411’s AEW Worlds End Preview

Well, hello, fellow SICKOS, and welcome back to my expected and (somewhat) anticipated preview for AEW Worlds End this Saturday. Emanating from the NOW Arena in the Hoffman Estates district of Chicago, Illinois, Worlds End is the literal and figurative end of the calendar year for all things and, naturally, for All Elite Wrestling as a whole.

That also means that the conclusion to the now yearly tournament known as the Continental Classic is upon us. One of the best things about the tournament has been the omission of outside interference and, of course, the unpredictability as to who would beat who, and who would throw a wrench into the plans of another competitor. This year, the final four from the Gold and Blue Leagues will feature the Don Callis Family exploding, as Blue League winner and IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita will face Gold League runner-up and AEW Unified Champion Kazuchika Okada. In the other semifinals match, Kyle Fletcher, winner of the Gold League, will face Jon Moxley, who finished as the runner-up in the Blue League. After these two matches have been decided, then the final two men will compete later to crown this year’s Continental Classic winner.

Of course, AEW Worlds End is not just about the Classic, and to that end (Heh), there will be action spread out across the rest of the show. In a singles match and, in continuation of the on-again off-again problems between them, Gabe Kidd will face Darby Allin, who has recently been cleared to return to the ring.

Both the Men’s and Women’s Tag Team Titles will be on the line, as will both the Men’s and Women’s World Titles. In the tag team ranks, FTR will once again defend their titles against Austin Gunn and Juice Robinson AKA The Bang Bang Gang, except this time, the match will be contested in a Chicago Street Fight. And on the other side of the aisle, Harley Cameron, and Willow Nightingale AKA The Babes of Wrath will defend their titles against Mercedes “Ultimo” Mone and the Forever Champion Athena.

Finally, the Women’s World Title will be on the line, as Kris Statlander looks to retain the belt against Jamie Hayter in what could potentially be a MEAT match. And on the Men’s side of things, the title will be contested in a 4-way dance, as Champion Samoa Joe will have to turn back the challenge of Hangman Adam Page, Swerve Strickland, and the returning MJF. All of this and, of course, so much more in store for us!

So enough of the intro, and let’s get ready to go head-first into the End of the World!

Zero Hour Match:
The Sisters of Sin vs. Maya World and Hyan

Image Credit: AEW

No matter what the circumstances that led to it, the spotlight being shined on two up and coming talented ladies like Maya World and Hyan is always a great thing for the company and the industry. They have gone from afterthought enhancement talent to having entrances to the ring that make it on TV, so there is hope for them.

Unfortunately, they are facing off with Skye Blue and Julia Hart AKA the Sisters of Sin. And if that isn’t dangerous enough, Thekla is no doubt going to be lurking around the ring somewhere in support of her Triangle of Madness partners. Hyan and Maya give it a good shot, but they fall here on the Zero Hour.
WINNERS: The Sisters of Sin

Darby Allin vs. Gabe Kidd

Image Credit: AEW

Lost among the interactions and stories between AEW flag wavers and the Death Riders is the involvement of Gabe Kidd, lifted from New Japan’s Bullet Club War Dogs stable. You may not think of this as a major part of the overarching storyline that has consumed AEW for the past year-plus, but it very much exists.

Also, Gabe Kidd is bloody crazy, BRUV. Just ask him, he’ll tell you, but only if he doesn’t go off into complete gibberish and rubbish first.

But do you know who is crazier than Kidd? Someone who performs death defying stunts just because he can. Someone who managed to climb Mount Everest, plant the flag of AEW atop the mountain high, and came back down and got right back into the mix at All-In Texas. Allin has been cleared for competition after being removed from the Continental Classic and being replaced by Jungle Jack Perry. Now, Allin can turn his attention to one of the two men who tried to murder him at Blood & Guts via burning table homicide.

Does it make much, if any, sense for Kidd to win this match? Well, he does come and go from AEW as he pleases, while Allin is one of the “Four Pillars” of AEW and he LITERALLY carries the flag of the company. I’m predicting an Allin win to re-establish his foothold and to bring him back into the mix of things.
WINNER: Darby Allin (Because he fell…For You!)

