AEW Worlds End key takeaways: MJF calls his shot, Jon Moxley is the people’s champ and more

AEW closed out the year with Worlds End on Saturday night from the Now Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. MJF earned back the Men’s World Championship, Kris Statlander continued her title reign, and Jon Moxley found himself once again in the fans’ good graces as part of a packed show.

As we turn the calendar to 2026, here are nine big takeaways from AEW Worlds End 2025.

1. MJF calls his shot

When MJF returned to AEW this year, he outlined everything he was going to do. He said he’d use his championship contract, wouldn’t weasel his way into a title bout, and he’d beat three of the top guys in the promotion on his way to winning back his belt. He did every one of those things Saturday night.

The pacing of this four-way main event was fantastic, with Samoa Joe ultimately serving as a bit of a transitional champion between “Hangman” Adam Page and MJF. All four men took turns controlling the match, but Joe never looked a threat to end the night with his arm raised. Instead, he took the brunt of the attack and seemed destined to be the one who’d eat a pinfall loss.

AEW pulling the trigger on MJF again is an exceptional call, with Page and Swerve Strickland best suited to chasing the belt. They didn’t mix it up much in the match, but the duo seem keen to revisit one of the best rivalries in AEW history. MJF carrying the belt forward into 2026 opens plenty of options, but his first big challenge comes against one of AEW’s breakout stars, Bandido, who won the Dynamite Diamond Ring and earned a championship match for Jan. 14.

2. Statlander hits her stride

As she moves on from her title matches against Toni Storm and Mercedes Moné, Kris Statlander looks like she’s confidently hitting her stride.

The AEW Women's World Champion appeared tense and doing her best to find her footing at the level she’s arrived at times in recent months, but on Saturday night there was an element of swagger — and some occasional heel tactics — that gave Statlander an edge in her showdown with Jamie Hayter, who looked exceptional in her own right.

Statlander and Hayter combined for an absurd avalanche Michinoku Driver, which felt like the standout moment of the night. Statlander finished off Hayter with a Saturday Night Fever following a fantastic back-and-forth, where it felt like either woman could come out on top. But the big takeaway here is that Hayter looked about as good as she’s looked since her title reign ended in 2023. With Storm and Moné focusing their attention elsewhere, I’d love to see some consistency in AEW's women’s division and a long-term story built between Statlander and Hayter, who have natural chemistry.

3. One step closer to the breakup

Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita aren’t close to wrapping up the incrementally building tension within the Don Callis family. The duo faced off in the semifinals of this year's Continental Classic tournament, in a match that saw Okada and Takeshita go toe-to-toe each step of the way. It was hard-hitting and what most fans expected from a match between talents the caliber of Okada and Takeshita.

The result was never going to be clean, and Okada getting the win with dirty tactics — hitting Takeshita with a screwdriver before the pinfall victory — escalates the tension near a boiling point between two members of the same faction. Takeshita’s face turn is going to be one of the most significant moments in AEW next year, and it’s clear the promotion is going to slow play what projects to be a big money rivalry.

4. Moxley gets his mojo back, Fletcher lives up to the moment

For a while there it looked like AEW was prepping for Jon Moxley’s demise and rebirth outside of the Death Riders. While that could still happen, Moxley’s resurgence throughout the Continental Classic tournament was silently one of the better stories AEW told this year. He capped it all off with two absolute show-stealers Saturday night, first in the semifinals against Uncrowned's Breakthrough Wrestler of 2025, Kyle Fletcher, and later in the finals against Kazuchika Okada.

Moxley and Fletcher put on an absolute war. It was violent without the blood, barbed wire and thumbtacks that have become staples of Moxley matches. There was technical precision aplenty as the duo challenged each other and upped their games each step of the way. Moxley’s Avalanche Cutthroat Suplex looked like a guaranteed broken neck for Fletcher. Moxley hit the stomp in what appeared to be a way to send the match home, but instead offered Fletcher the opening to explode back into the rhythm of the match. At some point Moxley chipped a tooth and eventually put Fletcher down with a rear-naked chokehold that led to him passing out.

The match also furthered the Don Callis Family dysfunction, as Fletcher went looking for a screwdriver he'd hidden in the turnbuckle, not realizing Okada had used it his match earlier against Takeshita. The writing is on the wall for not just Takeshita, but Fletcher also to find his way out of the faction.

