As we turn the calendar toward 2026, here are nine major takeaways from AEW Worlds End 2025.
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1. MJF makes his decision
When MJF returned to AEW this year, he outlined everything he was going to do. He said he would use his championship contract, that he would not duck out of a title fight and that he had beaten three of the promotion’s best fighters on his way to regaining his belt. He did each of those things Saturday night.
The pacing of this four-way main event was fantastic, with Samoa Joe ultimately serving as a sort of transitional champion between “Hangman” Adam Page and MJF. The four men took turns controlling the match, but Joe never looked like a threat to end the night with his arm raised. Instead, he took the brunt of the attack and seemed destined to be the one who would suffer a total loss.
AEW pulling the trigger on MJF again is an exceptional decision, with Page and Swerve Strickland best suited to chase the belt. They didn’t mix much in the match, but the duo seem eager to revisit one of the best rivalries in AEW history. MJF wearing the belt until 2026 opens up a lot of options, but his first big challenge is against one of AEW’s rising stars, Bandido, who won the Dynamite Diamond Ring and earned a championship match for January 14.
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2. Statlander accelerates
As she progresses from her title fights against Toni Storm and Mercedes Moné, Kris Statlander appears to be moving forward with confidence.
The AEW Women’s World Champion seemed tense and doing her best to find her footing at the level she’s reached in recent months, but on Saturday night there was an element of arrogance, and some occasional heel tactics, that gave Statlander an advantage in her matchup with Jamie Hayter, who looked exceptional in her own right.
Statlander and Hayter combined for an absurd Michinoku Driver avalanche, which seemed like the highlight of the night. Statlander finished off Hayter with a Saturday Night Fever after a fantastic back-and-forth, where it seemed like either woman could emerge victorious. But the big takeaway here is that Hayter looked as good as she’s looked since ending her title reign in 2023. With Storm and Moné focusing their attention elsewhere, I’d love to see some consistency in AEW’s women’s division and a long-term storyline built between Statlander and Hayter, who have natural chemistry.
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3. One step closer to breaking up
Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita are no closer to ending the growing tension within the Don Callis family. The duo met in the semifinals of this year’s Continental Classic tournament, in a match that saw Okada and Takeshita go toe-to-toe every step of the way. It was hard-hitting and what most fans expected from a match between talents of the caliber of Okada and Takeshita.
The result was never going to be clean, and Okada’s victory with dirty tactics (hitting Takeshita with a screwdriver before the final victory) raises the tension to almost a boiling point between two members of the same faction. Takeshita’s face turn will be one of the most significant moments in AEW next year, and it’s clear that the promotion will slow down what it projects to be a big-money rivalry.
More of this in 2026, please. (Lee Sur, AEW)
4. Moxley regains his charm, Fletcher rises to the moment
For a while, it seemed like AEW was preparing for Jon Moxley’s demise and rebirth outside of the Death Riders. While that could still happen, Moxley’s resurgence throughout the Continental Classic tournament was quietly one of the best stories AEW told this year. He capped it all off with two real show-stealers on Saturday night, first in the semi-finals against Uncrowned’s 2025 breakout wrestler Kyle Fletcher, and then in the finals against Kazuchika Okada.
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Moxley and Fletcher waged an absolute war. It was violent without the blood, barbed wire and thumbtacks that have become staples of Moxley’s matches. There was plenty of technical precision as the duo challenged each other and upped their games every step of the way. Moxley’s Avalanche Cutthroat Suplex looked like a guaranteed neck break for Fletcher. Moxley stomped his foot in what appeared to be a way to send the match home, but instead offered Fletcher the opportunity to explode back into the rhythm of the match. At some point, Moxley broke a tooth and eventually dropped Fletcher with a rear-naked choke that led to him passing out.
The match also expanded the Don Callis family’s dysfunction, as Fletcher went to look for a screwdriver he had hidden in the turnbuckle, not realizing that Okada had used it in his previous match against Takeshita. The writing is on the wall for not only Takeshita, but also Fletcher to find his way out of the faction.