Mixed Nuts Mayhem Match:
The Death Riders vs. Mark Briscoe, Roderick Strong, Orange Cassidy, and Timeless Toni Storm

Image Credit: AEW

In a contractual obligation from Tony Khan, this match was announced during the Christmas Collision episode. And while I may joke about this match being added to meet the nine match quota, it does bring together sides that are completely familiar with each other into a feud that seems like it will never end.

Out of everyone that has been at war with the Death Riders, it seems like the Conglomeration (and side adjacent piece who refuses to conglomerate in Roderick Strong) have been at them for the longest period now. It feels like a vicious cycle that continues to live on, but the addition of Timeless Toni Storm to the Conglomeration crew does make this feel a bit fresher.

I’m torn over who should win the match. Keeping the Death Riders strong would be a good bet, but Roddy, Cassidy, Briscoe, and Storm winning as the “Mixed Nuts” team also works as well. More to the point, Strong and Storm should have more determination to win this match for casualties suffered on their behalf. So, I just talked myself into it.
WINNERS: Mark Briscoe, Roderick Strong, Orange Cassidy, and Timeless Toni Storm

AEW Men’s World Tag Team Championship:
FTR © vs. The Bang Bang Gang

Image Credit: AEW

Do you remember that All-Time epic between FTR and The BBG on Collision some time ago? Well, their match last week certainly didn’t compare to that (although to be fair, the BBG combination WAS Juice Robinson and Jay White, NOT Juice and Austin Gunn), but good news, because BBG and FTR get another chance to run it back this Saturday! The big difference this time is that it will be contested in a Chicago Street Fight!

The fact that they are running this match again so soon after FTR recently defeated the BBG on Collision makes me wonder if there is a post-Christmas gift incoming in some form. I remember there was a rumor that a certain Switchblade/Knife Pervert was nearing his return to the company. I guess then the question becomes, assuming that is true, does he make his return during or after the match?

There is a scenario in my head where, after FTR retain their tag team titles AGAIN against Gunn and Robinson, that they go to injure one or the other, leading to the return of White. Of course, this could all be that fantasy/E-Fed booking, and it could just be an FTR retention, end of the story, and in the words of Modest Mouse, “We All Float On!”

Say, isn’t it time for the C&C Canadian Experience to make a return to AEW?
WINNERS: FTR (Still Champions)

AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship:
The Babes of Wrath © vs. Athena and Mercedes Mone

Image Credit: AEW

I’m not sure what can be said at this point about the team of Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron AKA the Babes of Wrath that hasn’t already been said before. Not only are they such a fun team that you can’t help but feel yourself pull for them to win every single match and reign supreme as Women’s Tag Team Champions forever, but the teaming of a far less experienced Cameron with a more veteran singles competitor in Nightingale has shown that both ladies can bring the best out of one another to make such an instantaneous spark happen so soon.

But, what about their challengers for this match? While it is true that Mone and Athena have teamed up in the past (with mixed results), the fact remains that this is a team consisting of two headstrong singles wrestlers with absorbent egos. And when you factor that with the recent downslide that “Ultimo Mone” has been on as of late as she starts to shed her many title belts, it stands to reason that Mone and Athena can quickly fall off the same page and could descend into chaos, leading to that long rumored feud between the two getting underway.

Also, lost in all the surface level stuff is the underlying current that Cameron, quite frankly, needs to extract the ultimate revenge on Mone for the heinous and unjust behavior that she exemplified towards Puppet Mone. In many countries such actions are considered a war crime, but I would accept Cameron getting the last laugh by being the one to pin Mone in this match for a champion’s retention.
WINNERS: Who are we? BABES! What do we have? WRATH! (Still Champions)

AEW Women’s World Championship:
Kris Statlander © vs. Jamie Hayter

Image Credit: AEW

Character change can, most of the time, be an amazing thing. Kris Statlander’s evolution of her character, albeit with her ability to mix in some of her alien backstory is admirable and frankly something that others should take notes on. Her opponent, meanwhile, has seen her story and persona change from the heavy for Dr. Britt Baker DMD to a jaded former best friend to someone cosplaying somewhere between a Scooby-Doo guest star and a woman who walked off the set of That 70’s Show. Everyone changes at their own pace, I guess!

The other link between these two ladies has, unfortunately, been long term injuries, something that Statlander touched on this past week on Dynamite on 34th Street. When both women have been healthy and good to go (like now), they have been unstoppable juggernauts who can hold the Women’s World Title at a moment’s notice. That they happen to be opposing each other in this match only adds to the intrigue of two powerhouses holding nothing back.

