MJF, Real Winners and Losers of AEW Worlds End Match Card

AEW presented World's End, the final pay-per-view event of 2025, Saturday night in Chicago.

A jam-packed card featured the conclusion of the Continental Classic tournament, several championships on the line, and a blockbuster four-way bout for the top prize in the company.

Who emerged from their matches as the true winners and losers of the night, though?

Find out with this recap of the event.

Winner: Konosuke Takeshita

The Alpha may not have emerged from the opening match of this year's World's End victoriously, but the reigning IWGP world champion was still one of the night's biggest winners, thanks to his own performance and the booking surrounding it.

Takeshita out-wrestled Kazuchika Okada in the first semifinal round match of the Continental Classic. The commentary team even went as far as one point as to claim he had dominated The Rainmaker to that point. Considering Okada's status as the greatest tournament wrestler of all time, that is quite the statement in its own right.

That he absorbed all of Okada's offense and continued to fight, only losing after enduring an undetected shot with a screwdriver, was that much more impressive.

Long considered the future of professional wrestling, Takeshita once again proved why, with an excellent in-ring performance to boot.

After weeks of dissension led to this one match-up, Takeshita proved to be Okada's equal, a star whose tenacity, toughness, and physicality frustrated one of the best of all time, forcing him to resort to a weapon-assisted cheap shot to secure his spot in the finale.

His revenge tour, and the prominence he will enjoy on AEW television as a result, will only further establish The Alpha as not only a star of the future, but one of the most important competitors on a roster full of them.

Loser: Kyle Fletcher

Since losing the TNT Championship to Mark Briscoe back at Full Gear, Fletcher tallied a 3-3 record, with little to no momentum on his side. Saturday represented an opportunity to reverse that trend with a signature, defining victory over Jon Moxley.

That did not happen, with The Protostar losing to the former world champion after going for a hidden screwdriver, only for it to be missing in action after Okada utilized it in the opener.

Not only did that spot make Fletcher look inattentive for not knowing that his own Callis Family teammate had just stolen his secret weapon, but it provided the Aussie another loss that he did not need as he looks to rebound from his title loss.

While the booking would seem to suggest Fletcher may be the next teammate of Okada to take exception to him and his actions, he needs to be securing wins over quality competition to take the all important next step up the ladder in AEW.

Getting close and losing to a guy like Moxley, whose own story was that of redemption following uncharacteristic high-profile losses, would have meant more to his story than it ultimately will the three-time former world champion.

Winner: Mercedes Moné

For the majority of her AEW run, the CEO has dominated. She broke the record for championships won, set by the great Ultimo Dragon, and backed up every ounce of her arrogance with stellar in-ring performances that typically ended in victory.

Lately, however, she has begun to experience frustrating defeats, with another coming Saturday night in Chicago.

Out-wrestled and defeated by Willow Nightingale as the Babes of Wrath bested Moné and Athena to retain the AEW Women's Tag Team Championship, she was left in disbelief while her tag team partner berated her.

Then, backstage, her frustration boiled over, leading to a challenge to Nightingale for a match on the New Year's Smash edition of Dynamite.

A Moné on the defensive, reeling from defeat and searching for redemption, is a different version of this character than AEW fans have been presented to this point. That is a welcome change, as so much time and energy had been put into her being this unbeatable competitor that fans turned on her almost from the onset.

Giving her hurdles to overcome will go a long way in finally getting the audience to accept a performer who is, based on all that she has showcased to this point, one of the best wrestlers in the world regardless of the division.

Winner: Women's Wrestling

Not only did "Timeless" Toni Storm and Marina Shafir stand toe-to-toe with members of the Conglomeration and the Death Riders in the Mixed Nuts Mayhem Match, thus seizing the spotlight as they advanced their own rivalry, but AEW women's champ Kris Statlander tore the house down in a victory over No. 1 contender, Jamie Hayter.

A tough, physical match saw the champion outlast the challenger, despite a series of reversals and counters. Hayter survived an avalanche Michinoku Driver and delivered Statlander's own Saturday Night Fever finisher to her, but could not keep her down for three.

Ultimately, the champion secured the victory but not before fans in Chicago were treated to a fantastic match that far exceeded the so-so booking that go it into the ring.

Throw in a strong effort from the two tag teams in that title match and you have a night in which the women showed up and showed out, delivering some of the best in-ring action on a card brimming with outstanding showdowns.

Now if only they had the chance to headline a pay-per-view event from time to time and really show off their abilities in the marquee bout of the card...

Loser: Continental Classic Final Outcome

The outcome of this year's Continental Classic earned "loser" status, not because Jon Moxley defeated Kazuchika Okada to win the tournament and the AEW Continental Championship, but because of what that win could have meant for anyone else.

Moxley is a foundational piece in AEW, already a legend. He has been a top guy from day one and while winning the tournament added yet another accomplishment to his resume, it did nothing to make him any more or less credible in the eyes of the fans.

That would not have been the case for Okada's fellow Don Callis Family member, Fletcher, who could have easily spent weeks and months bragging about beating the best tournament wrestler of all time and establishing himself as the rightful No. 1 contender.

If not The Protostar, it would have been an invaluable victory for someone like Kevin Knight or the man Okada beat in the semifinal, Takeshita, and would have propelled that competitor into an ongoing rivalry with the Don Callis Family.

Instead, it is a resume booster for Moxley and, based on the reaction from the fans to his pro-Continental Classic promo after the match, may instigate a babyface turn. That may be a good thing in the here and now but at some point, taking one of those young stars and making them by putting them over The Rainmaker or Moxley in a high-profile main event-level match will have to be a priority.

Winner: MJF

And just like that, all is right with the world.

MJF, in just his second match since returning to AEW two weeks ago on Dynamite, defeated Hangman Page, Swerve Strickland, and Samoa Joe Saturday night in Chicago to win company's world title.

It was a win that not only gave The Salt of the Earth his second AEW world title, but also the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy as champion that is not overshadowed by a best friends story arc or forced to end abruptly due to injury.

He can finally be the real champion, the centerpiece of the company, and achieve a long overdue run as the most vile, oftentimes cowardly, heel champion in AEW history.

The closing minutes of the match saw MJF cut off a Buckshot Lariat attempt by Page, then deliver the Heat Seeker to a reeling Samoa Joe, and earn the win.

A legitimate star for the company, with crossover appeal and a proven draw, MJF deserves this opportunity to make a second impression as champion.

How long he holds onto the gold considering how quickly it has changed hands of late, is an entirely other question.

For now, though, the future is bright and accentuated with a Burberry scarf.