Hook, Luchasaurus, Willow Nightingale Prevail On AEW Worlds End Zero Hour

The AEW Worlds End Zero Hour has ended after three matches to prelude Saturday night's pay-per-view card. The first match of the night saw former AEW TBS Women's Champion Kris Statlander taking on Willow Nightingale in a rematch of their October title bout at "Battle of the Belts VIII." Statlander won their last outing, but on Saturday, it was Nightingale who picked up the win, landing one not-so-clean Doctor Bomb before following up with a second to get the pin. After their match, a video package played to hype Serena Deeb's imminent return to action. 

The second bout of the Zero Hour was a 20-man battle royal to determine a future challenger for the AEW TNT Championship, which could be held by either Adam Copeland or Christian Cage when the PPV is over. The match featured fan favorites like Dalton Castle, Roppongi Vice, and Danhausen, alongside behemoths like Killswitch and Lance Archer. The final three of the bout were Danhausen, Killswitch, and Trent Beretta, with Beretta eliminating Danhausen before being thrown out himself by Killswitch, who won the match and the future title shot. He held the title earlier this year before dropping it in a three-way to current champion Christian Cage, with whom Killswitch has extensive history.

The final match of the Zero Hour was an "FTW Rules" match between Wheeler Yuta and Hook for the latter's FTW World Championship. Yuta cut a typically heelish promo to the crowd before Hook's entrance, riffing on the Long Island venue before he was interrupted by the champion. Several weapons were used in the bout by both participants, but Hook finished the match locking in his Redrum submission with a broken hockey stick he had smashed over Yuta, causing the challenger to tap for the submission victory.