AEW Worlds End 2025: Let’s Try It Again

Worlds End 2025
Date: December 27, 2025
Location: Now Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Bryan Danielson, Tony Schiavone

It’s the last pay per view of the year and as tends to be the case, the focus is on the Continental Classic. This show will feature the semifinals and finals, which should make for a pretty packed show. Other than that, we have the World Title being defended in a four way match and that should be enough for a nice top to the card. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Sisters Of Sin vs. Maya World/Hyan

Hyan throws Blue down to start and avoids some stomping. An offer of a handshake earns Hyan a kick to the face and it’s off to Hart. A quick takedown into a legdrop gets two and World adds a slingshot hilo. The Sisters are sent outside, where they cut off stereo dives and hit a pair of swinging neckbreakers to the floor.

Back in and Hyan gets dropkicked for two but pulls Blue over for a suplex. World comes in to dropkick Hart and everything breaks down. We get an exchange of kicks to the face until Blue’s sunset bomb…doesn’t count as World isn’t legal. Some superkicks stagger Hyan though and it’s an assisted swinging Rock Bottom to give Blue the pin at 6:06.

Rating: C+. This was a nice performance from everyone and it’s nice to see Hyan and World getting a chance to showcase themselves. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them around a lot more frequently. At the same time, the Sisters very well could be moved up to the title picture soon, as there are only so many options in the first place.

Zero Hour: Zack Gibson vs. Eddie Kingston

James Drake is here with Gibson and Kingston cuts off Gibson’s intro to start fast. Gibson knocks him outside for a quick suicide dive before taking Kingston down by the leg back inside. Kingston fights that off and hits the rapid fire chops in the corner. Drake gets in a cheap shot with his scarf from the apron though and Gibson is back with a middle rope Codebreaker. A slap to the face just annoys Kingston though and they slap it out until it’s an enziguri to Gibson. The DDT gives Kingston the pin at 5:38.

Rating: C. While I like the idea of Kingston using the DDT as a finisher, the stuff leading up to it was leaving something to be desired. Maybe it’s facing the other half of a tag team that he already beat on Ring Of Honor (yes, that’s how we got here, because that’s a TOTALLY DIFFERENT PROMOTION but it still sets up matches at a pay per view) but this wasn’t exactly working. Then again, Kingston isn’t exactly known for being the best in the ring so maybe this is just what he does.

Post match Drake jumps Kingston and chokes him out but Ortiz (who last wrestled here almost two years ago) runs in for the save.

Zero Hour: Mascara Dorada/Bandido vs. Don Callis Family

Bonus match. Bandido and Davis start things off with Davis hitting a heck of a running shoulder to drop Bandido fast. A backsplash gives Davis two and it’s off to Dorada for a rope walk hurricanrana to Romero, complete with a kick to knock Davis off the apron at the same time. Dorada gets sent outside though and rammed into the barricade, with Bandido being knocked off the apron as well.

Bandido comes back in and everything breaks down, with a top rope corkscrew dive taking out everyone else. The frog splash hits Romero for two with Davis making the save, allowing Romero to hit Sliced Bread for two. The X Knee into the shooting star hits Romero before Bandido launches Dorada onto Davis. Back in and the 21 Plex finishes Romero at 7:29.

Rating: B-. Sometimes you need to have people fly around and be entertaining, which is about all they did here. Bandido continues to have an incredible year and Dorada has been doing some rather entertaining stuff of his own. At the same time, Romero and Davis are fine as the jobbers of the Don Callis Family, though I’m not sure how necessary it was to have this match on the show.

Zero Hour: Jet Speed/Jurassic Express vs. The Demand/Josh Alexander

The villains jump the good guys on the ramp to start with Luchasaurus being taken to the back. The bell rings and Jet Speed is up to take out Alexander and a twisting splash gives Knight two. Kaun comes in to take over on Bailey, who is taken into the wrong corner. Ricochet’s hilo hits Bailey again but Bailey dropkicks his way out of trouble.

