AEW World's End 12/27/2025

AEW World's End 12/27/2025

 

I reviewed the pre-show here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/12/aew-worlds-end-2025-zero-hour-12282025.html 

We are in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

AEW Continental Classic 2025 Semifinal - Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Okada somehow loses the Continental Title and the Unified Title if he loses here.

They stare down. KO offer a handshake and KT slaps his hand. KT wristlocks him and side headlocks him. KO trips him and side headlocks him. KO euros him then KT facekicks him. KT flying lariats him. KT does a grounded octopus and KO ropebreaks. They go out and KO is sent into the rails. KT is tripped into a chair. KO ddt's him on the floor.

KT is rammed into the rails. KO neckbreakers him. KT hits forearms and KO ddt's him inside. KO back elbows him in the corner. KO flying back elbows him. KT brainbusters him. KT hurricanrana's him out. KT then tope con hilos him outside.  

KT exploders him for 2. KO over the back neckbreakers him on the knee. KO slams him then top rope elbow drops him. KO gives him the finger. They trade forearms. KO euros him. KO package tombstones him then wheelbarrow germans him. KO hits an emerald flowsion then KT blue thunders him. 

KO blocks a pumping knee. KT no sells a short arm lariat. KT hits forearms then KO drops him with a short arm lariat. KT forearms him. They backslide each other. KO hits a german. KT rolls him up for 2. KO shotgun dropkicks him. KO dropkicks him. KO hits a poisonrana and a pumping knee for 2.

KO pulls a screwdriver out of the buckles. KT flying knees him from behind. KO misses a screwdriver shot then hits him with it. The moronic ref somehow looks away and doesn't see it. KO pins KT.

Thoughts: I didn't like the finish. The ref saw the screwdriver and did nothing. The screwdriver meme in AEW is so overplayed. They had a rather respectful match instead of letting their issues with each other play out which I didn't like either. The work was okay but the logic and the finish were way off in this. I also don't think this was a good way to start the PPV off since it had a dirty finish and a slower pace. 

AEW Continental Classic 2025 Semifinal - Kyle Fletcher vs. Jon Moxley

They lock up. KF armbreakers him. Mox rolls out of a wristlock and chops him. Mox chops KF outside and bangs his head off the commentary table. KF slams him. KF stomps on him and chops him. Mox hits forearms and corner lariats KF. KF is thrown into the rails. Mox running facekicks him outside.

Mox is driven into the rails. Mox's leg is trapped between the steps and ring and KF pounds on him. KF dropkicks the steps into the leg. KF kicks Mox in the leg and wraps his leg around the ropes. KF facekicks him for 2. KF half crabs him.

Mox hits a cutter. Mox topes KF. KF michinoku drivers him for 2. Mox running lariats him. They trade lariats. Mox then lariats him down. They trade forearms. Mox shotgun dropkicks him. Mox hits mounted corner punches on KF. Mox sweeps KF on the apron. KF brainbusters him on the apron.

Mox gets in and is hit with a sitout last ride for 2. KF single leg crabs him. Mox escapes by doing a bulldog choke to him. KF grabs the ankle and ankle locks him to break that. Mox rope breaks. KF stomps Mox in the corner. They go up top and Mox bites him. Mox chokes him up top. Mox does a horrible sleeper suplex off the top, dropping KF right on his head.

Mox curbstomps him. KF superkicks him. Mox kicks out of a move at one. KF corner facekicks him then brainbusters him for 2. KF tkaes off turnbuckle pads looking for a screwdriver that Okada moved. Mox cradles him for 2 then puts him in a sleeper. KF turns it into a pin attempt for 2. Mox death rider ddt's him for 2. Mox hits another death rider ddt for 2.

Mox grounded chokes KF. Mox stands up and chokes him. KF is out and Mox wins.

Thoughts: Kyle took one of the worst looking bumps ever by taking a suplex off the buckles directly onto his head and neck. It was an unsafe as it gets and of course, not even that was enough to stop Kyle. I hated this match. They kicked out of everything like they do in every Kyle match and even one of the nastiest bumps ever meant nothing here. Mox also bled here from the mouth.

Kyle clips Mox after. 

AEW Tag Titles - Chicago Street Fight -FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) (c) vs. Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson and Austin Gunn)

All 4 fight to start. They go outside. JR's head is banged off the steps. Dax is sent over the rails then Gunn is as well. JR and Dax fight in the stands and Gunn is suplexed on the ramp. Gunn punches Cash on top of the ramp. Cash is sent into the tron. JR's head is put in a trash can then Cash gets hit with a trash can.

