10 Ups & 1 Down From AEW WrestleDream
Downs...
1. One Match Too Far
In and of itself, WrestleDream was a phenomenal show - one that, given it was the third best of the year, underscores what a fantastic 2023 AEW has delivered on pay-per-view.
Even the best show, Revolution, went one match too far. Nobody in San Francisco could be arsed with Samoa Joe Vs. Wardlow, and nobody could be arsed with Ricky Starks Vs. Wheeler YUTA in Seattle.
It wasn't a bad match - it was actively damn good in places - but it didn't fully click, either. Starks and YUTA were already up against the adrenaline dump the crowd had experienced after watching home state hero Swerve Strickland defeat Hangman Page in a minor classic. Certain reversal sequences were mistimed, and the finish - YUTA struggled through his usual bottom-rope skin-the-cat spot before Starks dropped him with the spear - felt more like a mistake on YUTA's part than an enterprising counter on Ricky's. That didn't get either man over.
This was better off not happening. AEW could have - for once, and not to such an obnoxious extent - borrowed from WWE's approach and screened a few ads to act as a buffer between Swerve Vs. Hangman and Bryan Danielson Vs. Zack Sabre, Jr.
Instead, this match was fated to fail, and that was an odd choice. Awarding Starks a token win on PPV hardly matters when his match wasn't over. He remains on the threshold between the upper midcard and the main event. The match either accomplished nothing or less than nothing.
Time will tell if Starks was stigmatised by it.