The timing couldn’t be better for Fletcher, who has been flirting with the main event scene for much of this year. There is now no doubt about its positioning heading into 2026. It is a certified main event that is just one world championship away from putting this label in permanent ink. His growth from a solid mid-card talent to now is one of the most impressive stories of the year. And with Will Ospreay still on the shelf, it feels like a real race to see who wins a first world championship between the two dynamic talents.
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5. Jon Moxley is officially the people’s champion.
Is Jon Moxley a face again? That’s what I wondered about his previous match with Fletcher, and then again against Okada. The former AEW Men’s World Champion completed a complete 180 in the span of six months, from people begging AEW to take away the top title to applauding his victory speech at World’s End. It’s a wild dynamic that wasn’t on my bingo card, but it seems like a fitting end to her transformation over the past few months.
Saturday’s final match was exceptional, with Moxley and Okada putting on another masterpiece for the second time in the night. A stomp and a Death Rider sent Okada out, which should exacerbate the tension in the untitled Don Callis family. A program against Takeshita, especially after Okada’s dirty tactics in their semi-final match, seems like it should be served on a silver platter.
Moxley gave a postgame speech that sounded like an entire inning was on the line, showing gratitude to the entire locker room and the fans who paid to watch them do their thing. If this is the route he’s going, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see someone like Gabe Kidd take the reins of the Death Riders and kick Moxley to the curb.
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If that’s the case, can I request that “Wild Thing” be returned to me as part of its intro? That song rules and feels incredibly appropriate for the unpredictable Mox.
Reinvention, your name is Jon Moxley. (Ricky Havlik, AEW)
(Ricky Havlik)
6. How far can Darby Allin push himself?
I have genuine concern about how far Darby Allin will take his body.
Within minutes of the opening bell, Gabe Kidd threw him over the railing, smashing his face into the steel steps and bleeding profusely. He took multiple hits from the ring to the outside and suddenly collapsed when the Scorpion Deathlock was applied in the middle of the ring. He was able to complete the match, winning with a back pin on Kidd, but it’s fair to wonder how much Allin can take before his body breaks down.
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While Allin took the win, this seemed like a fitting introduction to Kidd. From his entrance to the violence he brought to the ring to the image of him refusing to tap as blood poured from his face, Kidd has established himself as a legitimate player in AEW’s men’s division.
7. Mixed Nuts Mayhem turns out to be wonderful
Mixed Nuts Mayhem proved to be just that, and a nice respite from the high-stakes matches on the pay-per-view card. The “timeless” Toni Storm remains a national treasure that must be protected at all costs. She fits in very well with The Conglomeration, specifically Orange Cassidy, who shared numerous comedic moments, including some dancing in her confrontation with the Death Riders.
In the end, Cassidy and Mark Briscoe came out of this one looking like genuine stars once again to help solidify their positioning as somewhere between AEW’s mid-card and main event. Cassidy did most of the heavy lifting and it was Briscoe who hit the Jay Driller on Wheeler Yuta for the win.
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8. Babes of Wrath keeps rolling
I was absolutely stunned to see Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa fall in the finals of the Women’s Tag Team Championship tournament, but honestly, I should have seen it coming. AEW loves to continue building both divisions, and putting belts on people like Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron is absolutely the marquee move that needed to happen. The return on investment has been exactly what AEW needed to boost its women’s tag team division, highlighting two light-hearted characters who do an exceptional job facing each other.
Her matchup with Mercedes Moné and Athena, two established champions, once again showed intent in everything that happens in the women’s tag team division. The Babes of Wrath responded to every challenge from Moné and Athena, breaking every near fall and putting on a groundbreaking tag team match. Nightingale’s cumulative victory over Moné appears intended to set her up for a lofty run to the top of the division in 2026.
9. FTR put together a rare failure
FTR never felt in danger of losing this match, controlling most of the match from the opening bell. Juice Robinson was mercilessly teased by FTR throughout the match as Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler took turns causing pain.
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Austin Gunn was a star of the match with his selling, but this was relatively forgettable and not at the level we expected from an FTR match. The tag team championship feels like it’s in a holding pattern until we get the return of Edge and Christian for their comeuppance against FTR, this time with the tag team belts on the line.