LECLAIR’S AEW WORLD’S END 2025 REPORT: Alt perspective, detailed coverage of Joe vs. Page vs. Strickland vs. MJF, Continental Classic Finals & Semi-Finals, more

LECLAIR’S AEW WORLD’S END 2025 REPORT
DECEMBER 27, 2025
CHICAGO, IL AT NOW ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON HBO MAX (U.S.), PAY-PER-VIEW

Announcers: Excalibur & Tony Schiavone & Bryan Danielson

---

JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE AEW WORLD’S END POST-SHOW…

On the PWTorch YouTube Channel tonight, PWTorch’s Brandon LeClair & Taylor Halley will go live right after the WWE Royal Rumble. We’ll be incorporating live viewer comments into the show so join us LIVE!

If you can’t join us live on YouTube, stream the show on demand later at YouTube or listen or stream later on a podcast app. Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching “wade keller” and “pwtorch” in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps. This World’s End Post-show will be on the PWTorch Dailycast feed.

LIVE ON YOUTUBE RIGHT AFTER WORLD’S END TONIGHT: CLICK HERE

---

-Excalibur welcomed the audience to the Now Arena in Chicago. He threw to a video package for the opening match, a semi-final in the Continental Classic.

-Konosuke Takeshita entered first. Excalibur tossed to Renee Paquette at ringside. She attempted to tap into the psyche of Don Callis, who represents both men in the match. Callis had joined Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Bryan Danielson at the booth.

(1) KONOSUKE TAKESHITA vs. KAZUCHIKA OKADA – Continental Classic Semi-Final match

The crowd in Chicago let out a round of applause as the opening bell rang. Excalibur said it’s amazing that this is how they’re starting out the night. Konosuke Takeshita slapped away a handshake offering from Kazuchika Okada. The stablemates locked up, then broke against the ropes. They locked up in the center and wrestled to the mat, then back to vertical base. Okada backed Takeshita into the ropes and broke cleanly. He gave Konosuke a friendly slap to the chest.

Callis said he’d have paid money just to come watch these two wrestle, even if he weren’t their manager. Takeshita took Okada to the mat and began working at the arm, manipulating the wrist and fingers. Okada reached the ropes with his feet and rolled to the floor as the match approached 5:00. On the outside, Takeshita whipped Okada hard into the barricade. He charged, but the defending Continental Champion gave him a drop toe hold onto the seat of a chair. He followed up with a spike DDT on the floor.

Back in the ring, Okada stomped away at Takeshita. Callis said that the 4-time G1 winner wants to get his opponent frustrated. Okada landed another DDT and rolled Takeshita over for a cover and two count at 7:00. Takeshita battled to his feet and hit a Brainbuster. Okada stood and ate a quick Hurricanrana. He rolled to the floor. Takeshita dove over the top rope onto the defending champion. The crowd rallied behind Konosuke. Callis called him a “very likeable young man.”

Takeshita brought Okada back inside and gave him a quick running boot out of the southwest corner. He followed up with an Exploder Suplex for a cover and two count. He immediately transitioned into a grounded chin lock. Okada poked at Takeshita’s eyes to free himself. He gave Takeshita a neckbreaker. “Okada is so good at picking his spots,” Danielson said. Kazuchika connected with a body slam, then a top rope elbow drop. He brushed his hair back, surveyed the Now Arena and gave the crowd the middle finger. Okada pulled Takeshita to his feet. They began trading quick, hard chops. Both men tried to position for a Tombstone. Takeshita got the better of the exchange and turned it into a package slam. Okada popped to his feet, looking for a Rainmaker. Takeshita countered into a Blue Thunder Bomb.

