Christian Cage and the Real Winners and Losers from AEW WrestleDream 2023 Match Card

AEW presented the inaugural WrestleDream pay-per-view Sunday night in Seattle and as is the case with any card of that magnitude, the show yielded a number of winners and losers, including TNT Champion Christian Cage.

The veteran competitor headlined the event, successfully defending his title against Darby Allin.

Was a main event victory enough to earn Cage "winner" status?

Find out the answer to that and more with this recap of the October 1 extravaganza.

Winner: Julia Hart

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

There were zero questions about Julia Hart's on-screen presence entering WrestleDream.

She carried herself like a star, had arguably the best entrance in all of AEW, and had the marketable look and spooky energy reminiscent of The Undertaker, Kane, and her House of Black teammate, Malakai Black.

But could she wrestle?

When all the pomp and circumstance concluded, could she perform up to the moment that a pay-per-view event brought and delivered a quality performance against one of the best women's wrestlers on the roster?

The answer was a resounding "yes."

Hart delivered a strong, aggressive performance against Statlander that had fans believing she could defeat Kris Statlander for the TBS Championship. Not just believing, but actually wanting her to win, as witnessed when the audience rose to its feet for her moonsault late in the bout.

She did not win, but one would be hard-pressed to argue that she was not better off exiting the match than she was entering it. Now, she has a match she can hang her magical, mystical hat as she continues her run in AEW.

A young star of the future, she will have plenty of time to win championship gold in her career. For now, she is the former possessor of a winning streak ended by Statlander, who is making a habit of conquering those.

Loser: Rey Fenix

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Through no fault of his own.

AEW International Champion Rey Fenix exited the four-way match to determine the No. 1 contenders to the AEW World Tag Team Championship Sunday, apparently injured early in the contest.

First and foremost, one can only hope that he is OK and the departure from the contest was out of precaution.

Fenix was in the early portion of a singles run that, while unplanned, had seen him earn big wins over Jon Moxley and Jeff Jarrett. Coupled with a history of injury that had kept him out of action on more than one occasion during his time in AEW and limited his ability to perform up to his potential, it felt like he was finally on track to excel at the level reflective of his abilities.

An injury that puts him out of action for any sustained period of time would serve as yet another setback for a guy whose athleticism is nearly unrivaled, as is his body of work when healthy.

Winner: Swerve Strickland

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

No matter where he performed, it was apparent that Swerve Strickland was a star long before WrestleDream. He just needed someone to believe in him enough to book that one signature victory that announced it to the wrestling world.

Strickland got that win Sunday, defeating "Hangman" Adam Page in a phenomenal match.

The contest had some of the best build entering the show and based on the crowd heat, could have been in the main event slot. Instead, the showdown took to the ring midway through the card and Strickland, along with Page, essentially dared the rest of the card to top it.

In the biggest win of his wrestling career to this point, the face of the Mogul Embassy shined as bright as any other competitor on the card, basking in the support of his hometown crowd in Seattle and proving he belonged in that spot.

Over the years, AEW has attempted to make stars out of its core of young talent, with varying results. On this night, it succeeded in presenting Strickland as a huge deal; someone who will be instrumental in helping to guide the company in whatever direction it sees fit in the foreseeable future.

A renewed push and monumental victory over a former world champion has him in a position some worried he would never be allowed to achieve. Now, it will be up to him to make the most of every opportunity presented to him.

So far, so Swerve.

Losers: Aussie Open

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

At some point, simply having good matches stops being enough to maintain fan support and momentum and Aussie Open is dangerously close to finding that out the hard way.

Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis are one of the best tag teams in the sport and have continuously proven it against any and all opponents. They have the innate ability to get a great match out of any opponent and have proven chemistry with AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR.

Sunday night in Seattle, they once again threatened to steal the show with FTR in another brilliant match that tested the toughness of both teams. They were never really a threat to win the titles, though, and did not.

Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler delivered an avalanche Big Rig won the champs the match and sent the Aussie heels to yet another high-profile loss.

Despite another stellar outing, the former Ring of Honor World Tag Team champs lost again, their momentum and credibility taking another hit as defeats continued to mount.

Yes, they have the audience's respect as one of the best tandems in the industry but they badly need a few signature wins to remain credible contenders amid mounting, big-match losses.

It will not only help with their own momentum, but it will make matches like Sunday's that much more significant because the outcome will be less obvious than it was in Seattle.

Winner: Christian Cage

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

In 2014, Christian Cage wrestled his last match with WWE and appeared to be finished as an in-ring competitor.

Fast forward nine years later and you have a guy doing some of the best character work of his entire career, headlining a pay-per-view event as the TNT Champion and, arguably, the best heel in all of AEW.

A villain with a penchant for talking trash on dead dads, hitting on Nick Wayne's mom, and claiming titles that are not actually his, he has been nothing short of extraordinary for the company that gave him a second lease on his in-ring career.

Sunday night, he defeated Darby Allin to retain his title and stood tall with Wayne following a stunning heel turn in the closing moments of the match. He was savage, disgusting, and relentless in his attack on Allin, punishing him and leaving the hometown hero in a beaten and battered heap.

It was the latest in a career renaissance that has quickly turned into one of the best stories in professional wrestling.

Up next, a battle with his best friend and former tag team partner, Adam "Edge" Copeland, who made a stunning debut with the company in the closing moments of WrestleDream.

What that means for him, his growing collection of heels, and his run as TNT champion remains to be seen but it is nearly impossible to have imagined just how great a run Captain Charisma would embark on when he popped up in AEW two years ago.