All Elite Wrestling’s annual celebration of Antonio Inoki return with its WrestleDream PPV! The fourth edition comes our way from Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida, and it’s going down tonight (Sat., Oct. 17).
After free streaming YouTube pre-show at 7 p.m. Eastern and a Tailgate Brawl special on TNT and HBO Max, the main card action starts an hour later. This year’s WrestleDream has seven title matches, which include the Men’s World champion Will Ospreay in a new multi-man match of his own
invention, The CEO vs. The Toxic Spider for the Women’s World championship, and a 2-out-of-3 falls match for the Trios belts.
It’s a lot to process. So we’ve assembled our motley crew of pro wrestling blowhards to give thoughts & predictions on everything booked the show!
Let’s get to it.
Will Ospreay (c) vs. Samoa Joe, Speedball Mike Bailey, Adam Copeland, Konosuke Takeshita, Kazuchika Okada, Ricochet, and Darby Allin in Clockwork Carnage for the AEW World championship
Sean Rueter: Smart money is on Ospreay retaining. The selling of Bruv as a superhero didn’t end in Wembley, and it looks like it will continue, possibly into the new year. But I imagine someone (maybe even Will) pitching the idea that his hubris bites him and his dream gimmick match costs him his belt. And once I was entertaining that idea, I started to wonder if maybe this couldn’t be a way for someone to get a quick World title run during what could be looked back on as an era of them for the company. Cope came to mind, but if he gets a run with AEW’s top prize, it should come at the end of a storyline and not in a shocker. Then I remembered there’s an Observer Hall of Famer who isn’t getting any younger on TK’s roster. They’re one-and-one in singles matches in this company, so let’s say their Grand Slam France bout was chapter one of the latest volume of their story together. Pick: Kazuchika Okada
Claire Elizabeth: Okay I’ve complained about having to learn rules but I really do think this match will be great if the action is hot and heavy enough to get us some eliminations before the Iron Man stage. And who we have left in that Iron Man stage is gonna shape the future of the title, but in the end, I think Will Ospreay is going to prevail in this match of his own making. Pick: Will Ospreay
Cain A. Knight: I’ll say Ricochet, Speedball, and Takeshita don’t make it out of Phase One. The other five guys will be tied near the end of Phase Two until Ospreay pulls out the winning fall over Samoa. Pick: Will Ospreay
Manolo H. Pizzazz: It’s too soon for a shock title change. Winning Clockwork Carnage will be another notch on what I assume will be an impressive run from Ospreay. Pick: Will Ospreay
Marcus Benjamin: I really want to see how this plays out. It sounds like an insane match and one worth the price of admission by itself. I do know Bruv comes out on top. I like them constantly putting more stakes on his reign, with each match testing his mettle in ways that build on the previous one. Pick: Will Ospreay
Kyle Decker: They booked this kooky match to come up with a way to keep the belt on Ospreay without having to waste a real challenger. Pick: Will Ospreay
Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Thekla for the AEW Women’s World Championship
Sean Rueter: Looking forward to what these two have for us, and where they each go from here. Not gonna spend too much time here pondering a change, though. Pick: Mercedes Moné
Claire Elizabeth: Thekla’s gonna give Mercedes a good fight and it’s gonna be close, but spiders are meant to be stomped. Pick: Mercedes Mone
Cain A. Knight: The CEO’s AEW world title reign will be a bust if it ends this soon, so I expect her to retain over the Toxic Spider. Pick: Mercedes Moné
Manolo H. Pizzazz: Mercedes already had an epic run with the TBS Championship. AEW doesn’t need to double down for a long run with the women’s world title, let alone at the same time as Ospreay probably carrying his gold for months into the future. Spice it up with a toxic margarita and an unexpected new champion. Also, this can lead to a three-way blow-off with Willow Nightingale. Pick: Thekla
Marcus Benjamin: I’m not picking against Mercedes. While Thekla clearly deserves any championship because she’s that awesome, I just want to see Mercedes hold this title at least until Toni Storm comes back sometime next year. Pick: Mercedes Moné
Kyle Decker: While I do enjoy Thekla a ton, I don’t see Moné being a short term champion. And I bet we get a Willow/Mercedes/Thekla triple threat before any title change. Pick: Mercedes Moné
The Young Bucks (c) vs. Kyle Fletcher & Kevin Knight for the AEW Tag Team titles