Both men were down as the match approached 13:30. Takeshita rose first, calling for a pump knee strike. Okada caught it. He went for a hard lariat, but Takeshita just ate it and didn’t budge. Okada hut another, this time dropping Konosuke to the mat. They traded lariats, then backslide attempts. Takeshita went for another pump knee, but Okada moved. Takeshita struck the turnbuckles. Okada hit a German Suplex. He set up for the Rainmaker again, but Takeshita turned it into a roll up for a near fall. Both men rolled to their feet. Okada hit a big dropkick. Another Rainmaker attempt blocked. Takeshita kicked Okada’s arm, then hit the Power Drive Knee for a cover and very close near fall just after 16:00.

“That’s as close as I’ve ever seen to a three!” Callis exclaimed. Okada blocked a Raging Fire attempt, but got dumped into the turnbuckles. Okada pulled a screwdriver from the turnbuckle pad. He clocked Takeshita with it, just out of view of the referee. Okada covered Takeshita for a three count.

WINNER: Kazuchika Okada in 17:17

“What happened?!” Callis feigned ignorance. Okada tossed the screwdriver under the ring as he left. Callis met him in the aisle and raised his hand.

(LeClair’s Analysis: Really good opener, and dramatically different than what we’re used to seeing from AEW out of the gate. The company has always liked to kick off shows swinging, but here, they opted for a slow, plodding build to a hard-hitting strong style. These are two of the best doing it, and it’s clear they left a decent amount in the tank, both because Okada needs to wrestle again later tonight, and also because a feud between the two is obviously brewing.)

-After a brief video package, Kyle Fletcher headed to the ring for his semi-final match. Renee Paquette was again standing ringside, reporting on Fletcher’s mindset going in to facing Jon Moxley. Danielson noted that Marina Shafir is nowhere to be found, even in the back before Moxley made his way into the arena. He also noted that some of the fans in Chicago are cheering for Jon.

(2) KYLE FLETCHER vs. JON MOXLEY – Continental Classic Semi-Final match

Jon Moxley shook out his right wrist and stepped side-to-side, angling for a lock-up with Kyle Fletcher. Excalibur said that Don Callis was set to be on commentary for this match as well, but may be tending to the delicate situation that arose after the finish to the previous match. Moxley caught Fletcher with a hard chop, sending him to the floor. Kyle shook it off, but took his time returning to the ring. He circled ringside, looking for a reaction. Excalibur said he was trying to frustrate Moxley. Fletcher rolled to the floor again, but Moxley gave chase. He slammed Fletcher into the barricade, then walked him around ringside.

Holding a wrist lock, Jon slammed Fletcher into the ring post, then onto the announcers desk. He tossed Fletcher back inside. Kyle popped to his feet and gave Moxley a huge body slam. He cornered Mox and choked him with the heel of his boot, necessitating a break at 3:30. Fletcher landed several hard chops to the chest. He charged Moxley, but got caught with a clothesline to the outside. Moxley stayed on him, running him hip first into the barricade. Moxley sat Fletcher in a chair and gave him a big boot. He rolled under the bottom rope to break the count, then continued his assault on the floor. Kyle managed to create some distance and pull the steel steps away from the ring. He wedged Moxley’s leg in between the steel and the ring post, then bit at his forehead. Fletcher dropkicked the stairs, further crushing Moxley’s leg against the post.

Fletcher tossed Moxley back in the ring. Jon grabbed at his knee. Fletcher twisted the legs and wrenched back as the match crossed 7:00. Jon limped to his feet and ate a kick to the back of the leg. He kicked Moxley in the corner, gave him a Snapmare and covered him for a quick two count. Kyle applied a single leg crab on the injured leg. “Ask him!” he repeatedly yelled at referee Bryce Remsburg. Moxley fought to his feet. Fletcher charged, but ate a cutter out of nowhere. Fletcher rolled to the floor to buy some time. Moxley dove onto Fletcher through the middle rope. Jon came up limping heavily. He tossed Fletcher back in the ring, but ate a sit-out driver for a two count.

