wrestling / TV Reports
Hunter’s Live Report From AEW WrestleDream 2023
Image Credit: Jonathan Hunter
Loading...AEW WrestleDream
October 1, 2023
Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Hall’s PPV Report
Sambus’s PPV Report
Due to helping quash the latest Yak uprising in Canada, I was late to the show and missed Zero Hour. Would love to see Claudio and Barnett run it back at GCW Bloodsport!
I picked up a last minute cheap seat in the 200 tier. At the show, I got an upgrade into Section 11! Bleachers stage left of the entrance. The 200 levels and part of the upper decks were tarped off. That said, last tickets sold was around 6000. It was a great, rowdy, loud crowd. I have to suggest that running WrestleDream the night after Collision hurt both shows. Collision tickets went on sale long before WrestleDream was even announced; it’s logical to conclude that a lot of folks who went to Collision weren’t going to double-dip for the next night, and WD sales took away from more Collision. Anyway, AEW iN tHe MuD *eyeroll*.
ROH TAG TEAM TITLES: MJF (c) d. The Righteous
I suppose there was a slim chance The Righteous could have beat the AEW World Champion and one-half of the ROH World Tag Team Champions, but MJF retaining in spite of Adam Cole’s injury was a foregone conclusion. I did wonder if, perhaps, Roderick Strong would run in as an unlikely partner; perhaps when the threat to the titles is bigger. There’s no question that, outside of the Washington State natives and a certain surprise debut, MJF was the most OVER wrestler on the card. “Our Scumbag” doing classic 80s babyface shit to monstrous responses is *chef’s kiss*.
That said, in the past few weeks I have enjoyed The Righteous’ act. Vincent and Dutch work well together; Vincent in particular is charismatic and has a level of presence. They simply haven’t been established long enough on AEW TV for fans to really care about them.
Ultimately, The Righteous were just warm bodies so the champ could do his shit. That’s all it had to be. MJF *is* the act, regardless of opponent. His facial expressions and body language are remarkable, especially when he went to make the “hot tag” to an empty corner, and pulled the Eddie Guerrero tribute. Fantastic, fun opener.
ROH WORLD TITLE & NJPW STRONG OPENWEIGHT TITLE: Eddie Kingston (c) d. Katsuyori Shibata
A different style of match from the opener for sure! The Seattle crowd watched this one attentively. Lots of love for Shibata and THIS MAN
EDDIE KINGSTON
Saw Eddie back in January in Seattle, but only a tag match on the DARK taping. This was amazing. Shibata has this amazing quality about him. He's magnetic. Also, by the look of his trunks, he also has a MASSIVE hog. Eddie sells like a motherfucker. Two things:
Eddie's chops sound like shotguns;
Shibata's forearm shivers were AUDIBLE THUDS echoing through the building.
A great match that built well, hard-hitting, with a great finish. Eddie giving the ring over to Shibata as a show of respect was perfect. EDDIE FUCKING KINGSTON!!!
TBS Title: Kris Statlander (c) d. Julia Hart (w/Brody King)
I would say the Seattle fans leaned just slightly in favor of Julia! The House of Black entrance is fucking so cool. It’s astonishing how far Julia has come since her cheerleader days. You can tell she’s still “thinking too much” at moments, but she’s cultivated presence and more than pulled her weight. Kris Statlander is a star, and by God, her strength is awesome.
Honestly, this may have been the sleeper match of the evening. The women worked hard, told a good story, and had just a classic, straight-up one-on-one match. Julia’s moonsault was a thing of beauty. Statlander deadlifting Hart ruled.
Hey Tony, what if you… hear me about… you put more than ONE women’s match on a show? Think about it.
YOUNG BUCKS WIN FOUR-WAY TAG TITLE SHOT CLUSTERFUCK
I dipped out for a bathroom break and check out merch after the entrances. The Gunns’ entrance is raaaaaad. Orange Cassidy and Hook are OVER. The Lucha Bros and Young Bucks, both popular.
