wrestling / Columns
411’s AEW Worlds End Preview
Image Credit: AEW
Well, hello there, my fellow sickos! It’s December, and it’s the end of the world as we know it, but we feel fine, as AEW presents World’s End. Emanating from Orlando, Florida, the show is the culmination of the second edition of the Continental Classic, and this year, the finals are not just the best of the gold league facing the best of the blue league. No, this year, the two best from each league will move on to Saturday’s PPV show to compete in the finals.
As a change to the previously established formula from last year, the second place wrestler in the gold league will face the winner of the blue league, and the second place wrestler in the blue league will face the winner of the gold league. After the dust has settled from those matches, the finals will pit the remaining two competitors for the Continental Title, still held by Kazuchika Okada unless he loses out.
Of course, the show is about so much more than the finals of the Continental Classic, as we have multiple title matches on the docket as well. Jon Moxley will be putting his AEW World Title on the line in a 4-way match that he asked for, as Orange Cassidy, Switchblade Jay White, and Hangman Adam Page will vie for the chance to dethrone him. One of my more anticipated matches is the surely MEATY clash between Konosuke Takeshita and Powerhouse Hobbs for the former’s International Title, and both women’s titles are on the line, as Mariah May will defend the AEW Women’s Title against Thunder Rosa in a Tijuana Street Fight, and Mercedes Mone will defend her TBS Title in a rematch against Kris Statlander. And, as has been a tradition since the beginning, the Dynamite Diamond Ring will be on the line, as Adam Cole (BAYBAY!) will look to become the first man not named MJF to hold the ring as he faces, well, MJF for said ring.
All of this and, of course, so much more in store, so walk with me and talk with me as we navigate the card for World’s End!
Dynamite Diamond Ring
MJF vs. Adam Cole
Since the concept of the Dynamite Diamond Ring was introduced and has been fought for since 2019, one man has held that ring and treated it kinder than any world title, and that man, of course, is Maxwell Jacob Friedman. By hook or crook, he has won that ring every year and has used it as a prop to win a lot of his matches.
By defeating long time friend Kyle O’Reilly at Winter is Coming a week ago, Adam Cole has put himself in a position to not get his revenge on MJF in a physical atonement, but in a psychological strike as well if he can win the ring that MJF has held so near and dear to his heart for five years. I’m interested in this dynamic with Matt Taven and Mike Bennett being tapped by Tony Khan to be the “bodyguards” of the ring during the match. I know that there seems to be a little bit of trepidation when it comes to picking Cole to win because Taven and Bennett could be bought off by MJF to turn on Cole so he can keep his ring. If that ends up being the case, a new Undisputed Kingdom could be formed, with MJF leading another group like he did The Pinnacle years ago. I just don’t see a scenario where MJF ever loses his ring, whether it is a “clean” win or otherwise.
WINNER: MJF (The Real Lord of the Ring)
AEW TBS Championship Match
Mercedes Mone vs. Kris Statlander
It’s fair to call this match one that feels like it came from out of nowhere and is building a rematch quota just to have a rematch. However, the fact remains that, at least in my opinion, that when these ladies met the first time back at Full Gear, that it was for my money the best match that Mone has had since she arrived at AEW. Whether that had as much to do with Statlander or is more based on the chemistry they had, we’re about to find out, as they run it back for a second battle.
One of the more interesting developments surrounding this match has been the “firing” of Kamille by Mone, as she dismissed her protector/bodyguard for not only failing to defeat Statlander in the lead up to the first match at Full Gear, but for allowing Kris to keep getting her hands on her leading up to said first match. I’m not saying there is a possibility that Kamille could return to cost Mone the match and have them feud without a title to define any series of matches. I just think that, if Kris doesn’t win the title this time, her change back to “good girl Stat” will make her feel like a lame duck. Let’s be honest, Mercedes has had a 200+ day reign as TBS Champion, and she is not without other titles that she holds, so Kris winning here after she came close so many times at Full Gear feels right.
