Adam Cole, Jon Moxley, Real Winners and Losers From AEW WrestleDream 2024 Match Card

AEW returned to pay-per-view Saturday night with its WrestleDream event, a show dedicated to Antonio Inoki's memory and headlined by world champion Bryan Danielson defending against former Blackpool Combat Club teammate Jon Moxley.

As is the case with most major wrestling events, there were stars up and down the card who had better nights than others, emerging as winners or losers both literally and figuratively.

One such winner was a returning star injected back into the mix as one of the top and most recognizable performers in the company.

Who won the encounter between the champion and No. 1 contender, which competitors left Tacoma, Washington as winners, and which were losers for one reason or another?

Find out in this recap of the October 12 extravaganza.

"Switchblade" Jay White defeated "Hangman" Adam Page in the opening contest of WrestleDream in what can best be described as a momentum-builder for the former IWGP heavyweight champion.

White had tremendous success in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He was a top star there and leader of the storied Bullet Club. He carried the mantle

After losing a world title match against MJF at Full Gear last November though he spent a considerable amount of time wallowing away on the undercard in AEW, in a spot that was not necessarily reflective of his skills or stature.

A recent return following a hiatus due to injury put him in a position to reignite his push in the company and Saturday's clean win over former world champion Page only further supports the idea that ol' King Switch could be reheated for a renewed run at or near the top of the card.

Considering the lack of fresh main event talent at the top of the card, the idea of a reinvigorated White mixing it up in the same realm as Page, Swerve Strickland, Jon Moxley, and Bryan Danielson is mighty appealing.

Jack Perry retained his TNT Championship over Katsuyori Shibata in the third match of Saturday's card. Within a minute of the decision, one would be hard-pressed to remember anything about the match or the champion's successful retention.

Instead, he was overshadowed immediately by an appearance from Daniel Garcia, who sent him scurrying away from the squared circle.

By the time MJF made his surprise return and physically confronted Garcia, Perry's victory became that much more insignificant.

Throw in an even bigger surprise return and the thunderous ovation that received (more in a moment) and you have a champion who was done dirty by the placement of his match in relation to those appearances.

Even if there are still big booking plans for Perry, which may include defending his title against the competitors directly involved in the post-match activities, it is difficult to say his star power did not take a hit Saturday when he was treated like the clear No. 4 to every other star who either shared the screen with him or followed his exit.

The last time we saw Adam Cole, the former Ring of Honor and NXT world champion was left lying by MJF in what most assumed was a feud-ending segment.

Saturday, we found out that may not be the case as Cole made a surprise return, making the save for Daniel Garcia and chasing his sworn enemy away from the squared circle.

Cole helped Garcia to his feet, showed him respect, and then basked in the adulation of the Tacoma fans.

If there was any doubt as to whether Cole would return as a babyface or heel when he was cleared to do so, that was erased by the overwhelming cheers of the fans based on how his comeback was booked.

While Cole is traditionally at his strongest as a heel, the decision to book him as a babyface if the intent is for him to resume his rivalry with MJF, once again a despised heel, makes sense.

What that means for the Undisputed Kingdom remains to be seen but Matt Taven and Mike Bennett showing respect to Hook at Dynamite: Grand Slam suggests a babyface turn for all involved is on tap.

Regardless, Cole's return to television and eventually the ring is great for the company, his fans, and the performer. His star bolsters the roster, gives AEW another main event player to work with, and gets Cole back to doing what he was born to do: perform between the ropes against the company's best.

Especially given how many hardships he has encountered since arriving in the company in 2021.

Konosuke Takeshita has spent the second half of 2024 rebounding in AEW, rising back up the ranks after months spent showcasing his enormous skill but losing to more prominent stars.

That revitalized rise culminated at WrestleDream with his victory over Will Ospreay and Ricochet for the AEW International Championship.

It came at the hands of Kyle Fletcher, who shockingly betrayed his United Empire teammate Ospreay and robbed him of a clean win. Still, there is no denying what a win of that magnitude means for Takeshita and the trust Tony Khan and Co. have in him as one of the stars of the future.

What will ultimately determine how successful Takeshita is in his role as champion will be the strength of competition that he faces coming out of WrestleDream and whether he is the focal point of any story he is involved or if he is but a heel foil biding time until Ospreay regains his gold.

Or Ricochet dethrones him.

An extraordinarily talented competitor who looks like a guy capable of starring at the top of AEW for the next decade, this was a great step toward stardom. Hopefully, Khan and his creative team can build on it and avoid the same mistakes that have plagued Takeshita's journey at different points.

Mariah May successfully defended the AEW Women's World Championship against Willow Nightengale in the only women's division match-up on the entire main card of the WrestleDream pay-per-view.

Sure, Anna Jay bested Harley Cameron and TBS champion Mercedes Moné set up a match for Wednesday's Dynamite against Queen Aminata.

Still, the lack of another match on the PPV card was unacceptable considering the quality of work and the company's recent emphasis on the women's division.

Jamie Hayter, Kris Statlander, Saraya, Aminata, and Moné are all competitors lacking a match on the card who could have been afforded that opportunity.

It is clear based on the TV product that AEW is actively attempting to build its women's division and put those competitors in a position to succeed as a legitimate part of the show, but to leave them a card that was at least partially thrown together in short order threatens to unravel those efforts.

In the company's defense, it typically does have at least two matches, with the TBS and women's titles represented. Perhaps that is why it was more obvious Saturday when that was not the case.

Given the length of the PPVs, there is no reason not to have at least two matches representing the jam-packed division on each of those cards.

If not more.

Especially when a star of Moné's stature is right there.

The rivalry between the undefeated Hologram and The Beast Mortos wrote its final chapter in a Best Two-Out-of-Three Falls Match Saturday night.

Despite lacking the profile of some of the other stars and match-ups on the card, the luchadors tore the house down, delivering a damn good match that saw the masked babyface overcome his first pinfall in the promotion to defeat Mortos and extend his unbeaten streak.

Not only did the match get some fresh faces on the card, but it also proved that the competitors involved could come off of Collision and onto a pay-per-view and live up to the expectations set by the previous encounters.

Mortos remains one of the hidden gems on television. He was that way during his time as Black Taurus in TNA and that has carried over to AEW, where he has won attention and respect for the quality of his ring work, even if his win-loss record is nothing special.

Both men are potential breakout stars and performing up to the level they did here only solidified that sentiment.

Jon Moxley is the AEW world champion for the fourth time after defeating Bryan Danielson with the bulldog choke in the main event of WrestleDream via referee stoppage.

A grueling match-up between two competitors who have been friends, partners, and adversaries at different points in their careers, it was the best match on the show, and according to a stipulation set by The American Dragon himself, his final one as a full-time active wrestler.

Moxley's status as a winner transcends the title victory, though.

It includes the brutal attack that occurred after, an attack that included a heel turn from Wheeler Yuta, who laid out Darby Allin with a running knee to prevent him from saving the former champion before placing a plastic bag over Danielson's head and attempting to suffocate him.

The crowd's shocked silence as the heels stood triumphantly before finally being driven from the squared circle, followed by its scornful jeers, suggests AEW has a hot heel act on its hands, led by the new champion.

How it manages to follow up on that, and which babyface it selects to combat them will determine how successful the angle was in the long-term but for now, the company and its top star can rest comfortably knowing the brutality of the closing moments of the show positioned Moxley and Co. as the faces of the promotion and the most dangerous threat on the roster.

And it all came at the expense of a legendary competitor who would want his swan song to be utilized to help get others over.