Cash throws a trash can at Gunn's head. Dax is whipped into a trash can. Gunn is knocked down the ramp and takes a big bump. Cash throws water in JR's face then Gunn is sent into the rails. A table is set up near the apron. JR catapults Dax on the apron into the buckles. JR is crotched up top.

Cash top rope backdrops JR. Gunn is hit with a trash can. The can is put on his head and Cash hits it with a kendo stick. Gunn takes a demolition decapitation with a trash can. Gunn is sent into the can between the buckles. JR is hit with the can. Cash is pushed off the to by JR. Gunn crossbodies Dax over Cash over the top. JR top rope splashes Dax. JR hits punches on Cash. Cash eye rakes him. JR shoulders him over then leg lriats him. JR spinebusters Dax for 2. Gunn is sent into the steps.

Dax hits JR with a title belt. Gunn hits Cash with a trash can lid. Gunn puts the trash can lid on his back and he splashes Cash with it aainst the post. Gunn misses a charge, ends up on the commentary table and is pushed over. JR is busted open.

Cash clips JR. Cash butt drops JR's leg. Dax chairs JR's leg. FTR are pushed into each other. JR cradles Dax for 2. JR hits punches on Dax. Cash chairs JR's leg. Cash stomps JR's leg off the buckles. Dax does a figure four variation to JR. Cash tries to tope Gunn into a table but missed and takes a horrible crash into the tables. JR ropebreaks out of the figure four variation but there's no rope breaks. JR fire extinguishers Dax to break the hold.

JR ddt's Dax for 2 when Stokely Hathaway tackles the ref to stop the count. JR blocks Stoke's chairshot. JR chairs Dax's back. He then chairs Cash's back. Stoke and JR fight for a chair. Stoke is pushed off the apron and rolls over a table. JR takes a shatter machine for 2.

Gunn low blows Cash. Dax piledrivers Gunn on a trash can for 2. Gunn is hit with a spike piledriver then barely takes one on the belt. Dax pins Gunn.

Thoughts: Cash nearly died on his tope into the table and Stoke took a bad bump over a table. I liked the match and thought it was a good battle. It had your usual weapons shots and they did't go too overboard with it.  

They talk about some recent awards AEW won from Sports Illustrated. As someone who has seen 1,100 shows this year, I'm not impressed with some of these picks.

AEW Women's Tag Titles - Babes of Wrath (Harley Cameron and Willow Nightingale) (c) vs. Mercedes Moné and Athena

Willow hits corner lariats on Mone then HC joins in. Mone is catapulted into a HC knee to the gut. HC russian legsweeps Mone. Mone takes a double backdrop. Mone and Ath hits sliding shots and throws Willow out. Mone is powerbombed on the apron edge. Ath topes Willow.

HC crossbodies Ath off the apron, Ath rolls through then Willow spears Ath. HC punches Ath then high kicks her. Mone pulls down HC by the hair. Mone backstabbers HC for 2. Mone corner meteora's HC for 2.

Ath suplexes HC then corner meteora's her. Mone does a regular meteora for 2. HC ddt's Ath. Willow gets in and hits lariats on Mone. Willow backsplashes her. Mone knees her in the face then willow spinebusters her. Ath rebound germans her then hits a bad twisting drop into a codebreaker for 2. 

Willow pounces Ath. HC neckbreakers Mone thne lariats Ath. HC hits a bad slingblade on Ath then hits mounted corner punches on her. HC is flying kicked while up top. Willow powerbombs her opponents off the 2nd rope. HC crossbodies both opponents off the buckles. HC then does a double crucifix bomb for 2. 

Ath takes a soul foot into a lightning spiral. HC high kicks Mone on the apron. Ath is catapulted and cutters HC off of it. Mone backcrackers Willow into a crossface. Willow death valley drivers Mone for 2. Mone forearms Ath on accident. Willow hits a double lariat. We get a tower of doom spot with Ath powerboming her own partner. Ath drops Mone onto Willow for 2. All four girls are down. 

Ath hits kicks on HC and takes a twisting reverse ddt. Willow rolls Mone and pins her.

Thoughts: It had a lot of sloppy moments to it and definitely went longer than it needed to. I didn't like this one that much.

