AEW WrestleDream Review - October 18, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Tailgate Brawl: The Death Riders (Pac, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta and Daniel Garcia) def. The Conglomeration (Tomohiro Ishii and Orange Cassidy) and Paragon (Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong)

We've seen what feels like almost every other iteration of this match on AEW TV in the past, so I can't say this interested me in the slightest despite it being slotted on the pre-show. It was as well-wrestled as you'd expect considering the level of talent involved, but without any real stakes, it felt like it existed solely to give Death Riders an additional momentum boost. On a side note, thank goodness Pac reverted to his old gear. The singlet he wore recently on Dynamite made him look like a jobber.

Tailgate Brawl: Hook and Eddie Kingston def. The Frat House (Cole Karter and Griff Garrison)

This was an open challenge issued by Kingston and Hook. La Faccion Ingobernable cut a picture-in-picture promo just as this was starting to get going, all but confirming that Kingston and Hook were winning here. Of course, you would've expected that anyway simply based on who they were sharing the ring with. This was a quick squash as it should have been.

Tailgate Brawl: Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron def. Penelope Ford and Megan Bayne

For those wondering, we found out later on that the bracket for the AEW Women's World Tag Team Championship Tournament will be revealed on Wednesday's Dynamite. This was basically a preview of what that division is going to be. It was a competent contest, even if it wasn't always smooth. I'm glad Nightingale picked up the win for her team, but I'd rather see her on her own going forward as opposed to having to serve as Cameron's latest tag partner.

Tailgate Brawl: FTR def. JetSpeed

This started on the pre-show but carried over into the main show. It's an interesting strategy, and I assume the point was to convince anyone watching to buy the pay-per-view to see the rest. Putting it all together, this was a fun, fast-paced bout as I figured it would be. Giving FTR the win was logical as they should be protected before Adam Copeland and Christian Cage return for revenge for what happened at All Out.

Jamie Hayter def. Thekla

It was established that no one was allowed at ringside, ensuring there wouldn't be any outside interference from Triangle of Madness. I couldn't tell you the last time we got a women's match on an AEW pay-per-view that wasn't for a championship. Hayter and Thekla's bad blood dates back to when Thekla put Hayter on the shelf (in storyline) back in May, so this had been a long time coming. It was a very good match and a nice showcase of what both ladies are capable of.

Jurassic Express def. The Young Bucks in a $500,000 Match

It was a battle of two OG AEW tag teams, and a rare instance where having money on the line made sense given the Bucks' recent financial woes. We know they work well together, and although it's been over three years since their last encounter, they delivered a great match. The post-match angle left me thinking we might see The Don Callis Family vs. Kenny Omega, Jurassic Express and the Bucks in Blood and Guts.

The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin and MVP) def. The Demand (GOA and Ricochet) in an AEW World Trios Championship No. 1 Contender's Tornado Match

It was already announced that this would be contested under tornado rules, but making it a number one contender's match must have been a last-minute addition. Raising the stakes was a smart call. This was as enjoyable as their other outings together and was well paced. I'd like to see Hurt Syndicate be the ones take the titles from The Opps, though I'd replace MVP with Cedric Alexander so MVP can take on more of a managerial role.

AEW TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher def. Mark Briscoe

Briscoe beating MJF at All Out was huge for him, but he was put in a tough spot because I just didn't buy into the idea of him dethroning Fletcher here. Nonetheless, they had yet another above-average match with some strong nearfalls. The crowd was really behind Briscoe throughout, so that helped as well. I'm curious if Briscoe remains at the midcard level going forward or if they actually have something significant in mind for him.

AEW Women's World Champion "Timeless" Toni Storm def. Kris Statlander

I felt bad for these two because of what they had to follow and it resulted in the crowd being fairly quiet for a majority of it. Plus, the crowd didn't have an incentive to cheer for one fan favorite more than the other. They still had a superb match in the time they were allotted. Statlander and Mercedes Mone crossed paths after this as well as after Mone vs. Mina Shirakawa, leading to Mone throwing out a challenge to Statlander for her AEW Women's World Championship at Full Gear in a backstage segment right before the main event.

AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Mone def. Mina Shirakawa to Win the ROH Interim Women's World Television Championship

Mone issued an open challenge to any champion coming into this show. I thought it might be a title holder from a different promotion, and technically it was, but Shirakawa was an underwhelming opponent because Mone beat her to retain the AEW TBS Championship not that long ago. Don't get me wrong, they had a quality contest, but this felt like an excuse to give Mone more hardware. Apologies if I don't care about Mone adding another meaningless title to her collection.

AEW World Tag Team Champions Brodido def. The Don Callis Family (AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada and IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita)

The crowd came back alive for this one. The match they had on Dynamite last week was solid, but they went all out here and produced an excellent affair that also had an emphasis on the story with Takeshita and Okada teasing tension while an injured Bandido had to fight from underneath. Granted, there were a few too many nearfalls for my liking, but otherwise, this was a blast.

AEW World Champion "Hangman" Adam Page def. AEW World Trios Champion Samoa Joe

Did I think for a single second that Joe was going to win the title? Absolutely not. Did I dig the match regardless? You're damn right. I saw Joe say in an interview this past week that retirement is on the horizon for him, and while that doesn't shock me in the slightest, it makes me sad realizing he's nearing the end because he's such a treat to watch both in the ring and on the mic, even at this stage of his career. This could have easily passed as the main event. It wasn't a barn burner or anything, but they put forth a terrific effort and kept the crowd (and me) engaged in the action. I loved the post-match angle with The Opps attacking Page. Give me more!

Darby Allin def. Jon Moxley in an "I Quit" Match

You had to know Allin and Moxley had something sadistic in mind with this going on last and they didn't disappoint in that sense. We've officially reached the point of their stunts being considered torture porn (the fingernail spot bothered me way more than it should have), but they certainly maximized the stipulation without going overboard with blood (I don't think they could have because of limitations in St. Louis specifically, but I could be wrong) and Sting helping out Allin was very cool seeing as how he hasn't appeared for AEW since retiring in March 2024. It wasn't necessarily my cup of tea, but it was a worthwhile main event. Now please let this rivalry be over.

Overall Show

I was going to compliment AEW/Tony Khan for the show being a tight four hours with the main event ending around midnight (on the east coast), but I legitimately forgot about the "I Quit" match, which extended the event by 30 or 40 minutes. AEW can get away with longer pay-per-views when they start in the afternoon (a la All In, Forbidden Door and All Out), but it's unnecessary when they start around 8 p.m. on a Saturday night, not to mention the (pointless) pre-shows. I complain about it constantly, but it makes a major difference. There were some matches I would have either trimmed or saved for television entirely, but all in all, it was your usual top-notch AEW pay-per-view. Personally, I'd put it on par with All Out. I was never bored and it didn't drag. Two thumbs-up.

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