Match Point is an ongoing series at Last Word on Pro Wrestling, where we look at intriguing matchups. They may be dream matches, first-time matchups, or hotly anticipated rematches. In this edition, we focus on the blockbuster four-way between Samoa Joe, MJF, Hangman Page, and Swerve Strickland at AEW Worlds End 2025.
The AEW Men’s World Championship is on the line at AEW Worlds End on December 27, 2025. On All Elite Wrestling’s final pay-per-view of the year, four men will contest for the title. Champion Samoa Joe takes on challengers Hangman Adam Page, Swerve Strickland, and the newly returned MJF.
What’s important to note is that this is a full-circle moment for some of these competitors. Histories are intertwined, and everyone has a reason to not only chase the title but to gun for Joe in general.
Considering AEW’s remarkable resurgence in 2025, a match with top wrestlers must carry significant weight. It could shape the company’s trajectory in 2026. With that in mind, I took to my keyboard to state my piece on the outlook of this bout.
AEW Men’s World Champion Samoa Joe
If you follow me on social media, you know that Joe is my guy, in ways, joking and serious. I’m scrubbing all of that bias aside—all of it, to detail Joe’s role in this match and where he may go.
Defeating Hangman Adam Page in November’s Full Gear within the confines of a steel cage, Joe won the belt for the second time in his career. Nearing the twilight of his career, Joe hit a midlife crisis. Though he helped alleviate the pressure the Death Riders placed on the AEW roster, something was missing.
Remembering who he was as a competitor, he suddenly got meaner towards former ally Page, refusing to relent until he held the Men’s World Championship aloft. Unfortunately for Joe, his actions resulted in a vengeful Page and a newly returned Swerve Strickland, back from injury.
Joe has a numbers game to his advantage. The Opps, starring Katsuyori Shibata, Hook, and Powerhouse Hobbs, command Joe’s army of The Opps Dojo. Considering this, it’s plausible that this assorted militia of hungry young men may aid their mentor, or at least try to.
As a character, Joe is more toxic and, shockingly, more cowardly. Once upon a time, he’d face his consequences head-on. But this version? He’s desperate and insecure, but knows this is the only way to end his career on a higher note.
Hangman Adam Page
Looking to rebound after his loss, Page isn’t the same man he was in the 2023 and 2024 Worlds End. No, far from that spiteful, scowling mustache. It was a long road, but come the finals of the Owen Hart Tournament at 2025’s Double or Nothing, Page defeated Will Ospreay to win the right to challenge then-Men’s World Champion Jon Moxley at All In in Texas. He later went on to win the title, removing it from the briefcase for all to see.
Despite this loss, Page was still a beacon of hope. To see him team up with Swerve Strickland in spite of all they’ve done to each other, it’s almost a miracle. That’s character growth for you. Both he and Strickland had some learning and growing to do, which is wholesome for the fans, but terrifying for anyone who crosses them.
One’s a home invader, and another is an arsonist. Also, Page may be a vampire after drinking Strickland’s blood. Remember that? I sure do.
But with the title on the line, will this alliance last? It’s every man for himself, so don’t expect their alliance to be strong enough to overcome this finality—in fact, it may drive the match’s most heated moments.
Swerve Strickland
Following a healing break after losing to Kazuchika Okada at AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door, Strickland returned. Coming to Page’s aid amid a looming threat of an Opps beatdown, Strickland set their previous heated rivalry to the side. He’d continue to do so, teaming up with the former champion seemingly on good terms.
For Strickland, this occasion is peculiar. He’s beaten Joe and Page, but he’s never faced MJF in AEW. And yet, MJF hasn’t faced him in the promotion, either. With an understanding and taste for what the Men’s World Championship symbolizes and feels like as a champion, that begs the question.
What lengths would Strickland go to reclaim the title? Would he sacrifice his budding friendship with Page through nefarious means? Or would he be the only person worth being fair to?
Losing the Men’s World Championship had to have been a bitter pill for Strickland to swallow. Bryan Danielson’s feel-good moment meant another climb back to the top. And yet, there were pitfalls after pitfalls. Hurt Syndicate. Death Riders. The Young Bucks. All of that, to get back here, back to his house.
MJF
Ah, Maxwell Jacob Friedman. The guy with the most punchable smirk in the business. The Devil, the Salt of the Earth, the man with too many nicknames. And he slithered his way into what was previously a triple threat by way of a Casino Gauntlet Battle Royal Contract he still had yet to cash in—saved up for this moment. A chance to get one up on the cowboy. Revenge against the Samoan Submission Machine. And a chance encounter with a mogul.
His 2025 gave him some issues. A brief alliance with the Hurt Syndicate saw his ego jeopardize his relationship with Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and his mentor, MVP. He faced two losses to Hangman Page, before and after his All In title win. Over in CMLL, MJF’s 49-day World Light Heavyweight Championship came to a halt, all thanks to Mistico.
MJF has had much on his plate recently. From films to injuries to marriage, he’s been preoccupied and thus hasn’t been in the squared circle. The last time fans saw him in an AEW context, MJF lost to Mark Briscoe at All Out’s Tables ’n’ Tacks Match. Following the bloody affair, a crimson-soaked MJF decreed that he’d come back even worse. Doing it his way.
Something I’m not too keen on with MJF, however, is not knowing when to cross a line and when not to cross a line. I could mention the Jeff Jarrett incident. I could. But most recently, he compared Strickland to P-Diddy. Sean Combs, a man who has hurt real people in sick ways.
What will victims of crimes like the ones he committed feel like as fans if he wins? Heel or not, that shouldn’t belong here. Actual people were hurt. That warrants its own article someday.
Chances for the AEW Worlds End Competitors
Samoa Joe has the numbers advantage, decades of experience, and working in-ring familiarity with each man. Strickland is cold and calculating, even as a babyface. MJF is crafty and sneaky, yet backs up his work with agility and conditioning. Page, meanwhile, doesn’t have the numbers game but has higher honor and spirit.
He’ll push to the limit, and push past it if his body wills it. He’s the underdog here, which, given his match history under such circumstances, makes him an equal threat in his own right.
This 4-Way Match can go any which way. Strickland and Page are my picks. They, alongside Kingston and Will Ospreay, are the company’s brightest babyfaces. I’m mainly leaning on Page, as he’s overcome so much adversity. Out of all three men, only Strickland defeated him soundly and fairly. But he’s intimate with each man, wise to their tricks. Moreover, he defeated a Best Bout Machine, a Texas giant, and the technical American Dragon from Seattle.
That said, I believe this match will be unpredictable and that all the losers will be in a worse place than they started in. Joe will be emasculated as a leader. Strickland and Page’s relationship will strain if not ultimately fracture. MJF’s contract usage will be for nothing.
May the odds ever be in their favor.
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