411’s AEW WrestleDream 2024 Preview

Hello, and welcome everyone to the official site preview for this weekend’s AEW WrestleDream event. I am your host, Ryan, and I will help navigate you through the matches that we have on the docket for this Saturday. Emanating from the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington, WrestleDream will present us with a vast array of matches and, if one were to have their way, the end of the full-time in-ring career for one American Dragon.

Of course, I speak of the (presumptive) main event, where Bryan Danielson not only puts his AEW World Title on the line against the challenger Jon Moxley, but if he loses, he also will retire from wrestling full-time in AEW. This is a sentimental moment for Danielson, especially being so close to home. But that’s not the only title on the line at WrestleDream, as the AEW International Title is on the line, as the champion Will Ospreay defends the belt against both Konosuke Takeshita and Ricochet in one of the matches I am the most interested in. Also, The Elite will be in on the action, as Jack Perry defends the TNT Title against Katsuyori Shibata, and The Young (EVP) Bucks defend the Tag Team Titles against Private Party.

Of course, titles don’t have to be on the line for some high stakes’ drama, as kind of hometown boy Darby Allin will face off with Brody King, and “Hangman” Adam Page will face off with “Switchblade” Jay White. Oh, and Swerve Strickland will make his return to the company for the first time since the events of the Lights Out cage match back at All-Out.

All that and, as always, so much more, so follow me for thoughts, predictions, and so much more!

Zero Hour ROH World TV Championship:
Atlantis Jr. (c) vs. Brian Cage

Image Credit: AEW

You know, if I didn’t know any better, I would have completely forgotten that Atlantis Jr was the ROH World TV Champion in the first place. That’s not to say that he has been a bad champion at all, but the influx of titles has created a large pantheon of champions across both ROH and AEW. Having said that, this match should be a good one, as we have a high flying luchador against the “Swolverine” Brian Cage.

One thing I wonder about AEW and, by extension, ROH, is the fact that they put titles on competitors from other companies and make it seem like they are important within AEW/ROH. Which, obviously, is a great thing for working relations with other companies, but the fact remains that the company has a lot of wrestlers who could hold that title instead. Does that mean that Cage takes the title from Atlantis here? I’m going to guess no because the match is on Zero Hour, but then again, this is a secondary title in a secondary company being featured on an AEW event, so I’m just assuming that there will be no title change.
WINNER: Atlantis Jr. (Still Champion)

Swerve Strickland returns

Image Credit: AEW

So, this one is not going to be a prediction per se, but it will be an exploration of things that we can look forward to when it comes to the return of Swerve Strickland.

Having been absent since the events of the main event of All-Out, Strickland is, of course, from Tacoma, so it makes sense that, even if he doesn’t compete on the show, that he would at least make a public appearance on the show. Of course, for those who have been following events over the past couple of weeks, the debut of MVP to the company, and confronting Prince Nana about how he has overseen managing the career of Strickland, makes for some high drama this Saturday. There is also the inclusion of one Shelton Benjamin, but he is the Head of the Complaint Department, according to MVP, at least.

So, what happens at WrestleDream? Does Swerve turn on Nana and take the advice and guidance of MVP, or does he spurn MVP and Benjamin and stay loyal to the same man who has stood by him through thick and thin? Considering that the show is in Swerve’s hometown, I don’t see there being a full blown heel turn for him this Saturday. But I feel like the seeds of doubt will continue to be planted by all parties involved, while Strickland spurns MVP, at least for now.

“Hangman” Adam Page vs. “Switchblade” Jay White

Image Credit: AEW

There has been little to no build to this match, mainly because White has just returned, but that doesn’t mean that this match cannot be a good one. I’m not looking forward to an actual wrestling match, but I am looking forward to two guys just going out and beating the ever loving crap out of each other.

To say that Hangman has been making any friends in AEW since he went off the deep end thanks to not being able to beat Swerve would be a massive understatement. However, one thing that Page will simply not do is give up on anything that his mind perceives as a slight towards him and what he wants to accomplish. That also seems to be the MO for White, as he called out Page this past week on the Title Tuesday edition of Dynamite, saying that Page knocked him from his goal of winning the AEW World Title. It’s hard for me to figure out who should win here, as both guys are worthy of going over and moving on to improved things. However, you cannot bet against a crazy eyes Hangman Page.
WINNER: Hangman Adam Page

Darby Allin vs. Brody King

Image Credit: AEW

In the latest episode of “How will Darby manage to kill himself in the ring,” we have arrived at a match with Brody King, a man who could roll Allin up into a ball and dunk him into the middle of the Pacific Ocean. However, you would be wise not to bet against Allin in any situation, as we have seen that he is willing to do anything to win a match.