Some knees to the chest are enough for the tag off to Perry and everything breaks down. Ricochet Death Valley Drivers Perry for two but cue a bandaged up Luchasaurus to clean house. Knight hits a big dive to the floor and Luchasaurus chokeslams Ricochet. Perry knees Ricochet down for the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C+. Ricochet is already stacking up challengers for the title and hopefully at least one of them gets a shot. Luchasaurus felt like a monster here and came in to wreck people, which is where he tends to shine. I’m still not sure how much Ricochet needed a new title if this is what he was going to be doing on the next show, but at least the match was entertaining.

And now, the show proper.

We recap Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kazuchika Okada. They’re both in the Don Callis Family but they’ve been fighting for months. Now it’s time for a match, albeit in a tournament because they haven’t had a scheduled match. Either way, the build is certainly there.

Continental Classic Semifinals: Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Don Callis is on commentary. They circle each other to start until Takeshita takes him up against the ropes. The grappling goes to the mat with neither being able to get anywhere. Back up and Okada takes him up against the ropes for some slaps to the chest. Takeshita hits a running clothesline to take over and goes after an armbar, sending Okada rolling over to the ropes and outside.

That’s fine with Takeshita who follows him to the floor, only to miss a charge into a chair. Back in and a DDT gives Okada a rather delayed two but Takeshita muscles him up for a suplex. Takeshita knocks him outside for a big dive but Okada goes after the eyes to cut him off. A slam sets up the top rope elbow, allowing Okada to flip him off, as Okada tends to do.

Some shots to the face put Takeshita on his knees but the Rainmaker is countered into a heck of a Blue Thunder Bomb. Back up and the Rainmaker….doesn’t actually put Takeshita down but a German suplex does. The Rainmaker is countered into a rollup for two and the running knee gets two more. Another Rainmaker attempt misses but the referee almost gets bumped, allowing Okada to pull out a screwdriver and knock Takeshita silly for the pin at 17:18.

Rating: B+. The ending dropped it down a bit but these two beat each other up well enough. The build towards the match helped as I wanted to see these two fight. It could have been better if they had a more violent/physical match but that’s only so much of their style. Either way, it’s a heck of an opener and Okada moving forward makes a bit more sense due to the whole Greatest Tournament Wrestler deal.

We recap Jon Moxley vs. Kyle Fletcher in the other semifinal. Moxley is coming off a terrible run of luck but made a great push towards the semifinals. Fletcher is the young, up and coming star who is looking to prove he’s ready.

Continental Classic Semifinals: Kyle Fletcher vs. Jon Moxley

Feeling out process to start with Fletcher bailing to the floor before Moxley can get very far. Fletcher stalls on the floor before breaking the count, earning himself an armbar on the floor. Back in and Moxley gets sent into the corner for some stomping, followed by some rather hard chops. Moxley takes over in the corner and they fight outside, with Fletcher being sent hard into the barricade.

Fletcher drives him right back though and crushes Moxley’s leg against the post for a bonus. Back in and Fletcher ties up the legs, one of which is tied up in the ropes. A half crab is broken up and Moxley hits a cutter to send Fletcher outside. Moxley’s dive doesn’t quite work because of the leg, allowing Fletcher to come back with a Michinoku Driver for two back inside. They trade standing clotheslines but Moxley’s leg is banged up again. This lets commentary point out that the fans are cheering for Moxley, which is going to make my head hurt again.

Moxley’s right hands the corner stagger Fletcher, but he tosses Moxley outside in a heap. A brainbuster onto the apron gives Fletcher nine, followed by a Liger Bomb for two. The half crab goes on but Moxley reverses it into he bulldog choke. Fletcher is smart enough to reverse it into an ankle lock, with Moxley making it over to the rope. The super brainbuster is blocked and Moxley hits a cutthroat superplex to leave them both down.

Moxley’s leg is fine enough to hit a Stomp but Fletcher knees him in the face for one. The brainbuster gets two and the fans are VERY pleased with Moxley. Fletcher goes to look for something in the corner (commentary thinks its the screwdriver that Okada had) but gets pulled into the Paradigm Shift for two. The Death Rider gets two so Moxley (eventually) chokes him out to advance at 22:29.

