AEW Worlds End 2023 Results 12/30: Samoa Joe Challenges MJF, Copeland Faces Cage
The inaugural edition of AEW Worlds End is set to kick off tonight on PPV, broadcast live from the Nassau Veteran's Memorial Arena at 8pm ET, with a "Zero Hour" preshow starting at 7pm ET.
The show will be headlined by Samoa Joe challenging MJF for the AEW World Championship, having the advantage of walking in after working with The Devil to attack the champion from behind on "AEW: Dynamite" earlier this week. Elsewhere, Adam Copeland and Christian Cage's issues are set to boil over in a No Disqualification match, and the Continental Classic will draw to a close as Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston collide to become the first-ever Triple Crown Champion.
Here is the full card for tonight's show:
- Zero Hour: 20-man battle royale (winner gets a TNT Championship shot)
- Zero Hour: Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale
- Zero Hour: HOOK (c) vs. Wheeler Yuta (FTW Championship Match)
- Ricky Starks, Big Billy, Powerhouse Hobbs, & Konosuke Takeshita vs. Le Sex Gods, Sting, & Darby Allin
- Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson, Mark Briscoe, & Daniel Garcia vs. Brody King, Jay Lethal, Jay White, & RUSH
- Julia Hart (c) vs. Abadon (TBS Championship Match)
- Swerve Strickland vs. Dustin Rhodes
- Miro vs. Andrade El Idolo
- Toni Storm (c) vs. Riho (AEW Women's World Championship Match)
- Eddie Kingston vs. Jon Moxley (Continental Classic Final for the Triple Crown Championship)
- Christian Cage (c) vs. Adam Copeland (No Disqualification Match for the TNT Championship)
- MJF (c) vs. Samoa Joe (AEW World Championship Match)
Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale
Willow Nightingale starts out in control by bringing Kris Statlander down to the mat, but the former TBS Champion responds with a side headlock takedown. Nightingale responds well with a crossbody, and she then clotheslines Statlander out of the ring. She then launches herself from the ring apron to take down Statlander again, but it's not enough to get the victory.
Statlander fires back with some chops in the corner of the ring and then an elbow strike, but Nightingale comes back with an enziguri and then a lariat. However, Statlander avoids a high boot and connects with a backdrop which gets her a near fall. Both ladies then go back and forth with shoulder charges which eventually leads to both hitting the mat, but Nightingale is up first and charges into Statlander and then hits a high boot. She follows with a big spinebuster, but that only gains a two-count.
They then have the same idea and trade suplexes back and forth, but Statlander drives Nightingale into the turnbuckles and then hoists her up before planting her face-first onto the mat. However, Nightingale turns it around once again, this time with a pounce which is followed by a cannonball! Nightingale hits a Death Valley Driver, but it's not enough to win the match.
Statlander manages to connect with a scissor kick as the momentum swings once again, and this time it is Nightingale's turn to kick out. Statlander looks to scale the top turnbuckle but Nightingale pulls her down and then powerbombs her onto the ring apron. She follows that with a missile dropkick, but it's still not enough to win! Statlander looks for Saturday Night Fever but Nightingale reverses with a pinfall attempt.
The two then exchange enziguris, but Statlander then connects with a discus lariat, but misses with a 450 and Nightingale turns her inside out with a lariat. She looks for the Doctor Bomb again but Statlander avoids it. She then hits the move but it doesn't connect properly so she does it again for the win.
Winner: Willow Nightingale
A video package is then shown for Serena Deeb making her return.
20-Man Battle Royale (Winner Earns A TNT Championship Match)
The match starts with an all-out brawl at ringside with Killswitch and Lance Archer being covered in tables by everybody else. When everyone gets inside Serpentico is eliminated immediately, while The Butcher and The Blade try to eliminate Dalton Castle but he fights them off until Kip Sabian blasts him off the ring apron to eliminate him from the match.
Best Friends then work together to eliminate Johnny TV, while Cool Hand Ange is able to get rid of Lee Johnson. The Dark Order works together to attack Ange though and he is promptly thrown over the top rope as well. Alex Reynolds and John Silver try to work together on Matt Menard, but he's able to turn it around. That's because Butcher, Blade, and Sabian all start attacking Reynolds – eliminating him.
