All Elite Wrestling’s PPV tribute to the life & career of Antonio Inoki, WrestleDream, comes our way for the third straight year. It’s the first time in the event’s brief history it’s happened outside Washington state. The 2025 edition will be in St. Louis at Chaifetz Arena, and it’s going down on Saturday night, Oct. 18.
After a pre-show or two (“Tailgate Brawl” is definitely on TNT and HBO Max at 7 p.m. Eastern; there may again be a more talking-focused YouTube one, too), the main card action starts
an hour later. WrestleDream will feature Men’s and Women’s World title matches, an “I Quit” war, and a whole lot more!
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.
Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin in an “I Quit” match
Sean Rueter: Probably won’t happen. But just because if I never hear the words “Darby Allin” and “Mount Everest” in the same sentence again, it’ll be too soon… Pick: Jon Moxley
Claire Elizabeth: Oh god what are they gonna do to each other and how much am I gonna love it? This feud has been an ultraviolent delight and I expect this to be an absolute crescendo of blood and sweet beautiful violence even before you consider that it’s a real “unstoppable force”/“immovable object” situation. All that said, I think Darby’s unkillable nature probably wins him the day here, even if it ends up being some sidestep like Moxley going unconscious and Marina Shafir calling the match off. Pick: Darby Allin
Cain A. Knight: I think Darby pretty much has to win this match after getting his ass kicked so hard on the go home show. Pick: Darby Allin
Manolo H. Pizzazz: As much as I wonder if AEW will swerve for Moxley to pull shenanigans in victory (Allin won’t quit in a fair fight), I think this ends with Allin using the AEW flag to choke Moxley. That alone wouldn’t be enough for Moxley to quit, so it will probably occur in front of a ticking time bomb that only Allin knows how to disarm and will sacrifice himself to death unless Moxley quits. Pick: Darby Allin
Kyle Decker: Darby just lost that casket match and it’s rare that the babyfaces actually say “I Quit.” I quite look forward to whatever insane shit these guys have lined up. Pick: Darby Allin
Marcus Benjamin: Darby has to win this right? He’s too much of a walking piñata for the Death Riders and that tide has to turn eventually. Eventually is today. Pick: Darby Allin
Hangman Adam Page (c) vs. Samoa Joe for the AEW World championship
Sean Rueter: If looking forward to this match make me a sicko, I guess I’m one. Not sick enough to predict anything other than a banger, likely with a post-match show of respect. Pick: Hangman Page
Claire Elizabeth: Samoa Joe is a threat any day of the week, in any arena in the world, in any wrestling promotion and in any context. But Hanger is on a rare run, and I have no doubt he’s going to outlast and outfight the Samoan Submission Machine on this night. Pick: “Hangman” Adam Page
Cain A. Knight: Sorry Joe, but you already had your run as AEW world champ. Pick: Hangman Page
Manolo H. Pizzazz: The match will unfold as Hangman foretold. Joe will fade the longer the fight lasts. Pick: Hangman Page
Kyle Decker: I love Joe, but he’s not winning the title here. The bigger question is does this main event or are they going to close with a match that’s not a Lights Out match. Pick: “Hangman” Adam Page
Marcus Benjamin: The smart money doesn’t line up on Joe’s side of this match. I’m interested in how he tests the Hangman. Joe is a different type of cat and will push Hangman to his limits. I’m sure that will only make the audience love the champ even more. Pick: Samoa Joe
Kris Statlander (c) vs. Timeless Toni Storm for the AEW Women’s World championship
Sean Rueter: We’re watching a character shift happen for Statlander, and dropping the title after a not-too-lengthy reign is going to be a big beat in her story. Does it happen here? Given how clearly the women’s division revolves around the Timeless One, I think it might. Pick: Toni Storm
Claire Elizabeth: Kris Stat says she’s constantly evolving and adapting and becoming a new woman and a new competitor. Toni Storm says she’s a blank slate and she can’t say what will happen now that she’s no longer champion. It’s a recipe for a volatile and violent title fight, but ultimately I think confidence wins out here and Statlander’s young title reign continues. Pick: Kris Statlander
