Swerve Strickland Proves It and Biggest Takeaways From AEW WrestleDream 2023 Results

The first-ever WrestleDream lived up to its promise. It was a night of pure wrestling greatness that showed what makes the All Elite Wrestling roster so special.

The crowd in the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington was committed to the action, making everything feel special.

From Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. and Eddie Kingston vs. Katsuyori Shibata to Hangman Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland and Darby Allin vs. Christian Cage, so many matches on this card could have been the main event.

Nothing though will be talked about more than the arrival the former Edge, Adam Copeland. The Rated-R Superstar ended the night standing tall.

It was arguably an overstuffed show, but it is hard to argue with getting even more great wrestling.

Tony Khan called this the beginning of a "new era" in AEW, and it certainly delivered some important takeaways for the future of the company.

Nick Wayne and Billie Starkz were not flashy signings by AEW but could become the most important in the coming years. These two 18-year-old prodigies

While it will take a while for them to prove it, both are high-upside prospects. They deserved a spot on Zero Hour, continuing to work off of established talent.

Starkz and Athena have been great together in Ring of Honor. As The Fallen Goddess dominates ROH, Starkz rides the momentum while showing her own personality. In the ring, she worked well off veterans like Diamante and Mercedes Martinez.

Wayne has fit right in with Darby Allin. His work with Christian Cage has the crowd completely engaged and not just because of his mother at ringside. He sold Luchasaurus as a monster better than most have in AEW.

That was not the end though for Wayne, who turned on Allin and solidified his status alongside the top heel in wrestling.

Both are working with top names in the business. They are looking better with each performance. By next year's WrestleDream, they might both appear on the main card.

MJF promised to defend the ROH Tag Team Championships, even without Adam Cole. He pulled it off in a silly opener where The Devil took multiple shortcuts to make it out with the gold.

Any time an established tag team loses a handicap match to a singles star, it devalues the team. However, MJF was always going to work at a higher level than The Righteous, who are still not established in AEW.

Over time, that can change. Vincent and Dutch have showed their skills in recent weeks alongside well-produced segments to sell their gimmick.

Losing here was an unfortunate bump in the road but not the end of the road. The problem ROH will soon face is the possibility of The Devil devaluing an entire tag team division.

If he pulls off similar comedy wins over The Kingdom, Gates of Agony, Iron Savages and The Infantry, it will leave the entire division scrambling for serious challengers even after MJF loses the gold.

The Devil needs to drop those titles to a tag team sooner rather than later, and the best option right now is Mike Bennett and Matt Taven.

WrestleDream was established as a pay-per-view to honor Antonio Inoki, and no two men better exemplified the Japanese wrestling style of Inoki's time like Eddie Kingston and Katsuyori Shibata.

The Mad King has always been a savant of Japanese wrestling. His long of the Kings Road style has been well documented and highlighted in the past year in particular.

The Wrestler is one of the great Strong Style wrestlers. He was inspired by the legacy of Inoki from an early age and remains one of the hardest hitting performers in professional wrestling.

The two brutalized each other in the ring. It was physical throughout, and neither man backed down. By the end, their chests were bright red, and their hearts were full of love for wrestling.

Inoki was the face of Japanese professional wrestling, and Kingston and Shibata represented the two defining styles that evolved from The Dreamer's work.

AEW's women's division has struggled to deliver enough unique top acts to keep momentum at the same level as the men's division. However, that is changing slowly but surely.

At 24 years old, Kris Statlander was a young up-and-comer when AEW first signed her in 2019. It took until 2023 for her to put it all together and become a top name as TBS champion.

Julia Hart began her own AEW journey in 2021 at the age of 19. It looks like 2024 could her year.

These women got a much-deserved "This is Awesome" chant for a sprint at WrestleDream that never slowed. They delivered together, and Hart was arguably the more popular star by the end.

While she lost in the end, the House of Black member became undeniable in this match. As long as AEW keeps her on television, she is going to need to win gold sooner than later.

