Quick Read
- MJF won the AEW World Championship at Worlds End 2025, defeating Samoa Joe, Swerve Strickland, and Hangman Adam Page in a four-way match.
- Jon Moxley became AEW’s Unified Champion after a dramatic Continental Classic tournament victory.
- Kris Statlander retained the AEW Women’s World Championship in a hard-fought match against Jamie Hayter.
On December 27, 2025, All Elite Wrestling closed its year with a bang at the Now Arena in Chicago, delivering a pay-per-view spectacle that left fans buzzing. The main event of AEW Worlds End 2025 saw MJF (Maxwell Jacob Friedman) reclaim his spot atop the wrestling world as he captured the AEW World Championship in a frantic four-way match. The road to this victory was paved with drama, strategy, and the kind of chaos that defines AEW’s biggest nights.
The match featured MJF facing off against reigning champion Samoa Joe, the ever-innovative Swerve Strickland (who paid homage to Green Lantern with his ring gear), and perennial contender “Hangman” Adam Page. Each competitor brought their own history and motivations to the bout, but it was MJF who played the long game, using his Casino Gauntlet contract to enter the fray at the perfect moment.
Early on, MJF was largely a spectator, watching as Page and Strickland reignited their storied rivalry. Samoa Joe, fresh off his own 34-day championship reign, sought to muscle his way through the chaos, at times coming close to a successful defense thanks to timely interference from The Opps. The match was littered with high-impact maneuvers: Swerve’s aerial assaults, Page’s relentless Buckshot Lariats, and Joe’s punishing submissions. The crowd was electric, responding to every shift in momentum as if they were riding the rollercoaster themselves.
The finish was pure AEW: Hangman Page lined up for a Buckshot Lariat on a dazed Samoa Joe, but MJF swooped in, delivering a low blow to Page before yanking Joe onto the apron. With ruthless precision, MJF executed the Heatseeker, scoring the decisive pinfall and capturing the championship for the second time. The symbolism was unmistakable—MJF won back the title at the very event where he’d lost it a year prior, completing a full-circle narrative that AEW fans thrive on.
MJF’s first reign, which lasted an impressive 406 days from November 2022 to December 2023, had ended at the hands of Samoa Joe. This victory not only restored MJF to the throne but set the stage for new rivalries and storylines as AEW heads into 2026. As he celebrated, MJF taunted the camera and the crowd, a reminder of his brash persona and magnetic presence—love him or hate him, he remains a central figure in AEW’s evolving drama.
But Worlds End 2025 was more than just its main event. The Continental Classic tournament reached its climax, with both semifinals and the final taking place in one night. Jon Moxley, battered but unbowed, defeated Kyle Fletcher in a match hailed as a late contender for Match of the Year. Fletcher, named the Breakthrough Wrestler of 2025, pushed Moxley to the brink—so much so that Moxley broke a tooth in the process. On the other side of the bracket, Kazuchika Okada overcame Konosuke Takeshita, albeit with some controversial use of a screwdriver. The final saw Moxley topple Okada, becoming AEW’s Unified Champion and marking a new chapter in his storied career.
The women’s division also shone bright, with Kris Statlander successfully defending her AEW Women’s World Championship against former champ Jamie Hayter. Their match blended technical wrestling with raw emotion, culminating in Statlander capitalizing on Hayter’s momentary lapse after a face-spitting incident. While the finish felt slightly underwhelming compared to their earlier exchanges, the bout reaffirmed both athletes as pillars of the division.
Tag team action was no less intense. The Babes of Wrath retained their AEW Women’s Tag Team Titles against Mercedes Moné and Athena, while FTR outlasted Bang Bang Gang in a Chicago Street Fight for the Men’s Tag Team Titles. Elsewhere, Darby Allin survived a brutal contest with Gabe Kidd, and the “Mixed Nuts Mayhem” match delivered fun and unpredictability, with Toni Storm stealing the spotlight alongside The Conglomeration and The Death Riders.
Worlds End 2025 earned a crown score of 9/10 from Uncrowned and other outlets, with Jon Moxley recognized as MVP for his resilience and storytelling prowess. The show felt like a microcosm of AEW’s year—unpredictable, high-energy, and packed with moments that will be talked about for months to come.
With MJF back on top and a new wave of contenders and champions emerging, AEW heads into 2026 with no shortage of intrigue. The volatility of Worlds End, both in its matches and its outcomes, set a high bar for what’s to come. For fans, it’s a reminder that in AEW, the world can change in an instant, and nothing is ever truly settled.
AEW’s approach to storytelling—blending athletic spectacle with layered narratives—shone at Worlds End 2025. MJF’s calculated opportunism, Moxley’s hard-fought resurgence, and the elevation of new stars like Fletcher and Statlander suggest that AEW is not just reacting to the moment, but actively shaping the future of professional wrestling. As the company enters 2026, the only certainty is unpredictability—and that’s exactly what keeps fans coming back.
Sources: WrestleZone, Yahoo Sports, AEW.com, Fightful