Silver then takes the fight to Blade, but Butcher comes from behind and throws him out of the ring. Sabian then gets attacked by the Best Friends members, and Bryan Keith finishes the job by eliminating him. Danhausen looks to curse Keith but Butcher and Blade stop it from happening, and they then eliminate Keith. Outside the ring, Archer rouses and gets into the ring, immediately attacking everyone in sight.
He eliminates Daddy Magic and then Christopher Daniels, but the Best Friends trio begins attacking him only to be taken out by the big man with a double clothesline as he then throws Rocky Romero out of the ring. Andretti chugs a bottle of water and he and Darius Martin take the fight to the bigger man. Killswitch then comes in and the two big men eliminate Andretti and Martin.
Archer sends Blade out of the ring while Killswitch does the same to Butcher. Archer nails Killswitch with a big boot, but Trent Beretta and Danhausen work together to eliminate Archer. They then hug inside the ring, but Trent instantly eliminates Danhausen and then hits three running knees to Killswitch. The big man misses when trying to eliminate his opponent, but both men end up on the ring apron, but a headbutt from Killswitch gets him the win.
Winner: Killswitch
HOOK (c) vs. Wheeler Yuta (FTW Championship Match)
HOOK immediately takes the fight to Wheeler Yuta with several body shots in the corner, while Yuta tries to fight back it is once again HOOK that gets the best of the exchange. He launches Yuta across the ring with a hip toss, but Yuta goes out of the ring and throws in some trash cans for this FTW Rules match. He tries to get back into the ring but HOOK blasts him down and fights him up the ramp.
Yuta then gets launched down the ramp, but he grabs a trash can lid and bounces it off HOOK's head. He then sends him colliding into the barricade and slams HOOK onto the announce table in front of his father. Inside the ring, Yuta sets up a trash can in the corner and then hits a senton onto HOOK while he is laid on a stop sign. HOOK fights back with several clotheslines and then a Northern Light's suplex into a bridge, but Yuta kicks out.
Yuta reverses a Red Rum attempt with a couple of German Suplexes, but HOOK responds with some of his own as the two then trade elbow strikes. Yuta then bites the champion and follows it with a fisherman suplex, but that's not enough to get the win. However, HOOK manages to send Yuta crashing into the trash can in the corner with a suplex, but the Blackpool Combat Club member kicks out. HOOK aims for a submission attempt but Yuta quickly drops HOOK down onto a different trash can, breaking the hold.
Yuta DDT's HOOK onto a stop sign, but it's still not enough to get the match won. Yuta then grabs a 2x4, but HOOK swipes his leg with a hockey stick and then slaps it across his back. He uses the stick to enhance Red Rum, forcing Yuta to submit.
Winner (and still FTW Champion): HOOK
Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson, Mark Briscoe, & Daniel Garcia vs. Brody King, Jay Lethal, Jay White, & RUSH
Claudio Castagnoli and RUSH kick things off by going back and forth with forearms until RUSH hits a German suplex only for Castagnoli to respond with a lariat. The two men stare each other down and then tag out as Jay Lethal and Mark Briscoe come into the fray as they exchange chops until Lethal backs out and Jay White and Bryan Danielson tag in. The "American Dragon" almost locks in the LeBell Lock straight away, but White manages to grab the ropes.
Danielson manages to take down White with a hurricanrana, and he then unloads his traditional round kicks. Daniel Garcia tags himself in before he finishes them, but so does Brody King who starts cleaning house, knocking all his opponents off the ring apron. He takes the fight to Garcia and pushes Daddy Magic who is on commentary. RUSH comes in and continues the attack of Garcia, but his decision to mock Garcia's dance angers him.
However, RUSH takes Garcia back into their corner as Lethal stomps away at him. White then enters and focuses on the leg of Garcia, but he then fires up and starts attacking everyone which allows him to tag Briscoe in. He fights both Lethal and White, as Danielson goes through the ropes to hit RUSH. Castagnoli hits an uppercut to King as Briscoe launches into White and then hits a diving elbow from the apron onto RUSH.