Anyway, the Merch stand was, as seems to be the rule of AEW shows… pathetic. Like the rest of y’all I can’t comprehend how badly AEW fuck this up on a show-to-show basis. The stand had exactly ONE t-shirt for talent; the MJF/Cole “Better Than You Baby” tee. The other tees were crummy “I WAS THERE” or generic PPV shirts. CARDBLADE standees and MJF scarves for sale was cool, the foam Acclaimed scissor hands were cool. But otherwise it was wildly expensive replica belts and overpriced autographed action figures.
How the hell do you run a major event in SEATTLE and not have Danielson and Darby merch? They would have sold a metric assload. That’s a math facts. Anyway…
Nobody around me seemed to know what happened to Fenix. Reading the 411 report, doesn’t seem like it was clearly communicated on TV either. The match was fine, big ol’ spotfest. Honestly? The Gunns were the stars of the match, and I would have liked to have seen them win. Seattle reacted well to the Bucks’ win, but it was dang clear we would have rather seen anybody else win. Popcorn match.
I’m not exactly hyped for FTR vs Bucks IV. It feels way too soon to get there; and I can’t fathom a scenario where the Bucks lose yet again to Dax & Cash. I’ll probably pull a Toni Storm and throw a show at the TV if that’s where this is. Like, both teams in Bullet Club Gold would be great choices to dethrone FTR. Build Aussie Open up to win next time. There are other, more interesting options.
SWERVE STRICKLAND d. HANGMAN PAGE
Holy SHIT. Watching it back on TV, it did NOT come across just how much Seattle HATED Hangman Page. The boos were vicious, overwhelming, and deafeningly loud. On the flip side, the hometown LOVE for Swerve Strickland was as loud, and passionate. Incredible. (also: PRINCE NANA DANCE!!!)
First match on the card with a deep *emotional* investment, and the difference in crowd response was palpable. Every kick-out, every nearfall, spontaneous, genuine cheers or boos, hope and disappointment. Fucking incredible. “FUCK YOU HANGMAN” chants; “WHO’S HOUSE/SWERVE’S HOUSE.” Gotta say though, Seattle, y’all had a tough time getting on the same page with a lot of the chants. I know some of the live chat commenters pointed it out!
Hangman shifted into subtle but clear heel mode so, so well. TOok his time. Made sure to work the crowd. Take a look at his fallaway slam/kip up spot; usually Hangman kips up almost immediately after the slam. Here? He waited on the canvas, baiting the crowd in, and kipping up to huge boos. Swerve didn’t necessarily work “babyface,” but held the crowd’s love and home court advantage. Swerve has absolute presence, oozes charisma, and carries himself like a fucking megastar.
If I had one criticism, I could suggest the match peaked minutes before it ended. The sequence where Swerve hit the splash onto Hangman’s bad arm and transitioned in the cross arm-breaker had the crowd on their feet and losing our minds. Watching it back, it felt the same. Like it took us, the audience, a bit to get back into the flow of things. Maybe if it ended there, people would have complained it was “too short”?
But I digress.
They absolutely brought the crowd back. Anxiety that Swerve was not going to be able to get the job done gave way to joyful celebration. Honestly? Match of the night, even above my beloved American Dragon. I think Swerve was already a “star,” but this was 100% his coming out party. He belongs with the elite of AEW.
RICKY STARKS d. WHEELER YUTA
Sorry lads, this was the cool-down/piss break match. Watching it back, it’s a good match! Great work by both men. Moxley on commentary, though, absolutely made it. Insightful, bonkers, sometimes both in one sentence. Good to see Ricky Starks get a win on PPV. Crowd was emotionally decompressing from the previous match, though.
BRYAN DANIELSON d. ZACK SABRE JR
I don’t even know what to write about this one! Counter after counter after counter, both guys doing things I’ve never seen before. Shut the fuck up, Bully Ray, it wasn’t “too smooth.” It ruled. Obviously, Danielson had the massive hometown love. Everything Dragon did got a crazy reaction. Let’s not overlook Sabre! Some of his critics say he’s bland, but dude has a great, cocky, arrogant personality. He also knows how to work the crowd. Lots of terrific, shit-eating expressions and moments.
