AEW Worlds End 2024 Discussion

[Kamran]

Trailer:

Card:

• Four-way match for the AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Orange Cassidy vs. "Hangman" Adam Page vs. Jay White    
• Tijuana Street Fight for the AEW Women's World Championship: Mariah May (c) vs. Thunder Rosa
• AEW International Championship: Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Powerhouse Hobbs
• AEW Dynamite Diamond Ring: MJF (ring holder) vs. Adam Cole (with Matt Taven and Mike Bennett)
• AEW TBS Championship: Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Kris Statlander
• Continental Classic Final for the AEW Continental Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) or Ricochet vs. Kyle Fletcher or Will Ospreay
• Continental Classic Semifinal: Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher
• Continental Classic Semifinal: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Ricochet

Zero Hour

• Toni Storm vs. Leila Grey
• Jeff Jarrett vs. QT Marshall
• The Outrunners and Top Flight vs. Lio Rush, Action Andretti, and Murder Machines

Poster:

 

Edited December 28, 2024 by Kamran
Zero Hour matches added

[Supremo]

It’s an improvement in every way on Full Gear. Better card. Better TV leading into it. More momentum. Better Guns N’ Roses song. It’s nice to be slightly excited again.

It also helps that they’ve rematched two of the best matches from Full Gear, going back to Ospreay vs. Fletcher and Mercedes vs. Statlander. I don’t see how either can fail.

The less said about MJF vs. Adam Cole, the better. They need to just close the door on this bullshit and move on forever. Anything less than a clean finish where both guys go their separate ways would be promotional malpractice. Hopefully they have a good match to at least go out on a high. Nobody needs a good showing as much as Adam Cole right now. Remember when he headlined the biggest show of all time? Genuinely can’t think of a bigger fall from grace.

It won’t happen, of course, but I’d love a shock Title change in the World’s Title match. The Death Rider thing hasn’t worked. Everyone knows it. Even Mox seems to be sulking through it at this point. I’d love them to cut their losses, subvert the whole thing and just go with Cassidy or Hangman. I know the most likely scenario is Moxley dropping it to Darby next year, but is anything truly gained by stretching this bollocks out just because it’s THE PLAN?

Almost a promotional cheat code to do two Will Ospreay matches on one show. Best wrestler alive. Ten stars minimum. Banked.

It speaks to what a turnaround Ricochet’s had that not only does it not seem silly that he’s in the Semi Finals, but I wouldn’t even be too bothered if he made the Finals or even won it. They’ve done a spectacular job leaning into what a whopper he is. Something I don’t think anyone thought possible; they’ve proven Ricochet was under-utilised in WWE and there was something better they could have been doing with him. Did he even tease a heel turn in WWE? Feels like he just existed as the most boring flippy babyface loser for years on end.

I’d like Will Ospreay to win the Tournament as a capper of what’s been a surprisingly incredible first year in the company, but I think the result is quite obvious. It’ll be Ospreay vs. Okada in the Finals. Okada will win. Confetti. Streamers. Fireworks.

And then the lights will go out.

 

[gmoney]

Fucking Christ. He wouldn't look out of place on a Kapow poster. Has he just gotten into Derek?

Edited December 26, 2024 by gmoney

[gmoney]

3 minutes ago, gmoney said:

 

Edit

Edited December 26, 2024 by gmoney

[Devon Malcolm]

I'll watch Takeshita vs Hobbs and Bleacher Report the rest, I think. It's not too late for Christmas to be ruined.

[tiger_rick]

The wrestling will be very good and the TV week to week has been mostly enjoyable for months but this is a poor card. No-one is buying it, surely? The C2 semis and final will be great but we've just had a month of great matches on TV with all these guys. I'm not sure that's encouragement to spend money. 

The four-way is a mistake. It's not a PPV attraction, it's a throwaway match on a monthly PPV that you already get for your $9.99.

The only match that's years in the making and should have a backstory that has people wetting themselves to see it features two of the coldest guys on the roster and has been pretty much ruined by a retcon on Cody/Rock levels. Nah. I'll just catch up later too.

14 hours ago, gmoney said:

Fucking Christ. He wouldn't look out of place on a Kapow poster. Has he just gotten into Derek?

Annoying this. Whatever the angle is doing for people, Mox has a great look at the moment and they've used a hideous old pic on the poster. Where's the quality control?

[The King of Old School]

Looking forward to another 6 matches being announced yet.

[Guest]

So, look, this is a test of Tony Khan's nerve. Does he continue the push of Kyle Fletcher and have him beat Osprey and Okada ON THE SAME NIGHT [/jericho]  to cement his push. Or Ricochet could fluke his way past them both and cement his cocky heel turn.  The one person who does not need to win is Will bigod Osprey. He gains nothing from winning and loses nothing from, erm, losing. I can imagine Tony flaking and deciding he should just bank on Osprey, and Billy barricading himself in his locker room until Khan agrees to let him lose. You know it makes sense Tony. 