The timing couldn’t be better for Fletcher, who has been flirting with the main-event scene for much of this year. There’s no question now about his positioning heading into 2026. He’s a certified main-eventer who’s only missing a world championship to put this label in permanent ink. His growth from a solid mid-card talent to now is one of the most impressive stories of the year. And with Will Ospreay still on the shelf, it feels like an actual race to see who wins a first world championship between the two dynamic talents.

5. Jon Moxley is officially the people’s champion

Jon Moxley is a face again? That’s what I found myself questioning from his earlier match with Fletcher, then again against Okada. The former AEW Men’s World Champion completed a full 180-degree turn in the span of six months, from folks pleading for AEW to take the primary title off him to full-on cheering his victory speech at Worlds End. It’s a wild dynamic that wasn’t on my bingo card, but feels like a fitting end to his transformation in recent months.

Saturday's finale match itself was outstanding, with Moxley and Okada putting on another masterpiece for the second time in the evening. A stomp and a Death Rider put Okada out, which should exacerbate the tension in the Don Callis Family with no title lingering. A program against Takeshita, especially after Okada’s dirty tactics in their semifinals match feels like it should be served up on a silver platter.

Moxley gave a speech after the match that sounded like a full turn was in play, showing appreciation to the entire locker room and the fans who paid to watch them do their thing. If this is the route he’s going, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see someone like Gabe Kidd take the reins of the Death Riders and kick Moxley to the curb.

If that’s the case, can I make a request to get "Wild Thing" back as part of his intro? That song rules and feels incredibly fitting for the unpredictable Mox.

Ricky Havlik

6. How far can Darby Allin push himself?

I have some genuine concern for how far Darby Allin will push his body. 

Within minutes of the opening bell he was tossed over the guard rail by Gabe Kidd, broke the steel steps with his face, and was bleeding profusely. He took multiple bumps from the ring to the outside and suddenly slumped over when he had the Scorpion Deathlock applied in the middle of the ring. He was able to complete the match, winning with a backslide pin on Kidd, but it’s fair to question just how much Allin can take before his body breaks down.

While Allin walked away with the win, this felt like a proper introduction to Kidd. From his entrance to the violence he brought to the ring and the picture of him refusing to tap out as blood poured from his face, Kidd has cemented himself as a legit player in AEW's men’s division.

7. Mixed Nuts Mayhem proves to be a blast

Mixed Nuts Mayhem proved to be just that — and a nice reprieve from matches that had high stakes across the pay-per-view card. “Timeless” Toni Storm continues to be a national treasure who should be protected at all costs. She meshes really well with The Conglomeration, specifically Orange Cassidy, who shared numerous comedic moments including a dancing bit in their showdown with the Death Riders.

Ultimately, Cassidy and Mark Briscoe came out of this one looking like genuine stars once again to help solidify their positioning as somewhere between AEW's mid-card and the main event. Cassidy did most of the heavy lifting and it was Briscoe who hit the Jay Driller on Wheeler Yuta for the pinfall victory.

8. Babes of Wrath keep on rollin’

I was absolutely floored to see Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa fall in the finals of the Women’s Tag Team Championship tournament, but honestly should've seen this coming. AEW loves to further build both divisions, and putting the belts on the likes of Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron is absolutely the star-making move that needed to happen. The return on investment has been exactly what AEW needed to kickstart its women’s tag-team division, highlights two bubbly characters who do such an exceptional job playing off of each other.

Their showdown with Mercedes Moné and Athena, two established champions, showed yet again the intention in everything happening in the women's tag division. The Babes of Wrath answered every challenge from Moné and Athena, breaking up each near-fall and putting together innovative tag-team wrestling. Nightingale’s roll-up win over Moné feels intentional in setting her up for an elevated run to the top of the division in 2026.

9. FTR put together a rare dud

FTR never felt in danger of losing this one, controlling most of the match from the opening bell. Juice Robinson was mercilessly mocked by FTR throughout the match as Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler took turns bringing the pain.

Austin Gunn was a star of the match with his selling, but this one was relatively forgettable and not the level we’ve come to expect from an FTR match. The tag-team championship feels like it’s in a holding pattern until we get the return of Edge and Christian for their comeuppance against FTR, this time with the tag-team belts on the line.