5 AEW dream matches that were teased but never happened
Over the years, AEW has treated wrestling fans with some incredible dream matches. With its collaborations with other top promotions like NJPW, the Tony Khan-led company has put together several dream matchups that fans never believed could happen.
Interestingly, the Jacksonville-based promotion has a dedicated pay-per-view for inter-promotional dream matches, which is called Forbidden Door. From Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay to Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada, many unthinkable encounters have taken place under the banner of All Elite Wrestling.
However, certain encounters have never taken place in AEW, despite being teased on live television. Fans were extremely disappointed with Tony Khan teasing these matches, only to have no proper follow-up on the storyline. In this article, let's look at five AEW dream matches that were teased but never happened.
#5 Kenny Omega vs. Malakai Black could have been a show stealer
At Revolution 2023, The Elite defended its AEW World Trios Championship against The House of Black. Following weeks of torment at the hands of the wicked faction, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks seemed determined to put down their rivals once and for all.
Meanwhile, the trio of Malakai Black, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews were focused on slaying The Elite and capturing the World Trios Championship. The match delivered on high expectations, as the two teams went on to deliver an instant classic.
At one point in the bout, Omega and Black had an intense confrontation in the ring. Two of the greatest in-ring masterminds, it seemed like the duo was set for a singles match after this moment. The Cleaner also delivered a knee strike to Julia Hart in this contest, further drawing the ire of The Dutch Destroyer.
Ultimately, it was The House of Black who emerged victorious in this excellent Trios match. The showdown marked the end of the rivalry between the two top factions. While fans were glad to see The House of Black's success, they were equally frustrated that there was no follow-up on the Black-Omega confrontation.
#4 The Elite vs. The Undisputed Era could have been a defining rivalry
At All Out 2021, Adam Cole shocked the wrestling world by making his official debut in All Elite Wrestling. During his debut segment, Cole aligned himself with Kenny Omega and The Elite. As fans were well aware of Cole's backstabbing nature, speculations were high that The Panama City Playboy would eventually turn his back on his allies.
The 35-year-old star was soon joined by Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish as well, who had recently exited NXT to join AEW. Once Omega lost his AEW World Championship, Adam Cole did not take long to show his true colors to the world.
In August 2022, The Undisputed Era trio officially cut its ties with The Elite by launching a sneak attack on The Young Bucks. The angle was done to set up Kenny Omega's in-ring return, who would have led The Elite against Adam Cole's faction.
Unfortunately, The Panama City Playboy's ongoing medical issues caught up with him, as he was soon ruled out of in-ring competition for a long time. It has been almost two years since that betrayal, but AEW has not been able to revisit the storyline till now.
#3 MJF vs. Swerve Strickland could have been an AEW classic
Towards the end of his AEW World Championship reign, Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) had developed issues with several enemies. The Salt of the Earth also had a few backstage confrontations with Swerve Strickland, who previously fought the 28-year-old star on the independent circuit.
At a time when MJF was struggling to keep up with his opponents, Swerve Strickland had started cementing himself as a main event talent.
Following their verbal duels backstage, it seemed like Tony Khan would pick The Killshot to dethrone The Wolf of Pro Wrestling. Surprisingly, the creative team went in a different direction, as Samoa Joe was the one who took the title off MJF.
A ruthless Swerve Strickland going up against a babyface MJF would have been a sight to savor for the fans. While Strickland did capture the title a few months later, he never got to cross paths with the current AEW American Champion.
#2 Bryan Danielson was set to lock horns with Malakai Black
In October 2023, Malakai Black made his long-awaited return to AEW Collision. The Dutch Destroyer laid out Bryan Danielson with a Black Mass, who had just wrestled an intense match against Andrade El Idolo.
Known for their seasoned technical abilities, Black and Danielson could have produced an instant classic in the ring. The rivalry could have soon transformed into a faction war, pitting The Blackpool Combat Club against The House of Black.
Unfortunately, the storyline was soon scrapped by the creative team following The American Dragon's injury. The leader of the Yes Movement had to miss in-ring action for months, causing Malakai Black to shift his attention onto other stars. If Bryan Danielson succeeds in winning the AEW World Championship at All In, The Dutch Destroyer could emerge as his first challenger.
#1 Adam Copeland's unexplored feud with Ricky Starks could have been a massive hit
Ricky Starks and Adam Copeland were part of an infamous moment on Collision last year. During a promo segment in October 2023, The Rated-R Superstar allegedly took some unscripted shots at Starks, indicating a beef between the two promo masters.
At one point during the promo battle, The Absolute One told Copeland to stop looking at him with his "bug eyes". The Ultimate Opportunist was seemingly offended by the comment, as he went on to verbally tear apart the young star.
Adam Copeland mocked Ricky Starks' fashion choices, before calling him a "Vanilla Midget version of The Rock." Starks was visibly surprised by Adam's comments, prompting him to make a light-hearted Edge reference.
Fans could feel the tension between the two stars. Considering their genuine on-screen animosity, it seemed like their paths were about to cross soon. Sadly, the two talents never interacted on television again, crushing the plans for a dream match between the duo.
Renowned for their charismatic mic skills, it would have been interesting to see the two stars put their differences aside to deliver a great rivalry.