AEW 2025: Restoring The Feeling

[Rasky]

AEW 2025: Restoring The Feeling
Beginning After Worlds End 2024

Worlds End 2024 Build & Backstory Part 1

AEW World Heavyweight Championship
Champion Jon Moxley defends versus Challenger Darby Allin​

The main event of Worlds End promises to be one of the most hard-hitting, emotional affairs of 2024 as Jon Moxley and Darby Allin go one on one with the AEW World Heavyweight Championship on the line.

Jon Moxley successfully defended the AEW World Heavyweight Championship versus Orange Cassidy at Full Gear. Darby Allin led a show closing brawl alongside new TNT Champion Daniel Garcia, AEW World Tag Team Champions Private Party, and a returning Kenny Omega to set the line in the sand versus The Death Riders' control of All Elite Wrestling. The following Dynamite, Omega announced that Darby Allin would be getting his rightful championship opportunity at Worlds End in Orlando.

The subsequent weeks were just as one would have expected with Darby Allin running the gauntlet against vicious assaults from The Death Riders. Allies quickly became occupied with their own personal feuds thus leaving the former two time TNT Champion to go at it alone. However, if there is one thing about Darby Allin: he is going to take a beating and get back up to give one of his own.

Darby Allin challenged The Death Riders' to a one night gauntlet with a win barring Marina Shafir from ringside at Worlds End. That match occurred on the December 14th Collision as Darby Allin wrestled for 34 minutes to defeat PAC, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta (in that order) to face Jon Moxley one on one. The win did not stop Shafir's presence after the bout though as she choked out Darby Allin. Jon Moxley lead The Death Riders' to tearing mats off the floor for a Paradigm Shift onto the cement. It was reported that Darby Allin suffered an undisclosed injury but he would not miss Worlds End.
Dynamite on 34th Street, a week and a half later, closed out with Jon Moxley and Wheeler Yuta defeating Orange Cassidy and Kyle O'Reilly. The Death Riders' were quick to surround the rings like a predator on their preys, but damage could not be done to The Conglomeration members with Darby Allin's return. Allin quickly went to brawl with his rivals with the use of his skateboard. He was quick to take down Castagnoli, PAC, and Yuta before being face to face with Marina Shafir. Shafir kicked the skateboard from Allin and went for a quick Rear Naked Choke, but it was Kris Statlander who interrupted to take down Shafir.
Security and talent came rushing down by direction of Tony Khan - according to Tony Schiavone - to break apart the brawl and maintain the safety of the New York fans. That was not able to tame this massive brawl though. The Death Riders' and The Conglomeration fought in the crowd as those in attendance began roaring as the camera paned out as Allin climbed the interior of The Hammerstein Ballroom.

Darby Allin shocked the world with a Coffin Drop from nearly the height of Hammerstein's balcony to lay out all security, talent, and most importantly - Jon Moxley. Darby Allin returned to the ring to open the briefcase Marina Shafir holds to lift the AEW World Heavyweight Championship high above his head with intentions clear while the show went off the air.

Is this the end of Jon Moxley’s reign or the beginning of more terror? Is it the beginning of Darby Allin’s meeting with destiny or has he brought on more than he can handle?

Continental Classic Finals
AEW Continental Championship Match
Champion & Blue League Winner Kazuchika Okada defends versus Challenger & Gold League Winner Will Ospreay​

Worlds End for the second year in a row hosts the finals to the exciting round robin Continental Classic Tournament. The current Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada entered the tournament with the potential to win his seventh tournament across professional wrestling. Okada successfully moved through the Blue League against: a returning Bandido, House of Black's Malakai Black, LFI's RUSH, The Hurt Syndicate's Shelton Benjamin, and Swerve Strickland.

Continental Classic Blue League
​

​	Bandido​	Kazuchika Okada​	Malakai Black​	RUSH​	Shelton Benjamin​	Swerve Strickland​
Bandido​	X​	0​	0​	0​	3​	0​
Kazuchika Okada​	3​	X​	3​	0​	3​	3​
Malakai Black​	3​	0​	X​	3​	0​	0​
RUSH​	3​	3​	0​	X​	3​	3​
Shelton Benjamin​	0​	0​	0​	0​	X​	3​
Swerve Strickland​	3​	0​	3​	0​	0​	X​

Bandido - 3 Points
Def. Shelton Benjamin

Kazuchika Okada - 12 Points
Def. Bandido
Def. Malaki Black
Def. Shelton Benjamin
Def. Swerve Strickland

Malakai Black - 6 Points
Def. Bandido
Def. RUSH

RUSH - 12 Points
Def. Bandido
Def. Kazuchika Okada
Def, Shelton Benjamin
Def. Swerve Strickland

Shelton Benjamin - 3 Points
Def. Swerve Strickland

Swerve Strickland - 6 Points
Def. Bandido
Def. Malakai Black​

The champion regained his one loss RUSH in the finals of the Blue League to secure his championship defense at Worlds End.