In my mind, there is a distinct possibility that Hayter wins the title here. We have been reminded of the fact that Hayter never did lose the title legitimately because injuries put a premature end to that run. Also, Hayter’s recent heel antics have made a title change a bit more intriguing as well. However, on the other side of that Harvey Dent coin, I wouldn’t be opposed to Statlander retaining, Hayter keeping the heat by attacking her post-match, and the feud continuing. After all, what is a Women’s Division without a strong arse feud at the top for the Women’s World title between two strong arse ladies?
WINNER: Kris Statlander (Still Champion)

AEW Men’s World Championship:
Samoa Joe © vs. Hangman Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland vs. MJF

Image Credit: AEW

I’m trying to conjure up the ability to move past the fact this is just a placeholder title reign for Joe (again), but I can’t do that. Simply put, Joe feels like the conduit to get the title to someone else in this match (again), but the question is who?

Hangman Page, simply put, got screwed out of his title reign a mere three months after he finally freed the title from purgatory (with a little help from his “friends”) and defeated Jon Moxley for the company’s biggest prize. Turnabout is fair play, however, and you can’t expect to trust a man like Samoa Joe, and so Page only has himself to blame for being so gullible.

Then there is Swerve Strickland, he being the man who lost his World Title to the now “retired” Bryan Danielson back at All-In London in 2024. Although he wasn’t screwed out of his title like Hangman was, one must wonder if losing the title to Danielson didn’t stunt his uptick in popularity and momentum. After all, it wasn’t long after this point that he eventually became another side character in the overarching Death Riders storyline and got involved with the Young Bucks while teaming with Will Ospreay.

And then there is Maxwell Jacob Friedman, simply known as MJF. He has been on somewhat of a successful run outside of the company, making an appearance in the Happy Gilmore 2 film. And, after a hellacious battle with Mark Briscoe at All-Out, MJF decided to take some time away from the ring to refocus and regroup, and now he is back and better than ever.

One parallel that I find quite interesting is the one between Page and Strickland. Long taut enemies who did things to each other that quite frankly were criminal, they are in near lockstep to the point that they both assaulted and derided MJF on Dynamite on 34th Street. Hell, Page, Strickland, and Prince Nana even left up the ramp together.

You know, while I think about it, MJF would be the only person in this match who doesn’t have any backup, since Page and Strickland are frenemies, and Joe of course has the Opps behind him. But it can’t be a coincidence that MJF signs his guaranteed title shot for AEW Worlds End to join the match two years after he lost the title to Joe in the first place, right? We’re not going to see everyone’s favorite scumbag get his comeuppance on Joe (and by extension Hangman and Swerve) on the same show that he was felled as a champion, right?

…Right?
WINNER: Maxwell Jacob Friedman, MJF (NEW/OLD CHAMPION!)

Continental Classic Semifinals Match:
Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Image Credit: AEW

I’m going to lament my excitement for this match happening to mask my discontent with this match taking place in the Semifinals and not in the Finals. Because it happens here and not in the Finals, I have more questions than answers when it comes to who wins this match. And lost in all the speculation and hype for this match is the fact that IF Okada losses to Takeshita or would lose in the Finals to whomever makes it, he losses both parts that make up his Unified Title to the man who beats him. Talk about big pressure.

When it comes to how these men got here, Okada put up a respectable 3-2 record with nine points in the round robin portion of the Gold League, although it begs the question as to whether the two men who beat him (Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight) will earn future Unified Title shots so long as Okada remains the holder of said title.

As for his opponent, Takeshita put up the best record and points total to date in the three years since C2 debuted with a sterling 4-0-1 record good for thirteen points. His only blemish keeping from being the first man to go undefeated the whole way through was a time-limit draw with Claudio Castaganoli. Say what you want about New Japan preferring he didn’t flat-out lose in the Round Robin (since he is the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion after all), but it makes sense that Takeshita would have won a lot of these matches based on his own merit.

