AEW Worlds End 2023 live report: The Devil in the details

Get the vibe of AEW Worlds End from amidst the live crowd from Wrestling Junkie’s Rob Wolkenbrod.

LONG ISLAND, NY — Entering Worlds End, it felt like a pay-per-view AEW needed to hit out of the park. The second half of the company’s 2023 left something to be desired, with lagging ticket sales, unfortunate injuries to Adam Cole, Kenny Omega and MJF, and backstage controversies remaining constant.

Filling the Nassau Coliseum wasn’t an issue Saturday night; AEW fans loaded the arena waiting on their favorite “scumbag,” the culmination of the Continental Classic and the next step of Christian Cage and Adam Copeland’s feud. The rest of the card had little fanfare since AEW glued it together within the last week, and it showed from the start of the main show until the main event matches.

At the same time, Worlds End was always billed as a three-match show featuring the three longest-running storylines in AEW. Along with the impending reveal of the Devil, the final 90 minutes of the five-hour show held all the eggs in the basket.

But even though fans were awaiting the identity of the person under the mask, questions loomed about MJF’s injury status. Was it his final night wrestling for a while? Did AEW extend his contract into 2024 and beyond? Tony Khan said he can’t comment on the AEW future of the Long Island native after the show, so take that as you will.

AEW answered questions beyond that during Worlds End, though, creating an interesting night of pro wrestling to close 2023.

AEW Worlds End results from Long Island:

  • Willow Nightingale def. Kris Statlander by pinfall in a solid match with a bumpy finish at the end.
  • A vignette teases Serena Deeb’s return to the ring.
  • Killswitch wins the battle royal to become the No. 1 contender to the TNT Championship. Not sure anyone expected Trent Beretta to be the runner-up over Danhausen, and it made the ending anticlimactic.
  • Hook def. Wheeler Yuta by submission to retain the FTW Championship.
  • Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia and Mark Briscoe def. Jay White, Jay Lethal, Brody King and Rush by pinfall. Danielson and White stepping into the ring together created one of the best pops of the night, and King was very over with the crowd.
  • Miro def. Andrade El Idolo by submission in a relatively slow-paced match. During the post-show press conference, Tony Khan confirmed that El Idolo’s contract with AEW will expire at the end of the year, making that the former WWE United States Champion’s final match with the company.
  • Toni Storm def. Riho by pinfall to retain the AEW Women’s Championship. Storm’s impeccable character presentation highlighted a fine match.
  • Swerve Strickland def. Dustin Rhodes by pinfall. The atmosphere changed on a dime when “Big Pressure” played, waking a mild crowd from the last two matches. Rhodes also replaced Keith Lee, who was replaced an hour before the show due to injury.
  • Sting, Darby Allin, Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara def. Konosuke Takeshita, Will Hobbs, Ricky Starks and Big Bill by pinfall. Boos toward Chris Jericho dominated this match, with various chants his way that made it to air and some explicit ones the live broadcast might not have registered.
  • Julia Hart def. Abadon by pinfall to retain the TBS Championship. A “This is spooky chant” rang out early, but the match work kept the crowd quiet.
  • Adam Copeland def. Christian Cage to win the TNT Championship. This show needed a hard-hitting, storytelling-focused match, and the crowd was lively for it. Copeland’s cross body in the crowd received a wild reaction, but the “We want fire” chants were arguably the popular aspect of the night.
  • Christian Cage def. Adam Copeland to win the TNT Championship. The live crowd had mixed feelings about Cage winning back the title within minutes after Killswitch gave up the contract. It surprised many, but it also served as a way to keep the feud going and shift the momentum back in the Patriarch’s favor.
  • Eddie Kingston def. Jon Moxley by pinfall to win the Continental Classic. This was the grueling, hard-hitting match everyone expected with stiff strikes and some tough spots, including the suicide dive that seemed to hurt Kingston more than Moxley.
  • Samoa Joe def. MJF by submission to win the AEW World Championship, ending the 27-year-old’s record title reign, in a match where the now former champion was clearly hurting and even had an audible scream of pain. After the match, Adam Cole revealed himself as the Devil, with Wardlow, Roderick Strong, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett as his goons.

