AEW Worlds End 2023 Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights

Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage and recap of the first AEW Worlds End PPV.

Saturday's show featured tons of action. Here is a look at the card:

• Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale
• 20-man Battle Royal for TNT title shot
• Hook vs. Wheeler Yuta (FTW Championship)
• Eddie Kingston vs. Jon Moxley (Continental Classic finals)
• Julia Hart vs. Abadon (TBS Championship)
• Toni Storm vs. Riho (AEW Women's Championship)
• Big Bill and Ricky Starks and The Don Callis Family vs. Sting, Darby Allin, Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara
• Christian Cage vs. Adam Copeland (TNT Championship)
• Swerve Strickland vs. Keith Lee
• Miro vs. Andrade El Idolo
• Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, Mark Briscoe and Daniel Garcia vs. Brody King, Jay White, Jay Lethal and Rush
• MJF vs. Samoa Joe (AEW Championship)

Let's take a look at what happened at Worlds End.

Willow Nightingale vs. Kris Statlander

The first match on the Zero Hour was the bout between Willow and Stat that was just set up on Rampage. They shook hands to show respect before locking up. These are probably the two most powerful women in AEW, so they were evenly matched in many ways.

This was a solid matchup between two of AEW's most beloved babyfaces. The crowd didn't seem to know who to root for at times, but that's the risk you run with bouts like this. It picked up as it went, but there were a few close botches, but Willow was able to hit the Doctor Bomb for the win.

Result: Willow Nightingale defeated Kris Statlander

Grade: B+

20-Man Battle Royal

The winner of this match was awarded with a TNT title shot that they were able to redeem at the time and place of their choosing, similar to how the MITB briefcase works in WWE.

Competitors included names such as Danhausen, Bryan Keith, Matt Menard, Angelo Parker, Lance Archer, Dalton Castle and many more. We saw some fun interactions and moments, but this was nothing unexpected. Archer and Killswitch dominated the action and scored the most eliminations. It came down to Trent Beretta and Killswitch at the end, but Christian Cage's protege was able to get the win.

Result: Killswitch defeated 19 other competitors

Grade: C+

Hook vs. Wheeler Yuta (FTW Championship)

The third and final match on the pre-show was for the FTW Championship. This match had no countouts or disqualifications, which was a big change from the Pure Rules matches Yuta has been having recently.

Yuta tried to jump Hook as soon as he got to the ring, but the FTW champion came in swinging. They put on a decent match that made good use of weapons without making them the only source of offense. Hook retained his title by submission using Red Rum.

Result: Hook defeated Wheeler Yuta

Grade: B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Renee Paquette clarified during the pre-show that Kingston's ROH and NJPW openweight titles will not be merged with the new Continental title. They will be able to be defended separately. 
• Statlander showed some impressive power when she picked Willow up high for a bodyslam. 
• The video package for Serena Deeb was great.
• It's so easy to forget that Luchasaurus is Killswitch now. 
• Why is Andretti's gimmick that he can drink a bottle of water in one gulp?

Eight competitors from the Continental Classic took to the ring on Saturday to compete in an eight-man tag match. Both teams had heels on them, but the team that included Briscoe had the most fans cheering for it.

Danielson's entrance stopped Garcia from doing his signature dance. Rush and Castagnoli started for their teams and had a great exchange of stiff strikes to set the pace.

Whenever one man tagged out, so did the competitor they were facing, so we got several different combinations of wrestlers within the first few minutes. Danielson's chest was still bruised from his match against Kingston, so every chop he took looked extra brutal.

Everyone looked good, but Garcia was the star of this match. The crowd and the announcers all seemed to come alive a bit more when he was in the ring.

After an exciting final sequence, Garcia picked up the win for his team by pinning Lethal.

Result: Garcia, Danielson, Briscoe and Castagnoli defeated King, White, Lethal and Rush

Grade: B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Matt Menard was on commentary to support Garcia. He was upset that King wouldn't stop eyeballing him during the entrances. 
• Danielson is the only person who can stop Garcia from dancing and still be cheered. 
• The exchange of chops between Lethal and Briscoe was a fun sequence. 
• Garcia and Danielson had an interesting interaction when Garcia tagged himself in. 
• White is one of the best heels when it comes to his mid-match interactions. He knows how to work a crowd so well. 

Miro was looking to defeat his forsaken wife's client when he stepped into the ring with El Idolo in the second match on the main show.

The Redeemer went after El Idolo before he could even get his entrance jacket off. Whenever Miro had the chance, he would talk trash to his wife, and she would talk just as much trash right back to him.

This match had a much slower pace than everything else we had seen up to this point, so it felt a big lackluster as a result. Everything they did looked good and they sold big moves well, but there was no sense of urgency unless they were literally screaming in each other's face.

The second half of the match was much better than the first, but you could tell there was a disconnect with the crowd, possibly due to the rumors of El Idolo leaving AEW soon.