There is a little bit of a backstory, and it goes back a year ago, when King choked Allin out on the apron of the ring during a Casino Battle Royale. Since then, both men have been circling around each other without finding themselves in each other’s way. That is, until two weeks ago, when King jumped Allin on the stage after he called out anyone in the back for a fight at WrestleDream. Then we had the confrontation this past week on Dynamite, and proof that we could bring back a single, solitary moment from a while back and make it into a match in the here and now. Given the geographical location of this event in accordance with where Darby is from and the fact that he issued this challenge, I feel like Allin winning is the right call here, although if it does get him closer to the AEW World Title is anyone’s guess.
WINNER: Darby Allin

Two out of three Falls Match:
Hologram vs. The Beast Mortos

Image Credit: AEW

The Collision Cowboy no longer, Hologram made his Dynamite debut this past week in a victory over Kommander to keep his undefeated streak in AEW alive. However, we got the revelation that Mortos, along with Dralistico and RUSH, have been involved in the talent trade between Don Callis and Jake Roberts. Both Hologram and Kommander were ambushed and beaten up by the new, Jake Roberts-led LFI, and so that brings us to this match.

The 2-out-of-3 falls stipulation allows for Mortos to “beat” Hologram in one fall without Hologram suffering his first ever loss in AEW. It’s also an interesting way to implement the new alignments, if we’re assuming that Hologram and Kommander will be allies in this fight against a common foe. And, let me be clear when I say this, I am always excited to see Mortos in the ring and getting some kind of push, as the guy can do amazing things that someone his size should not be able to do. Given all the things that we know, it seems highly probable that the winning streak of Hologram does not end at WrestleDream, but the feud between the new LFI and Hologram (and Kommander) will continue in some capacity.
WINNER: Hologram (Two Falls to one)

ROH World Championship:
Mark Briscoe (c) vs. Chris Jericho

Image Credit: AEW

If you think that this is a replay of past events, then you would be correct and you are in fact not misrepresenting said events. It was not that long ago that Jericho was the Ring of Honor World Champion as he eventually lost the title to Claudio Castagnoli after “passing out” in a Giant Swing. This time, he is the challenger, and Briscoe is the man he is chasing.

The reasoning for Jericho getting a title show is arcane, and the way he has gone about getting “heat” to strum up any passable interest in this match is completely mundane. While Jericho might have been the man to pin Briscoe in a Texas Tornado 6-man match a couple of weeks ago, his reference to the deceased brother of Mark in Jay Briscoe is the ultimate definition of cheap and unimaginative heat. If I am being completely honest, I expected just a LITTLE bit more out of someone who have been in the game for 34 years now, and that they could find a way to make this thrown together feud for s secondary company’s title more compelling. The fact that this match is on the main show and not Zero Hour gives me the uneasy feeling that they are going to move the title back to Jericho, but if there is one match that I am wrong on, at least I know that I sided with the leader among men and the maestro of the word of the day.
WINNER: Mark Briscoe (Still Champion)

AEW TNT Championship:
Jack Perry (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Image Credit: AEW

Do you know what? I am not afraid to admit to something when I am wrong, and that something happens to pertain to Jack Perry. Once the white meat babyface who had a pet dinosaur and a sidekick who made him look like Andre The Giant in comparison, things changed drastically for Perry and, as such, he has become an entirely new person these days. He cuts promos that are somewhere between cryptic and brooding, his in-ring work has gotten a lot more methodical and precise and his alignment with The Elite makes total sense for him. And then we have his opponent, who personifies everything that is great about professional wrestling to the point that Shibata is, in fact, nicknamed “The Wrestler.”

In a perfectly unironic world, Shibata would wrestle so many laps around Perry that he would turn into a human pretzel. However, one must wonder what good it does to take the title from Perry in favor Shibata. And that is no disrespect meant towards Shibata, but it is me implying that someone else will be set to dethrone Perry when the time is right. And, for as much as I have been screaming for Konosuke Takeshita to win singles gold, I think that person who knocks Perry from the champions line will be Daniel Garcia, especially with the recent news from DG himself that he has re-signed with AEW. But that is another time entirely, and when it comes to WrestleDream, Perry finds a way to escape this one with his title.
WINNER: Jack Perry (Still Champion)

AEW World Tag Team Championship:
The Young Bucks (c) vs. Private Party

Image Credit: AEW

Say, remember that one time five years ago when, in the first tournament to crown the inaugural AEW World Tag Team Champions, that Private Party defeated The Young Bucks in the first round? If you didn’t remember, then the company is sure to remind that this is, in some ways, a perfectly passable way to come full circle all this time later. And, if it weren’t for how awesome I know this match could be, I might have taken umbrage with how thrown together it feels.