Sean Rueter: The tag scene is set up for so many amazing matches and programs. Sure, we could have the EVPs at the center of that as champs. It makes sense. I have no problem with it. But hear me out… what if they put the belts on two future World champs who aren’t quite ready for that spot yet, but who it would be a joy to have fighting New Level, FTR, and MCMG? Pick: Kyle Fletcher & Kevin Knight
Claire Elizabeth: Fletcher and Knight have one key problem– overconfidence. They’re right when they point to their tables match victory as proof they can beat the Young Bucks, and I have no doubt they can… but in the end, today, veteran wiles are gonna catch them out and Don Callis is gonna have to call the HOSS SQUAD in if he wants to bring the tag titles home. Pick: Young Bucks
Cain A. Knight: Something will go awry between Fletcher and Knight due to their egos, because each one thinks he is the Michael Jordan of the team while the other is Scottie Pippen. Pick: Young Bucks
Manolo H. Pizzazz: New Level awaits. Pick: Young Bucks
Marcus Benjamin: I just don’t see the Young Bucks losing so soon after winning these titles in such an incredible match. Plus, as Manolo aptly points out, they have a New Level to reach. Pick: Bucks of Youth
Kyle Decker: Last I checked, I thought Fletcher and Knight had a little tension. That’s gotta boil at somepoint. Pick: The Middle Aged Bucks
Swerve & The New Level (c) vs. Hangman & Brodido in a 2-out-of-3 falls match for the AEW Trios championship
Sean Rueter: I’m with Pizzazz when it comes to the Bucks next program, I just don’t think it will involve any belts. Pick: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Claire Elizabeth: This I think is where the rubber meets the road on Swerve’s tactics and the New Level’s morality. If they embrace his violence, they keep the titles, simple as. And I think they’re gonna embrace the violence. Pick: Shane Strickland & New Level
Cain A. Knight: I think Swerve and New Level need to mix it up with The Elite before they lose these belts. Pick: New Level & Swerve Strickland
Manolo H. Pizzazz: One of these teams feels temporary. The other has legs to do business. That logic can go either side. My mind sees more value for the Good, the Bad, and the Guapo. Swerve and the New Level have loftier goals to chase, such as the world title and the tag titles. Pick: Hangman & Brodido
Marcus Benjamin: I’m torn here. On the one hand, Hangman & Brodido are a more permanent fixture. On the other, I don’t think it’s time to take the championships off these three until they split up. So yeah, I’m going with the champions until AEW is finally ready to tell the story of Swerve reverting to his nature. Pick: Swerve & The New Level
Kyle Decker: I don’t love picking zero title changes and I think the change makes most sense here. Hangman needs something to do since he’d can’t challenge for the title. And I still think New Level belongs in the regular tag scene and not the trios scene. Pick: Brodido & Hangman Page
Jon Moxley (c) vs. Mark Davis for the AEW Continental championship
Sean Rueter: Kinda starting to think Mox’s Continental run might longer than Okada’s was. Pick: Jon Moxley
Claire Elizabeth: Dunkzilla is beyond a doubt in Jon Moxley’s head, and Mox is hurting so many ways he can’t pick cause apart from effect and psychological from physical. It’s not so much that Davis can’t win this match, because he absolutely can and has showed that he can, but if he doesn’t blitzkrieg Moxley and finish him off ASAP, it’s that Mox is a wounded animal and that only makes him more dangerous, not less. Pick: Jon Moxley
Cain A. Knight: Moxley isn’t losing the Continental title to a random Callis thug this close to the Continental Classic tournament. Pick: Jon Moxley
Manolo H. Pizzazz: No title change this close to the Continental Classic. Pick: Jon Moxley
Marcus Benjamin: Moxley holds this championship until it’s time to lose it to someone truly on the come up. Pick: Jon Moxley
Kyle Decker: What everyone else said — Mox has no reason to lose close to the CC. Pick: Jon Moxley
Andrade El Ídolo (c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa for the AEW National championship
Sean Rueter: Willow’s dad should win, because I’ve really enjoyed his AEW run so far, and because Andrade doesn’t need a belt for his eventual World title program. Pick: Tommaso Ciampa
Claire Elizabeth: I’m never gonna count the Sicilian Psychopath out, exactly, but this is Andrade’s match to lose and I don’t think he’s gonna. Pick: Andrade el Idolo
Cain A. Knight: I guess Ciampa loses another title match, because I don’t see Andrade doing the job here right after he took the fall on the go home episode of Dynamite. Pick: Andrade El Ídolo
Manolo H. Pizzazz: AEW keeps El Idolo hot while his world title contract lingers. Pick: Andrade