Cain A. Knight: Sometimes a dominant champ happens to lose the belt for one month on a fluke before reclaiming what’s rightfully hers. Pick: Timeless Toni Storm
Manolo H. Pizzazz: StatDaddy is going to spank Storm, and Toni will probably enjoy that. Pick: Kris Statlander
Kyle Decker: It would be a disservice to Statlander to lose the title back to Storm. Instead this will be her proving that that fatal 4-way victory was not a fluke. I’m very curious to see where Timeless goes after another loss. Pick: Kris Statlander
Marcus Benjamin: There is a chance both women leave this match naked. Seriously, they’re both insane enough to try and I love them for it. Shenanigans aside, this is about truly cementing Kris’ reign. Toni will happily oblige and make the champ look like the new starlet on the scene. Pick: Kris Statlander
Brodido (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita for the Tag Team championship
Sean Rueter: Pretty fascinating decision here for the former WON Booker of the Year. Dethrone the very popular champs, who don’t seem to be wearing out their welcome with AEW fans in the slightest? Pin or submit either the man New Japan just crowned its top champion, or the other challenger, a puroresu icon who holds one of your secondary titles and who’s fixing to feud with tag partner? Do a rare PPV DQ? Thinking you’ve got to do the change and count on Brody King & Bandido being too over for the loss to hurt them. Pick: Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita
Claire Elizabeth: I’m really deeply torn here. On one hand, super-teams are iffy in the best circumstances, and the cracks between Okada and Takeshita are about as wide as the Grand Canyon. On the other hand, you got the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and the AEW Unified Champion on the same team, like c’mon, do I gotta draw you a map? (‘Cause I will, I love drawing maps.) Brodido rule but I think the sheer grappling excellence of the Callis Family team wins the day here. Pick: Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita
Cain A. Knight: Let’s say Okada takes the fall due to an accident caused by the new IWGP world heavyweight champ. Pick: Brodido
Manolo H. Pizzazz: Dysfunction rears its head for the challengers. Pick: Brodido
Kyle Decker: This is tougher than I’d initially think given both Okada and Takeshita are champions, one of them the main champion for a promotion. If he didn’t have the title, I’d guess this was where they’d really start the Okada/Takeshita feud because Konosuke would be free to take the pin. But now Okada has to take it and would mean one of Brodido should get a future shot. All that said, I’m still going with Brodido, who just lost to these two because I want them to get into this Okada/Takeshita feud. Pick: Brodido
Marcus Benjamin: Brodido’s just too much fun and too hot to lose right here. Pick: Brodido
Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Mark Briscoe for the TNT championship
Sean Rueter: Sending a certain Bastard off to film his next couple of movies was the biggest prize my man Mark is winning this year. Another one this sicko is looking forward to though, regardless of the lack of suspense. Pick: Kyle Fletcher
Claire Elizabeth: I would love love love to see Chicken pick up the win here and have a nice fighting champion TV run, but Fletcher is The Guy on a meteoric rise and I just don’t see it. Pick: Kyle Fletcher
Cain A. Knight: Briscoe already got his big win when he beat MJF, and Fletcher needs to make up for losing on the last PPV. Pick: Kyle Fletcher
Manolo H. Pizzazz: Fletcher’s rise is still just beginning. Get ready to say his full name. Pick: Kyle Fletcher
Kyle Decker: I bet Fletcher holds this title until they’re ready to legit put him in the title picture. Pick: Kyle Fletcher
Marcus Benjamin: Kyle is still the new hotness, therefore his reign continues. Pick: Kyle Fletcher
Mercedes Moné (c) vs. ??? for the TBS championship
Sean Rueter: She’s set all the records, and probably already has three more indie title matches lined. Pick: ???
