WrestleDream 2025: Darby and Moxley Close the Night with an I Quit War

The Death Riders won the opening Tailgate Brawl eight-man match after PAC pinned Tomohiro Ishii with a running knee. Ishii had countered PAC with a heavy lariat and was preparing another brainbuster when Daniel Garcia distracted the referee, allowing Wheeler Yuta to chop his knee from behind. Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong had both revived their side with comeback tags, but the Death Riders cleared the ring before PAC struck. B- (7.1) recognizes a long, physical faction opener whose actual outcome depends on a specific double-team shortcut, not a title switch or a vague multi-man finishing flurry.

Eddie Kingston and HOOK defeated the Frat House when HOOK forced Cole Karter to submit to REDRUM after Kingston's spinning backfist knocked Karter directly into the hold. Griff Garrison had briefly isolated Kingston with Karter's help, and Jacked Jameson distracted from the apron until Kingston dragged him inside and delivered a flurry of chops. The winners' pair of exploder suplexes then ended the challengers' resistance. The official AEW recap and the independent POST Wrestling results both describe a submission, correcting this card's earlier erroneous pinfall label. C- (5.6) fits a deliberately brief pairing showcase; it was not a competitive title match or a pinfall victory.

Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron defeated Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford when Nightingale pinned Ford with a Babe with the Powerbomb. Bayne had repeatedly stopped the smaller Cameron from tagging, and Ford nearly produced an upset with a knee to Cameron's face. Willow's final return changed the power balance; Cameron escaped the attempted Doomsday Device while Bayne charged into the ring post, and Willow then had room to bring Ford down decisively. C+ (6.7) rewards the underdogs' chemistry and a clearly identified fall instead of treating the match as an interchangeable women's preshow tag.

FTR defeated JetSpeed after Dax Harwood pinned Mike Bailey while Stokely Hathaway held Bailey's feet from outside the ropes, a shortcut the referee did not see. Kevin Knight and Bailey had survived a Shatter Machine near fall, countered repeated piledrivers and nearly finished Harwood with Toetal Prevention. The official AEW recap's short results list mistakenly names JetSpeed as winners, but its detailed match narrative explicitly gives Harwood the assisted three-count and FTR the celebration; the canonical winner is preserved pending another corroboration pass. B (7.8) reflects a dramatic match with a disputed-looking result caused by ringside interference, not a legitimate JetSpeed win.

Jamie Hayter defeated Thekla with two heavy lariats, including Hayterade, after a match where outside allies were barred from ringside. Thekla tested that protection by repeatedly targeting Hayter with submissions and almost won after a spear, only for Hayter to save herself by putting her foot under the bottom rope. Hayter had already escaped an octopus hold and a rope-assisted attack, making her late comeback more than a sudden finisher. B (7.6) recognizes a stiff grudge match whose stipulation kept the title picture and the Triangle of Madness associates away from the actual fall.

Jurassic Express defeated the Young Bucks to claim the advertised $500,000 prize, finally winning with Countdown to Extinction after Matt Jackson survived an earlier attempt. Jack Perry had endured a prolonged isolation stretch and a BTE Trigger, while Luchasaurus repeatedly broke up the Bucks' attempts to keep Perry trapped. When another BTE Trigger failed, Perry and Luchasaurus hit their coordinated finishing move for the decisive fall. The Don Callis Family's post-match assault on the winners, and Kenny Omega's subsequent help, were separate story developments. B (7.9) credits an extended comeback built around real tag teamwork rather than a cash prize alone.

The Hurt Syndicate earned the next AEW World Trios Championship challenge by defeating The Demand in a no-tag tornado trios match. Ricochet and the Gates of Agony had attacked Lashley, Benjamin and MVP before the bell, and an elaborate ringside table spot briefly removed both heavyweights. Benjamin recovered to take out The Demand with a dive, while MVP grounded Ricochet with his signature elbow. The final combination put Bishop Kaun into the corner for Benjamin's jumping knee and Lashley's spear. B- (7.3) credits the team's recovery and the number-one-contender consequence; it did not award the trios championship on the night.

Kyle Fletcher retained the TNT Championship against Mark Briscoe with a top-turnbuckle brainbuster after several previous finishing attempts failed. Briscoe survived a low blow and an earlier sheer-drop brainbuster, kept returning with Froggy Bows, and eventually hit the Jay Driller before Fletcher escaped the pin by touching the rope with a finger. The feud stood at two wins each, so this fifth encounter had a direct competitive purpose. Fletcher's last top-rope counter settled that rubber match and delivered his sixth defense. A- (8.8) recognizes the accumulating damage and a finish that did not rely solely on Don Callis' ringside presence.

Kris Statlander retained the AEW Women's World Championship by pinning Toni Storm after two late Staturday Night Fever attacks, a second singles defense that distinguished her reign from the previous four-way title win. Storm kicked out of Statlander's 450 splash and landed a Storm Zero, but Statlander survived that fall and escaped several submission attempts. Storm even kicked out of a seatbelt cradle resembling Statlander's All Out-winning maneuver. The winner's second decisive slam finally stopped the former champion. A- (8.5) reflects a compelling rematch whose near falls were built around each wrestler's earlier finishing history.

Mercedes Moné captured Mina Shirakawa's interim ROH Women's World Television Championship while retaining the TBS Championship, winning a two-belt match by using her feet on the ropes to reinforce a backslide. Shirakawa had threatened the title switch with a Glamorous Driver and a figure-four; Moné even survived a failed Moné Maker pin when Mina found the rope. The final backslide was an illegal leverage shortcut, not a submission or a separate third belt victory. B+ (8.1) credits a lively contest with a deliberately underhanded finish and a specific new title, while Statlander's later confrontation occurred after the official result.

Brodido retained the AEW World Tag Team Championship when Bandido pinned Kazuchika Okada with a one-armed 21 Plex after Brody King had driven Konosuke Takeshita away from the finish. Bandido wrestled through a taped-up shoulder, and Okada and Takeshita initially exploited that injury until their own friction turned costly. Okada inadvertently struck Takeshita with a Rainmaker during the final exchanges, then could not stop Bandido once King protected his partner. A (9.1) gives the champions credit for the exact winning fall and the challengers' failing coordination; neither Okada's Unified nor Takeshita's IWGP singles title was contested.

Hangman Adam Page retained the AEW World Championship by pinning Samoa Joe after three consecutive Buckshot Lariats, the last finally knocking Joe down for the count. The challenger had frustrated Page with a powerbomb, transitions into the STF and crossface, and the Coquina Clutch, with Page surviving through rope breaks before he could land a Dead Eye for a close fall. Joe remained standing after the first two Buckshots, giving the last lariat a precise reason to matter. The Opps attacking Page and Joe striking him with the championship belt happened after the bell, not in the title match. B+ (8.4) reflects a disciplined veteran challenger, a hard-earned defense and a post-match heel turn with separate consequences.

Darby Allin finally made Jon Moxley say 'I Quit' with the Scorpion Death Lock after Sting's surprise return broke up a brutal Death Riders assault. Marina Shafir pulled Moxley clear of a Coffin Drop and the Death Riders forced Allin under the water in an aquarium, but Allin refused to surrender. Sting then arrived with a baseball bat, drove off the interference and destroyed the tank, allowing Allin to retaliate with the Scorpion Death Drop and Coffin Drop before applying Sting's signature hold. This finish was not a pinfall or technical submission: Moxley verbally quit. A (9.4) credits the personal and violent payoff to the rivalry while keeping the Sting intervention and actual surrender distinct.