| AEW WrestleDream | |
|---|---|
 AEW WrestleDream logo | |
| Promotions | All Elite Wrestling |
| First event | 2023 |
| Eventgimmick | Memorial show forNew Japan Pro-Wrestling founderAntonio Inoki |
AEW WrestleDream is aprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event produced by the American promotionAll Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established in 2023, it is held annually in October as amemorial show toNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) founderAntonio Inoki; AEW and NJPW have had a working partnership since early 2021. The name of the event is a reference to Inoki, who AEW President and Chief Executive OfficerTony Khan called "wrestling's greatest dreamer".
On October 1, 2022 (September 30 inEastern Time),Antonio Inoki, the founder of the Japaneseprofessional wrestling promotionNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), died.[1] Prior to his death, the American promotionAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) began a working partnership with NJPW in early 2021.[2] This resulted in the annual co-promoted event,AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door, which was first held in June 2022.[3]
In April 2023, AEW filed to trademark "AEW WrestleDream".[4] During theAll In media scrum on August 27, AEW presidentTony Khan officially announced that AEW would hold apay-per-view (PPV)event titledWrestleDream, which would be held in honor of Inoki, who was someone Khan looked up to in the professional wrestling industry. The event was scheduled to take place on October 1, 2023—the one-year anniversary of Inoki's death—atClimate Pledge Arena inSeattle, Washington, marking AEW's first PPV to be held in theU.S. state ofWashington.[5] The name of the event refers to Inoki, who Khan called "wrestling's greatest dreamer".[6] Despite not being a co-promoted event with NJPW, the event saw the participation of NJPW wrestlersSatoshi Kojima,[7]TMDK (Bad Dude Tito,Mikey Nicholls, andShane Haste),[8]Katsuyori Shibata,[9]Zack Sabre Jr.,[10] andWill Ospreay,[11] who would later sign with AEW, as well as Inoki's former studentJosh Barnett.[12]
On April 11, 2024, asecond WrestleDream was confirmed to be held on October 12, 2024, inTacoma, Washington, thus establishing WrestleDream as an annual October event for AEW.[13] Thethird WrestleDream, which took place on October 18, 2025, was the first to take place outside of Washington, as it was held at theChaifetz Arena inSt. Louis, Missouri.[14]
| # | Event[15] | Date | City | Venue | Main event | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WrestleDream (2023) | October 1, 2023 | Seattle, Washington | Climate Pledge Arena | Christian Cage (c) vs.Darby Allin in atwo out of three falls match for theAEW TNT Championship | [16] | ||||
| 2 | WrestleDream (2024) | October 12, 2024 | Tacoma, Washington | Tacoma Dome | Bryan Danielson (c) vs.Jon Moxley for theAEW World Championship | [13] | ||||
| 3 | WrestleDream (2025) | October 18, 2025 | St. Louis, Missouri | Chaifetz Arena | Darby Allin vs.Jon Moxley in an"I Quit" match | [17] | ||||
(c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match | ||||||||||
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