Back inside the ring, Briscoe nails a fisherman's bomb, but White kicks out. Lethal then tags in and connects with a superplex to Briscoe, with King then coming in only for Briscoe to tag out to Castagnoli. They exchange forearm strikes as Castagnoli then nails a standing suplex, but RUSH breaks up the pinfall. Castagnoli then hits the Giant Swing until Danielson ends it with a dropkick to King, adding further damage. Castagnoli and Lethal both tag in as they exchange blows until Lethal Combination is hit. That's followed with the Figure Four but it is broken up. The match then unfolds with everyone nailing their finishers in a row until Garcia avoids Lethal Injection and get a pinfall reversal.
Winners: Garcia, Danielson, Briscoe, & Castagnoli
Miro vs. Andrade El Idolo w/CJ Perry
Miro jumped Andrade El Idolo the moment he entered the ring to hit his pose as he then beat down on his opponent. He tries to respond with a few chops, but Miro just walks through them, only for El Idolo to avoid Miro and send him outside the ring. He tries to hit a suicide dive, but that gets cut out with a chop to El Idolo. Inside the ring, Idolo connects with a big boot, but Miro responds by launching his opponent across the ring.
Miro then attacks the back of El Idolo, pushing him down onto the middle rope. This continues outside the ring with Miro launching El Idolo into the barricade, but El Idolo responds by sending Miro into the announce table and then the steel stairs. As they fight back into the ring, Miro brings El Idolo in hard with a superplex as they then exchange hard shots until Miro with a big clothesline.
El Idolo manages to hit a dragon screw on the ropes, following it up with a dive from the top turnbuckle as he keeps up the attack. However, as he looks for a running knee attack Miro gets out of the ring only for El Idolo to hit a moonsault to the outside as he drives him into the steps again. Back inside the ring, Miro avoids El Idolo's Moonsault from the top rope, but he lands on his feet and hits a standing one straight away.
Despite that, Miro manages to lock in the Game Over submission, but he grabs the ropes. El Idolo catches Miro with a huge spinning elbow strike to get back into the match, and he then locks in the Figure Four Leglock until Miro reverses it until El Idolo lock it back in and turns it into a Figure Eight. However, with the official distracted, Perry swipes the arms of her client and turns which leads to Miro nailing him with a pump kick and then the Game Over submission which ends things.
Winner: Miro
Toni Storm (c) w/Luther vs.Riho (AEW Women's World Championship Match)
Toni Storm starts out mocking Riho about her size, but the challenger tries to fight back only to be slammed to the mat by the champion. Riho tries to respond with a body slam, but Storm doesn't allow it so she nails a few dropkicks instead. Riho nails a flying knee and then a bulldog as she remains in control with a roundhouse kick sending Storm out of the ring.
Riho attempts a diving crossbody but is caught by Luther who hands her to Storm to slam down to the floor. Storm slams Riho down once again inside the ring repeatedly, but the challenger can kick out. Riho then tweaks her back so Storm focuses on it with a powerbomb as she steps onto her back to put further pressure on the area. Storm locks in a single-leg crab to place further pressure on the back, but Riho reaches the ropes to break it.
Storm follows that with a Texas Cloverleaf, Luther then tries to get involved again but this time gets caught and he is thrown to the back. Riho is able to get out of the submission because of that, and she then fires back with elbow strikes as she sends Storm onto the middle rope to hit the 619. That's followed by a diving crossbody, and a slam to the mat. Riho then nails another diving crossbody, this time outside the ring. She follows it with a stomp onto the ring apron, nailing a dragon suplex inside the ring, but Storm kicks out.
Storm sends Riho to the corner but misses with the hip attack only for the champion to nail Storm Zero straight after, which Riho kicks out from. Riho then goes for some roll-ups, but Storm grabs the ropes to stop it. Riho heads to the rop rope but Storm simply pulls the legs, slamming her down, and she then pulls Riho over and hits a DDT to win.
Winner (and still AEW Women's World Champion): Toni Storm
After the match Mariah May comes out with a bucket of petals and throws them onto the champion.