On the other side, Will Ospreay’s momentum through his first year in All Elite Wrestling continued on while competing in the Gold League. Ospreay had his hands full with “Hangman” Adam Page, a healthy Keith Lee, rival AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita, "Absolute" Ricky Starks, and LFI's The Beast Mortos. Ospreay impressed many with winning all of his matches except for one as he and Starks went to a draw. Ospreay and Starks met again in the finals of the Gold League with The Aerial Assassin winning the second encounter in almost 18 minutes.

Continental Classic Gold League​

​	“Hangman” Adam Page​	Keith Lee​	Konosuke Takeshita​	Ricky Starks​	The Beast Mortos​	Will Ospreay​
“Hangman” Adam Page​	X​	0​	1​	0​	3​	0​
Keith Lee​	3​	X​	0​	0​	3​	0​
Konosuke Takeshita​	1​	3​	X​	3​	0​	0​
Ricky Starks​	3​	3​	0​	X​	3​	1​
The Beast Mortos​	0​	0​	3​	0​	X​	0​
Will Ospreay​	3​	3​	3​	1​	3​	X​

“Hangman” Adam Page - 4 Points
Drew with Konosuke Takeshita
Def. The Beast Mortos

Keith Lee - 6 Points
Def, “Hangman” Adam Page
Def. The Beast Mortos

Konosuke Takeshita - 7 Points
Drew with “Hangman” Adam Page
Def. Keith Lee
Def. Ricky Statks

Ricky Starks - 10 Points
Def. “Hangman” Adam Page
Def. Keith Lee
Def. The Beast Mortos
Drew with Will Ospreay

The Beast Mortos - 3 Points
Def. Konosuke Takeshita

Will Ospreay - 13 Points
Def. “Hangman” Adam Page
Def. Keith Lee
Def. Konosuke Takeshita
Drew with Ricky Starks
Def. The Beast Mortos​

There is not much to say beyond the promise that Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay are destined to have a one on one masterclass with one of AEW’s prized possessions on the line. Can Okada go into the New Year remaining to have the only gold with The Elite or does Will Ospreay taste gold for the third time before the year end?

Singles Match
Kenny Omega versus Jack Perry​

A blockbuster singles match for first time in over three years as Kenny Omega goes one on one with Jack Perry. Kenny Omega has been out of in-ring action since December of last year after being diagnosed with diverticulitis. He made one appearance in May of this year only to be assaulted by his Worlds End opponent and the rest of The Elite. Kenny Omega's return was on full display to stand strong alongside Darby Allin and co. to close out Full Gear. The world was a abuzz at the official return of The Cleaner, and nobody's attention was caught more than Jack Perry.

The Scapegoat unsuccessfully challenged Daniel Garcia to reclaim the TNT Championship at the November 30th edition of Collision. Perry determined his next path of action was to attack an AEW camerman backstage, then to use the camera as a way to speak directly with Kenny Omega. Perry reminded the world what he did when he assaulted and injured Kenny Omega, which is what gave him all of his momentum this year. Perry wants to start 2025 on the right foot by ridding AEW of Kenny Omega again and he wants to do it at Worlds End. That challenge was accepted by Omega on the December 4th Dynamite.

Kenny Omega teamed with Private Party to win trios competition versus Johnny TV and MxM Collection that same Dynamite. After the bell, the victors were all assaulted by Brian Cage and Lance Archer with Don Callis leading direction. Jack Perry slowly made his way to the ring to capitalize on a fallen foe. Jack Perry put the final nail in the coffin with a Running Knee to Kenny Omega then shaking hands with Callis.
The story took a quick pause with doctor's recommending a week away for Kenny Omega. Jack Perry picked up a quick win versus Serpentico on the December 6th Rampage for continued momentum. Kenny Omega went to X to call out the games Perry is playing, and he would rather play along then play against him. Omega offered a Dealer's Choice match for December 18th's Dynamite, which Perry accepted as he chose Powerhouse Hobbs. Omega defeated Hobbs with a V-Trigger then shook his hand as a sign of respect. The Don Callis Family, with Jack Perry, tried to be involved leading to Hobbs, Omega, and Private Party cleaning out the ring of their rivals.

Dynamite on 34th Street pushed tensions to an all time high as Kenny Omega and Jack Perry found their way to the streets of Manhattan to kick off the show The brawl seemingly came to an end after Perry suplexed Omega onto a car. That was after Omega threw a bike at Perry, hot dogs were thrown across the street, and plenty of jay-walking through the Big Apple. Later in the night, both men were arrested by New York Police Department for endangering the lives on hundreds along with damaging property.
Videos obtained by reliable sources show Kenny Omega and Jack Perry going into the same cell while awaiting bail. Tensions remained at an all time high creating a fight once again in the holding area resulting in a larger fine. AEW can now safely announce that Kenny Omega and Jack Perry are released and are separated until both men are in the same ring in Orlando, Florida. The Cleaner and The Scapegoat go one on one with tension at all time high at Worlds End.

