AEW Worlds End is All Elite Wrestling’s newest pay-per-view and takes place on Saturday, December 30, 2023, at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.
The new event is part of the promotion’s PPV expansion. 2023 has seen AEW add four additional PPVs to its schedule. Forbidden Door, All In, WrestleDream and Words End all became a part of the company’s annual events taking the total amount of AEW PPVs to eight per year.
The event will be headlined by a rematch between reigning AEW World Champion MJF and Samoa Joe. The show will crown the inaugural Continental Classic tournament winner, who will become a Triple Crown Champion.
The Women’s Championship is also on the line with Timeless Toni Storm defending against Riho. Adam Copeland gets another crack at the TNT Championship and some payback on Christian Cage in a heated No DQ Match.
The full card is as follows.
- MJF (c) vs. Samoa Joe – World Championship
- Jon Moxley vs. Eddie Kingston – Continental Classic Tournament Final
- Toni Storm (c) vs. Riho – Women’s Championship
- Christian Cage (c) vs. Adam Copeland – No Disqualification Match -TNT Championship
- Julia Hart (c) vs. Abadon – TBS Championship
- Swerve Strickland vs. Keith Lee
- Miro vs. Andrade
- Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson), Mark Briscoe, and Daniel Garcia vs Brody King, Jay White, Jay Lethal, and Rush
- Ricky Starks, Big Bill, Konosuke Takeshita and Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Sting, and Darby Allin
- Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale – Zero Hour
- 20-man Battle Royal – Number One Contender for the TNT Championship – Zero Hour
- HOOK (c) vs. Wheeler Yuta – FTW Rules Match for the Championship – Zero Hour
Let’s have a look at the matches, how they came about and who we think will finish the year with a win.
HOOK (c) vs. Wheeler Yuta – FTW Rules Match for the Championship – Zero Hour
HOOK defends the FTW Championship against Wheeler Yuta in an FTW Rules match on the Zero Hour pre-show.
The match came about after Yuta kept getting in HOOK’s face resulting in the Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil calling him out for a fight in his hometown.
Prediction: The young stars will open the show with a bang by giving the Long Island fans a taste of ultra-violence. Yuta is currently the ROH Pure Champion and it just feels right that HOOK is the FTW Champion. HOOK retains.
20-man Battle Royal – Number One Contender for the TNT Championship – Zero Hour
20 Men will battle it out for a future shot at the TNT Championship.
Prediction: With all the participants TBD, it’s very tricky to pick a winner.
Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale
Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale meet one-on-one in front of their hometown crowd.
The two Long Island natives put their friendship aside for a competitive outing while Stockley Hahthway continues to drive them apart.
Over the past few weeks, Hathaway has accused Nightingale of taking all the credit for their recent victories, which she has denied.
Prediction: Although Statlander and Nightingale remain friends there is a little uncertainty between them. This conjecture will come into play and we could see a Statlander heel turn. Kris Statlander wins.
Ricky Starks, Big Bill, Konosuke Takeshita and Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Sting, and Darby Allin
Chris Jericho teams with Sammy Guevera, Sting and Darby Allin to face Ricky Starks, Big Bill and the Don Callis Family’s Konosuke Takeshita and Powerhouse Hobbs.
Guevera made his return to the company after a spell on the sidelines due to a concussion to remove himself from the Don Callis Family. Jericho came out to save his former tag team partner from a beat down, which turned into a melee involving the AEW Tag Team Champions, Big Bill and Starks. Sting and Darby Allin then appeared to join in the fun.
Prediction: This match is all about the reunion of the Le Sex Gods and their win here will lead to them challenging Ricky Starks and Big Bill for the tag team titles in the future. Also it is part of Sting’s retirement tour and there’s no way he’s taking a loss. Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevera, Sting and Darby Allin win.
Julia Hart (c) vs. Abadon – TBS Championship
As announced by Tony Khan on social media, Julia Hart puts the TBS Championship on the line against Abadon.
Over the past few weeks, Abadon has been steadily building momentum with a string of victories. Taking notice, Hart began taunting the Living Dead Girl by appearing in the ring after her matches laying the title on the floor, seemingly inviting a challenge before snatching it away.
On one occasion, Abadon, instead of going the title, attacked Hart, which brought out Sky Blue for a two-on-one assault. Thunder Rosa made her long-awaited comeback to make the save and set a tag team clash. After defeating Hart and Blue, Abadon now faces the House of Black member in singles action at the PPV.
Prediction: On her way to winning the title, Hart gained the support of the AEW faithful, however, in this feud, she is placed firmly on the heel side. While Abadon also has a following, it will be interesting to see who the fans get behind. Abadon brings a brutal unpredictability but Hart is not losing the title anytime soon. Julia Hart retains.
Miro vs. Andrade El Idolo
Miro faces Andrade in what promises to be a heated match after the big Bulgarian called out the Mexican superstar.
The tension between the two began when Andrade became a client of Miro’s wife CJ Perry. However, their rivalry was put on pause due to El Idolo’s participation in the Continental Classic Tournament. Now, that the tournament is over the two will clash at the PPV.
Prediction: Miro comes into this match at a disadvantage as he hasn’t competed in an AEW ring since November, while Andrade is coming in strong after several highly acclaimed matches in the Continental Classic. Plus, the former TNT Champion will be distracted by the presence of Perry. These factors will give Andrade the win, while Miro’s torment continues. Andrade wins.