Swerve Strickland vs. Dustin Rhodes
Swerve Strickland jumps Dustin Rhodes as he tries to get into the ring and then opts to launch him repeatedly into the ring barricade and then the steel stairs. Strickland then follows that with a running knee strike into the stairs. Prince Nana then pulls out a cinder block and puts Rhodes' leg over it while Strickland stomps onto it, crushing the block underneath as doctors then check on Rhodes with the bell never ringing.
Despite the doctors coming out and taking him up the ramp to the back, Rhodes turns around and goes back to the ring for the match to actually happen. The bell rings and Strickland immediately targets the lower leg, with Rhodes being unable to mount much comeback. Strickland slowly teases him by kicking at the leg. Rhodes then gets placed onto the top turnbuckle where he gets a few shots in, but Strickland quickly regains his control.
Rhodes fights back with several headbutts though that send Strickland back to the mat, and Rhodes manages to hit a diving crossbody and then a few major right hands. Rhodes then busts out a Canadian Destroyer and a snapping power slam as he sets Strickland in the corner to hit the Natural Kick. Rhodes then hits a piledriver, and then Cross Rhodes, but Strickland kicks out.
Strickland then goes back to the leg with a stretched muffle submission while Strickland also stomps on the head of the veteran, but he reaches the ropes. Rhodes then flips off Strickland and spits on him, to which Strickland responds with several House Call shots. Strickland then snaps the arm of Rhodes and follows it with the Swerve Stomp.
Winner: Swerve Strickland
Ricky Starks, Big Billy, Powerhouse Hobbs, & Konosuke Takeshita vs. Le Sex Gods, Sting, & Darby Allin
Sammy Guevara and Konosuke Takeshita start things out with the "Spanish God" nailing a chop only for Takeshita to deliver a headbutt. Guevara responds with a diving crossbody, and Chris Jericho tags in and works with Guevara to take Takeshita down before delivering a few chops only for Takeshita to hit a clothesline. Ricky Starks tags in but Powerhouse Hobbs then tags in anyway and hits a shoulder tackle to the veteran as he then nails a splash in the corner. Big Bill enters the fray, but Jericho hits a kick and brings in Darby Allin.
He sends Bill reeling with a diving attack and Takeshita comes back in and looks for a rolling German suplex but Allin lands on his feet and then dropkicks the Don Callis star before hitting Code Red for a nearfall. Takeshita responds with an avalanche helicopter blue thunder bomb, but Allin kicks out. Hobbs comes back in and attacks Allin with a series of punches. He and Bill then work together and swing Allin and launch him into the ring post.
Starks then tags but misses with a Stinger Splash as Allin hits a jawbreaker, but Hobbs stomps on Allin to stop the tag. He talks trash to Starks and Takeshita then comes in and so does Sting! The veteran starts unloading with shots to Starks and Takeshita before hitting several Stinger splashes. Sting and Jericho then do stereo versions of the move onto the bigger men, but Bill and Hobbs fight back and knock both men down.
Guevara comes in and looks for a rolling cutter for Starks but he blocks it only for Guevara to hit a diving cutter instead. Bill then yanks him away to deny the pinfall attempt, and he then nails a bossman slam, only to turn into a Codebreaker. Bill fights through that immediately and then beats down on Jericho, who responds with a big boot and a missile dropkick, but he runs into a Spinebuster from Hobbs.
Allin takes out Hobbs but then gets launched across the ring by Takeshita only for Sting to come in and lock in the Scorpion Deathlock, but Callis breaks it up by threatening to hit him. Sting chases him away, and Jericho locks in the Walls Of Jericho to Hobbs while Sting sets in the Scorpion Deathlock. Starks breaks it up and then Bill nails a big boot to Sting, but Allin manages to dropkick the big man to the floor, following with a suicide dive.
Starks then comes in and nails a Spear to Guevara, but it's not enough for the win. However, Guevara responds with a GTH as he then hits a Shooting Star Press for the win.
Winners: Guevara, Sting, Allin, & Jericho
Julia Hart (c) vs. Abadon (TBS Championship Match - Biting Is Allowed)
Abadon catches Julia Hart with a cutter immediately and then batters several lariats in the corner of the ring before nailing a splash and then even more lariats. Abadon then plants Hart to the mat, but the champion manages to kick out. The House Of Black star tries to fire back with some shots of her own, but Abadon regains control immediately. Hart runs into Abadon, but she then goes for a crucifix pin, only for Abadon to kick out.
