WrestleDream 2024 took place at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington, with a lineup of significant matches. Jon Moxleys path to Bryan Danielsons AEW World Title was a long one, and it concluded in Danielsons home state.
Moxley took Darby Allins AEW World Title shot by challenging him to a #1 contender match at Grand Slam. Allin lost, giving Moxley the opportunity to face Danielson for the title at WrestleDream.
This match closed the event, with Jon Moxley entering through the crowd alongside Marina Shafir. Bryan Danielson received a strong reaction from the Tacoma crowd. Jim Ross joined the commentary team for this main event.
Moxley attacked Bryan before he got in the ring, with The Final Countdown still playing. Bryan tried for a running knee, but Moxley pushed him down and choked him with production cables. The music continued as the fight remained outside the ring, and the match hadnt officially started.
Once the match began, Danielson controlled the early portion with strong crowd support. Moxley turned the tide with a piledriver on the announce table, drawing chants of F*ck you, Moxley from the fans.
Moxley slowed the pace, laying in strikes and submission holds, but Danielson kept fighting. Despite taking heavy punishment, Danielson refused to be pinned. Marina Shafir removed the ringside mat, but Danielson reversed a piledriver attempt into a back body drop.
Back in the ring, Danielson delivered Yes Kicks and a spider suplex from the top rope. Moxley avoided a top-rope headbutt, and the two traded forearm shots in the center of the ring. Danielson hit a knee and set up for more Yes Kicks, but Marina Shafir interfered by grabbing his feet, leading to her ejection.
Danielson countered a Paradigm Shift with a Psycho Knee for a near fall, and Moxley escaped the LaBell Lock by reaching the ropes. They moved outside, where Moxley caught Bryan off a dive and delivered a DDT on the exposed concrete.
Moxley continued with elbow strikes before Danielson delivered a backdrop off the top rope. He followed up with another Psycho Knee, but it wasnt enough for the win. Moxley responded with two lariats and a Gotch Style Piledriver, then locked in a chokehold, forcing the referee to stop the match without Danielson submitting. Jon Moxley became the new AEW World Champion.
This loss marked a significant moment for Bryan Danielson, who had promised his career would end when he lost the title. That moment came at WrestleDream, leaving fans in Tacoma stunned. Wheeler Yuta and Darby Allin ran down to stop Moxley from suffocating Bryan with another plastic bag.
Suddenly, Wheeler Yuta turned on Allin as they duct taped Darby Allin to the ropes. Then Wheeler put the bag over Bryan Danielsons head in a disturbing display.
