3 Takeaways From AEW’s World’s End 2025

On paper, Konosuke Takeshita should be a magnificent wrestler. He, like most of his peers, is a powerful technician who is as adept with slams as he is with strikes. He has also been fairly successful, winning titles not just in AEW, but in New Japan (NJPW) and DDT (formerly Dramatic Dream Team) as well.

Yet, despite all those accolades, Takeshita has struggled to become popular. In his home country alone, he has already suffered a double ignominy. First, his title unifier against Yota Tsuji has been consigned to playing second fiddle to Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement match against Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 20. Takeshita was then beaten to Tokyo Sports MVP by World of Stardom Champion Saya Kamitani – the first time a woman had received the award.

Takeshita’s Continental Classic semifinal match against Okada occurred next. “The Rainmaker” has historically excelled in this tournament with clean and convincing wins, but he had to use a screwdriver to beat his peer. Regardless of the nature, however, it has sent Western fans a message: the so-called “Alpha” and “Future” is not what he projects himself as.

2) Mercedes Mone’s Downfall Will Be One Of The Most Intriguing Angles Of 2026

Since joining AEW in 2024, Mercedes Mone has become a far cry from what she was in WWE. She has become a holder of multiple belts and a bona fide star, combining top-notch in-ring work with an arrogance that just wants to be popped.

Lately, however, “The CEO”‘s domineering façade has been starting to show cracks. Red Velvet regained the Ring of Honor Pure Championship from Mone at Final Battle, then she lost the RevPro titles to Alex Windsor. On Saturday, Mone and Athena failed to dethrone Women’s Tag Team Champions Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron.

What stood out, however, was not the result itself, but rather the aftermath: Mone was chewed out by Athena. That may set the stage for a future confrontation, possibly with the TBS title on the line, and if Mone loses, then it may be the beginning of the end.

1) MJF Has Regained His Mojo – And Everyone Did Not Expect It

More than three years ago, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, aka MJF, became the king of AEW. His title reign was characterized by an improvement in his wrestling technique, while morphing his signature brashness into something the fans could get behind. Adam Cole’s betrayal of him after World’s End 2023 was a perfect karmic moment for him, given the nastiness that he had displayed throughout his career.

Since then, however, outside of a light heavyweight title reign in CMLL, MJF treaded water. He failed to wrest the World title from Adam Page, then lost a feud against Mark Briscoe after winning a guaranteed title shot. MJF then waited until the last possible moment to invoke said shot – after Samoa Joe, Page, and Swerve Strickland had stolen all the attention.

Yet that lack of build proved to be MJF’s greatest ally on Saturday. Two years after he suffered heartbreak, he has returned to the mountaintop – by pinning the man who ended his first reign, no less. He really is better than everyone, and they should know it.

End Of My AEW World’s End Rant

AEW still has one last show to do: the New Year’s Smash Dynamite special on Wednesday. That episode promises to raise new questions. How will MJF react to becoming a two-time World Champion? What is next for Jon Moxley after ending Kazuchika Okada’s Continental dominance? Who will step up against Kris Statlander?

As 2026 looms, one should tune in to see the answers…