Marcus Benjamin: Andrade doesn’t lose while holding that number one contender designation. Pick: Andrade El Ídolo
Kyle Decker: I guess I could make an argument Andrade can lose any time to free him up for that world title match, but I don’t see it happening here. Pick: Andrade
Persephone (c) vs. Dani Luna vs. Hyan vs. Queen Aminata for the TBS championship
Sean Rueter: I’ve already picked a few title changes, probably too many for a b-PPV (no disrespect, Inoki-san). Plus, I’m bullish on the champ. Pick: Persephone
Claire Elizabeth: Four-way math favors the champ, baby! Sometimes it’s that easy. Pick: Persephone
Cain A. Knight: I don’t expect Persephone to lose the belt in a random 4-way match, though it’s been done before in AEW. Pick: Persephone
Manolo H. Pizzazz: If I have to pick an upset, I’d favor Aminata. Coming in cold off a world title loss doesn’t feel right. Although, that might be reason enough for a surprise result. Pick: Persephone
Marcus Benjamin: I’m going with my girl Aminata. She just got big props from Samoa Joe, and that has to go a long way with everyone in AEW. Pick: Queen Aminata
Kyle Decker: I don’t see a reason for a change here, like most of the title matches on this show. Pick: Persephone
Chris Jericho vs. Nick Wayne
Sean Rueter: Helping this little ingrate who rejected my guy Christian Cage (heal up, my Captain) as a father figure develop into a star remains a priority for AEW, otherwise he wouldn’t be in this program with its elder statesman first-ever World champ. And if Jericho is gonna help this kid move up the card, it’s not gonna be by taking a 2-out-of-3 series with him. Pick:
Claire Elizabeth: That this is a plain vanilla singles match is interesting given how integral low blows have been to this feud so far. In any case, Jericho has a way of silencing youngsters by pulling victory from the jaws of defeat, and Nick is enough of a jerkbag that I won’t mind seeing him do it again. Pick: Chris Jericho
Cain A. Knight: Old man Jericho pulls out a trick that Wayne’s never seen before to take the rubber match. Pick: Chris Jericho
Manolo H. Pizzazz: Welcome to the Vortex of Jericho. I’m poking fun, but I do think Jericho wins. I also wonder if there will be more to this story than ending here. Pick: Chris Jericho
Marcus Benjamin: Seriously, Nick Wayne better win. I don’t think he will but I’m picking him anyway because I pray good sense prevails. Pick: Nick Wayne
Kyle Decker: Jericho is going to win eventually. I don’t expect him to lose this feud. Pick: Chris Jericho
FTR vs. Motor City Machine Guns in match 1 of best-of-5 series (pre-show)
Sean Rueter: Ring rust should be real in the story, and will give fans more of a reason to get behind Sabin & Shelley when Dax & Cash take advantage of it before the Detroiters mount a comeback. Pick: MCMG
Claire Elizabeth: Motor City Machine Guns have the advantage of being comparitively rested and ready to go– no doubt this goes to all five matches, but this first one is theirs. Pick: Motor City Machine Guns
Cain A. Knight: I don’t think it really matters which team wins the first match of this series. MCMG should probably win their first major match since joining AEW in July, but I’m not sure if this counts as a major match because it’s stuck on a PPV pre-show. Pick: Motor City Machine Guns
Manolo H. Pizzazz: MCMG are still fresh on the scene in AEW. They need a strong start to the series to show they belong. Pick: Motor City Machine Guns
Marcus Benjamin: FTR can afford to take at least one L here. Let’s start MCMG off on the right foot and create more interest for them, and this series. Pick: Motor City Machine Guns
Kyle Decker: Let’s say the heels start off on top with the Guns having to fight their way back. Pick: FTR
Divine Dominion vs. Sisters of Sin (pre-show)
Sean Rueter: Whoever loses should be on the verge of feuding with each other, and I do believe I’d like to see Megan Bayne and Lena Kross hoss it up. Ergo… Pick: Sisters of Sin
Claire Elizabeth: Sisters of Sin have some momentum, they’re fired up to see their buddy win the big one, go get it, ladies. Pick: Sisters of Sin
Cain A. Knight: Divine Dominion needs a win right now, so might as well give them one. Pick: Divine Dominion
Manolo H. Pizzazz: Megan Bayne and Lena Kross aren’t dummies. They will have an answer for black mist this time. Pick: Divine Dominion
Marcus Benjamin: I’m flipping a coin here if only because I kinda want this to keep going. Pick: Sisters of Sin
Kyle Decker: I think Divine Dominion are the team they feel has more upside. Pick: Divine Dominion
That’s who we’ve got. Who are you taking, Cagesiders? Let us know in the comments below, and remember to get in on SoManyBirds’ prediction contest in The Feed!
