
Photo Courtesy of All Elite Wrestling
AEW WRESTLEDREAM REVIEW
-Kelvin Kately, Contributor
On a night where All Elite Wrestling’s owner, Tony Khan, told us that we’d enter a brand new era in the company, it appears that business in the wrestling industry has picked up in a major way.
On paper, this event offered a solid show to fans who appreciate the style of television that AEW presented. Hard hitting, excellent in-ring action was on this card from top to bottom. What I didn’t expect was the stories that played out last night.
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Every single match on the card gave us great moments and storytelling. Every single match on the card gave me a reason to tune in to the weekly shows in the coming week to see what the follow up will be. If you have been paying attention since All In, AEW has been on one incredible run with the PPVs.
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All that being said, the finish to this PPV was probably expected by a lot of fans. It did not stop that moment from being awesome. And the build to that moment was just as good. Let’s break this PPV down!
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ZERO HOUR
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Starting with a beautiful tribute to Antonio Inoki, we get Tony Khan in the ring with Rocky Romero and the grandsons of Inoki. Afterwards, we get a stacked zero hour. Four very fun matches with the standout being Claudio vs Josh Barnett, a student of Inoki-san. As an MMA fan, I appreciated actual grappling involved. You could tell the fans appreciated the legit MMA moves and counters and how this made sense. There were no losers in this match. This was also the first match of the night that featured the epic commentary of one, Jon Moxley. It felt like zero hour primed us for what was to come. It was an unexpected treat.
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MJF VS THE RIGHTEOUS
ROH TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
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MJF comes out to say he didn’t attack Jay White, his mask was stolen and Adam Cole is not there but he’s going to make sure the ROH titles are waiting for him. I would like to take this opportunity to say that MJF is a very valuable asset to AEW. The fact that he can promise the crowd that he will not only retain the titles, but in the process do something as simple as a body slam and make it important should not be taken for granted, ever. He is an artist of the craft. In a very good story, he manage to keep his promise and defend the titles. The Righteous did not make it easy, so this makes MJF’s win that much more impressive.
Winner and still… MJF/Adam Cole
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KATSUYORI SHIBATA VS EDDIE KINGSTON NJPW STRONG & ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
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Shibata showed exactly why he is so revered in the wrestling industry. Eddie Kingston also showed why he is a champion for both ROH and NJPW. If you never watched a Shibata match, this was an excellent introduction.
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Shibata focused on breaking down body parts on Kingston. Kingston, as usual, put his heart on full display, which starts to frustrate Shibata. The best sequence of the match comes when Shibata gets Kingston in an octopus hold, Kingston grabs the ropes, but looks completely expended. Both men hit each other with back fists and both men take the fall. Finally, Kingston nails Shibata with a back fist, followed by a power bomb to get the pin. Both men show respect after a hard fought contest.
Winner and still... Eddie Kingston
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JULIA HART VS KRIS STATLANDER
TBS CHAMPIONSHIP
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Julia Hart is quickly becoming a name that screams star. This was a match that almost stole the show, due to the performances of both women. I’m very curious to see where they go with Julia Hart following this. She is singlehandedly carrying the House of Black right now. Kris Statlander was pushed to her limit and found a way to retain. She looked every bit the champion in this match. Hart might have lost the match, but she definitely won me over.
Winner and still… Kris Statlander
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THE GUNNS VS LUCHA BROS VS YOUNG BUCKS VS ORANGE CASSIDY & HOOK
4- WAY TAG TEAM #1 CONTENDER
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This match was fast and furious and had a lot of action. Lucha Bros put in a lot of work in this match. However, Rey Fenix appeared to be injured early on. Due to this Penta had to finish alone. The Gunns also are proving to be one of the rising tag teams to keep an eye on. Finish of the match saw the Young Bucks get the win. With the win, we are potentially getting Young Bucks vs FTR for a fourth time!
Winners: Young Bucks
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HANGMAN ADAM PAGE VS SWERVE STRICKLAND *EDITOR’S PICK*
Every now and then, you just feel like a star is born after a match. I felt this way for Swerve Strickland. The build up to this match was incredible and you knew that this match was not going to disappoint. Swerve definitely had a hometown advantage, but Hangman used that to his advantage as well. He resorted to things we normally wouldn’t see from him and pushed a faster pace during this match. However, the cerebral nature of Swerve proved to save the day for him. By focusing on the very arm that Hangman used for his Buckshot Lariat, he was able to withstand it when hit by it. That and the presence of global treasure, Prince Nana, allowed him to get the victory.
Winner: Swerve Strickland
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WHEELER YUTA VS “ABSOLUTE” RICKY STARKS
Appearance two for Jon Moxley on commentary and I’m reminded that he is indeed awesome on commentary. This match started as a technical chess match but ended up being a very good back and forth between the two. Wheeler Yuta, a former ROH Pure Champion, obliged Starks and made it a brawl. This ultimately allowed Starks to hit the Rochambeau to get the win.
Winner: Ricky Starks
Editor note: Please keep Big Bill and Ricky together. Maybe add someone else to make them a great trio.
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“DREAM MATCH”
BRYAN DANIELSON VS ZACK SABRE JR.
Nothing I say will justify this match. It is a must watch. Show people you want to introduce to pro wrestling. It was that good.
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IBUSHI
VS THE DON CALLIS FAMILY
This match, I thought would be the closing of stories. Instead, I think it’s the beginning of something far more entertaining. Eventually, we will get singles matches between contestants from both teams and these will be amazing. This match was an excellent set up. The Don Callis Family may very well be the future of AEW.
Winners: The Don Callis Family
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FTR VS AUSSIE OPEN
AEW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
I want to apologize publicly and formally to Aussie Open. I was unfamiliar. You now have my full respect. Taking a team like FTR to the limits, to where I doubted whether or not they would win... impressive. To say the least. How impressive? FTR had to use a super Shatter Machine to get the victory. They never use this move. Ever. Well done to both teams. Bucks vs FTR IV is on the table!
Winners and still… FTR
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CHRISTAIN CAGE VS DARBY ALLIN
TNT CHAMPIONSHIP, 2 OUT OF 3 FALLS
Darby Allin is simply indestructible. I haven’t seen toughness like this since Spike Dudley. Because Christian Cage held nothing back. Absolutely nothing. Whipping him into the steel steps, suplexing him into the steel steps, peeling the mat off the ring to expose the wood. When the doctors checked on Darby, he insisted the ref count Darby out to get a fall and even the score. And of course, of all people, he manipulated Nick Wayne to turn on Darby to get the winning pin. It was disgusting. It was heinous. It was beautiful.
Winner and still... Christian Cage
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Cage and Nick Wayne continue to beat up Darby and out comes STING, who fights both as much as he can until Luchasaurus comes out to aid. the three get the upper hand and set Sting up for the “Conchairto”, when the lights go out!
We get a quick video package, and then...
YOU THINK YOU KNOW ME!!
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Out comes The Rated R Superstar, Adam Copeland! To his original music “Metalingus”, no less!! The crowd goes wild, he comes in and Christian Cage gives him a chair to hit Sting, but he instead hits Nick Wayne and clears the ring! Cage retreats, and Copeland shakes hands with Darby and Sting!
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We end the PPV on a phenomenal note. Even if this was the worst kept secret, seeing Copeland in AEW was still surreal. The possibilities are endless and this Wednesday will be the first appearance of Copeland on Dynamite. That episode will be interesting to say the least.
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All photos courtesy of All Elite Wrestling
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