AEW Worlds End live notes from Long Island:

  • Allowing Sting to receive an ovation in one of his last matches was a nice touch and a needed atmosphere changer after a forgettable eight-man tag match.
  • The reveal of Cole as the Devil was deemed anticlimactic by some of the crowd. It failed to elicit a huge reaction, perhaps because people had suspected Cole to be the man behind the mask all along. However, at times, the proper call doesn’t need to send shockwaves.
  • Throughout the night, the crowd felt like a sleeping giant. They wanted something to cheer for, and they wanted to react loudly. It arguably took until Copeland vs. Cage for that to happen, though, which was too long.

[lawrence-related id=43151]

AEW Worlds End results: All the winners from Long Island

Get live AEW Worlds End results for the year-ending pay-per-view from Long Island.

It’s time to see how AEW will look going into 2024, with plenty of big matches in store for AEW Worlds End. And in the hometown of AEW World Champion MJF, will he even leave Long Island with the title?

It’s a legitimate question given the status of his health and contract. There’s every chance that Samoa Joe could walk out of Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum as the top champion in AEW, which is something not many probably would have predicted at the start of the year.

Many fans will also be watching to see if the Devil gets involved in the main event, with insiders suggesting their identity will be revealed before the end of the night. That only figures to make MJF’s chances of retaining his beloved Triple B even shorter.

Another highlight should be the Continental Classic final between Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley, two men who know each other extremely well even in an industry in which saying that is something of a trope. Can the Mad King throw off his bad luck in the biggest spots, not to mention his winless record against Mox, and finally come through?

We’ll also see both women’s championships defended (finally), another grudge match between Adam Copeland and Christian Cage, and much more from Long Island. We’re raring to go, so hopefully you are too.

AEW Worlds End results from Long Island:

(click or tap on any match with a link for full details)

  • Claudio Castagnoli, Mark Briscoe, Daniel Garcia and Bryan Danielson def. Brody King, Jay Lethal, Rush and Jay White by pinfall; King also got into it with Daddy Magic who was on guest commentary
  • Miro def. Andrade El Idolo by submission after CJ Perry turns on Andrade and assists her husband during the match
  • Toni Storm def. Riho by pinfall to retain the AEW Women’s World Championship
  • Dante Martin says he’s looking to become a titleholder and gets the latest pre-emptive challenge from Orange Cassidy
  • Swerve Strickland def. Dustin Rhodes by pinfall in an unusually long match after Strickland attacked Rhodes before the bell and stomped his ankle on top of a cinderblock
  • Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin and Sting def. Big Bill and Ricky Starks and The Don Callis Family (Powerhouse Hobbs and Konosuke Takeshita) by pinfall
  • Julia Hart def. Abadon by pinfall to retain the AEW TBS Championship, with Skye Blue making an assist
  • Adam Copeland def. Christian Cage by pinfall in a No DQ match to become the new AEW TNT Champion; after the match, however, Killswitch (who won the Battle Royal during the pre-show to earn a title shot) attacks Copeland from behind …
  • … and he hands the contract to Cage, who quickly fills it out tells the ref to start a new match, and spears Copeland to win the title back by pinfall
  • Eddie Kingston def. Jon Moxley by pinfall in the AEW Continental Classic final, becoming the first ever AEW Triple Crown Champion
  • Samoa Joe def. MJF by submission to become the new AEW World Champion, despite some attempted assistance by Adam Cole
  • After the match, the ring is surrounded by the Devil’s masked men, and Cole and MJF are quickly overpowered; the lights go out and come back on to find Cole sitting on a chair — he’s the Devil, and the masked men are Wardlow, Roderick Strong and The Kingdom

AEW Worlds End 2023 predictions: Who ends the year with a win?

Vaughn Johnson picks winners for all the matches on Long Island at AEW Worlds End.

Alas, we have reached the end of a roller coaster year for AEW with the promotion’s final pay-per-view offering, World’s End.

Will AEW end close out 2023 with a bang, or will it stumble to the year’s finish line?

Let’s run through the show match-by-match and offer some predictions.