WINNER: Kris Statlander (NEW AEW TBS Champion)
AEW International Championship Match
Konosuke Takeshita vs. Powerhouse Hobbs
Powerhouse Hobbs is back, and he Is NOT happy with what has transpired with the Don Callis Family moving on from him and forgetting he existed. To be fair, Callis has managed to replace his spot in the group with a litany of new talent, including the “Protostar” Kyle Fletcher, the “Muderhawk Monster” Lance Archer, and now former ROH TV Champion Brian Cage to run down his adversaries and, in the process, get gold for his clients. It worked for Cage, who held the ROH TV Title before losing at Final Battle this past Friday, and it’s worked for Takeshita, who won the International Title at WrestleDream from Will Ospreay in a match featuring Ricochet.
Suffice to say, a battle between Takeshita and Hobbs is going to hammer the MEAT button, and it is not going to be devoid of drama or solid in-ring action. While Takeshita is a skilled in-ring competitor, Hobbs is certainly no slouch either, and is no stranger to gold himself, as he is a former TNT Champion and the winner of the 2023 Face of the Revolution ladder match. For all intents and purposes, I can see this match going either way, and while Hobbs has proven to have some allies in his fight against the Family, there would appear to be more possible interference for Takeshita to retain his title even with Flecther possibly being tied up in the Continental Classic semi-finals and possibly the finals.
WINNER: Konosuke Takeshita (STILL AEW International Champion)
AEW Women’s World Championship Tijuana Street Fight
Mariah May vs. Thunder Rosa
May has been complaining about the state of the AEW Women’s Division since she won the title from TIMELESS Toni Storm at All-In, and to be fair, she has defeated everyone that has been put in front of her. This match with Thunder Rosa not only represents a new challenge for May but will also allow her to tap into that sick and demented side that we have seen her get to before, when she turned on Storm and on Mina Shirakawa.
The build to this match might be lacking, with Rosa sitting at ring side for Winter is Coming and lamenting that May was not her women’s champion. None of the signs or chants she had was as funny as her WTF sign when Storm “made her AEW debut” again that night, but none the less, this should be a match in the wheel house of Rosa. Do recall that once upon a time, Rosa defeated Doctor Britt Baker (DMD) in a violent Lights Out match that would make even the most hardcore wrestlers’ blush. And while Rosa has shown that she can go there and get nasty and dirty, May has shown not only can she do all of that, but she can also chain it together with some fine timed cheating and conniving. The fact that this is being dubbed a Tijuana Street Fight should not distract from the painfully obvious, and that is Mariah retaining the title and continuing her berating and belittling of the women’s division.
WINNER: Mariah May (Still AEW Women’s World Champions)
AEW World Championship Match
Jon Moxley vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Hangman Page vs. Jay White
You know, they say that you can’t always believe what you hear from second hand sources, but in some instances, that drifting information can sometimes become reality. The fact that it has been reported that AEW wants to put the World Title on Orange Cassidy at some point (and Darby Allin) fulfills some kind of prophecy for him being in this match as much as he has been the “Hero that AEW needs but doesn’t want” in the battle with Jon Moxley and his Big Wheelers. The fact that we also have Jay White and Hangman Page, two men who have axes to grind not only with Moxley but also with each other, makes this match that more intriguing.
In a match with four competitors, the math bares out that each man stands a 25% chance of winning this match, meaning that the divination of said match implies a 75% chance that Moxley will NOT leave Orlando as World Champion. That math, though, applies to most common and usual situations, whereas this situation is uncommon and unusual in its lay out. Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen Cassidy, Page, and White attempt to co-exist in their battles with Jon and the Gang, but they simply have too much ego between them to make it work. Remember, too, that Page and White have had a LONG history between them, and it makes it less likely that any of them will be able to work together in this match. Divide and conquer then ensues because, remember, Jon will have his backup somewhere around ring side at some point (except for Claudio, given how the CC matches shake out). And if Jon’s challengers are more worried about cutting each other at the proverbial knee, then this should be one of his easier defenses. As much as I would like to see a title change, preferably to Cassidy, there is a longer chase yet to come.
