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AEW will present the 2023 World's End pay per view in Uniondale, NY this Saturday. Here are our takes on what will happen.
AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Samoa Joe
Dave: I hope that Joe wins and the Devil is unmasked and the angle ends. I am over it. It will probably be Adam Cole since Tony Khan always has friends turn on each other.
Mike: The MJF title run comes to an end in the most dramatic place possible, MJF's home of Long Island. I expect the Devil reveal to take place and unless they throw in some crazy twist of an outsider or possibly Britt Baker, my gut remains that it's been Adam Cole all along.
Richard: After that classic tag title match on Wednesday night and the betrayal by Samoa Joe, there is a new layer to add to this match. Is Joe behind the Devil or is he part of the Devil's minions or is he just using them to help him become the AEW World Champion? There is going to feel like a Bloodline or Jarrett TNA title defense with all of the interference and lights out moments to finally reveal the identity of the Devil (more on that later). If Joe wins the titles, that can allow Max to go away for a little while to recover from his injuries and to build the tension over the War of 2024 for Max's future in pro wrestling. With Sting being the focus of Revolution, the world title does not have to be THE biggest thing in the company. Going back to the identity of The Devil . . . Zac Efron. Then he explains why Max's role in the movie was minimized.
Cory: I may be alone in this, but I think the build to this has been the best they have done in a while. MJF’s stories feel like 1980’s and early 1990’s WWF stuff, and while him being injured before going into every defense is not something I like, him facing the monster who nearly took him out in the past in a great idea for a match. Joe is an excellent hand, and I have no doubt this will be a big spectacle match with lots of shenanigans. But MJF needs to hold on to face The Devil, Swerve and be attacked by Wardlow. I see MJF winning, the Devil unmasking, and the last five minutes to be ridiculously overbooked.
Continental Classic Finals: Eddie Kingston vs. Jon Moxley for Continental Championship, ROH World Title, and NJPW Strong Openweight Championship
Dave: Eddie has to go over here, otherwise what's the point?
Mike: This has to be Eddie Kingston's tournament to win in NY, or else what was the point? I enjoyed a lot of the wrestling in the tourney and hope we'll see more of that style in 2024.
Richard: This was probably the best option of the block finals and there is an obvious history with Eddie and Jon. I guess it is a good thing that the man who put up both of his titles for the winner of the tournament is going to have a chance to get those back and add a new title. Imagine if Eddie made it to the finals and then put his titles on the line instead of them already being an option. Then if Moxley wins, people can say that Eddie was not smart to sacrifice his two titles for the possibility of adding the third one. Whenever it seems like Moxley might be moving into the background, he seems to be given a title. I still think Eddie wins because I don't see Mox working the ROH shows.
Cory: Moxley’s promo on Wednesday was one of the best he’s had in a while, and the whole story of this tournament is to put over Kingston as the ultimate underdog. I expect this to be violent, long, and Eddie to pull out the surprise upset after it looks like Moxley has him destroyed. It could very well be the match of the night.
AEW Women's Champion Toni Storm vs. Riho
Dave: The champ retains. Toni is one of the best things going in AEW. Keep the belt on her.
Mike: I don't see a title change here. Storm has been one of the best characters AEW has developed in some time and there's a lot left there.
Richard: If they are going to have Storm in black and white during her offense, I demand equal time of goofy visuals by doing Riho's offense in anime style. I don't see Toni losing, but they could try to be cute by having Mariah May 'try to interfere' on behalf of Toni, only to backfire and lead to Riho winning the title. Then we find out that Mariah's first match is on Wednesday against Riho for the Women's Title where Mariah becomes the new AEW Women's World Champion and feuds with Toni.
Cory: This is the exact same scenario as with Julia Hart and Abadon, where Storm just own the title, Riho came back and got heated up for the match, but should not win. Riho’s style will be a fun contrast with Storm’s over-the-top character work, but Storm should go over clean here.
AEW TNT Champion Christian Cage vs. Adam Copeland in a No DQ Match
Dave: I think Christian holds on and the feud continues.
Mike: Cage retains after everyone gets involved. I suspect this storyline will be going on for a long time.