AEW Collision results 12/23/23: Eddie Kingston, back from the brink

Also on AEW Collision, Thunder Rosa made a triumphant return from a long injury absence.

A quick confession: Pro wrestling isn’t part of my holiday traditions. But there’s no reason it couldn’t be, especially since tonight’s AEW Collision is coming to us so close to Christmas.

This is no throwaway show, either, thanks in large part to its status as the final night of Blue League competition in the AEW Continental Classic. Andrade El Idolo and Bryan Danielson are in the best positions to advance, since they enter the night with nine points each. But everyone else except Daniel Garcia is still mathematically alive, so these three matches should be dynamite. No pun intended.

We’re also only a week away from Worlds End, so there should be more parts of that card falling into place as well. Let’s see what this night brings, and if we don’t speak again before then, Merry Christmas!

AEW Collision results from San Antonio:

  • Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli go to a time limit draw in their Continental Classic Blue League match; Danielson advances to the Blue League final thanks to getting to 10 points
  • A highlight package of Gold League matches from this week is aired, interspersed with some of the post-match promos cut by Jay White, Jon Moxley and Swerve Strickland
  • The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass def. Top Flight and Action Andretti by pinfall to retain the AEW World Trios Championship, though it appeared Max Caster may have pulled the tights to help secure the victory, which is something to file away
  • Hook accepts the challenge from Wheeler Yuta for his FTW Championship on his turf at Worlds End next Saturday

  • Keith Lee def. Brian Cage by pinfall; after the match, Lee says he was taken out for almost two months by someone a year ago and that person hasn’t
  • Renee Paquette finds out Toni Storm doesn’t remember Mariah May, who says she will be making her in-ring debut soon, and Storm also sends a message to Riho

  • Christian Cage and Nick Wayne (but mostly just Christian) invite Shayna Wayne to the ring to explain why she helped Cage defeat Adam Copeland; she says that after seeing Copeland hit Nick with a steel chair, she did what any loving mother would do and protected her son, and that the only person who loves Nick as much as she does is the Patriarch; Cage says he will face Copeland at Worlds End in a No DQ match so he can put Adam down for the last time

  • Lexy Nair catches up with the tag team champions, who immediately suggest Kenny Omega is too scared to face them; Chris Jericho stops by and promises to take their titles, regardless of who his partner will be and when the match might take place

  • Daniel Garcia def. Brody King by pinfall in a Continental Classic Blue League match, eliminating King from advancing to the group final, but …
  • … after the match, the lights go out and return to reveal Malakai Black and Buddy Matthews in the ring, which brings Matt Menard and FTR to the rescue; Dax Harwood makes it clear FTR wants House of Black in the ring
  • Abadon and Thunder Rosa def. Skye Blue and Julia Hart by pinfall
  • Eddie Kingston def. Andrade El Idolo by pinfall in a Continental Classic Blue League match, advancing to the group final against Danielson next week on Dynamite

AEW Collision results 12/16/23: Eddie Kingston, Claudio Castagnoli stay alive

Also on AEW Collision, Thunder Rosa made her return to form a surprising alliance.

We’re getting down to the nitty gritty in the Continental Classic tonight on AEW Collision. For the Blue League, especially, several competitors are in must-win situations, particularly Eddie Kingston.

Maybe he wouldn’t be under so much pressure if he wouldn’t have put both of his titles up for grabs in this tournament, but he did and there’s no going back now. To get them back and become the first ever AEW Continental Champion too, he’s got to go on and win it all.

Kingston made that more difficult for himself by losing his first two round robin matches, but a victory over his archrival Claudio Castagnoli kept him alive. Kingston will need to win against Brody King tonight to still have a chance, and as luck would have it, Castagnoli is in the very same boat against group leader Andrade El Idolo.

All of which is to say that this is an important night in the Continental Classic, and there’s also a title defense by Orange Cassidy, always a good time. Let’s do this.