Rating: A-. These guys beat the living daylights out of each other and while I absolutely do not want to be asked to cheer Moxley, this was a heck of a match. Moxley can bring it when he needs to and there are few who can match him. Fletcher has more than proven he can hang in the upper echelon around here so the loss won’t hurt him. Moxley winning the tournament would be a way to bring him back after a rough year, but he has a long way to go.

Post match Fletcher takes out Moxley’s leg again.

We recap the Bang Bang Gang challenging FTR for the Tag Team Titles. They’ve traded wins (if you go back a bit) so it’s time for a street fight.

Tag Team Titles: FTR vs. Bang Bang Gang

FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, is defending in a street fight. As a result, it’s a brawl to start with Robinson and Harwood brawling out into the crowd. Wheeler punches Gunn down on the stage and then beats on him with a trashcan. A big shot knocks Gunn down the ramp as the other two fight in the crowd.

Robinson brings Harwood back to ringside for a catapult into the post but can’t send him through a table. Instead Wheeler puts a trashcan over him for a kendo stick shot, followed by something like a trashcan version of the Demolition Decapitator. Gunn knocks Wheeler outside though, leaving Robinson to frog splash Harwood for two. A belt to the face drops Robinson but Gunn is back with a trashcan lid to the head.

Gunn gets sent over the announcers’ table, leaving FTR to crush Robinson’s leg with a chair. A middle rope stomp to the knee has Robinson in big trouble so Wheeler mocks her with the title. Gunn is back up to knock Wheeler through a table at ringside but Robinson is still in trouble. Grabbing the rope means nothing so Robinson goes with a fire extinguisher blast for the escape instead.

Hathaway breaks up the count though and Robinson easily blocks a chair shot. That earns him a shove over a table (rather than through it) but the Shatter Machine hits Robinson. Gunn makes the save so it’s a pair of spike piledrivers, including one onto the belt, to finish Gunn and retain at 16:58.

Rating: B. It was a good, hard hitting fight, but there was absolutely no reason to believe that the titles were changing here. While it’s fun to have the Gang back, there is only so much to Robinson and one half of the Gunns. This really didn’t need to be on pay per view, at least not so soon after they did the same match so recently. Good brawl though, and a nice change of pace after the previous two matches tonight.

We look at Sports Illustrated giving AEW a bunch of awards.

We recap the Women’s Tag Team Titles. The Babes Of Wrath are the inaugural champions but Athena and Mercedes Mone beat them in an eight woman tag. Title match on.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Mercedes Mone/Athena vs. Babes Of Wrath

Athena and Mone are challenging. Nightingale knocks Mone into the corner to start and fires off the clotheslines. Cameron comes in for a Russian legsweep and she cuts Athena off before she can interfere. Mone’s hurricanrana from the apron is countered with a powerbomb on the apron and one heck of a spear drops Athena as well.

Back in and Mone hits a Backstabber for two on Cameron, followed by the running knees in the corner for two. The front facelock keeps Cameron in trouble but she DDTs her way to freedom. Nightingale comes back in to clean house but Athena muscles her up for a spinning knee to the face and two. Cameron comes back in for some neckbreakers before going up, where she is caught by both villains.

That earns them a double powerbomb from Nightingale, setting up Cameron’s double high crossbody for two. The Soul Food into a suplex combination gets two but Athena O Faces Cameron to the floor. That leaves Nightingale to get caught in a Statement Maker, which is broken up with a Death Valley Driver. Athena hits Mone by mistake while trying to make the save and That’s Her Finisher sends Athena outside. Nightingale rolls Mone up for the retaining pin at 13:06.

Rating: C+. Not bad at all here, though it was pretty much just a match. That being said, that’s the kind of thing you need to do when the titles are still so new. There is barely a division to speak of so AEW needs to get matches in the ring to start building things up. Totally acceptable match.

