The surprise twists that saved AEW WrestleDream from being disappointing

WrestleDream ended up being a rare uneven effort from AEW, with some incredible highs along with a number of matches that felt better suited for Dynamite or Collision.

That’s a harder combination to take when the show runs four and a half hours from Chaifetz Arena on Saturday night. The back half of the show delivered, from Sting’s surprise arrival, a killer tag match, a major heel turn and newsworthy movement around the women’s championships. It was enough to pull up the rest of the show, but not enough to put this anywhere near the pantheon of AEW pay-per-views.

Here are five takeaways from WrestleDream 2025:

Passing of the Torch

Darby Allin and Jon Moxley’s ‘I Quit Match’ was everything you love about AEW and some of the things that worry you when the crowd is chanting “This is murder” and “That’s f–ked up.” You knew what you were getting into with these two and violence was at the level you’d expect and then some.