Swerve Strickland vs. Keith Lee
Keith Lee is out for revenge when he meets the man who stomped him through a cinderblock (in December 2022!), Swerve Strickland.
On the December 21st, 2022, edition of Dynamite, Strickland viciously attacked his former tag team partner in an infamous segment that involved Rick Ross.
The Limitless One recently appeared on Collision and called out Strickland stating he was going to take him apart brick by brick.
Prediction: This revisit of an incident that happened over a year ago is very confusing. Strickland has been a standout performer in 2023, while Lee has floundered only appearing on television sporadically. Swerve needs to continue his momentum and destroy Lee. Swerve Strickland wins.
Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson), Mark Briscoe, and Daniel Garcia vs Brody King, Jay White, Jay Lethal, and Rush
The competitors who didn’t qualify for the Continental Classic Tournament final get to scrap in an eight man tag team match.
Prediction: Jay White needs to get back on track after his loss to MJF at Full Gear and scoring a win over Danielson would do nicely while sitting up a feud between the two factions. Brody King, Jay White, Jay Lethal, and Rush win.
Christian Cage (c) vs. Adam Copeland – No Disqualification Match – TNT Championship
Christian Cage defends the TNT Championship in a No Disqualification match against his former tag team partner Adam Copeland.
Copeland and Cage have been at odds ever since the Rated Superstar made his AEW debut to stop his childhood friend from attacking Sting at WrestleDream. Their rivalry escalated when Cage refused to accept Copeland’s invitation to one last run as a tag team resulting in Copeland teaming with Sting and Darby Allin against The Patriarchy.
After defeating the trio Copeland set his sights on Cage’s TNT Championship. Their clash on the December 6th edition of Dynamite ended in controversy, with Cage retaining after Shayna Wayne, Nick’s mother, intervened with a severely telegraphed title belt assault. Refusing to accept defeat, Copeland issued a fierce challenge: a no-holds-barred war for the title at World’s End.
Prediction: This is going to be a wild ride with Copeland facing an uphill struggle. There will undoubtedly be interference from the Waynes galore giving Christain the victory. Cage is on the run of his career while Copeland’s AEW tenure so far hasn’t quite landed and taking the title off him at this point would be a mistake. Christian Cage retains.
Toni Storm (c) vs. Riho – Women’s Championship
Toni Storm defends the Women’s Championship for the second time against the first-ever holder, Riho.
The Japanese star defeated Saraya in a Number One Contenders match on the December 20th edition of Dynamite to claim her spot on the PPV. To ramp up the interest, Storm and her adoring fan, Mariah May beat down Riho during her post-match celebrations.
Prediction: The lack of build and tension between the two opponents, severely dampens the intrigue in what should be a decent outing. Plus when you add the fact that Riho poses no threat to Storm’s title reign the outing screams filler defence rather than a credible challenge. Toni Storm retains.
Jon Moxley vs. Eddie Kingston – Continental Classic Tournament Final
After an excellent but gruelling tournament the winners from each league, Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston meet in the finals to become the inaugural Triple Crown Champion.
Both men participated in several hard-hitting matches en route to the final. Moxley defeated Mark Briscoe, Jay Lethal, Rush, Swerve Strickland and Jay White while Kingston bested Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, Andrade and Bryan Danielson to to book their place in the final.
Prediction: These two have a long and storied history and will give each other hell in this match. Moxley is the bigger star and it would be a decent bet to pick him as the winner, but Kingston will have the entire crowd behind him. Add this to his passion and drive to replicate his hero Toshiaki Kawada and become a Triple Crown Champion he has it in the bag. Eddie Kingston wins.
MJF (c) vs. Samoa Joe – World Championship
MJF defends his “Triple B” Championship against Samoa Joe to close out an eventful year for both stars. MJF has been the focal point of the promotion throughout 2023, while Joe is coming off a strong run as the longest-reigning ROH Television Champion.
The match has been months in the making and revolves around MJF’s friendship with Adam Cole and his troubles with the Devil. At Grand Slam, Joe unsuccessfully challenged MJF for the World Championship. The match also saw Cole, who was out to support his ROH Tag Team partner, legitimately break his ankle.
In Cole’s absence, Joe became MJF’s makeshift partner to defend the ROH Tag Team Championships at Full Gear. However, he only did so under the condition that he received another title shot. Since helping MJF defend the ROH tag titles Joe has acted as his bodyguard of sorts, assisting him in his fight against the Devil and crew.
Over the past few weeks, different people who have come into contact with MJF have been attacked by the Devil and their cronies, including the man himself. However, despite several suspects, MJF remains the prime suspect in the speculation around the identity of the person behind the attacks. However, Joe was revealed to be in cahoots with the Devil, causing MJF to lose the ROH tag titles and suffer a brutal beatdown.
Prediction: This is more than a championship bout, it is the culmination of a four-month storyline that has included multiple characters resulting in various theories. The match itself will undoubtedly see Joe target the champion’s catalogue of injuries but MJF’s pain threshold and the Devil’s crew will see him retain in front of his hometown. MJF retains while Adam Cole reveals himself as the Devil.
Cole was the one who urged MJF to approach Samoa Joe for help. He also convinced MJF to grant Joe a rematch at Worlds End. Now Cole went into business with Joe to further attack MJF. However, he didn’t do it to grant Joe the victory but rather to get MJF at his weakest.
AEW Worlds End takes place on Saturday, December 30, 2023, at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.
The show starts at 7:00pm ET and is available to purchase on FITE TV for $19.99.