Claire Elizabeth: Listen I just hope it’s Ultimo Dragon. Now that she’s matched his record they gotta have a wrestle sometime. Be my hero, Tony. Book the match. Pick: Mercedes Mone
Cain A. Knight: The CEO is here to collect belts, not lose them. Pick: Mercedes Moné
Manolo H. Pizzazz: The opponent doesn’t matter. Ultimo Moné is not losing a title until she breaks the record. Pick: Mercedes Moné
Kyle Decker: I’m not betting against Moné if I don’t know who or if she is fighting. Pick: Mercedes Moné
Marcus Benjamin: Mercedes just eclipsed Jade Cargill’s record-setting TBS Championship reign. There’s no way they take the title off of her so soon after that momentous occasion Pick: Mercedes Moné
Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express for $500,000 cash prize
Sean Rueter: The big spending/broke ass Bucks crack me up without making me like them, and I’d love to see how they blow another half-mil. But while I’m still not sure adding woodworking and metalcraft to a nostaligic reunion with the dinosaur-man is a winning long-term strategy for Jungle Jack, he’s got to beat these guys to move on to whatever’s next. Pick: Jurassic Express
Claire Elizabeth: Nick Jackson’s hand shakes as he reaches, stretches, desperate. He’s been on the wrong side of town with a dinosaur man breathing down his throat for five minutes now and he desperately needs to tag his brother in, but the familiar slip of skin-on-skin isn’t the sense memory his brain is grasping for. No, it’s the fleeting recollection of his fingers brushing the cold hard metal of the one-armed bandit. If they win this five hundred grand he knows all it takes is one good afternoon at the casino and their fortunes will be reversed. He reaches, fingertips away, only to feel the cold steel of “Jungle Man” Jack Perry’s knife in his back and he knows the game is over. Pick: Jurassic Express
Cain A. Knight: The Young Bucks need that money, they really, really do, they need that money. Let’s hope they don’t blow it all on WWE mobile games. Pick: Young Bucks
Manolo H. Pizzazz: Desperation is a dirty word, and the Bucks will be desperate to win dirty to get hands on that cash. Pick: Young Bucks
Kyle Decker: Jurassic should win their first big match after reuniting and Broke Bucks is a fantastic gag. Pick: Jurassic Express
Marcus Benjamin: The Bucks need the money but I don’t understand booking Jurassic Express to lose their first match back in business. Pick: Jurassic Express
Hurt Syndicate vs. The Demand in tornado tag match
Sean Rueter: Feels like it’s time to wrap this one up, and that should mean the not-heels win. Pick: The Hurt Syndicate
Claire Elizabeth: Hurties (I’m getting it over!) have consistently done better in this feud the less rules there are, and I don’t see any reason for that to change here. Pick: Hurt Syndicate
Cain A. Knight: MVP won’t be the weak link on two consecutive PPVs. Pick: Hurt Syndicate
Manolo H. Pizzazz: The Hurt Syndicate did their job putting over Ricochet & GOA as a strong crew, but MVP’s bunch wins the blow-off. Pick: Hurt Syndicate
Kyle Decker: This feels like a long detour for the Hurt Syndicate ever since they lost the title. But Lashley should remain protected and they should be hunting for some type of gold sooner than later. Pick: The Hurt Syndicate
Marcus Benjamin: I always go with the crew who hurts people. Pick: The Hurt Syndicate
Jamie Hayter vs. Thekla
Sean Rueter: The Toxic Spider is a heel with a crew, and this is somehow the first one-on-one singles match of this feud. Ergo… Pick: Thekla
Claire Elizabeth: I love seeing spiders get squashed by women wearing retro fashion. Pick: Jamie Hayter
Cain A. Knight: Hayter still needs revenge on the Toxic Spider, and a PPV win is probably the best way to get it. Pick: Jamie Hayter
Manolo H. Pizzazz: Hayter hits hard. Pick: Jamie Hayter