Both men survived long periods in submission holds, but Perry ended up turning on El Idolo and helping Miro break out of the Figure Eight. This paved the way for Miro to lock in his finisher for the submission victory.

Result: Miro defeated Andrade El Idolo

Grade: B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Miro did not get nearly as loud of a reaction as he usually does. 
• CJ and El Idolo looked a bit like Catwoman and Black Mask during their entrance. 
• The announcers referenced the recent health scare Perry had. Thankfully, she is doing much better now. 
• Andrade's moonsault always looks fantastic.

The AEW women's title was on the line as "Timeless" Toni took on "Ratings Draw" Riho. Luther accompanied the champion to the ring as usual.

Storm tried to big-time Riho by patting her on the head, but all it did was anger the former women's champion. She tried to slam Storm, but couldn't even get her off the mat.

Most of this match saw Timeless Toni dominate Riho by overpowering her in every exchange. Luther was eventually ejected from ringside for getting involved too many times, giving Riho a chance to make a comeback.

Much like the previous bout, this one got better as it went on. Riho is a great underdog character and Storm has been brilliant as a tweener. The crowd was behind both competitors, but Storm ended up retaining with what looked like a very awkward modified DDT.

Mariah May came out and threw flower petals all over the ring for Storm to celebrate.

Result: Toni Storm defeated Riho

Grade: B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Storm's entrance attire was great. 
• It's kind of surprising AEW doesn't just go black and white for Storm's matches. It happened here and there, but only for a brief moment. 
• Luther catching Riho and handing her to Storm for a bodyslam was a funny spot. 

Due to not being cleared, Keith Lee was unable to compete at the PPV. His recent tag team partner, Rhodes, stepped in to wrestle for him against Strickland.

Rhodes won their last encounter by DQ, so Swerve was looking to get his win back and continue his hot streak heading into 2024. He wasted no time and dropkicked Rhodes as soon as he stepped through the ropes.

Nana pulled out a cinderblock and Swerve stomped Rhodes' leg through it. Several officials helped Rhodes to his feet and looked like they would help him out of the arena, but he decided to compete anyway.

This ended up being anticlimactic filler that lasted longer than necessary. The outcome was predictable and the way everything was set up led to a mediocre outing, especially compared to what we know these guys can do together.

The last couple of minutes regained some of the crowd with some trash-talking and taunting, but it didn't make much of a difference. Strickland scored the win with a double stomp.

Result: Swerve Strickland defeated Dustin Rhodes

Grade: C+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Prince Nana is getting more life out of a little dance than anyone, including Garcia. 
• Strickland is such a great heel. Every facial expression is done for a purpose. 
• The way Swerve sold the Cross Rhodes was pretty great. 

Sting, Allin, Jericho and Guevara battled Takeshita, Hobbs, Big Bill and Starks in the second eight-man tag match of the night.

This show had its ups and downs, but you could tell the vibe in the arena was different for this bout. Every time Jericho was in the ring, you could hear fans reacting negatively. We won't go into detail about why here, but you can easily find out why Jericho was trending on social media earlier today.

To give a brief synopsis, this match was exactly what you would expect it to be. The heels beat up on Allin for a long time until Sting got the hot tag. It had some fun spots but several awkward moments stalled the match's momentum.

Guevara scored the win for his team with a pin over Starks.

Result: Guevara, Sting, Jericho and Allin defeated Takeshita, Hobbs, Starks and Big Bill

Grade: C

Notable Moments and Observations

• It was nice to hear Taz talk about Hobbs and Starks being able to work together due to their time in Team Taz. 
• The crowd was chanting "F--k you Chris" at one point. 
• Bill's boots really stood out in a comical way. 

The TBS title match between Hart and Abadon was contested under House Rules, which meant Abadon could add the stipulation that allowed biting.

This match was focused on telling a story more than fitting as many spots in as possible. Both competitors did a good job playing to their characters' strengths, but there were long periods of slow progression that kept this from being as good as it could have been.

A faster pace would have served them well, but this was still a good performance. It just wasn't what a lot of fans were expecting.

Skye Blue showed up and knocked Abadon off the top rope, but it didn't have the desired effect. Abadon pulled her out from under the ring and started beating her up. The distraction allowed Hart to score the win with a moonsault.

Result: Julia Hart defeated Abadon

Grade: C+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Both competitors had awesome entrances and gear for this match. 
• The crowd chanted "This is spooky" before the action got going. 
• Abadon never speaks in promos but you could hear the word "No" being spoken after a failed pin attempt. 

Copeland and Cage met for a rematch for the TNT title, but this time, there were no disqualifications to prevent any interference or the use of any weapons.

The Rated-R Superstar attacked Cage during his entrance and sent the Wayne family running for cover.

This wasn't a wrestling match. It was a fight. They weren't going for hip tosses or headlocks. This was all about inflicting as much pain as possible. Cage even stomped Copeland's head into the steel steps and busted him open at one point.

Nick and Shayna Wayne got involved at certain points, especially when Cage asked for weapons from under the ring. Ladders, tables, chairs, kendo sticks and even a random metal rod were used throughout the match.