Darby Allin vs. Gabe Kidd

We get a weird Darby Allin video with nearly dead rabbits for Darby's entrance. DA rides a skateboard to the ring then bangs it off the steps. 

DA dropkicks Gabe as he enters. They slap each other. Gabe sleepers him and DA eye rakes him. DA hits slaps. DA is pushed over the top and takes a horrible whiplash bump down. DA is thrown into the steps and the rails. Gabe goes into the rails when DA moves. DA topes Gabe into the rails. Gabe's head is then banged off the rails.

DA is thrown over the time keeper's rail and lands on the floor. DA is catapulted into the inside of the steps. DA is busted open and Gabe crawling headbutts him. Gabe chokes him and throws him chest first into the buckles. DA is sent into the post and corkscrew into the cameraman (I think they broke the camera some with this).

Gabe chest clubs DA. DA spits in his face. DA dropkicks a chair into Gabe's face. DA bites Gabe. Gabe is busted open. Gabe is put in a chair and DA top rope dropkicks him outside while he's in the chair. 
Gabe gets his knees up on DA's backsplash. Gabe shotgun dropkicks him into the buckles. Gabe hits chops on DA and bites him. DA bites him up top and rakes his back. DA 2nd rope sunset bombs him for 2. DA hits a top rope coffin drop on Gabe. Gabe rolls out. 

Gabe is laying on the floor and DA top rope coffin drops him on the floor. Gabe is thrown in. DA reverse ddt's him in the ring. DA scorpion deathlocks him. Gabe hits a hard forearm and rebound lariats him. Gabe piledrivers him for 2.

Gabe bites him. Gabe goes for a choke and DA backrolls and pins him.

Thoughts: The ending was a bit sudden and could of been better. Darby took all kinds of nasty bumps here like usual and it was a bloody and brutal match. They did overdo it some but I mostly liked it. Both guys really took a beating here.

Mixed Nuts Mayhem Match - Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta, and Marina Shafir) vs. Roderick Strong, "Timeless" Toni Storm, and The Conglomeration (Mark Briscoe and Orange Cassidy)

Everyone fights to start and most of them go out. Toni dropicks Shafir and hits mounted corner punches. Yuta throws out Toni. Mark flying forearms Yuta then hits mounted corner punches. Mark tope con hilos DG through the ropes. RS olympic slams Yuta then is euro'd over by CC. CC boot and stomp flurries RS in the corner. RS dropkicks CC. 

OC does DG's dance at him. DG guillotines and sleepers him. OC stunners him. MS does OC's stupid pocket leg kicks on him and is sent out. OC dropkicks DG with his hands in his pockets. Yuta and CC double team OC. 

OC takes corner attacks. OC takes a triple boot from the heels. RS is beaten up on by the heels. Shafir hits chops on RS. RS takes running corner attacks and a triple boot. Mark takes a high/low and is ganged up on. 

Mark is put in a camel clutch and the heels stand on him while he's in it. Mark takes running corner attacks and a double boot. Toni comes in and hip attacks Shafir off the apron. CC grabs Toni. Mark hits punches on CC. CC takes a double shoulderblock from Toni and Mark. Mark dropkicks CC through the ropes. OC and Toni dance and do offense off of it. 

Shafir lariats Toni down. Toni germans her. Toni diving mongolian chops Shafir off the apron. OC tornado ddt's CC. Mark top rope diving elbow drops CC. RS is stomped on by the heels. The heels pound on OC. DG is sent into Yuta. Toni gemrans them both. 

Toni cradles MS. Toni 2nd rope tornado ddt's CC. CC giant swings him. RS and Shafir square off. Shafir kicks him. OC orange punches DG. Toni short piledrivers DG. OC orange punches Toni. Toni corner hip attacks Yuta. OC does a bad tope on CC outside. Mark hits a jaydrillder on Yuta and wins.

Thoughts: I absolutely hated this. It was not very serious and had tons of comedy. The women were treated as equal competition to the men which was laughable. And despite this being No DQ, we really didn't get any weapons. OC goofed around all match long.

Harley and Willow celebrate with the faces after.

Lexy tries to interview Mercedes Mone after. She ignores her and screams in her locker room. She then breaks stuff in the locker room. Lexy says it was a tough loss and 2025 wasn't good to her. Mone puts over her year and disagrees. She says she doesn't want to hear about Willow pinning her and says she beat her f*cking @ss at New Year's Smash.