Hart then attacks the back of Abadon, launching the challenger out of the ring, and following up with a suplex on the outside. Back inside the ring, Hart pushes Abadon down onto the middle rope, but they respond by slingshotting Hart into the top rope. The champion attempts to pull the arms of Abadon, but the challenger then begins biting the arm of Hart repeatedly, making use of the House Rules stipulation.
Abadon then hits a running knee attack before a codebreaker, but Hart kicks out. She responds with a blindsided lariat and looks for her finisher, locking up Abadon, but they reverse into a pinfall attempt which breaks the submission. Hart then gets planted to the mat once again as Abadon follows up with a running knee strike, but Hart kicks out. Abadon then bites the head of Hart, but as they scale the top turnbuckle Skye Blue appears and pulls her down to the mat. Abadon sits up and then batters Blue outside the ring with a short-arm lariat.
However, Hart takes advantage of the situation with a clubbing blow to the back of Abadon's head, launching the challenger into the steel stairs repeatedly. Hart then heads to the top turnbuckle and hits a Moonsault Press.
Winner (and still TBS Champion): Julia Hart
Christian Cage (c) vs. Adam Copeland (TNT Championship No Disqualification Match)
Adam Copeland takes the fight to Christian Cage as he makes his entrance, launching him into the stage panel at the top of the ramp. Copeland then brings Cage down to the ring, launching him into the barricade repeatedly as he sips a beer from a fan. He continues the barrage by sending Cage into the steel stairs and he then looks to stomp his head onto it but Cage escapes through the crowd.
Copeland gives chase and heads up to the level above Cage, diving back down upon him. Back at ringside Copeland runs along the ring barricade and dives onto Cage before taking the match into the ring to beat down on his former friend even more. He then aims for a Spear, but Cage sees it coming and sidesteps – allowing Copeland to crash into the ring post. He then takes the fight to the stairs and stomps Copeland's head into it, but back inside the ring the "Rated-R Superstar" kicks out.
Cage then introduces a kendo stick, nailing several strikes to the back of Copeland as he then uses it to choke him. Cage then brings in a chair and slams it onto the back of Copeland as he poses and brags. He then sits on a chair on the back of Copeland's neck while locking in a Boston Crab at the same time. Cage then misses with a metal rod, and Copeland drives him down to the ring as a response.
Copelan then begins using the kendo stick before locking in a Crossface submission, adding the metal pipe into the situation for further damage. Copeland pulls out a ladder and makes a bridge in the corner which he slingshots Cage into, but he then fires back with a kendo stick attack. Cage heads up the ladder, but Copeland gets up and meets him at the top, with Cage hitting a sunset flip powerbomb, but Copeland still kicks out.
Cage and Nick Wayne open up a table outside the ring, but Copeland blocks it only for him to drive Cage onto a chair. He aims for a con-chair-to, but Wayne pulls the chair away as Cage comes in with a low blow. Cage sets a table in the corner and tries to Spear Copeland through it, but he sees it coming and reverses. Copeland throws a chair into Cage's face and then delivers the move himself. However, as he has it won, Mother Wayne pulls the official out of the ring. Her son then hits him with a title on the back of the head. Cage then hits the Killswitch, but Copeland kicks out!
Cage and Wayne then light a table on fire, but Copeland Spears Cage inside the ring to stop it. He then sets the table back on fire and then powerbombs Wayne into it, although it doesn't quite break. Back inside the ring, Cage tries to hit him with the title, but Copeland nails a low blow and then his own Killswitch.
Winner (and new TNT Champion): Adam Copeland
After the match, Killswitch appears and attacks Copeland from behind. He hits a Chokeslam onto a chair and then pulls out his contract for a TNT Championship that he won earlier, but Cagedemands he gives it to him, and he does. Cage signs it and the bell rings for a new TNT Championship match. He hits a Spear and regains the title.