Richard: With this being a No DQ match, I am expecting a lot of interference, smoke, and mirrors in the match. I expect to see Nick Wayne get involved in the match, along with Stacy's Mom. Will this lead to the AEW debut of Beth Copeland or does someone else take her place? Is this the time to take the title off Christian, one of the best gimmicks in this company and give it to their biggest bigly big signing of the year? I don't think it should happen, but Roddy will be able to yell ADAM when Copeland becomes the new champion.
Cory: Christian won their last match, and is so great in his “Father of the Year” gimmick that I’d like him to keep the title for ages. It’s time for Adam to get his revenge, but I think he knows how good Cage is with this run. If they hadn’t been friends for so long, I’d assume that Adam will win, but I think Cage winning and having to face Luchasaurus is a better way to take the title off of Cage, so I say Cage wins by cheating once again.
AEW TBS Champion Julia Hart vs. Abadon
Dave: Hart is another positive in the company. She goes over here.
Mike: No way Hart is losing here.
Richard: Julia is the first in the group of AEW female wrestlers who went from a 'girl next door/cheerleader' gimmick into a hell demon (along with version 2.0 and protege Skye Blue) facing the wrestler who started off as a hell demon and is still one. Julia is one of the most improved wrestlers in the company while I have never really connected with the Abadon gimmick. This feels like a 'who can we put in a match with Julia so Julia retains the title without any concern over her losing the title' match. You would hope that Abadon has a strong enough performance to help elevate her. I am afraid that this match will suffer from the 'here is a match that should get x minutes and end up going twice as long'. Julia retains.
Cory: Abadon is back and they have done a good job building her. Her look is better since her return, and they have started to make her a creepy, cool character. The problem is that they are rushing into this match after she has just had a few spotlight matches, and no one is behind her. It is also way too soon to take the title off of Hart AEW has a problem with bringing in people, giving them a quick build and then having them face a champion, lose and then have nothing do with them. While WWE’s style of booking was predictable and boring in one way, the “You lose, so goodbye” is an issue AEW has. This is a case where, since Abadon has to lose, Hart should cheat to win and Abadon chases her for a while, letting BOTH characters build for a match that isn’t as rushed, since the idea is good, just not yet.
Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, and Mark Briscoe vs. Rush, Jay White, Jay Lethal, and Brody King
Dave: Pirate Bryan's team wins here.
Mike: This could be the best thing on the show if they give them time. I don't see a team with Danielson AND Briscoe losing.
Richard: The first of two eight man tag matches on the show featuring the other eight men from the Continental Classic who are not already booked for this show. This cements the NJPW influence of this tournament because of the throw people in a match feeling this gives us. Will there be anything for the winning team, other than the adoration of their teammates? They could do something where the losers of the match cannot be part of the next Classic (a sort of relegation). The eight men in this match should guarantee something entertaining and well wrestled. I think Garcia will impress in this match to tease Danielson trying to recruit Garcia again for the BCC (and a possible punishment for Yuta if he loses to Hook).
Cory: No build at all for this, so I expect the Blackpool Combat Club with Mark Briscoe to win. Just an odd match since everyone but Briscoe is a heel.
Sting, Chris Jericho, Darby Allin, and Sammy Guevara vs. Big Bill, Ricky Starks, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Konsuke Takeshita
Dave: Team Sting wins here.
Mike: Team Sting wins to keep his undefeated streak intact heading into retirement.
Richard: When Kenny Omega is not able to wrestle due to an injury (get well soon), it takes five men to take his place. Will Bill or Ricky lose this match to set up a future tag title match or will we see Hobbs or Takeshita take the fall to build Jericho's (and Omega's) issues with Callis? Darby will do many crazy things in the match and Sting will do something a man of Sting's age should not be doing. For some reason, I think while Jericho, Sammy, Darby, and Sting celebrate their victory, we will see the seeds planted for Sting's retirement match at Revolution. That's right, Sting is going to end up feuding with a young star in AEW to give him the rub as he retires. Greensboro, get ready for Sting versus Chris Jericho.