So, where does that leave us with the result of this match? Does the best tournament wrestler of all-time take it from cruise control to Jordan Mode when it matters most, or does Takeshita continue his sheer dominance that he displayed over the opening five matches? One thing is for sure; as much as Don Callis won’t like his men fighting each other (especially with the sea level animosity between them already), he has a 75% chance of keeping the Unified Title and all its components within the DCF. For reasons that I will explain when we get to the finals, I am predicting a Takeshita win here, putting an end to the long and amazing reign of Okada’s run with the Continental belt turned into the Unified title belt.
WINNER: Konosuke Takeshita

Continental Classic Semifinals Match:
Kyle Fletcher vs. Jon Moxley

Image Credit: AEW

You know, for vastly different reasons, I am not surprised that either of these guys qualified for the Semifinals of the C2. Moxley has been a dominant force within AEW from the company’s inception with multiple World Title wins and over one hundred victories for his career. Fletcher, perceived by some as the future face of AEW, has put up a career year in 2025 with not only holding the TNT Title, but also earning Sports illustrated year-end award as most improved wrestler in all the professional wrestling ranks.

When it comes to the round robin portion of the C2, both men finished 3-2 with nine points. However, for Fletcher, while he did lose to Speedball Mike Bailey and the Bastard PAC, his victory over fellow DCF stablemate Okada earned him the tiebreaker, since they were tied for first in the division. More to that point, the entire Gold League was tied for first place heading into Christmas Collision, as EVERYONE was 2-2 with six points.

As for Moxley, his 3-2 record earned him the runner-up spot in the Blue League (Albeit a far distant runner-up to Takeshita’s 13 points), and his two losses to fellow Death Rider stablemate Castagnoli and Takeshita (because Takeshita beat 4/5 guys he faced, you see). And whether Moxley has a legit injury or if he is selling the ankle/leg issues he had over his past two matches, it remains admirable his will to keep fighting. And he did cut a very impassioned promo on Wednesday about emptying out the chamber and leaving it all in the ring.

As I stated above, whereas Moxley has been a driving force for the company since its inception, he is the past and present of AEW, and Fletcher is the present and future of AEW. I’m not sure how you view the standing of the TNT Title against the Unified Title (Although, given the recent champions before Mark Briscoe, I would say the Unified Title is well above the TNT Title now), but moving Fletcher from his short TNT title reign to possibly winning the Unified Title could signal his next big move to the one title that he wants most, that being the World Title. It won’t be easy, but Fletcher overcomes the leader of the Death Riders.
WINNER: Kyle Fletcher (SAY HIS FULL NAME!)

Continental Classic Finals Match:
Winner of Okada/Takeshita vs. Winner of Fletcher/Moxley

Image Credit: AEW

And so, it comes down to this, the Finals of the C2 and the rightful third winner in the history of the tournament. Since, obviously, no one has the book on who will win the Semifinals matches (and I can only go based off pure speculation), this is the part then where I follow-up on what I mentioned in the Takeshita-Okada blurb.

It bears repeating that there is a 75% chance of Callis keeping the Unified Title within the DCF, and obviously, I have pegged two of those three guys in the finals. The formation works better in my opinion because, as so many people have clamored for, a Takeshita babyface turn and leaving the DCF would be glorious.

However, do we still move Fletcher towards the Unified Title as I mentioned above to take him to the World Title next? Although the title is with a different company (much like Claudio’s CMLL Title), Takeshita IS the champion of New Japan, so it makes sense that he doesn’t need THIS title too. Putting the Unified Title on Fletcher would guarantee the title stays within the DCF assuming the babyface turn for Takeshita comes and he is exiled from the group.

And while everyone knows that there is no outside interference or seconds DURING a C2 match (or a Unified Title defense), that doesn’t mean that AFTER the match that the plan for the long awaited and teased turn comes. Although I do wonder where this match sits on the show in accordance with the World Title match, because too much change can sometimes overload the sensory. Fletcher wins the Unified Title, and Takeshita is kicked out of the DCF.
WINNER: Kyle Fletcher (SAY HIS FULL NAME, AS HE WINS THE UNIFIED TITLE!)

And that will conclude my preview for AEW Worlds End! As always, I would like to thank everyone who has supported me, will continue to support me, and everyone who views my articles and leave comments, even if they aren’t nice lol. Your interest in my work and support of me means the World to me (but NOT the World’s End).

AEW Worlds End takes place this Saturday, starting with Zero Hour at 7PM and the main show kicking off at 8PM. As always, you can find the show via the LEGAL means on Triller, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, and on good ole PPV.