Kyle Decker: I wouldn’t be surprised if Thekla is going to get a shot against Statlander in the near future. She’d need to win here to make that the case. Pick: Thekla
Marcus Benjamin: Jamie is another locker room stalwart always ready to be champ if need be. I think AEW keeps her strong because of that. Pick: Jamie Hayter
FTR vs. JetSpeed
Sean Rueter: This is a weird pre-show match featuring two teams that have been pretty big players in the company lately. As long as it gets Stoke on the card, I’m down. Pick: FTR
Claire Elizabeth: For all their bluster, the core truth of it remains— FTR are one of the best tag teams of this century, and that means any given match is theirs to lose. Pick: FTR
Cain A. Knight: Big Stoke gives FTR an advantage that JetSpeed doesn’t have an answer for. Pick: FTR
Manolo H. Pizzazz: Big Stoke will have a plan. Pick: FTR
Kyle Decker: It kind of sucks that as the FTR/C&C feud picked up, Cope had to leave for awhile to film Percy Jackson. FTR has to idle until he gets back. Pick: FTR
Marcus Benjamin: He may not get any ladies, but he is smart. Stoke will have something ready for JetSpeed, a team I really like. They’ll get their time but that’s not today. Pick: FTR
Megan Bayne & Penelope Ford vs. Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron
Sean Rueter: Harley really needs to pick an alliance and stick to it. I love ya, gurl, but you’re never gonna get tag gold if you work with a new partner every PPV cycle. Pick: Megan Bayne & Penelope Ford
Claire Elizabeth: I just don’t know if I can believe in Harley Cameron if she’s not a cat, y’all, I’m sorry. I’m trying to delete it. Pick: Megan Bayne & Penelope Ford
Cain A. Knight: Like usual, Megan Bayne doesn’t see it coming when Penelope Ford gets pinned in a tag team match. Pick: Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron
Manolo H. Pizzazz: Willow and Harley will find their groove as a team to enter the tag title tournament. Pick: Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron
Kyle Decker: Let’s see the fan favorites get this win. Pick: Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron
Marcus Benjamin: As per usual, I never pick against my crush. She’s so weird and so nerdy it warms my heart. Pick: Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron
Conglomeration (Orange Cassidy, Tomohiro Ishii, Kyle O’Reilly, & Roderick Strong) vs. Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli, PAC, Wheeler Yuta, & Daniel Garcia)
Sean Rueter: Are we still doing the thing where Roddy doesn’t like Conglomerating? Let’s say the Paragon gets put out of its misery finally dies tonight. Pick: Death Riders
Claire Elizabeth: We ride with death tonight. Pick: Death Riders
Cain A. Knight: The Death Riders will naturally lose more matches now that Daniel Garcia is part of the group, even if Tony Khan doesn’t realize it yet. Pick: The Conglomeration
Manolo H. Pizzazz: This is the kind of low-stakes match that the Death Riders should never lose in order to keep their credibility strong. Pick: Death Riders
Kyle Decker: Is Tomo going to have the Rizzler with him? Pick: The Death Riders
Marcus Benjamin: The Death Riders pick this one up since I have their leader taking the L later in the evening. Pick: The Death Riders
Eddie Kingston & Hook vs. Jabrone A & Jabrone B
Sean Rueter: Eddie’s the man and all, but I still wish the Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil was still doing the Pulp Fiction scenes with Joe. Anyway… Pick: Eddie Kingston & HOOK
Claire Elizabeth: Yonkers, baby! Pick: Eddie Kingston & HOOK
Cain A. Knight: Look at that, it’s the AEW Rampage portion of the WrestleDream lineup. Pick: Eddie Kingston & HOOK
Manolo H. Pizzazz: Ham sandwich and some chips. Pick: Eddie Kingston & Hook
Kyle Decker: Hey, I’m wrestlin’ here! Pick: Eddie Kingston & Hook
Marcus Benjamin: Corner bodega for the win. DMX would be proud. Pick: Eddie Kingston & Hook
That’s who we’ve got. Who are you taking, Cagesiders?