At the end of a fun battle of tag teams, The Young Bucks emerged victorious, setting up a rematch with FTR in the near-future for the AEW Tag Team Championships.

Matt and Nick Jackson are two of the best tag team specialists in wrestling. While they have a very different style, Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler are the rare wrestlers that can match them.

They have shown how well they can work together, but the teams have run through the highlights together three times. The fourth time must be unique.

The easiest answer would be to add a stipulation. The two teams have never worked together in a hardcore style. A No Disqualification, Steel Cage or Ladder match would all push them to wrestle a different style together.

Before they can get there though, it is time to let go of respect and courtesy. This feud must become heated, whether that means The Young Bucks or FTR turn heel soon.

Hangman Adam Page and Swerve Strickland sold WrestleDream more than just about anyone else. It was a heated feud focused on The Mogui's desire to prove himself with his first big opportunity.

Swerve absolutely proved it. He competed with one of the six AEW world champions from bell to bell. At every stage, he stood out. feeding off the energy of the crowd.

The Cowboy was rejuvenated working with The Mogul. It was as good as he has looked in years. Swerve pushed him to work like he was still world champion.

On a night of incredible wrestling, this was one of the absolute highlights and a match-of-the-year contender.

A rematch must be in the cards, allowing Hangman and Swerve to prove this was only the beginning. After that though, The Mogul is ready to go as far as challenging MJF for the world title.

Bryan Danielson and Zack Sabre Jr. put on one of the single greatest technical wrestling matches of all time. The grappling was smoother than just about anyone else could pull off, and the crowd was completely invested in the action.

The American Dragon has made a compelling case as the best wrestler in the world. His work with MJF and Ricky Starks followed by this battle may be the singles greatest stretch of matches of the year.

However, ZSJ deserves his own flowers. This dream match was about proving who was the better technical wrestler. While Danielson kept up and ultimately won, it was Sabre that showed out with his style.

A brand-new audience was introduced to the greatness of ZSJ, and no one does this type of pure grappling like him.

In a professional wrestling era of flashy offense, Sabre's style stood out as completely unique. AEW and New Japan Pro-Wrestling must keep using him.

The Don Callis Family vs. The Golden Lovers and Chris Jericho was a great fast-paced battle, once again showcasing the talent of the roster in AEW.

However, since his arrival in AEW, Kota Ibushi has struggled to keep up with that roster. He has not been the same performer in 2023 that he once was.

His recent injuries have slowed him, leading to bit roles in these tag team matches. While he has been fun to watch in short bursts, he has not shown that he can work sustained sequences.

Ibushi can still throw some impressive worked strikes, but his body is not keeping up with the expected pace of his offense. He lost his footing and was inconsistent when in action in this trios contest.

Kenny Omega is doing what he can to support his friend. Hopefully, as The Golden Lover find their chemistry again, Ibushi will get healthy enough to work singles matches again. He still can bring so much to wrestling.

In January 2020, Edge returned to professional wrestling in the men's Royal Rumble match. It was a shocking moment after his heartbreaking retirement in 2011.

Before that return, as Edge explained in his WWE 24 documentary, he was in talks with "another company in the industry" in 2019. AEW was just beginning to form at that time and was interested in signing him.

WWE was able to promise more to The Rated-R Superstar, but that communication line clearly remained open. When his contract was set to expire with WWE, this time it was AEW that won the bidding war.

He will likely go by his real name Adam Copeland going forward. This is not certain though because he has never wrestled outside the WWE system.

This is a chance for Copeland to end his career on his own terms. He can work with his long-time friend Christian Cage, who had a great main event match with Darby Allin before Copeland arrived. He can face wrestlers he has never fought before.

AEW has a proven track record with veteran talent from Chris Jericho to Sting. Copeland is in safe hands with a company that will want to give him what he wants. It is all up to the limits of his vision.