Tag Team Match
MJF and Wardlow versus Adam Cole and Roderick Strong
​

It is a safe bet that you would have never expected MJF and Wardlow to be on the same page, yet money and wrath can drive a man back to who he used to be. As the saying goes: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The mutual enemy of Adam Cole and Roderick Strong has brought The Devil and Wardlow together once again.

MJF defeated Roderick Strong at Full Gear with some assistance from the Dynamite Diamond Ring. His victory was short-lived as Adam Cole was waiting in the back to go toe to toe with his former ‘brochacho.’ Adam Cole and Roderick Strong got the last laugh on that night in Newark, New Jersey, by laying out MJF. Friedman went on a tirade with backstage interviewer Alicia Atout where he, in a moment of anger, challenged Adam Cole to a match at Thanksgiving Eve Dynamite. Tony Khan made it official, via X.

That Dynamite - Adam Cole’s entrance was first to the applause and a loud “Bay Bay” from the crowd with Roderick Strong in his corner. MJF's entrance hit to a chorus of boos but 'The Devil' never made an appearance. The riffs of music changed to howls of a wolf as Wardlow came to the ring with an intense purpose. Wardlow laid out Strong with a stiff clothesline on the outside before he went face to face with his former Undisputed Kingdom leader. Cole tried to talk down Wardlow, but he was met with a slap across the face followed up with multiple powerbombs in the center of the ring. Wardlow stood tall in the squared circle for a minute, and as he got to the top of the stage: MJF was waiting for him for the two to shake hands.

Wardlow reflected on his time with The Undisputed Kingdom on Rampage. Wardlow noted how Adam Cole treated him during that time; noting that it was worse than anything Max put him through. Wardlow vowed to help Max take down Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, and the entire Undisputed Kingdom. That began with Mike Bennett winning the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal with an opportunity to challenge MJF for the ring at Winter Is Coming. Mike Bennett seemed to have a win coming his way as Wardlow assaulted Matt Taven ringside to provide the distraction. MJF took advantage of the situation by forcing Bennett to tap out to Salt of the Earth to remain the holder of the Dynamite Diamond Ring.

Wardlow added some insult to injury with a Powerbomb to Mike Bennett after the match. That was followed up with a Powerbomb to Matt Taven onto Mike Bennett. Wardlow stood tall over Taven and Bennett with MJF raising his hand high. Adam Cole and Roderick Strong addressed assault on Rampage calling it an act of cowardice to attack people behind their backs especially when their friends are out of the building. The Acclaimed - mainly Max Castor - interrupted saying that Cole and Strong are the cowards for avoiding MJF and Wardlow. Cole & Strong went on to defeat The Acclaimed on the December 14th Collision.

The following week at Collision on 34th Street, MJF hosted an "Undisputed Meeting at the Happiest Place on Earth" as he invited Cole and Strong to his home on Long Island. MJF and Wardlow sat on one end of the table while Cole and Strong sat the end with only distance, tension, and MJF's butler separating the men. Each duo said their peace about the match in tis time. Adam Cole apologizes for how he treated Wardlow, but he reminds him everything MJF put him through. However, in any case, he is going to beat both their asses for what happened to Bennett and Taven. Strong echoes the sentiments that The Undisputed Kingdom was meant to dismantle the chokehold MJF had on AEW and now it is somehow worse than ever. Strong blames Wardlow in part for letting it even happen, and he is going to break both their back.

MJF found any statement from Cole and Strong just laughable. Friedman's relationship with Wardlow is much different than their first because they are changed men with a common enemy and a common goal. MJF has apologized to Wardlow for their past, and he has forgiven the former TNT Champion for his wrong doings. There is only one thing better for AEW than MJF and it is MJF when he is with Wardlow. Wardlow does not speak besides the end as he promises that The Undisputed Kingdom will be hearing a symphony of destruction and powerbombs at Worlds End.

At World's End, MJF and Wardlow look to dismantle the kingdom created by Adam Cole and Roderick Strong.

Part 2 Coming -

AEW Women's World Championship Match
Champion Mariah May versus Challenger Jamie Hayter

TNT Championship
Champion Daniel Garcia versus Kyle Fletcher

TBS Championship Match
Champion Mercedes Mone versus Challenger Thunder Rosa

Tag Team Match
The Hurt Syndicate versus Swerve Strickland and Ricochet​

 

[Roy Mustang]

Curious to see where this goes and I can see some fun changes to real life. Only main criticism I have is Hangman and Swerve both doing very bad in the C2 and eating 3 losses which feels weird as two of the top acts in AEW who are working right now and are over. Changing the MJF feud makes some sense tho as that has been my least fav part of AEW atm and I can see the merit in doing Darby vs Mox now. Really curious to see where the women go as well as it was good before All In but has fallen off

 

[Stojy]

Firstly, great to see you getting back into things, Rasky. First part of this backstory was relatively solid, and looking to part two, and then the subsequent show. Best of luck with this mate.

 

[DamageCTRL]

I dare you to try and make that women's division better

I'll be watching friend