Kyle worked Moxley into the northeast corner and charged him with a kick. Moxley stumbled to the center. Kyle invited him to a lariat battle. They traded blows. Moxley turned Fletcher inside out, but immediately collapsed and grabbed at his knee and calf. Schiavone again remarked on the crowd’s soft spot for Moxley. Both men battled to their feet, trading hard forearms. Mox ended the stalemate with a missile dropkick. He stumbled toward Fletcher in the corner and mounted him for a flurry of punches. Fletcher cut him off and tossed him to the apron. Mox dropped to the floor and caught a kick attempt, splaying Kyle out on the apron. They traded blows again. Fletcher hooked Moxley and hit a Brainbuster on the edge of the ring. Mox collapsed to the floor in a heap.

“He could just roll in the ring and win on a count out!” Schiavone said of Fletcher. Moxley was bleeding heavily from the mouth now. Fletcher looked on as Remsburg’s count echoed out. Mox slid in the ring just before ten. Fletcher immediately gave him the Liger Bomb for a cover and near fall. He turned Mox into another single leg crab. Moxley pounded the mat in frustration. He crawled desperately, but Fletcher pulled him back toward center. Fletcher wrenched back too far, allowing Moxley to grab at his neck. He got an arm around Kyle’s neck and applied the bulldog choke. Fletcher grabbed at Moxley’s ankle. He picked it and locked it in. Moxley sat up, trying to reach the ropes. Fletcher applied more torque. Moxley flailed and flailed and finally reached the bottom rope at 16:15.

A big “Moxley” chant broke out in Chicago. Jon dragged himself to the northwest corner, a sitting duck for a flurry of stomps from the Protostar. Kyle lifted Moxley onto the top buckle, looking for the Brainbuster. Moxley fought him off by biting his forehead. He slid underneath Fletcher and established an advantageous position. Mox grabbed the choke on the top, then hit an Avalanche Cutthroat Suplex. Fletcher landed violently on his neck and head. He rose slowly, trying to shake off the cobwebs. Moxley gave him a stomp, then dragged himself into a cover for a two count. Fletcher turned it into a crucifix pin for two of his own. He rolled to his feet and hit a half-and-half suplex. Moxley popped up. Fletcher hit a knee strike and covered, but Mox kicked out at one. Fletcher hit a big boot, then a Brainbuster. He hooked the leg for a very close near fall just after the 20:00 mark.

A “this is awesome” chant built as Fletcher dragged himself up, frustration growing. Moxley slapped Fletcher in the face and gave him a middle finger. Fletcher dropped him with a clothesline. Kyle went searching in the turnbuckles for the screwdriver that Okada used in the previous match, unaware that it’d been tossed under the ring. He got rolled up for a two count by Moxley. Fletcher popped to his feet and ate a Paradigm Shift for another near fall. Moxley followed up with a Death Rider for another cover and near fall. Mox grabbed the sleeper, wrapping his legs around Fletcher’s lower abdomen. Kyle fought to his knees, then lifted Mox onto his back. Moxley weighed him back down. Fletcher went out.

WINNER: Jon Moxley in 23:32

(LeClair’s Analysis: Really good match, but it took some time for the crowd to get invested in this one because of the heel-heel designation. Moxley was clearly treated like the babyface by the Chicago crowd, but it was almost as though they were asking permission to cheer him. Commentary did their part to highlight the strangeness of it all, given how Moxley has behaved all year long. I thought Fletcher made a lot of sense as a finalist again, but telling a redemption arc for Moxley while simultaneously building additional turmoil within the Callis Family works, too. Fletcher will undoubtedly be angered by not finding the screwdriver where it was left, creating a deeper rift.)

-Excalibur tossed to a video package for the AEW World Tag Team title match.

The Bang Bang Gang headed to the ring first. Nigel McGuinness had replaced Bryan Danielson on commentary. FTR entered next, Stokely sauntering between them. Excalibur said this will only be the third time the AEW Tag Team titles are defended in a Street Fight.