AEW Collision Winter is Coming results from Garland, Texas:

  • Claudio Castagnoli def. Andrade El Idolo by pinfall in a Continental Classic Blue League match, utilizing a low blow while the ref is distracted to set up the finish, and Claudio stays alive to advance from the Blue League
  • A highlight/promo video combo takes us back through the Continental Classic Gold
  • Abadon def. Jazmin Allure by pinfall in a quick squash match, but …
  • After the match, Julia Hart appears to taunt Abadon with the TBS Championship again, and when Abadon decides to just attack Hart, Skye Blue comes to the ring and helps Hart; in turn, Abadon gets some unexpected assistance from a returning Thunder Rosa, and Abadon shakes Rosa’s hand after they clear the ring
  • Renee Paquette gets a word with The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass, who are pretty mad about getting attacked by the Devil and his goons a few weeks ago; Top Flight and Action Andretti stop by to issue a title challenge, and since the champs are in a fighting week, they accept for next week
  • Orange Cassidy def. Bryan Keith by pinfall to retain the AEW International Champion
  • Miro says he’s done avoiding people to please his wife and is ready to kill everyone
  • Roderick Strong says he thinks he’s found his next “victim” in Komander
  • FTR dares the House of Black to come out and face them, accusing the House of jealousy of their extended run of tag team success; Malakai Black and Buddy Matthews appear on the big screen to repeat the claim that no one in the back will save them and only the House loves Cash Wheeler, and they punctuate their point by burning a picture of Dax Harwood, his wife and his daughter
  • A hype video promotes the recent run of Keith Lee, including his assertion that Shane Taylor was not “him”
  • Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale def. Diamante and Mercedes Martinez in a wild Texas Street Fight that is the wildest AEW women’s division match in some time
  • Paquette talks to “Timeless” Toni Storm and Mariah May, with the latter ending up disappointed that the former says she’s too busy to watch her debut match
  • Brian Cage def. Kari Wright by pinfall in a quick squash match
  • Cage and the Mogul Embassy (sans Swerve Strickland) are in a celebratory mood, but Keith Lee tells them they they can tell “him” that his patience is running out; hmm …
  • Eddie Kingston def. Daniel Garcia by pinfall in a Continental Classic Blue League match
  • Bryan Danielson def. Brody King by pinfall in a Continental Classic Blue League match

AEW Rampage results 12/8/23: Bryan Danielson teaches Daniel Garcia another lesson

It also appeared Julia Hart welcomed a challenge from Abadon for her TBS Championship on AEW Rampage from Montreal.

It’s time for some magic. And by that we mean Daddy Magic Matt Menard, who is on guest commentary tonight on AEW Rampage.

Only fitting since Menard is from Montreal, sight of tonight’s show (which was taped on Wednesday). There’s some good stuff in store, including a Continental Classic match between Bryan Danielson and Daniel Garcia. There’s almost no way that’s not good stuff.

Let’s find out, shall we?

AEW Rampage results:

  • Orange Cassidy def. Angelico by pinfall to retain the AEW International Championship
  • Abadon def. Trish Adora by pinfall; afterward, the lights go out and back on to reveal Julia Hart, who lays the TBS Championship in front of Abadon, who picks it up but finds it gone (along with Hart) once the lights go off and on again
  • The Mercedes Martinez and Willow Nightingale promo is shown again
  • The Don Callis Family (Powerhouse Hobbs and Konosuke Takeshita) def. Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal by pinfall, with Callis offering his “insight” as the fourth man at the commentary table
  • Renee Paquette talks to Top Flight and Action Andretti, who say they’ll accept the trios challenge sent their way by Penta El Zero Miedo last week
  • Bryan Danielson def. Daniel Garcia by submission in a Continental Classic Blue League match, sending Danielson to six points and mathematically eliminating Garcia from contention to advance from the group stage; notably, Garcia didn’t do his dance and reverted to trunks and wearing a towel around his neck on the way to the ring

AEW Collision results 12/2/23: Bryan Danielson leaves Eddie Kingston down bad

Some intriguing matches also got set up for Dynamite and Final Battle on AEW Collision this week.

Saturday night’s alright for fighting, and tonight, it’s more than alright for fighting in a tournament. The Blue League of the Continental Classic takes center stage tonight on AEW Collision from Erie, Penn.

