6 AEW Dream Matches that have happened outside the company

CM Punk has faced Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley before
CM Punk has faced Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley before

AEW is home to some of the best established stars and some of the most exciting young talent in the world. With an influx of top stars like Bryan Danielson and CM Punk and a host of top independent talent like Daniel Garcia, Tony Khan's promotion has a sensational roster.

A lot of these stars have wrestled each other, some multiple times, in other companies. Many of those athletes have grown exponentially in stature and skill, making a potential clash in AEW enticing.

Fans are keen to revisit those rivalries in their new surroundings, with many stars having different characters and, in the case of ex-WWE superstars, having much more freedom inside the ring. With that in mind, let's look at six AEW dream matches we have already seen in other promotions.


#6 Bryan Danielson vs. CM Punk is yet to happen in AEW but happened in WWE

Bryan Danielson, fka Daniel Bryan, and CM Punk fought multiple times in WWE. Both megastars were embroiled in a great modern-day rivalry over the WWE Championship. Their feud featured AJ Lee prominently as well.

In total, they wrestled each other 24 times in singles contests, including multiple matches on live shows. CM Punk came out on top during their pay-per-view matches in 2012, at Over The Limit and Money In The Bank.

Overall, the Second City Saint came out on top in the feud. Now two of the biggest stars in AEW, their future match in Tony Khan's promotion will be considered to be a big deal.

Although both are involved in separate angles right now, we will see Bryan Danielson vs. CM Punk at some point in the future.


#5 Jon Moxley vs. CM Punk happened in multiple promotions

Jon Moxley has previously faced CM Punk in multiple promotions. Their first singles encounter occurred in 2011 at Florida Championship Wrestling, and they wrestled once each on WWE RAW and SmackDown.

CM Punk came out on top in all three matches. Jon Moxley, who was known as Dean Ambrose at the time, was part of The Shield and assisted CM Punk multiple times during his historic 434-day reign as the WWE Champion.

Now in AEW, Jon Moxley looks set to undergo a heel turn. The Voice of the Voiceless is one of the biggest faces in Tony Khan's promotion, and a potential clash between the two has money written all over it.

#4 Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson happened in WWE but looks set for AEW Full Gear

Continuing with the Jon Moxley dream matches, the former AEW world champion faced Bryan Danielson multiple times in WWE. Despite the number of matches, Danielson, fka Daniel Bryan in WWE, got the better of Mox.

They had three televised matches, with Daniel Bryan winning two and the third ending in a disqualification win for Moxley.

The pair wrestled multiple times in multi-man matches, as The Shield's first match was a victory over Team Hell No at TLC 2012.

Now in AEW, they look set to collide at Full Gear. Bryan Danielson is already in the finals of the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament and Jon Moxley has to get past Orange Cassidy to book his ticket to the final. Their match is a sureshot highlight and a highly anticipated bout.


#3 Adam Cole vs. Darby Allin happened in 2019 at Evolve

Adam Cole and Darby Allin are two of the brightest young stars in AEW. But few are perhaps aware that both men have faced each other previously. The match happened in 2019 at Evolve 122.

The match came about when Darby Allin was taking on a string of top NXT talents like Velveteen Dream, Mustafa Ali, Roderick Strong, and Kassius Ohno. Adam Cole vs. Darby Allin was a relatively short affair, clocking in at under 10 minutes, but it was every bit as good as one would expect.

The Panama City Playboy was the cocky heel, while Darby Allin played the role of an underdog. They have similar characters in AEW.

If their match at Evolve is anything to go by, an eventual clash between Darby Allin and Adam Cole will be a classic.

#2 AEW EVPs Kenny Omega and Cody Rhodes fought in Japan

Kenny Omega and Cody Rhodes need to have a match in AEW at some point. The All Elite Wrestling EVPs have a long, storied history and it's genuinely surprising that they haven't crossed paths yet.

Kenny Omega is the current AEW World Champion while the American Nightmare has lost the right to challenge for the gold. Any match that takes place will have to be without the title.

The pair have faced each other in singles competition twice, holding one victory each. Both matches lasted well over 30 minutes and are absolute classics. Their match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the NJPW G1 Special was a career highlight for both men.

Cody Rhodes has visibly alienated himself from The Elite since the inception of AEW. Considering his past with the group and the Bullet Club, a future showdown would have fans salivating at the thought of a third 30+ minute classic between the two.


#1 Eddie Kingston and MJF faced each other once in 2018

Eddie Kingston is arguably the most beloved babyface in AEW. His believability and raw emotion allows him to connect with fans in a way very few can. His rise to the top of the ranks since he first showed up in AEW is remarkable and a testament to the work he's put in.

MJF, in many ways, is the polar opposite of the Mad King. A brash, cocky, arrogant heel who was handed a lot of things to him and is booed everywhere he goes. The heel vs babyface dynamic in a match between the current iterations of Eddie Kingston and MJF would be astoundingly good. The mic battles could be instant hits.

However, it must not be forgotten that any potential bout won't be their first singles match against each other. MJF holds one victory over Eddie Kingston from when they wrestled during an IWA TV show match.

Both wrestlers have grown tremendously since then and for the aforementioned reasons, their match in AEW would be a cracker.

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