(3) FTR (c, Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler, w/ Stokely) vs. THE BANG BANG GANG (Juice Robinson & Austin Gunn) – AEW World Tag Team Championship Chicago Street Fight

All four men came to blows as soon as the bell rang. Cash Wheeler paired off with Austin Gunn while Dax Harwood went after Juice Robinson. The former pairing battled onto the ramp, then up toward the entrance. Dax and Juice battled in the lower bowl of the arena, then around the back of the floor. Wheeler walked Gunn back down the ramp and tossed him into the barricade, stomping across his back for good measure. Back at ringside, Stokely helped position a table for Harwood while he and Robinson battled on the apron. Juice eventually laid out Dax on the table, then climbed to the top rope. Wheeler rushed in to make the save. He gave Robinson a picturesque back Suplex off the top turnbuckle as the match crossed 4:30.

Harwood re-entered the ring with a trash can. He dented it over Gunn’s back and head, then placed him in it. Wheeler wound up and took a swing. “Better than the White Sox!” he told the crowd. FTR covered Gunn for a two count. Cash wedged the crushed trash can between the middle and top turnbuckles, then Dax tossed Gunn head-first into it. Wheeler retrieved the wreckage and used it to clock Juice on the outside. FTR set up for a spike Piledriver, but Robinson made the save. He hit a Frog Splash on Harwood for a cover and near fall.

Robinson willed Harwood to his feet and hit him with some quick jabs. Dax raked at his eyes for a reprieve. Juice shrugged it off and delivered a Spinebuster with a stack cover for another two count. Wheeler stalked Gunn on the outside with a Kendo stick, but Austin blocked a shot with a trash can lid. He cracked the lid hard over Wheeler’s head. Gunn tried to fly at Wheeler, but wound up throwing himself into the Spanish announce desk instead. In the ring, Robinson was bleeding heavily from the forehead. Wheeler clipped the back of his knee. Stokely handed Harwood a steel chair. Cash held Juice down by the leg. Dax drove the edge of the chair into Juice’s ribs repeatedly.

In pure desperation, Juice managed to kick Dax into Cash to buy himself some time. Wheeler hit Juice in the back of the knee with a chair, ending the comeback attempt. Harwood applied an inverted Figure Four. Robinson screamed in agony while Cash held his tag team title right in front of Juice’s face. Robinson dragged himself closer and closer to the ropes, so Cash dragged his partner back to center. Meanwhile, Austin Gunn hoisted a fire extinguisher into the ring. Wheeler flew through the ropes, colliding with Gunn and sending them both through a propped table against the barricade. Juice reached the bottom rope, but there are no breaks in a street fight.

Juice managed to get his hands on the fire extinguisher instead. He sprayed it in Dax’s face, then hit a front facing DDT. He covered, but Stokely dove on the referee to break the count at 13:30. Robinson grabbed the chair and cracked across the backs of both Wheeler and Harwood. He cleared blood from his eyes and sized up Dax for another shot, but Stokely pulled it away. Juice pushed the chair into Stokely, sending him off the apron and sliding off a table. FTR hit Shatter Machine on Gunn and covered. The referee counted slowly, giving Gunn time to get back in the ring and break up the count.

Austin Gunn was laid out across his partner. He managed a low blow to Wheeler, but ate a Piledriver onto the trash can from Dax. FTR hit Gunn with a Stuff Piledriver, then delivered another one on top of the tag team title. They covered for a three count.

WINNERS: FTR in 16:45 to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championship

(LeClair’s Analysis: Lots of moving parts here, and the bulk of this was just fine, but the crowd didn’t feel particularly invested. FTR, once one of the hotter acts in the company, have cooled off to a significant degree. This is one of those matches that could’ve benefited from having some of the fat trimmed, as it simply didn’t have the build or intrigue to go nearly twenty minutes. Further complicating matters, it just doesn’t feel like these two teams have a ton of chemistry. With a renewed focus in the tag division, I would’ve liked to have seen a better offering here for challengers.)