In person, WrestleDream all about Dragon’s last dance

TACOMA, Wash. — The Tacoma Dome captured another chapter of notorious wrestling history at AEW’s second annual WrestleDream event on Saturday, October 11th.

Remembered forever as the final resting place of WCW Monday Nitro (which aired during an episode of Monday Night Raw on July 2, 2001), the final breaths of Bryan Danielson’s full-time in-ring career can be added to the hallowed halls of the dome.

Danielson succumbed to a Jon Moxley chokehold at 26:50 to not only lose the AEW world title, but the defeat also meant he is finished as a full-time performer with the promotion.

Rumors are swirling that Danielson needed to slow down his pace due to several nagging injuries, but that didn’t ease the sting for the 7,600-plus in Tacoma.

 

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Here at the amazing @TacomaDome for @aew WrestleDream. Covering the show for @slamwrestling.

Shout out to the Sumas border crossing for the 90-minute wait 😂 #aewwrestledream pic.twitter.com/QGTI3yGuKW

— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) October 13, 2024

A post-match attack saw Danielson’s mentor Wheeler Yuta betray him and choke him with a plastic bag. Danielson was stretchered out and AEW president Tony Khan was a no-show at the post-event press conference for the first time ever to travel with Danielson to the hospital.

The violent and disappointing end to Danielson’s full-time in-ring career may have been devastating to those inside the Tacoma Dome, but longtime fans of Danielson may see it as a fitting end.

He was always the ultimate underdog, famously was tested as having the lowest score ever for ambition on WWE personality test and seemed to lose more big matches than he won.

His early AEW career saw him have two time-limit draws with Hangman Adam Page and Kenny Omega.

He also lost to Page on Dynamite, lost to Moxley at Revolution 2022, lost the first-ever Anarchy in the Arena match, lost to Daniel Garcia on Dynamite, lost to Moxley on Dynamite, lost to Chris Jericho on Dynamite, lost to MJF in an Ironman match, lost to Christian Cage on Collision, lost to Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom, lost to Andrade El Idolo and Eddie Kingston in the Continental Classic and lost to Will Ospreay on Dynasty.

Despite all those losses, his popularity stayed strong. It was perhaps even more surprising that someone finally convinced Danielson that maybe it was time to win a few matches and fans were treated to a fairytale ending when he made Swerve Strickland tap out in London to win the AEW world title in August.

Danielson’s final moments were emblematic of what he’s always been as a character – incredible fighting spirit and someone who refuses to give up.

Moxley snapped him with a death rider – Danielson kicked out at one. Danielson then spat in Moxley’s face and slapped him. Moxley hit a piledriver, into the choke and Danielson fought until he passed out. There was actually a brief moment when Danielson looked as though he knew the end was coming before he went under.

The crowd was deflated and were made even more deflated by the post-match shenanigans, but sometimes sending the crowd unhappy after an important moment is the right decision.

But, AEW does have to realize that too many sad endings can have an even worse effect than too many happy endings. Last month’s All Out ended with Hangman Page violently ending Swerve Strickland with a chair shot to the head and eventually a hypodermic needle. This came just a few weeks after he burnt down Strickland’s childhood home.

On this very WrestleDream card, Private Party came up short to The Young Bucks in an additional down moment for the fans. Will Ospreay also dropped the Continental title thanks to another betrayal by someone who he thought was his friend – Kyle Fletcher.

In fact, heels now hold every title (men’s, women’s, tag and trios) in AEW right now. At some point you want the fans to pay to see a champion unseated, but right now the balance could be a little off.

News and Notes

• WrestleTix reported 7,628 tickets distributed prior to showtime. There’s been a lot of talk about AEW numbers trending downwards for ticket sales this year, but this would actually be an increase from WrestleDream 2023 that saw 7,108 pack Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena.
• The appearances of Daniel Garcia, MJF and Adam Cole were all legit surprises and they seem to have retconned the entire devil angle – which is probably for the best. Cole had one of the biggest pops of the night.
• Having only one women’s match on the pay-per-view portion of the show seems less than ideal. For the amount of women under contract and the talent they have on the roster, one is far too few.
• The Hologram vs. Beast Mortos match suffered from placement. The prior match was Ospreay/Ricochet/Takeshita and fans had just seen those three do incredible feats of athleticism. Having a 2/3 falls match also made it seem less urgent.
• It was disappointing not to have even one appearance from Nick Wayne. Every other Washington State star had a significant role except for him. Last year at WrestleDream he was squashed by Luchasaurus. If the show returns to Washington next year, AEW should have something special for Wayne.

Pay-per-view quick results

1. Jay White defeated Hangman Page
2. Mariah May beat Willow
3. Jack Perry over Shibata
4. Takeshita defeated Ricochet and Will Ospreay
5. Hologram over The Beast Mortos (2-1)
6. Darby Allin pinned Brody King
7. The Young Bucks defeated Private Party
8. Mark Briscoe pinned Chris Jericho
9. Jon Moxley over Bryan Danielson via ref stoppage

Match of the night: Takeshita vs. Ospreay vs. Ricochet

Most over

1. Bryan Danielson
2. Darby Allin
3. Will Ospreay

Most heat

1. Jon Moxley
2. Hangman Page
3. Marina Shafir

TOP PHOTO: Wheeler Yuta chokes Bryan Danielson at AEW WrestleDream at the Tacoma Dome, in Tacoma, Wash., on Saturday, October 12, 2024. Photo by Ben Lypka

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