Winner (and new TNT Champion): Christian Cage
Jon Moxley vs. Eddie Kingston (Continental Classic Final for the Triple Crown Championship)
The two men start out slowly until Jon Moxley brings Eddie Kingston to the mat to nail a kick to the spine. They then exchange chops until Kingston nails a kick, and the fight then heads outside of the ring as Kingston dives out of the ring to take out Moxley, while also landing on his head. Moxley then hits a German suplex inside the ring, and as they go to the floor he nails the Paradigm Shift to increase the damage.
Back inside the ring, Kingston behind throwing hands once again until Moxley blocks it and then begins attacking his opponent, connecting with a piledriver which gets him a nearfall. The two begin unloading chops against each other, and they both then look for lariats at the same time, with Kingston then throwing Moxley across the ring. However, Moxley's knee then gives up, and that allows Kingston to connect with the Uraken.
He follows it with his rapid chops in each corner of the ring before planting Moxley with a DDT, but he responds with a cutter. Kingston then hits a Uraken, but Moxley falls back and bounces off the ropes to hit a lariat. Kingston reacts himself though with powerbomb, following it with the hammer and anvil elbow strikes. Moxley regains control with the Bulldog Choke, but Kingston locks in a submission of his own, but Moxley quickly brings back the Bulldog Choke once again as Kingston starts to fade out.
He stays alive right at the last, and he then manages to get the ropes to force the break. Moxley then heads to him but Kingston nails another Uraken, and Moxley kicks out. However, he follows it with a Northen Lights Bomb, and once again Kingston kicks out. Kingston hits several knee strikes, only to be dropped with a King Kong Lariat. They exchange strikes while on their knees and then they just exchange slaps until another Uraken is hit, and Kingston gets the win.
Winner: Eddie Kingston
MJF (c) vs. Samoa Joe (AEW World Championship Match)
Before the match begins, Adam Cole makes his way out to be in the corner of MJF.
MJF starts the match aggressively, but as he tries to run into Samoa Joe in the corner he immediately slams him down to the mat. Joe then slowly picks away at his opponent, dropping him down to the mat again as he then begins grasping the injured arm of the champion which he follows up with an enziguri in the corner. Joe then looks for a Muscle Buster but MJF escapes and then pulls down the ropes to ensure Joe goes out of the ring.
As Joe comes back in MJF tries to catch him with an inside cradle, but it's not enough. MJF then hits a superkick, but Joe immediately regains control with a Death Valley Driver. He follows it with a German suplex, but MJF manages to get his foot on the rope to stop the pinfall. The two men then brawl on the ring apron, but Joe comes out on top by nailing a Muscle Buster onto the apron!
MJF manages to kick out, and he tries to get a shot at Joe but he is immediately smacked for his troubles. MJF then gets placed on the top turnbuckle, but he fights back and leapfrogs over him as he tries to charge in, following up with a rolling elbow to the back of the head. MJF then begins slamming Joe's head into the top turnbuckle repeatedly, and he then tries to lift Joe up, but he collapses under the weight of Joe.
He does focus on the arm of Joe though, yanking it down on the top rope which allows him to hit the Heat Seeker. MJF then manages to transition into an armbar by using the tape, but Joe reverses that with one of his own, wrenching on the injured arm, but the champion makes the ropes. Joe then gets charged into the official by MJF, taking out Bryce Remsberg, and he uses the opportunity to hit a low blow.
This time, MJF does get Joe up on his shoulders to deliver an F5, but the official isn't able to do the count quickly enough, and Joe kicks out. MJF then asks for the ring, but Cole stutters as he looks for it which allows Joe to come in with a submission, but MJF walks the turnbuckles and comes back to get a pinfall attempt. Joe kicks out and locks in the Coquina Clutch, but MJF fades away and Joe picks up the win.
Winner (and new AEW World Champion): Samoa Joe
Post-match, Cole gets into the ring to console MJF, but then The Devil's goons turn up and grab both men. They both demand that they get hit instead of the other one, but then the lights turn out. When the lights come back on, it is Cole who is sat on the chair, and The Kingdom and Wardlow reveal themselves as the masked men. MJF asks Cole how he could do this and the goons instantly start beating him up as Wardlow nails a Powerbomb. The show comes to an end with Adam Cole and his group standing over MJF