Some of the shit looked absolutely vicious live, especially the twists and dragon screws. Oof. Sabre using some of Dragon’s own moves against him was great heat. Live fans repeatedly expressed shock and astonishment at the sheer volume and creativity of the counters and exchanges. Bryan winning was obvious, but they worked in some terrific drama. In my opinion, they made you believe it was desperately important to both men to prove who was the best technical wrestler in the world.
Danielson won to a huge pop, Sabre the wanker refused a handshake to major boos, and then Danielson put over referee and Seattle native Aubrey Edwards in a lovely moment.
Bryan Danielson is my favorite wrestler of all time. So glad to witness this match as he wraps up being a full-time wrestler over the next year.
WILL OSPREAY, SAMMY GUEVARA, KONOSUKE TAKESHITA d. CHRIS JERICHO, KENNY OMEGA, KOTA IBUSHI
This match was significantly better than the similar six-man tag back at ALL IN. Just felt cleaner, better structured, easier to follow, and that each guy in the match had opportunities to shine. Omega is THICK in person. Ospreay rules. Sammy has sooooooo much heat. If Takeshita was AEW World champ in a couple years, I’d buy it — he’s already so good.
Kota Ibushi… my God, what a strange, weird fucker. He was endlessly fascinating to watch! He also, at least for my money, looked better than his prior two AEW outings. But he’s strange and I love it. Highlight of the night: after the triple dive spot, Kota gave a little golf clap and cheesy thumbs up. The two dudes in my row LOST IT at that; absolutely cracked them for the next five minutes. AMAZING.
Jericho was MASSIVELY over. Jericho in tags and six-mans is a good use for him; he’s been painful in singles matches almost all of 2023. Takeshita’s strikes are SOLID. Sammy’s athleticism and arrogance… good God, please never try to make him a babyface again. He’s a natural heel. Even when he did a crazy spot like the SSP to the floor, crowd made sure to let him know “YOU STILL SUCK.”
The ending, frankly, sucked. It was completely unclear what the hell was going on with Aubrey and Ospreay. Watching it back? It still sucked. First of all: She’s not flawless, but IMO Aubrey Edwards is a very good referee. Having Ospreay hold onto her for what seemed like a frigging minute was just dumb; then having ANOTHER bad distraction. I think Callis (HOLY SHIT THE HEAT FOR CALLIS) hitting Jericho with the bat was fine, but how they got there really took away from a great match. You could hear the confusion from fans all over my sections. Sammy pinning Jericho was a good call, just the confusing nature of the ending muddled it.
AEW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES: FTR (c) d. Aussie Open
Fucking YES, finally get to see FTR in action. Back at the January Dynamite was when the Gunns did the fake-out, playing FTR’s music for heat during the “funeral for FTR.” I love Dax and Cash. Aussie Open are frikkin’ awesome. Mark Davis is just a big slab of man! Kyle Fletcher is such a punk, I love it. Cash is so damn athletic and quick.
By the way, Dax chops were even louder than Eddie Kingston’s. Jeeeesus.
The problem with this match wasn’t the work. It was another “foregone conclusion;” but without the same level of opponent or hometown crowd investment. I kept overhearing things like “just put away these jobbers,” or “guys in green.” Even though fans chanted along with the “AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE OI OI OI” theme music; I got the sense that a big chunk of the crowd really had no idea who Fletcher and Davis were. Were they wrong? In terms of AEW TV, the Aussies have only been minor presences, and to date their biggest moment was losing on Zero Hour in 8 minutes to Cole and MJF.
So nobody bought a title change, and the match was very long for such an obvious ending. About the third time AO prevented Cash from making a tag to Dax, I found myself getting a bit bored. I agree with Hall; shave around 4-5 minutes off of this match and it’s just a BANGER.
That said, there’s no denying the work. One of my friends said it is one of the best matches he’s seen all year, so maybe my expectations were too high, or maybe it just came across better on TV. Sandwiched between Danielson/Sabre and Darby/Christian, though, it was tough. The crowd were hardly dead but there just wasn’t any real investment or emotion. The super SHATTER MACHINE to end was badass!