Most notably, Bryan Danielson makes his debut in the Classic as he’s only recently been cleared to compete. He’s back now, and he can compound the misery of one Eddie Kingston by beating the Mad King tonight.

Maybe Eddie is having some remorse over putting both of his championships up for grabs in this tourney, eh?

Get ready, Erie. Here we go.

AEW Collision results from Erie:

  • Brody King def. Claudio Castagnoli by pinfall in a Continental Classic Blue League match, going to six points after his first two matches
  • Jon Moxley’s passionate promo from earlier this week is shown
  • Abadon def. Kiera Hogan by pinfall; after the bell, the lights go out and come back on to reveal TBS Champion Julia Hart standing in the corner, then disappearing when the lights go off and on again
  • Samoa Joe is interrupted backstage by Roderick Strong, who insists MJF is the Devil and tries to convince him that the tag team match MJF agreed to on Dynamite is a setup; Joe simply laughs and walks away

  • Andrade El Idolo def. Daniel Garcia by pinfall in a Continental Classic Blue League match, sending Andrade to three points and dismaying Matt Menard, who was sitting in with the commentators
  • Willie Mack throws out a challenge to Wardlow for next week after seeing what Wardlow did to his friend, AR Fox

  • Strong dedicates The Kingdom’s match to his best friend, Adam Cole
  • The Kingdom def. Iron Savages by pinfall, with Strong getting in a shot after the bell before stumbling back to his wheelchair
  • Ethan Page says he’s refocused himself and wants to check off a bucket list item, challenging Kenny Omega to a match next week to determine who is the true King of Canada

  • Willow Nightingale and Mercedes Martinez exchange words in recorded promos
  • Buddy Matthews and Malakai Black def. Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal by pinfall; afterward, FTR hits the ring and violently declines Black’s invitation to join the House of Black, though it ends badly for the top guys and Black mocks them for having no one to come to their aid
  • Earlier this week, Toni Storm is upset Renee Paquette is interviewing her instead of RJ City, and Storm warns Skye Blue before throwing Renee’s own shoe at her

  • Blue taunts Storm for her “midlife crisis” and says she’ll shove Toni’s shoe right up her ass
  • A hype video promotes next week’s Dynamite showdown between Adam Copeland and Christian Cage
  • El Hijo del Vikingo def. Kip Sabian by pinfall, then extends his hand but we don’t see if Kip accepts it
  • Shane Taylor barges in and challenges Keith Lee to a match at Final Battle, which Lee accepts

  • Miro tries to barge in and attack Andrade, but CJ Perry gets him to promise not to lay a hand on her client
  • Bryan Danielson def. Eddie Kingston by pinfall in a Continental Classic Blue League match, keeping Eddie at zero points

AEW Collision results 10/28/23: MJF, Kenny Omega go to war in instant classic

MJF may have had the best match of his career in his AEW World Championship defense against Kenny Omega on AEW Collision.

Should one of the biggest possible AEW World Championship fights just be put together with three days’ notice? That’s a question worth pondering before we dive into tonight’s episode of AEW Collision from Uncasville, Conn.

No one would argue that MJF vs. Kenny Omega for the world title is a big deal, the kind of bout that could easily be a pay-per-view main event. So why was it only announced on Dynamite and taking place tonight?

Pondering that has led many to suspect that there will be some hijinks on Collision, something that will lead to a rematch or more people being added to another meeting between the two down the road. Something, surely.

Or maybe it’s just a way to ensure some ratings for Collision on a typically tough Saturday night for it. Either way, it’s added an extra layer of intrigue to this episode, so let’s not wait: Here’s what went down in Connecticut.