We recap Darby Allin vs. Gabe Kidd. Allin is back after being injured and attacked by Kidd and wants revenge. This has felt pretty thrown together, which isn’t a great sign.

Darby Allin vs. Gabe Kidd

Allin dropkicks him to start fast but has to fight out of a choke. Kidd knocks him outside for the crash, naturally with Allin’s neck hitting the apron on the way down. A whip into the barricade only sets up a missed charge from Kidd, allowing Allin to ram him head first into the barricade. Back up and Allin gets sent over the barricade and then catapulted THROUGH the steps (that’s a new one), leaving him down on the floor.

Back in and a rather bloody Allin is headbutted into the corner, where he looks WAY gone. They head outside again, with Allin getting in a dropkick to send a chair into Kidd’s face. Kidd is sat in the chair for a missile dropkick but he’s fine enough to dropkick Allin into the corner back inside.

Allin breaks up a super piledriver with a sunset bomb and hits the Coffin Drop but his back gives out. That lets Kidd fall outside…where Allin Coffin Drops him again. The VERY bloody Kidd is sent back inside for two and it’s a Scorpion Death Drop into the Scorpion Deathlock. That’s escaped as well and Kidd grabs a piledriver for two, only for Allin to reverse a choke into a cradle for the pin at 12:48.

Rating: B-. They beat each other up, but it didn’t feel like a match that just kind of came and went. Kidd is almost the designated villain around here and that’s not exactly thrilling. It’s nice to have Allin back, though I’ve seen him get beaten up so many times now that it has kind of lost its impact. Still though, fine enough stuff and the fans are always going to react to Allin.

We recap Mixed Nuts Mayhem, which is the Conglomeration/Toni Storm vs. the Death Riders. In other words, it’s a way for Storm to be nutty.

Death Riders vs. Toni Storm/Roderick Strong/Conglomeration

Anything goes and the women are left in the ring while the other four brawl. That’s broken up and Briscoe forearms Yuta down, followed by some right hands in the corner. Castagnoli uppercuts Strong into the corner and stomps away but Strong is right back with some chops. Cassidy comes back in and mocks Garcia with his dance before taking him down just as fast.

Shafir and Cassidy trade kicks to the leg until Cassidy backdrops her to the floor. Castagnoli and Yuta are back in to take Cassidy down, setting up a running string of shots in the corner. Strong can’t quite make the save so he’s sent into the corner for another clothesline train. Briscoe gets chopped down for a posing camel clutch, followed by a double big boot to put him down. Storm is back in to save Briscoe and go after Shafir, who gets sent outside.

Back in and Castagnoli goes after Storm, with Briscoe making the save. A double shoulder drops Castagnoli and Storm is rather proud of herself. Cassidy has to save Storm from Garcia’s piledriver before they beat up some villains via the power of dance. Storm even dips Cassidy back and the fans certainly approve. Shafir is back in but gets pulled outside, leaving the Riders to take over on Cassidy again.

Storm sends Garcia and Yuta into each other though and drops them both with a German suplex. Castagnoli is back in to Swing Storm and we get the big Strong vs. Shafir showdown (and the fans are in on the idea). Shafir kicks him down but Strong chops her in the back to quite the reaction. The Orange Punch sends Yuta into the corner for Storm’s running hip attack, followed by the Jay Driller for the pin at 12:42.

Rating: B-. This was in the vein of mostly harmless fun, with the women being meshed into the whole thing rather well. It was nice to see them stay away from the weapons here and Storm’s stuff was rather entertaining. This was more of the comedy relief portion of the show and that’s not a bad way to go. Especially Yuta getting beaten up!

Post match the rest of the Conglomeration comes out to celebrate, with Mina Shirakawa jumping into Storm’s arms. Cassidy does it as well for a funny bit.

Mercedes Mone freaks out a lot and breaks things. She’ll face Willow Nightingale on Dynamite and promises to “beat her f****** a**.”

We recap Kris Statlander defending the Women’s Title against Jamie Hayter. They’re both powerhouses and it’s time for a hoss fight.