The crowd wanted fire, and Cage delivered when he set a table ablaze, but Copeland had to relight it before he powerbombed Nick onto it. He hit Cage with his own finisher to end the match and become the new TNT champion.

Killswitch showed up behind Copeland as he was celebrating and attacked him. Cage convinced him to give up his title shot so he could redeem it instead. The bell rang and Cage hit a Spear to regain his TNT title.

The match itself was great, but the post-match stuff is debatable. It feels like AEW doesn't want to push Killswitch but recognizes his talents, so he ends up being used to get other people over instead of getting his own push.

Result: Adam Copeland defeated Christian Cage to win the TNT Championship and Cristian won it right back

Grade: A-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Copeland wore the same gear he wore during his Hardcore match against Mick Foley. 
• Copeland yelling at Nigel on commentary was hilarious. 
• You could see Copeland smile after he hit a crossbody from a raised section in the crowd. 
• Sitting on a chair during a Boston crab is such a great heel move. 
• The Wayne's World that Nick hit on Copeland at ringside looked great. 

The Continental Classic has been one of the best things to happen to AEW in a long time and it officially came to a close with the final match when Kingston and Moxley met to crown a triple crown champion with the ROH world, continental and NJPW strong openweight titles.

Danielson and Taz provided some great commentary during the match about what kind of fighter each competitor is and how they used their strengths to their advantage.

There was nothing pretty about this match. They used plenty of traditional wrestling maneuvers, but the way they did them was dirty and violent in the best possible way. Both of these men bring legitimacy to the ring, so whenever they face each other, it feels special.

After a brutal exchange of stiff strikes, The Mad King defeated Moxley with a spinning backfist to get the win and become the first modern triple crown champion. He celebrated with all three belts as the crowd gave him a standing ovation.

Kingston accomplished all of his goals in 2023 and it was an incredible ride. Moxley embraced his friend before leaving him to celebrate.

Result: Eddie Kingston vs. Jon Moxley

Grade: A

Notable Moments and Observations

• Kingston got some new gear for this match but it was still his usual simple look. 
• Danielson was on commentary and actually said some nice things about Kingston while still making sure to put over Moxley more. 
• Kingston was having some fun with Moxley early on by mocking some of his MMA stuff. 
• Kingston took a rough bump into the barricade after a suicide dive. 

The main event of the night was the AEW world title match between MJF and Samoa Joe. Not only is MJF legitimately hurt, but AEW put him through the wringer in this storyline, so he was coming into this match at a huge disadvantage.

A special video played with several Long Island residents talking positively about MJF before he made his way to the ring in the flashiest robe he has ever worn. A few moments later, he shocked the crowd by bringing out Adam Cole.

Max tried to stay confident, but Joe immediately began targeting his injured shoulder. The majority of this match was comprised of long sequences when Joe was in control followed by short comebacks by the champion.

MJF was unable to win with his signature piledriver and Joe reversed his trademark armbar. It seemed like anything MJF tried, Joe had an answer. When MJF asked for his ring, Cole took too long trying to find it and it allowed Joe to lock in a rear-naked choke.

Much to the surprise of everyone, that is how the match ended. The ref checked on Max and he was out, so the bell rang and Joe was crowned the new AEW champion. As great as this match was, the ending felt strange.

Cole tried to comfort Max after Joe was gone. The crowd chanted "bulls--t" until the Devil's masked men showed up. They attacked Max and held Cole so he had to watch. Cole and MJF both begged to be hit instead of the other, but then the lights dropped.

They came back on to reveal Cole sitting on a chair looking at Max while Wardlow, Roderick Strong and The Kingdom unmasked behind him. MJF looked heartbroken and asked how Cole could do this to him before everyone attacked. The show ended with Cole and his crew standing tall.

The main event was mostly fantastic, but what came after is up for debate.

Result: Samoa Joe defeated MJF

Grade: A-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Despite Long Island being MJF's home turf, Joe received quite a few chants on his way to the ring. 
• MJF had a huge smile on his face as the crowd chanted "He's our scumbag."
• Joe kicking MJF in the face as he tried to get himself back over the top rope was a hilarious spot. 
• The Muscle Buster Joe hit on the apron looked nasty, but the way he reversed an armbar was beautiful. 

This PPV had a couple of really great matches and moments, but when compared to every other major event AEW has held, this one might be considered one of the worst.

It wasn't a bad show, but there were so many things that felt overbooked, mediocre or just plain wrong that it was hard to stay invested throughout the entire thing.

Kingston winning was the biggest highlight of the night, but Cage and Copeland probably came in a close second place.

The twist with Killswitch giving Cage his TNT title shot so he could win back his title is something that could lead to the return of the Luchasaurus name and a potential face turn for him, but if not, it might be considered a pointless swerve for the sake of a cheap moment.

All in all, Worlds End was a down-the-middle PPV with a few memorable moments.

Grade: C+