Cory: Sting is not losing a match on a Pay Per View. This is a spotlight for these guys (and Jericho getting a rub off of Sting), and the Don Callis Family can get their heat back with one beat down and a Callis promo.
Swerve Strickland vs. Keith Lee
Dave: Wow, Tony remembered this! Shocker! His sycophants will call it "long term booking". Swerve is a hot act so he goes over. I just hope no one drinks blood.
Mike: It's about time they got to this. Swerve is the hotter act right now and I expect he is victorious.
Richard: The match that people have been waiting to see for months but is announced three days in advance. Strickland couldn't get it done in the tournament and Lee has been seen on TV recently. These two will give everything in this match, but have the held this off too long for it to be as good as it can be? Strickland is on the way up after his work in the Classic so he needs to win this match because why would he call out Keith Lee and then lose the match?
Cory: Going back to this feud just makes me think how, when it was fresh, Lee was the must-win guy, but now with Swerve’s star rising, having him beat Lee will help him stay on the top tier he has moved up to. Swerve is a possible feud for MJF at this point, so having him lose to Lee won’t help Lee and will definitely hurt Swerve. This will tie up a long running loose end and Swerve puts Lee behind him.
Miro vs. Andrade
Dave: Andrade loses and heads back to WWE.
Mike: There's been talk within the company Andrade's deal is up soon, so if it is, I suspect he's taking the submission loss. Crazy that this is his first singles PPV bout, unless I'm really mistaken.
Richard: Andrade doesn't get to play with his fellow CC Wrestling Factory friends, but he gets to face the man whose wife he has been associated with over the last few weeks. This should be a good battle between two men who are not given the chance to show what they can do on a regular basis. I hope CJ does not do anything to take away from this match because this could be a sleeper on this show. Love conquers all as CJ and Miro reunite as a unit when Miro gets the victory.
Cory: Story-wise, if Miro wins, no one will want to have the services of CJ, but with CJ out for a while with an injury, it would be a way to close off that story. Also, Miro is a star that they have done a stop/start with him, so having him lose here would kill that. I expect it to be a hoss fright with Miro winning, but it could go either way and not change a whole lot.
Willow Nightingale vs. Kris Statlander
Dave: Flip a coin. Willow wins.
Mike: I lean towards Willow, but expect this to be good. Curious to see where all the Stokely stuff is going.
Richard: This match was added during Rampage and it appears to be 'friendly competition' between a couple of Long Island girls. Someone is going to do something that is a bit too 'not nice' and then the other throws a few punches and things break down. Since the interference budget is going to focus on other matches, let this be free of distractiference. Coin lands on heads so Willow wins. Maybe they do something with her.
FTW Rules Match: FTW Champion Hook vs. ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta
Dave: Brotha, Hook goes over Brotha!
Mike: Hook ain't losing in Long Island brotha.
Richard: When you run something like the Continental Classic that, other than one match, was something that I feel is missing in wrestling (interference and weapons for no reason), it doesn't feel like it is the same show when you have a title match for a fake title. Does Hook come out of the place where Wardlow has been kept captive and try to do something with him? Since it is FTW rules, I expect Danhausen to do something Danhauseny to help Hook win. Then we get Danielson punishing Yuta next week on TV.
Cory: So, it’s a no DQ match. Yuta already has the Pure Championship from Ring of Honor, and without the FTW title, Hook has nothing. Hook will win and maybe he’ll get a story line in the near future.
Twenty Man Battle Royal for Future TNT Championship Match
Dave: Tony Khan. I am kidding. I think.
Mike: Roderick Strong?
Richard: Will we get the Ring of Honor All Stars in this match in case we can't find twenty people who aren't already on this pay per view. Do you try to figure out who would work best with Christian or Copeland or do you give this to someone who deserves that push to the next level. They could go with a member of Action Flight or one of the 'Why are they still together' Jericho Appreciated Society. What about Wardlow? Maybe he can come out of his gulag with Hook and the Gunns. Screw it, I am going with the return of Jack Perry.
Cory: I don’t know as they have even told us who will be involved in this yet. So, to just throw out a name, I’d give it to Shibata now that he is signed with AEW instead of Ring of Honor
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