The B/R Wrestling Staff Predictions for AEW WrestleDream 2023 Match Card

This Sunday will see All Elite Wrestling debut a brand new pay-per-view in Seattle, Washington called WrestleDream.

The show is being held to honor Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki on the first anniversary of his death, so several New Japan Pro-Wrestling stars will be part of the event, including one competitor taking part in a dream match that has been years in the making.

As of Friday morning, 10 matches have been booked for the PPV. We will see several titles defended on the card, but the AEW World Championship will not be one of them this time.

As always, we have our panel of contributors here to answer questions and offer predictions.

• Chris Mueller (CM) (@BR_Doctor)
• Erik Beaston (EB) (@ErikBeaston)
• Graham Matthews (GM) (@WrestleRant)
• Kevin Berge (KB) (@KevinBerge)
• Donald Wood (DW) (@RingRustRadio) 

Here is the match card for WrestleDream as of Friday morning:

• Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. 
• Swerve Strickland vs. "Hangman" Adam Page
• FTR vs. Aussie Open (AEW Tag Team Championship)
• MJF vs. The Righteous (ROH Tag Team Championship, handicap)
• Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi vs. Konosuke Takeshita, Sammy Guevara and Will Ospreay
• Christian Cage vs. Darby Allin (TNT Championship)
• Kris Statlander vs. Julia Hart (TBS Championship)
• Eddie Kingston vs. Katsuyori Shibata (Strong Openweight and ROH World Championships)
• Ricky Starks vs. Wheeler Yuta
• The Young Bucks vs. Lucha Bros vs. Hook and Orange Cassidy vs. The Gunns (winners get future AEW tag team title shot)

FTR vs. Aussie Open

If you were booking this show, who would leave with the AEW tag team titles?

FTR. Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler make up the best team in professional wrestling, and taking the title off of them at this point before they have really scratched the surface of what they are capable of in that role would be a mistake.

Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher probably should not be taking as many big PPV losses as they have, but given the fact that they keep getting booked, it bodes well for their future.

Ricky Starks vs. Wheeler Yuta

Offer an argument for why Yuta should win instead of Starks.

Yuta has always been the loser of Blackpool Combat Club, and while there is a narrative to be told with him learning through every defeat, he eventually needs to win. A victory over Starks would carry some weight, but neither should be losing at this point.

Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

If you were booking this match, who would win and why?

I would book Sabre to win in an upset clean by submission. The goal is to establish the best technical wrestler in the world. ZSJ is just 36 years old and still to reach his peak in popularity. Winning this match would be a major career-defining moment that would require both AEW and NJPW to push him forward to heights he has never reached before.

Christian Cage vs. Darby Allin

How do you see Nick Wayne affecting the outcome of this match?

This contest is as much about Wayne as it is Cage and Allin. He is still finding his role in AEW. He could commit to working with his mentor (Allin), or he could turn on him and follow the path of The Father of the Year. Either way, Wayne will get involved in this contest.

MJF vs. The Righteous

How do you think this match will play out? Will anyone come out to help MJF?

After sending Adam Cole away to care for his broken ankle and his ruptured friendship with Roderick Strong, MJF will walk in alone against The Righteous and take an absolute beating before losing the Ring of Honor Tag Team Championship.

With no one there to help him as he grabs for the hot tag, MJF will be left in the ring defeated, only for Jay White to pick up the bones and set the stage for the long-term program between them.

Kris Statlander vs. Julia Hart

Do you think it's the right time to put a title on Hart?

Hart has been a fun addition to the House of Black, but she has also shined from an in-ring perspective when given the opportunity.

With all that said, Statlander is a cornerstone of what AEW should be building in the women's division, and Hart should take the loss to ensure the TBS champion earns more credibility. Hart is there to look strong, but she will fall as Statlander continues to ascend.

Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi vs. Sammy Guevara, Konosuke Takeshita and Will Ospreay

Who should get the win here?

There's so much star power and intertwining storylines that it should be a ton of fun. Either trio could win and it wouldn't make much of a difference, but it's more important for the newly formed Don Callis Family to establish some credibility with a victory here. The feuds will continue and the babyfaces can continue to chase.

The Young Bucks vs. The Gunns vs. Lucha Bros vs. Hook and Orange Cassidy

Who makes the most sense to win based on recent booking?

The Young Bucks feel like a slam dunk to win Sunday. Hook and Cassidy aren't a regular tandem, and The Gunns and Lucha Bros have already had their fair share of matches with FTR. Granted, so have the Bucks, but they have unfinished business with the champions after failing to coexist against Bullet Club Gold at All Out. A fourth match seems imminent.

"Hangman" Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland

Both competitors would benefit from a win, but who would benefit more?

As much as it would make a lot of people happy to see Hangman get the win, it feels like Swerve needs this victory. His feud with Keith Lee never really paid off, and The Mogul Embassy hasn't accomplished much since the Dustin Rhodes feud. This win would put Strickland back on the right path.

Eddie Kingston vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Why do you think Shibata didn't have to put his ROH Pure title on the line?

Simply put, Shibata is going to lose and Tony Khan didn't want to take the Pure Championship off him yet. Kingston has two titles, and it will be a tremendous and satisfying moment to watch him retain both against someone as revered as The Wrestler.

B/R Wrestling writers' predictions are represented by their initials:

• Danielson (EB, KB, DW, GM, CM) vs. ZSJ
• Strickland (CM) vs. Page (EB, KB, DW, GM)
• FTR (EB, KB, DW, GM, CM) vs. Aussie Open 
• MJF (KB, GM, CM) vs. The Righteous (EB, DW)
• Jericho, Omega and Ibushi vs. Takeshita, Guevara and Ospreay (EB, KB, DW, GM, CM)
• Cage (EB, KB, DW, CM) vs. Allin (GM)
• Statlander (EB, KB, DW, GM, CM) vs. Hart
• Kingston (EB, KB, DW, GM, CM) vs. Shibata 
• Starks (EB, KB, DW, GM, CM) vs. Yuta
• The Young Bucks (EB, KB, DW, GM, CM) vs. Lucha Bros vs. Hook and Cassidy vs. The Gunns