AEW WORLDS END PPV PRIMER: Kingston vs. Moxley in Continental Classic Final, MJF vs. Samoa Joe for AEW Title, Copeland vs. Christian, Miro vs. Andrade, Swerve vs. Lee, more

By Javier Machado, PWTorch contributor


SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

AEW Worlds End will be held December 30, 2023, at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, in Union Dale, New York. It is AEW’s first PPV in New York.


MJF (c) vs. Samoa Joe – AEW World Championship match

When MJF found himself without a partner to defend the ROH Tag Team title, Samoa Joe offered to lend him a hand if MJF gave him another shot at the AEW World Championship. After successfully defending the tag titles, MJF found himself face to face with Joe. Joe wanted him at one hundred percent, so he promised (re: threatened) to protect his “property”. MJF, who has been bedeviled by a group of masked wrestlers led by a figure donning MJF’s Devil mask, kept trying to fight them leaving Joe to have to help save him. Having had enough, Joe worked with the Devil to lay out MJF, weakening him for this match.

Prediction and Analysis: MJF retains. Do we get an unmasking of the Devil leading into the new tear?


Eddie Kingston vs. Jon Moxley – AEW Continental Classic Finals for the Inaugural Triple Crown Championship

AEW created a round robin tournament akin to New Japan’s Grade One Climax tournament, called the AEW Continental Classic. Eddie Kingston who was participating in the tournament, put up his ROH Championship and New Japan Strong Championship as the prize. The winner will become this iteration’s first Triple Crown Champion. Eddie started the tournament with a few losses but made a comeback at the end, defeating Brian Danielson in the playoff match to get to the finals. Jon Moxley was strong in his run and defeated Jay White and Swerve Strickland in a three-way play-off match to get to the finals. Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston have had a long-time relationship alternating between being best friends and bitter rivals.

Prediction and Analysis: At this point Eddie Kingston wins given they are his titles on the line.


Christian Cage (c) vs. Adam Copeland – AEW TNT Championship No Disqualification match

When Adam Copeland signed with AEW, he hoped to reunite with his longtime friend Christian Cage, but he found that Christian had changed. Eventually, things got physical between the two leading to a match for Christians TNT Title on Dynamite. In the midst of escalating tensions, Copeland hit Nick Wayne, Christian’s protégée, with a con-chair-to right in front of his mother. This prompted Mrs. Wayne to interfere in the championship match, costing Copeland the title.

Prediction and analysis: I’m of two minds on this. Does Copeland lose a second time to Christian, likely thanks to more shenanigans, or does Copeland win the TNT title. Christian has been such a fun heel I’d keep the belt on him.


Toni Storm (c) vs. Riho – AEW Women’s World Champion match

After Toni Storm defended the AEW Women’s World Championship from Skye Blue, Riho made her return and made it clear that she was coming after Storms’s title. Toni Storm has been living out her life as Margo Channing (Bette Davis) but now Mariah May has appeared as her Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) as AEW does their own version of 1950’s All About Eve. (Use a search engine if you are an uncultured swine).)

Prediction and Analysis: Riho is just another speedbump in the developing story of Toni Storm and Mariah May.


Julia Hart (c) vs. Abadon – TBS Women’s Championship

Julia Hart had to deal with Skye Blue on her way to win the TBS Championship. In the course of their feud, Julia misted Skye Blue which slowly corrupted her, turning Skye heel. Meanwhile, Abadon was racking up wins in preparation for this challenge. Thunder Rosa finally made her return to help Abadon even up the sides.

Prediction and Analysis: Abadon is just there to be fed to Julia since the match they are heading to is against Thunder Rosa anyway.


Miro vs. Andrade El Idolo

The “hot and flexible” CJ Perry (Miro’s wife) finally made her AEW debut. This upset her husband Miro who believes that being around wrestling was bad for CJ since it brought out her power-hungry side. Since Miro didn’t want her to manage him, she started to have various wrestlers audition for her services. These wrestlers met with so Miro-sized misfortunes. Eventually she hooked up with Andrade El Idolo. Unfortunately, not much more was done to really build up the animosity since Andrade was involved in the Continental Classic and CJ was hospitalized with an illness.

Prediction and Analysis: If the rumors that Andrade has one foot out the door of AEW are true, I expect Miro to win, and we can only hope they can do something with him.


Swerve Strickland vs. Keith Lee

Swerve Strickland has been on the come up for a while now and put on a strong performance in the Continental Classic, Keith Lee finally realized that he had unfinished beef with Swerve ever since Swerve dissolved their team… violently. They now finally fight in their red-hot feud. (And by red-hot, I mean microwaved Christmas leftovers… from Christmas 2022.)

Prediction and Analysis: While the feud hasn’t been red-hot, Swerve has. The worst booking, the ABSOLUTE WORST BOOKING here, would be to have Swerve lose to Lee. So, I’m saying Lee has a chance.


Ricky Starks & Big Bill & Konosuke Takeshita & Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara & Sting & Darby Allin

The Young Bucks put their guaranteed shot at the AEW Tag Team Championship on the line against Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho. Jericho and Omega won and were soon beset by the champions, Ricky Starks and Big Bill. Unfortunately, Omega became ill leaving Jericho on his own. He wasn’t alone for long when Sammy Guevara made his return to save him, presumably mending fences after their acrimonious split. Don Callis suddenly remembered he had a hate-on for Jericho and Omega and reappeared with the room temperature Konosuke “I beat Kenny Omega twice and all I got was the opportunity to languish on Rampage” Takeshita, and Powerhouse Hobbs. Jericho and Guevarra found themselves outnumbered again until Darby Allin and Sting helped them out because, why not?

Prediction and Analysis: Does not matter. This was likely to have originally been a tag team championship match but with Omega out of the picture, they swerved to this match. Give the faces a feelgood win here


Claudio Castagnoli & Bryan Danielson & Mark Briscoe & Daniel Garcia vs. Brody King & Jay White & Jay Lethal & Rush

As a reward for the good work as part of the Continental Classic field, several of the participants that aren’t otherwise occupied with a feud have been put in this match for a PPV payday.

Prediction and Analysis: I don’t care. (Except that I hope Danielson stays healthy since he’s wrestling Okada in a few days.)


RECOMMENDED NEXT: AEW DYNAMITE RESULTS (12/27): Amin’s alt-perspective report on Moxley vs. White vs. Swerve, Danielson vs. Kingston, Devil development in Joe-MJF angle, Christian-Copeland brawl, more

OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Powell’s AEW Dynamite Hit List: Swerve Strickland vs. Jon Moxley vs. Jay White, and Bryan Danielson vs. Eddie Kingston in Continental Classic semifinal matches

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