match, and five traditional 2v2 tag team matches. The women’s tag match on the Tailgate Brawl helped provide a quick preview of what fans can see in the tag title tournament while the three men’s tag matches showcased a division that has experience a massive rebound in 2025, especially in the last several months.

To further this point, the best match of the night would have to go to Brodido vs Takeshita and Okada for the AEW Tag Team Championships.

Bandido has been considered by many outlets one of the best wrestlers in 2025 with a catalog of matches including two potential Match of the Year candidates in his Ring of Honor World Championship defenses against Takeshita and Hechicero. He has also had many standout bouts south of the border for CMLL in Mexico, main eventing the legendary Arena Mexico against names including Mistico, Mascara Dorada, Volador Jr., Difunto, and others.

There appeared to be some frustration with fans online over the end of the “I Quit” match and it feeling rushed, along with some other points, but nothing that seemed to set off any major backlash from fans in a way that ruined a particular match or the show.

That said, show length is something that AEW should address.

It may have been a Saturday but there’s something to be said about a pay-per-view starting its main card at 8 P.M. not needing to go well past midnight. If the show had started in the early or mid-afternoon as All In: Texas, Forbidden Door, and All Out have, then longer shows don’t appear to be a problem for most fans based on the reception those shows received. For evening pay-per-views, though, Tony Khan may want to consider trimming the shows down for the benefit of AEW’s audience.

OVERALL GRADE: B+