Women’s Title: Kris Statlander vs. Jamie Hayter

Statlander is defending and the fans are…not sounding thrilled as they lock up against the ropes to start. Hayter gets knocked outside and comes back in, where she gets rolled up for an early two. One heck of a shoulder drops Hayter again before more shoulders are a bit more inconclusive. Hayter gets sent into the ropes for a slingshot Fameasser to knock her outside.

A catapult sends Hayter into the post as it’s all Statlander so far. Back in and a splash gives Statlander two but Hayter is back up with some hard chops in the corner. A Vader Bomb misses though and Hayter clotheslines her outside to take over. Hayter’s dropkick off the announcers’ table drops Statlander again, followed by an exploder suplex for two back inside.

Statlander fights out of what looks like a Rock Bottom and they trade forearms until Hayter gives her a heck of a lariat for two. An exploder superplex gives Hayter two but Statlander drops her for the same. Statlander takes her up top for something like a super spinning Falcon Arrow, which seemed to drop Hayter on her head.

Thankfully she’s back up and hits a running knee to give Hayter two and they trade superkicks. The Hatebreaker gives Hayter two but Statlander is back up with a clothesline. They fight over a Tombstone until Statlander gets planted with Staturday Night Fever. A fireman’s carry is loaded up but Statlander reverses a Tombstone to retain at 17:57.

Rating: B. They beat each other up rather well and it was a hard hitting match but the silence from the fans was not a good sign. This didn’t feel like an important match on the way into the show and that was the case again here. It just didn’t have any heat and Statlander is going to need to find a way around that before things get a lot worse.

We recap the first Continental Classic semifinal.

Don Callis is ready for Kazuchika Okada to prove his greatness again. He already doesn’t like Jon Moxley so it’s time for revenge.

We recap the second Continental Classic semifinal.

Jon Moxley is ready to show just how great he is because this tournament is about passion.

Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Jon Moxley

Okada is defending (though it’s kind of complicated) and takes him up against the ropes for the early middle finger. The threat of a shot to the bad leg sends Moxley bailing to the floor, only for Okada to take him down by the leg back inside. The leg gets caught in the ropes so Moxley crashes to the floor again, where Okada hits a DDT. Back in and Okada cranks on the leg (as he should), followed by a sliding boot to the head for two.

Okada flips the fans off again (behind his back this time, because he can be tricky that way) and the top rope elbow connects. Another middle finger is grabbed though and Moxley knocks him down for a change. Okada breaks up the Figure Four and dragon screws Moxley down. Moxley gets caught in a Texas Cloverleaf, sending him straight to the rope.

A missed charge in the corner lets Moxley hit a Gotch style piledriver for two but he can’t hit the Paradigm Shift. Okada kicks him low and the Rainmaker connects for two more. The belt is brought in but Moxley uses the distraction to hit his own low blow. Okada wins a slugout and hits a Rainmaker but doesn’t cover, allowing Moxley to hit a Paradigm Shift for two. Another Paradigm Shift gets one so Moxley Stomps him into the Death Rider for the pin and the title at 20:02.

Rating: B+. I had a feeling they were going here and it seems likely that Moxley is going to be a full blown hero in the near future. At the same time, that probably means he’s going to be out of the Death Riders sooner than later. As for now though, they had another good match, though it was a bit of a different style than what we saw earlier. Beating Okada feels like a bit deal and Moxley fighting through the leg injury is a fine way to go.

Post match the Death Riders come out to celebrate and Moxley says this title belongs to everyone else in the tournament, the fans of wrestling and his teammates. They are the hardest working wrestlers going today and they are going to give the fans what they want. If that wasn’t a face turn, it’s close enough.

We recap the World Title match. Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page already had title shots at Samoa Joe but MJF returned and cashed in his guaranteed spot to make it a four way.