Kenny Omega to return to confront Jon Moxley and have a confusing, lusty exhange with Hangman. 

Takeshita vs Hobbs to be absolutely wonderful men smashing into each other. 

Glad to see that Private Party have a push now they;re the tag champs....

[Tim Healys Chutney Spoon]

20 hours ago, The King of Old School said:

Looking forward to another 6 matches being announced yet.

----

#AEWWorldsEnd ZERO HOUR, hosted by Renee Paquette & RJ City, starts at 6:30pm ET/3:30pm PT LIVE TOMORROW on AEW's X, Facebook, and YouTube!

 

▶️ youtube.com/live/nj9Sk2LEa_4

 

• QT Marshall vs. Jeff Jarrett

• Toni Storm vs. Leila Grey 

• 8-Man Tag: Top Flight & The Outrunners vs. Lio Rush / Action Andretti & Murder Machines (Brian Cage / Lance Archer)

-----

There's 3 on Zero Hour

[RedTwoster]

A Saturday PPV during the festive season…I decided to order it, and it was a good show.

Some random thoughts…

AEW needs to be careful not to fall into the same trap as WCW and TNA. Match after match, the established wrestler won on this show - presumably to justify their pay packets. But AEW has to avoid a situation in which they become the retirement home for older wrestlers, giving them one last big payday while their younger wrestlers leave for WWE to become big stars. That hasn’t happened yet - but it’s something Tony Khan needs to consider. 

Mercedes Mone had another fantastic PPV match. It’s a shame her character is utterly abysmal. She’s also overshadowing the Women’s World title - although Storm/May is an interesting feud, perhaps Mone should be carrying the World title rather than the TBS belt, giving it credibility. If you ignore the TV product and focus only on PPVs, you’d have to say Mercedes has been a superb signing - taking both into account, she’s somewhere in the middle. 

Fans booing the Undisputed Kingdom group hug gave me mixed feelings. The best reaction would have been utter silence. The last thing I want is for Khan to think it merits a heel turn, that faction needs to go away forever. Send Strong and O’Reilly to ROH, Taven and Bennett to Neptune (lord knows, Khan has the money for that) and have Cole carve out his own identity away from them. He’s shown glimpses of adequacy, and he’s a likeable guy outside of wrestling - he just needs to be kept away from his pals, and from MJF.

And speaking of MJF…I hope he leaves AEW. He used to be a weekly highlight, and now he’s hard to watch. His wrestling is great, but the storylines he’s involved in have been awful ever since his most recent return. Both AEW and MJF would benefit from his departure.

Will Hobbs had his best match ever on this show - and I hope they capitalise on that. I’d love to have seen him in the Continental classic. He’d always struck me as Wardlow, but with actual upside. Play your cards right, and he could be a big star for AEW. Hobbs, Fletcher and Takeshita should be priorities in 2025 for AEW. If any of them feels the need to move to WWE to get an opportunity to break into the main event scene, it’s a huge failing on Tony Khan’s part.

It was nice to see Kenny Omega return, but I’m not particularly bothered about an Omega/Okada feud. Perhaps I will be as it progresses.

[DavidB6937]

Definitely an AEW PPV. Spectacular matches. Some questionable results. Some even more questionable angles and developments.

Imagine thinking what 2025 needs is Adam Cole and his mates. Fucks sake. Mox should focus on ending them not Rampage!

[Slapnut]

58 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

It was nice to see Kenny Omega return, but I’m not particularly bothered about an Omega/Okada feud. Perhaps I will be as it progresses.

For me, I can’t help but feel like it’s a waste of the clearly limited time we have left with Kenny as an active wrestler. This match happened, what, three or four times in New Japan right? There are loads of fresh matches for him I’d prefer to see before he hangs up his boots.

[Hannibal Scorch]

Best in the World

 

[Merzbow]

I've only seen the bog roll incident so far but I love it, Prince Nana's throwback to the late Jimmy Rave.

[BrodyGraham]

Haven't watched the Classic final or Main Event 4 way yet, but up to that point, a really good show.

The visuals of Ricochet in the ring with varying degrees of bog roll were brilliant. I dunno if they had someone set dressing them off camera but the initial shot of Ricochet standing next to the perfectly piled singular loo roll and the closer with him hunched shoulders wearing an Andrex neck tie are burned into my retinas.

I think there's a high ceiling for Mariah May but Thunder Rosa remains almost a female Ricky Starks. People keep telling me she's important or good or a star, but I don't think she stands out in any way other than a talent for 'hustle' or self promotion.

The matches that you expect to bang  have, so far, banged.

I've no interest in the MJF/Adam Cole Cinematic Universe. The match was a functional PPV mid card breather match, The Undisputed Kingdom regrowing means nothing. The only thing I'm missing that would make me more ambivalent is Wardlow coming back.