TOP GUYS
TNT TITLE 2/3 FALLS: Christian Cage (c) d. Darby Allin
First of all I need to talk about the fucking spots with the ring steps. WHAT THE FUCK, DARBY.
If you watch the show, you can see everybody standing as Cage tries to lift Darby to suplex him over onto the steps. I wonder if Christian had second thoughts when, at first, he dumped Darby just onto the floor.
If he did, welp. First the bodyslam ONTO THE STEPS, AT AN ANGLE, FROM THE FLOOR. I’m cringing just thinking about it, the whole fucking crowd wincing in unison. And it’s not flat on the top of the steps, it’s on the ANGLE and hard edges of ALL THE STEPS. I mean, Jesus Christ.
So y’know, Christian then had to slam Darby onto those same steps FROM THE APRON.
No offense, Thomas Hall, but “Something like a powerslam off the apron hits sends Allin back first into the steps.” doesn’t even come CLOSE to doing this vicious sequence justice haha.
Christian was hated, but he’s also so damn good in his current role there was an element of the fans cheering for him. Is this the best run of Christian’s career? It’s unbelievable. Anybody else, making fun of dead dads would come off as pathetic and cringe. Christian is MASTERFUL with it. I’m glad he’s “actually” TNT champion, now, so that in the record books it’s not just Luchasaurus lol.
Darby is one of the best babyfaces out there. I said this in my live Dynamite report back in January, that Darby is so good because he works to his size. He sells incredibly, he has great fundamentals to back it up. It was a treat to see Darby get to demonstrate his actual *wrestling* skills for the first fall. Classic babyface shit, get a quick fall on the heel in a two-three falls.
The final fall was obviously fucking insane. Christian dismantling the ring canvas, exposing the boards. There was a moment where I thought Darby, kicking out of an Unprettier on the wood and more, was still somehow going to pull it out. Much as the hometown win would have been a pop, I think after the beating he took, Darby winning would have been a step too far. And Christian is on such a career-best role, it’s too soon to end this TNT title reign.
Nick Wayne’s turn got sooooo much heat. The kid is already very good at such a young age. If you say he’s bland and nothing but flippy, nah. He had great facial expressions and body language to sell his heel turn and emotions. Christian wins. The beatdown begins.
IT’S… STINNNNNNNNG
Seeing Sting is special, and I’m glad I’ve gotten the chance.
And then…
ON THIS DAY…
Money has been tight. I considered skipping the show, which would have sucked, but shit happens.
Then, the whispers of EDGE increased. Let’s be real. There weren’t teases; there wasn’t a big leak. It wasn’t like CM Punk’s “worst kept secret” debut back in Chicago two years ago.
But what if… it did happen? I would have fucking cried to have skipped it. So, somehow, I made it work (thanks to PHENOMENAL TA for a hotel discount hookup!!!).
Holy shit.
As soon as the beatdown began, you could feel the ripples in the crowd. There’s gonna be a save. It HAS to be… right? Oh, here’s Sting. Okay. OH SHIT, THEY’RE GONNA KILL STING……
*lights out*
And Seattle lost their minds. I lost my mind.
Holy shit.
The video played, the murmurs and audience built, until finally…
“YOU THINK YOU KNOW HIM”
BLAST BEATS
“ON THIS DAY
I SEE CLEARLLYYYYY”
I’m watching it back, right now, and every single arm on my body is standing up.
Holy. Shit. EDGE. IS. HERE.
What an unbelievable moment. It felt HUGE. Thousands of people absolutely going bananas. Edge — and Christian — IN THE SAME RING TOGETHER, ONCE AGAIN.
Obviously, “The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland saved the day. Seeing him in the ring with STING? Awesome.
After the PPV went off the air, Adam took a long time circling the ring, shaking hands, embracing fans, hugging Taz. His huge fucking smile was brilliant.
Afterward, it was a short walk to Dick’s Burgers. When in downtown Seattle, it is essential to eat a bag of Dick’s.
Sound down; I’m kind of losing my mind
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