AEW Women's Title -  Kris Statlander (c) vs. Jamie Hayter

They lock up. Kris is pushed to the apron. Jamie is then pushed out. They each do the side headlock takeover into the headscissors spot. Jamie rolls her up for 2. Kris rolls her up for 2. Jamie shoulders her over then Kris shoulders her over. They shoulder each other over at the same time and kip up together. 

They trade forearms. Jamie is stunnered over the 2nd rope then legdropped over the 2nd rope. Kris misses a moonsault off the apron. Jamie is catapulted into the steps. Kris chinlocks Jamie. Kris backdrops her. Kris vader bombs her for 2. Jamie hits chops in the corner on Kris. Jamie's head is banged off the buckles. Kris slams Jamie.

Kris misses a vader bomb and Jamie superkicks her. Jamie lariats Kris over. Jamie is put on the comemntary table. Jamie dropkicks her off the commentary table. Jamie 2nd rope dropkicks her. Jamie exploders her for 2. Jamie running boots her for 2.  Kris spin kicks her and snapmare drivers her.

Kris running knees her in the corner then hits a ki krusher for 2. They trade forearms. Jamie forearms her then Kris forearms her back. Jamie ushigoroshi's her then sliding lariats her for 2. Jamie 2nd rope fisherman busters her. Kris package piledrivers her for 2. 

They fight on the buckles. Kris hits a nasty 2nd rope ki krusher. Jamie suplexes her hard on her neck. Kris enzugiri's her and Jamie uranage backbreakers her. Kris brainbusters her. Kris spits in her face and lariats her. Jamie hits a package tombstone. Jamie hits a hard lariat. Kris one-legged package tombstones her and wins.

Thoughts: I didn't like this one. They hit each other hard but the 2nd rope fisherman buster meant nothing as did the 2nd rope ki krusher. They just did too much here.

Okada and Don Callis do a promo. Don says it all comes to this. Don says we never saw Mox/Okada before. Don says Okada will still be the Unifted champ when he wins tonight. He says he was going to collaborate with his coworkers but Mox threw it in his face. He says Mox intimidated him and gets new year's resolution #2 - getting vengeance on people who wronged him. He says Okada will be the winner of The Continental Classic. Okada says Mox accomplished so much but never beat him and never will. Okada says he's the greatest tournament wrestler of all-time, b!tch.

Mox does a promo. Mox says The Continental Classic is a beautiful thing is about passion. He says this is what you dream about - the chance to show the world what you do. He says it's a hill worth dying on. He says Okada will have to kill him. 

AEW Continental Title Continental Classic 2025 Final Match - Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Jon Moxley

Mox gives KO the finger then KO gives him it back. Mox takes him down by the wrist. Mox goes out and sells his ankle some. KO pulls on the ankle and Mox eye rakes him. They butt heads and pieface each other. KO elbow drops the leg. Mox hits punches to the face. Mox is sat up top and gets dropped but his leg gets stuck on the top rope. KO ddt's him on the floor.

Mox is dropped knee first on the steps then they trade some shots. Mox hits forearms. KO leglocks him. Mox piefaces him then KO ddt's him. KO sliding kicks him. KO back elbows him then slingshot swantons him. KO over the back neckbreakers him on the knee. KO slams Mox then top rope elbow drops him. 

Mox pulls on KO's fingers. Mox lariats him. Mox hits shots. Mox figure fours him off a missed dropkick. KO dragon screws him and does a texas cloverleaf. They each hit forearms and KO hits a flurry of them. Mox gotch style piledrivers him for 2. Mox bulldog chokes him. KO nearly sends Mox into the ref and low blows Mox. KO rainmakers Mox for 2.

KO grabs the title. The ref takes it and Mox low blows him. They trade forearms. Mox hits punches and KO dropkicks him. Mox no sells it. KO backslides him into a short arm lariat. Mox double underhook ddt's him for 2. Mox hits his own rainmaker then hits a double underhook ddt for 1.

Mox curbstomps KO then hits a very high angle double underhook ddt to win.

Thoughts: It ended sooner than I expected. KO worked the leg some early but it was a non-factor during the finishing stretch. It was acceptable but not much more. This needed atleast 10 more minutes with the pace they had going. Mox winning this after taking so many losses lately is a surprise. This makes Mox the Continental champ, though what happens with the Unified Title is unknown. I was surprised Takeshita didn't get involved here.

