Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The second annual WrestleDream pay-per-view will take place Saturday in Tacoma, Washington, and it could potentially mark the end of the road for Bryan Danielson as a full-time wrestler.
Danielson will put his AEW World Championship on the line against former Blackpool Combat Club stablemate Jon Moxley in the likely main event, and Danielson has made it clear that he intends to take on a far lesser role once he drops the title.
In addition to that major match, several other titles will be on the line, including the AEW Women’s World Championship, the International Championship, the TNT Championship and the AEW World Tag Team Championships.
Here is a full listing of the WrestleDream card, complete with predictions for the match order and a more in-depth look at the top bouts to watch.
Where: Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington
When: Saturday, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. ET (Pre-show starts at 7 p.m. ET)
Watch: TrillerTV and PPV.com
AEW WrestleDream 2024 Card and Projected Match Order
- ROH World Television Championship (Pre-Show): Atlantis Jr. (c) vs. Brian Cage
- AEW World Tag Team Championships: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Private Party
- 2-out-of-3 Falls: Hologram vs. The Beast Mortos
- MxM Collection vs. The Acclaimed
- ROH World Championship: Mark Briscoe (c) vs. Chris Jericho
- Darby Allin vs. Brody King
- TNT Championship: Jack Perry (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata
- “Hangman” Adam Page vs. Jay White
- International Championship Three-Way: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Ricochet vs. Konosuke Takeshita
- AEW Women’s World Championship: Mariah May (c) vs. Willow Nightingale
- AEW World Championship: Bryan Danielson (c) vs. Jon Moxley
Top WrestleDream Matches to Watch
Bryan Danielson vs. Jon Moxley
Bryan Danielson has been the most compelling figure in AEW and arguably all of pro wrestling in recent months, and much of that is due to the constant threat of retirement.
Danielson put his career on the line when he faced Swerve Strickland for the AEW world title at WrestleDream, and after becoming champion for the first time, Danielson said he would only continue wrestling on a full-time basis until he drops the belt.
Jon Moxley is undoubtedly the biggest threat yet to end Danielson’s full-time wrestling career, as he already has a record three reigns as AEW world champion to his credit.
Mox also knows Danielson like the back of his hand since they spent over two years together in the Blackpool Combat Club.
At All Out, Moxley turned his back on Danielson, branching off into a new group with Claudio Castagnoli, Pac and Marina Shafir, leaving The American Dragon and Wheeler Yuta behind.
Danielson figures to deal with plenty of outside interference at WrestleDream, but given his status as the beloved underdog babyface, that will likely get the fans even more behind him in his home state of Washington.
Moxley vs. Danielson has all the makings of a classic encounter, plus it could go down in history as the swan song for Danielson’s full-time wrestling career if Mox prevails.
Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet vs. Konosuke Takeshita
In terms of pure excitement and athleticism, it is tough to envision any other match on the WrestleDream card measuring up to the Three-Way for the International Championship.
Will Ospreay has quickly established himself as one of the faces of AEW, so it came as little surprise when Ricochet targeted him shortly after arriving in AEW from WWE.
Ospreay and Ricochet have a ton of history, having competed in viral matches across the world before Ricochet signed with WWE.
The got reacquainted with each other on a recent episode of Dynamite that featured no shortage of death-defying moves, but there was no clear winner due to interference from Konosuke Takeshita.
During his time in AEW, Takeshita has shown that he is on the same level as Ospreay and Ricochet when it comes to in-ring work, and he has also worked with Ospreay in the past, so there should be no shortage of chemistry.
Any Ospreay match tends to see a must-see affair on AEW pay-per-views, but it isn’t often that he goes up against wrestlers who can essentially match what he does athletically.
Ricochet and Takeshita can, and that promises to make for a bout with a ton of show-stealing potential.
Mariah May vs. Willow Nightingale
For the first time since beating her former friend and mentor Toni Storm for the AEW Women’s World Championship at All In, Mariah May is set to defend the title on pay-per-view.
Coming off her street fight loss to Kris Statlander at All Out, Willow Nightingale has rebounded nicely by establishing herself as No. 1 contender.
After beating Taya Valkyrie and Trish Adora, Willow was set to battle Britt Baker for the No. 1 contendership. Baker had to be removed from the match due to illness, but Nightingale won a Four-Way against Saraya, Jamie Hayter and Nyla Rose this week on Dynamite to earn a title shot.
While May and Nightingale have only faced each other once before, they are very much at opposite ends of the spectrum, which should make for an excellent match.
May has been the best heel in the AEW women’s division since turning on Storm, while there is arguably no wrestler in AEW who is more beloved by the majority of the fanbase than Willow.
The crowd figures to be firmly behind Nightingale, although it may be a bit early for Mariah’s title reign to come to an end.
Even so, the atmosphere for the match should be electric, and Willow has a chance to improve her stock regardless of the result.
Leave a Reply