All Elite Wrestling closed out 2025 in raucous style with AEW Worlds End, live from the Now Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, on December 27. The final pay-per-view of the year wasn’t just a send-off for 2025—it was a night packed with championship drama, brutal street fights, and the high-stakes conclusion of the Continental Classic tournament. Fans tuning in on HBO Max, Prime Video, and more got their money’s worth, with five title matches and a card stacked with some of the company’s brightest stars.
The main event spotlight shone on Samoa Joe, who put his AEW World Championship on the line in a four-way clash against three former titleholders: MJF, Swerve Strickland, and “Hangman” Adam Page. MJF, returning to world title contention after a three-month absence, crashed the contract signing at Holiday Bash and cashed in his Casino Gauntlet victory, turning what was meant to be a triple threat into a four-way free-for-all. Each competitor brought their own history and animosity to the ring. Joe, who dethroned MJF at Worlds End 2023 and later toppled Hangman at Full Gear, found himself facing a field where every challenger had previously beaten him or each other over the past two years. Swerve Strickland remains the only man to have taken the championship from Joe, and Page had notched wins over both MJF and Strickland in 2025. The stakes? Sky-high. MJF, in particular, was chasing history—hoping to become the 10th wrestler to win a world title twice before turning 30, joining the likes of John Cena and The Rock. With any pinfall or submission ending the match, unpredictability was the only guarantee.
But that wasn’t the only story unfolding in Illinois. The much-anticipated Continental Classic tournament reached its dramatic conclusion, with semifinals that pitted Kazuchika Okada against IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita, and Jon Moxley against the surging Kyle Fletcher. Okada, entering as the unified champion, faced off against the undefeated Takeshita, who had run the table in the Blue League and was widely seen as a breakout star in 2025. Their semifinal was a slow-burn epic, with both men trading holds and taunts, building to a fever pitch. In a controversial finish, Okada secured the win using a screwdriver—a move the referee somehow missed, drawing stunned reactions from the crowd. "The tension these two have had for the past few months made this feel like it was about more than just the tournament. There was personal pride on the line," observed Bleacher Report.
On the other side, Moxley—leader of the Death Riders and in the midst of a dominant heel run—battled the versatile Fletcher. Fletcher targeted Moxley’s leg, injured earlier, and the two traded momentum in a bout that saw Moxley bleed from a broken tooth. Ultimately, Moxley’s experience and grit paid off as he locked in a rare-naked choke for the victory. "They did a fantastic job making you think either guy could win at any moment," noted live coverage.
The finals set up a showdown between Okada and Moxley. Okada, ever the showman, offered a handshake only for Moxley to flip him off—classic Mox. Okada targeted the leg Fletcher had worked over, displaying a methodical, almost overconfident offense. Despite the toll of a second match, Moxley rallied, hitting the Death Rider to become the new Continental Champion. "After a hard-fought battle, Moxley was able to hit the Death Rider for the win," recapped Bleacher Report, giving the match high marks for drama and storytelling.
Elsewhere on the card, the AEW Women’s World Championship saw Kris Statlander defend against her friend and former champion Jamie Hayter. The match started with mutual respect, but the gloves quickly came off. Both women used each other’s finishing moves to try to put the other away, but Statlander ultimately retained with her signature Saturday Night Special. "This was a good match between two of the best in AEW," analysts agreed, though the bout had the tough task of following the night’s earlier chaos.
Tag team gold was also on the line in a Chicago Street Fight, as FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) defended their belts against the Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson & Austin Gunn). The action spilled all over the arena, with chairs, tables, and plenty of trash talk. Stokely Hathaway played a pivotal role at ringside, saving FTR at a critical moment and helping them rally for the win after a series of piledrivers. "This was an entertaining bit of mayhem that highlighted the willingness of all four men to put their body on the line for the sake of the match," wrote one reviewer, praising the match’s mix of weapon spots and classic wrestling.
The AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championships were up for grabs as the Babes of Wrath (Harley Cameron & Willow Nightingale) made their first defense against Mercedes Moné and Athena. Moné, who earned the shot by pinning Nightingale in an eight-woman tag at Holiday Bash, teamed up with ROH Women’s World Champion Athena. Despite their championship pedigree, miscommunications between Moné and Athena proved costly, allowing the champions to retain. "Athena and Moné had a few miscommunications that eventually led to the champions getting the win," the coverage noted. Nightingale and Cameron’s chemistry as a team made the difference, even against two of the most decorated singles wrestlers in AEW.
Darby Allin, desperate to snap a losing streak, faced Gabe Kidd, who returned to AEW with vengeance on his mind. Kidd had previously thrown Allin down a flight of stairs at the Hammerstein Ballroom, and this grudge match was as violent as they come. Both men bled, and the fight used everything at ringside as a weapon. In the end, Allin reversed a sleeper hold into a pin for the win, halting his skid and denying Kidd his mission. "For a match with no special stipulations, they made this a violent affair," one summary remarked, though some felt the violence overshadowed the wrestling.
The Mixed Nuts Mayhem Match lived up to its name, with the Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta & Marina Shafir) battling The Conglomeration (Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy & Roderick Strong) and “Timeless” Toni Storm in an eight-person tornado bout. The ring was pure chaos, with no tags and everyone legal. Storm and Shafir kicked things off, but it was Briscoe who scored the win for his team, capping off a wild contest. "There wasn't much of a logical flow to the action at times, but it added to the unpredictable nature of the bout," Bleacher Report commented, highlighting the crowd’s excitement for the Giant Swing and the standoff between Strong and Shafir.
The Zero Hour pre-show warmed up the crowd with Sisters of Sin (Julia Hart & Skye Blue) defeating Texas standouts Hyan & Maya World, giving the YouTube audience a taste of AEW’s women’s tag action. Other pre-show highlights included Eddie Kingston defeating Zack Gibson in a hard-hitting bout, Mascara Dorada and Bandido overcoming Mark Davis and Rocky Romero, and JetSpeed & Jurassic Express outlasting Josh Alexander and The Demand in an eight-man tag.
With five title matches, the Continental Classic’s thrilling conclusion, and a card loaded with action, AEW Worlds End 2025 delivered a fitting finale to the year. The results are in, but the aftershocks will be felt well into 2026. Who will rise to challenge the new Continental Champion? Can Samoa Joe hold onto his world title, or will MJF’s quest for history continue? One thing’s for sure—AEW’s momentum heading into the new year is undeniable.