The Death Riders cheer on Mox after and hug him. Tony Schiavone comes in to interview Mox. Mox says the title doesn't belong to him but everyone in The Continental Classic. Mox puts over everyone for showing up everyday and giving everything they have. Mox says they will keep giving every bit of effort they have as they want to be the elite of the elite in AEW. Mox says they will give 100% every time as that is what this job deserves. 

AEW World Title - Samoa Joe (c) vs. Swerve Strickland vs. "Hangman" Adam Page vs. MJF

Swerve came out with Green Lantern themed clothing. MJF was elevated onto the stage and had girls with him. 

The four all fight to start. Page sends Joe out. SS is sent into the buckles face first. Page fallaway slams MJF then plancha's Joe. Page springboard lariats MJF on the apron. Joe hits offense on Page and enzugiri's him in the corner. Joe facewash kicks Page.

SS pump kicks Joe in the face. MJF slams SS then hits him with his crotch. SS 2nd rope euros MJF in the back of the neck then hits MJF with his crotch. SS fosbury flops MJF outside. Joe topes both of them outside. Page hits a top rope moonsault on everyone outside.  

MJF eye rakes SS inside. SS M. Bison stomps MJF off the apron outside. Page flips over SS and buckshot lariats Joe. Page and SS hockey fight. Page backrolls him for 2. SS hits a deadeye on him. Page lariats SS then buckshot lariats him for 2. 

We get a tower of doom spot with SS taking a fallaway slams onto MJF. Joe then tries to pin all 3 guys. SS flips out of a muscle buster and rolling flatliners MJF. SS upkicks Joe then germans him. SS backbreakers Page then powerbomb lifts him into a slam.

Page germans Joe then lariats MJF over the top. Page hits an angle's wings on SS. Page standing moonsaults MJF off the apron. Page pop-up sitout powerbombs SS for 2. Joe hits chops on Page. Page boots him over. MJF 2nd rope double stomps Page's arm. MJF alabama slams SS then armwhips him into Joe. Page is slingshotted into a cutter from MJF for 2. MJF armbars Page. Joe grounded chokes SS at the same time. MJF breaks his hold and eye rakes Joe.

Joe puts a choke on MJF. SS breaks it up with a house call kick. MJF eye rakes SS. MJF takes a double boot. Joe hits a double lariat then a double team from Page and SS. Page and SS hit each other and go down. MJF hits a panama sunrise on SS for 2. Page hits deadeye on MJF for 2. SS jumping ddt's Joe. The Opps come down and beat up the wrestlers minus Joe.

Joe muscle busters Page for 2. Hook gets on the apron and complains to the ref. Hobbs and Shibata grab Prince Nana. SS top rope M. Bison stomps Hobbs and Shibata outside. Page forearms Joe down. Page stares at Hook on the apron. Joe grounded chokes Page. SS top rope double stomps them to break it up. SS is stopped up top. SS powerbombs Joe down. MJF pushes SS off the top. Page facekicks MJF off the apron. Page buckshot lariats Joe twice. He goes for a 3rd and MJF low blows him. MJF heatseeker piledrivers Joe over the 2nd rope and pins him.

Thoughts: All 4 men kind of had a chance here. I'm not really sure I got the point of this Joe reign if MJF was just going to cash in his shot last minute away and win it. And for MJF to do it the way he did without really using his cash-in to his advantage was not MJF-like. It was an okay 4-way and ran into the usual issues those have with 2 people being down most of the time and a lot of people coming in and out. It had no lack of action. I have no idea where things go from here.

Overall thoughts: It was a longer PPV as usual at 8PM at night, which sucks, but at least it was a on Saturday. It was the usual heavy in-ring focused AEW show. They did too much in almost every match as usual and we had a lot of questionable finishes here. I liked the FTR match on this. I hated the Mixed Nuts Mayhem Match. Due to Mox/Okada having to wrestle twice, we didn't get their best in both matches which was to be expected. MJF winning the title was a bit of surprise and doesn't lead to any obvious matches going forward. I think that was kind of the theme of the night too - there's not a lot of obvious or interesting directions for various wrestlers coming out of this. I would give the show a 6 out of 10 as they tried to give you your money's worth like always but I didn't come into this super excited and I'm not leaving much more excited coming out of it.