AEW Collision results from Uncasville:

(please scroll down for full details on any match or segment in bold)

  • Jay White def. AR Fox by pinfall, then manages to keep the AEW World Championship (which you may remember doesn’t actually belong to him, but hey) in his possession afterward despite MJF’s efforts to reclaim it
  • The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass are looking forward to National 69 Day, and Anthony Bowens and Billy Gunn put Max Caster in the corner for getting catfished by someone claiming to be MJF

  • The Gunns vs. The Boys by pinfall in a quick match
  • The MJF-Kenny Omega hype video shown originally on Dynamite is aired again
  • Danhausen wishes Happy Halloween to all humans and hints again he’ll be back soon

  • Ryan Nemeth is ready to try to attain CJ Perry’s services but is greeted by Miro and it sounds like he pays for it
  • Hikaru Shida def. Abadon by pinfall in a Halloween Fright Night match to retain the AEW Women’s World Championship
  • In her usual black and white, “Timeless” Toni Storm comes out to steal the spotlight from Shida after the title match, posing on the announce table

  • A video package features Keith Lee and Shane Taylor talking smack to each other
  • Samoa Joe def. Rhett Titus by submission to retain the ROH World Television Championship
  • Renee Paquette catches up with QTV and finds out that Q.T. Marshall plans to defend his AAA title against the best luchadores AEW has to offer

  • Claudio Castagnoli says Bryan Danielson has a broken orbital bone and promises to make Kazuchika Okada pay for it in Japan or the U.S. while also challenging Orange Cassidy to a title match for Dynamite

  • Ricky Starks def. Dax Harwood by pinfall, but when House of Black tries to gang up on FTR after the match, La Faccion Ingobernable arrives and turns face, helping the former tag team champs
  • Andrade El Idolo seems to be focused on his own business, not whatever is going on with LFI
  • Kris Statlander wants to settle things between Willow Nightingale and Skye Blue, but Skye says anything that needs to be cleared up between her and Willow is only their business
  • Claudio Castagnoli def. Hot Sauce by pinfall
  • Joe tells MJF he’ll watch his back if needed and to scream Joe’s name if he finds himself needing help
  • MJF def. Kenny Omega by pinfall to retain the AEW World Championship, though Joe, Wardlow, Powerhouse Hobbs and Bullet Club Gold are shown watching separately backstage
  • MJF offers another handshake to Omega, who accepts and then moves in for a hug as the crowd cheers in approval

AEW Rampage results 10/27/23: Santana-Ortiz grudge match, Don Callis Family grows

AEW Rampage also found a title challenger for Hikaru Shida, and it’s a bit of a pleasant surprise.

Former tag team partner turned enemies is a pretty common trope in pro wrestling. Still, there’s something about the enmity between Mike Santana and Ortiz that hits a little bit different.

From the very beginning of AEW, Santana and Ortiz weren’t just a tag team, they were essentially brothers. They went through a ton both on their own and as part of several factions.

But as they say, that was then and this is now. Santana and Ortiz absolutely seem to detest each other, and they’re going to have to settle things in the ring. As one does.

Let’s get into some Rampage, shall we?

AEW Rampage results:

  • Mike Santana def. Ortiz by pinfall in a No Holds Barred grudge match; after the bell, Santana offers a fist bump but finds Ortiz wants no part of it, and the same appears to be true of Ortiz reacting to Sonjay Dutt
  • A video package promotes MJF vs. Kenny Omega on this week’s episode of Collision, and we hear from both men and a number of others — including Jay White, who wishes Omega good luck, perhaps sarcastically, and Don Callis, who makes a futile effort to recruit MJF
  • Kris Statlander tries to find out what’s been going on with Skye Blue and Willow Nightingale, and the real issue is that Skye hasn’t been the same since getting hit with the black mist
  • Kip Sabian disses Philly sports teams until a returning Mark Briscoe decides he’s heard enough and clears him out of the ring
  • Renee Paquette talks to the former Jericho Appreciation Society members, and Anna Jay asks them all to back her up, but bickering breaks out when Callis appears to make a business proposition to Matt Menard and Angelo Parker, who also gets a visit from Ruby Soho
  • Abadon def. Anna Jay, Skye Blue and Willow Nightingale by pinning Anna Jay to earn a title shot against Hikaru Shida on Collision
  • “Dammit Max!” The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass wants to invite everyone to National 69 Day in eight days, but Max Caster takes it too far, as always, to invite MJF
  • A short clip is shown of a faux press conference between Orange Cassidy and Claudio Castagnoli
  • Konosuke Takeshita def. Kyle Fletcher by pinfall, and Fletcher’s attempt to seek revenge on The Don Callis Family with a steel chair afterward actually .. impresses Callis