AEW World Title: Samoa Joe vs. Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Joe is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. They pair off until Joe is knocked outside, only to come back in for some facewashes to Page. Back in and MJF slams Swerve down and mocks his dancing, followed by a crotch to the face. Swerve fights right back and does the same thing before the two of them head outside. Page hits a big flip dive to take them out before Swerve dives onto MJF.

That leaves us with Page vs. Swerve for the big showdown and the fans are glad to see them fight again. Swerve gets the better of things and hits his own Deadeye, only for Page to come back with the Buckshot Lariat. Joe makes the save and we get a Tower Of Doom, which lands on MJF for quite the crash. Swerve has to slip out of the MuscleBuster and gives Joe a German suplex.

A backbreaker hits Page but he’s back up with the Angel’s Wings for two. Joe comes back in to stomp away on both of them but Page knocks him down. MJF is back in with the Salt Of The Earth but Joe Koquina Clutches Swerve, causing MJF to let go and make the save. Joe Clutches MJF but Swerve makes the save this time. Everyone is knocked down until MJF is up with a Panama Sunrise for two on Swerve. Page drops MJF for two more but Joe knocks Page to the floor.

Cue the Opps to help Joe and the MuscleBuster gets two on Page (that’s not a kickout you see very often). Swerve has to save Prince Nana as Page goes after Hook, earning himself the Koquina Clutch. The Swerve Stomp breaks it up and Joe gets powerbombed out of the corner. MJF knocks Swerve off the top though and Page gives Joe the Buckshot Lariats, only for MJF to kick Page low. The Heatseeker to Joe gives MJF the title back at 20:31.

Rating: B. That’s the right call, as Joe had already done his thing as champion and Page and Swerve are better off as the mismatches heroes than one of them being champion at the moment. MJF feels like a bigger star than any of the other three at the moment so this is the most interesting choice. If nothing else, it means that MJF is likely back for the time being and that’s a great thing to see.

MJF celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a show where it felt like some things were changing, even if they were going back in a direction we’ve seen before. That doesn’t necessarily make it a bad thing, but I’m a bit worried about where things go from here. For now though, it’s another good show, albeit with the tournament matches carrying things. Other than those and the main event, a lot of stuff didn’t feel like the biggest in the world. It’s certainly a good show, but it’s being carried by a few matches and that’s a risky way to go. Either way, I’ll take what we got here as it was another good pay per view.

Results
Sisters Of Sin b. Hyan/Maya World – Assisted swinging Rock Bottom to Hyan
Eddie Kingston b. Zack Gibson – DDT
Mascara Dorada/Bandido b. Don Callis Family – 21 Plex to Romero
Jurassic Express/Jet Speed b. The Demand/Josh Alexander – Running knee to Ricochet
Kazuchika Okada b. Konosuke Takeshita – Screwdriver to the head
Jon Moxley b. Kyle Fletcher – Bulldog choke
FTR b. Bang Bang Gang – Spike piledriver onto a title belt to Gunn
Babes Of Wrath b. Mercedes Mone/Athena – Rollup to Mone
Darby Allin b. Gabe Kidd – Rollup
Conglomeration/Toni Storm/Roderick Strong b. Death Riders – Jay Driller to Yuta
Kris Statlander b. Jamie Hayter – Tombstone
Jon Moxley b. Kazuchika Okada – Death Rider
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Samoa Joe, Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland – Heatseeker to Joe

AEW, 2025, Worlds End, Hyan, Maya World, Sisters Of Sin, James Drake, Zack Gibson, Eddie Kingston, Mascara Dorada, Bandido, Don Callis Family, Jet Speed, Jurassic Express, Josh Alexander, The Demand, Konosuke Takeshita, Kazuchika Okada, Kyle Fletcher, Jon Moxley, Bang Bang Gang, Stokely Hathaway, FTR, Darby Allin, Gabe Kidd, Babes Of Wrath, Mercedes Mone, Athena, Kris Statlander, Jamie Hayter, Conglomeration, Death Riders, Roderick Strong, Toni Storm, Don Callis, Kris Statlander, Jamie Hayter, MJF, Samoa Joe, Hangman Page, Swerve Strickland

 

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