WINNER: Jon Moxley (Still AEW World Champion)
AEW Continental Classic Semifinals
Kyle Fletcher vs. Will Ospreay
There is a timeless quote that comes from one of my favorite films of all-time, where Heath Ledger’s Joker tells Christian Bale’s Batman that, “They seem destined to do this forever.” Now, if you parse Kyle Fletcher in for the Joker and Will Ospreay in for Batman, then this one seems like an apt comparison. And why not? It’s smart of the company to pit the former United Empire members against each other in a constant struggle for power and gold in AEW.
Fletcher, as a borderline tweener, was uninteresting, especially when he attempted to be a good guy and challenged MJF. Now, Fletcher as a full blown arrogant heels works a lot better, especially with Don Callis as his manager and mouth piece. Fletcher also proved dominant in the CC round robin, winning four of his five matches. It’s Ospreay who has the most to gain from a win here, as he has already lost in a previous singles match between these two men when nothing was on the line. And let’s face it, Ospreay is a big time performer, while this is seemingly new territory for Fletcher. Ospreay finished 3-2, but he finished strong and won over Claudio because he defeated him, owning that tiebreaker. It’s not an indictment of Fletcher if he loses here, because that rocket is still heading into the atmosphere. It is, instead, a determination of the present and the future that Ospreay has, plus he should be motivated to get that win back.
WINNER: Will Ospreay
AEW Continental Classic Semifinals
Ricochet vs. Kazuchika Okada
The fun things about the Continental Classic series is that it proposes “dream matches” that can happen if things align properly. Considering that this year the finals were turned from the two best to the four best and a semifinals round was installed, this is one of those matches that you could set up to enjoy. And while some may have other dream matches in mind, this one will suffice quite well, I am sure.
The most interesting thing about this year’s tournament, aside from the addition of the semifinals and two more competitors, is that Okada MUST win it all, or else he loses his Continental Title belt. So far, he’s done well to get here, finishing 3-1-1 in the Blue League, with his one loss to league winner Fletcher, and going to a draw with TNT Champion Daniel Garcia. Meanwhile, Ricochet emerges from the winner of the Gold League with the same exact record that Okada had, yet his ten points won the Gold League, if not exactly convincing. But Ricochet has done a masterful job of embracing the heel/cocky persona and poses a serious threat to defeat Okada. However, the same lament I discussed about Ospreay being a big time player is applied to Okada sevenfold, as he has won five G1 tournaments in his career in New Japan. The luck of Ricochet is about to run out when midnight strikes, and his pumpkin carriage turns into a giant toilet paper roll. (If you know, you know!)
WINNER: Kazuchika Okada
AEW Continental Classic Finals
Participants TBA
So, if my predictions are right, then we’re going to get Okada and Ospreay in the finals of the Continental Classic. While this is not a dream match per se, since these men have history during their time in New Japan, it will be an exciting match none the less and should be a great indicator of how feuds and matches for secondary titles in the company can work.
In the grand scheme of things, I can see Fletcher being a poor loser if he drops his match to Ospreay and he gives him a post-match beating. While it would be assumed that this would be a great benefit to his presumptive opponent in Okada, it only serves to fire Ospreay up, as he survives the onslaught of the current Continental champion and in the process, makes him a former champion. And while there is certainly an argument to be made that Ospreay does not need the belt to prop him up, he would be a perfectly acceptable choice to dethrone Okada. This is all based on hypotheticals, and the problem with a prediction inside a prediction is that it only takes one small misfire to send it into the sun, but I feel confident that Ospreay is going to get a crowning moment here.
WINNER: Will Ospreay (NEW AEW Continental Champion)
Well, that does it for my preview of World’s End! Assuredly, there is going to be the addition of Zero Hour matches before Saturday comes around, and I am sure there will be at least one more match added to the main card (I mean, come on, that’s ONLY eight matches, we have a nine match quota here). When those happen, I will add quick thoughts on them in the comment section of this article. I have a self-imposed timeline, and it will not wait however long Tony Khan wants to take to add more matches!
World’s End is this Saturday at 8PM EST, with the Zero Hour kicking off at 6:30PM.