On the one hand, I can appreciate the company firing up Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen as viable threats for the tag team titles. I think everyone, even if you do like Private Party, can admit that they have floundered, lost their way some, and have not lived up to their true potential within AEW. The same cannot be said about Nicholas and Matthew Jackson, who not only have lived up to their potential (and if they haven’t, they always find a way around it), but they have managed to evolve from the team you loved to hate because they always did the same things in every match, to the team you love to hate because they have become arrogant and entitled douchebags. Having said all of this, the onus is on Private Party to finally prove that they can hang with the best of the best in AEW, and they need to capitalize on that forward momentum they have put together over the past month-plus. But, again, I have said all of this to mean that I cannot see lightning striking twice for Private Party, and the Bucks should put those past demons to rest with a win here.

Besides, we clearly know who the team is that will dethrone the Young Bucks, and it is a team that is not only YOUNGER than the Jackson Brothers, but the youngest team ever!
WINNERS: The Young Bucks (Still Champions)

AEW Women’s World Championship:
Mariah May (c) vs. Willow Nightingale

Image Credit: AEW

You know, I despise matches being put together that don’t have that much build to them. However, in this case, I will make an exception for that because, as we all know, “The Glamour” Mariah May makes everything better, and Willow Nightingale is simply too sweet of a girl to not like, even if she does choke up a lot in title matches.

And so that brings us to this match, and what will happen when power and positivity meets sass and style. Willow has been making her intentions known that she was coming for May and the Women’s Title for some time now, and she further punctuated that statement with a win this past week on the “Title Tuesday” episode of Dynamite, winning in a 4-woman match to challenge May this Saturday at WrestleDream. And, while May has been playing it cool and acting like she is not worried about the challenge, she must be at least a little bit concerned on some level. But all that is just to say that Mariah has been unstoppable since she won the title back at All-In and given how great she has been and how much Willow DOES lose when the money is on the line, it would be wise to not bet against Mariah in this match.
WINNER: Mariah May (Still Champion)

AEW International Championship:
Will Ospreay (c) vs. Ricochet vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Image Credit: AEW

Take the placement of this bout in my preview as being one of the matches I am most excited about for this show, and for good reason. Not only do we have three incredibly talented wrestlers in the match, but we have a lot of strings between the men involved in it to make it even more interesting. All that to say, guess what, we have a title on the line for this contest.

Even before Ricochet arrived at All-In for the Casino Gauntlet Battle Royale, Ospreay had been calling him out, and after a couple of weeks and some terse interactions between the men, we finally got the match between them at Dynamite 5 in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately for both men and the title match in question, Takeshita arrived and beat down both. As such, the logical take is to run back the match between Ricochet and Ospreay for the International Title, but to make it a 3-way dance involving Takeshita, and I am here for it. I have been screaming from the top of a mountain that Takeshita should have singles gold by now, but now I am torn as to whether it comes at the expense of Ospreay. Of course, the copout here could be Takeshita pinning Ricochet to win the title, but it would be a real same for Will to lose the belt after he just won it back from MJF less than two months ago at All-In. No matter who you go with here, this match has the potential to be MOTN material, although the selection is a hard one for me here.
WINNER: Will Ospreay (Still Champion)

AEW World Championship:
Bryan Danielson (c) vs. Jon Moxley

Image Credit: AEW

And so, we arrive at what will be the presumptive main event of the show, and what could also be the presumptive end of Danielson’s career once again. Such is the life that Bryan is leading as the World Champion of AEW, but this upcoming challenge is one that is personal for him and for Moxley, the challenger for the AEW Title and a former champion himself.

The turn of the BCC on Danielson should not have been surprising, seeing that the entire unit (which started with Danielson and Moxley in the first place) was doing whatever they wanted and wherever they wanted. When it came time for a team/family reconciliation, Moxley (now working closely with Marina Shafir along with Claudio and PAC) turned on Danielson at All-Out and attempted to assassinate him VIA plastic bag suffocation. Since then, Danielson and Yuta have been at war with the remainder of the BCC, but make no mistake, this started with Danielson and Moxley in the original William Regal led Blackpool Combat Club, and it very well may end up with them in some capacity. It is hard for me to pick against Danielson, but the way Moxley has been booked since he came back with his subliminal messages in his in-ring promo with Tony Schiavone would look silly if he were to lose this match. Alas, this cannot be the end for Danielson, if simply for the fact that they are in his (relative) hometown.
WINNER: Bryan Danielson (Still Champion)

And that will do it for my preview of WrestleDream! I thank everyone who clicks on this article and checks it out because, trust me, I do not take it for granted and I appreciate it. Comment with your picks and we’ll see how the show plays out!

WrestleDream takes place this SATURDAY at 8:00PM, with the Zero Hour starting at 6:30PM. As usual, you can catch the show on the usual outlets and at Dave and Buster’s locations across the US!