{"id":149282,"date":"2025-12-26T09:00:29","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T14:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=149282"},"modified":"2025-12-25T21:18:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T02:18:10","slug":"match-point-4-way-aew-world-championship-match-aew-worlds-end-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/12\/26\/match-point-4-way-aew-world-championship-match-aew-worlds-end-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Match Point: 4-Way AEW World Championship Match, AEW Worlds End 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/em><\/p>\n

The AEW Men\u2019s World Championship is on the line at AEW Worlds End on December 27, 2025<\/a>. On All Elite Wrestling\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Considering AEW\u2019s remarkable resurgence in 2025, a match with top wrestlers must carry significant weight. It could shape the company\u2019s trajectory in 2026. With that in mind, I took to my keyboard to state my piece on the outlook of this bout.<\/span><\/p>\n

AEW Men\u2019s World Champion Samoa Joe<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you follow me on social media, you know that Joe is my guy, in ways, joking and serious. I\u2019m scrubbing all of that bias aside\u2014all of it, to detail Joe\u2019s role in this match and where he may go.<\/span><\/p>\n

Defeating Hangman Adam Page in November\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Remembering who he was as a competitor, he suddenly got meaner towards former ally Page, refusing to relent until he held the Men\u2019s World Championship aloft. Unfortunately for Joe, his actions resulted in a vengeful Page and a newly returned Swerve Strickland, back from injury.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe has a numbers game to his advantage. The Opps, starring Katsuyori Shibata, Hook, and Powerhouse Hobbs, command Joe\u2019s army of The Opps Dojo. Considering this, it\u2019s plausible that this assorted militia of hungry young men may aid their mentor, or at least try to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a character, Joe is more toxic and, shockingly, more cowardly. Once upon a time, he\u2019d face his consequences head-on. But this version? He\u2019s desperate and insecure, but knows this is the only way to end his career on a higher note.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hangman Adam Page<\/span><\/h2>\n

Looking to rebound after his loss, Page isn\u2019t 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\u2019s Double or Nothing, Page defeated Will Ospreay to win the right to challenge then-Men\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite this loss, Page was still a beacon of hope. To see him team up with Swerve Strickland in spite of all they\u2019ve done to each other, it\u2019s almost a miracle. That\u2019s 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

One\u2019s a home invader, and another is an arsonist. Also, Page may be a vampire after drinking Strickland\u2019s blood. Remember that? I sure do.<\/span><\/p>\n

But with the title on the line, will this alliance last? It\u2019s every man for himself, so don\u2019t expect their alliance to be strong enough to overcome this finality\u2014in fact, it may drive the match\u2019s most heated moments.<\/span><\/p>\n

Swerve Strickland<\/span><\/h2>\n

Following a healing break after losing to Kazuchika Okada at AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door, Strickland returned. Coming to Page\u2019s aid amid a looming threat of an Opps beatdown, Strickland set their previous heated rivalry to the side. He\u2019d continue to do so, teaming up with the former champion seemingly on good terms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Strickland, this occasion is peculiar. He\u2019s beaten Joe and Page, but he\u2019s never faced MJF in AEW. And yet, MJF hasn\u2019t faced him in the promotion, either. With an understanding and taste for what the Men\u2019s World Championship symbolizes and feels like as a champion, that begs the question. <\/span><\/p>\n

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?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Losing the Men\u2019s World Championship had to have been a bitter pill for Strickland to swallow. Bryan Danielson\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

MJF<\/span><\/h2>\n

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\u2014saved 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

His 2025 gave him some issues<\/a>. 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\u2019s 49-day World Light Heavyweight Championship came to a halt, all thanks to Mistico.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

MJF has had much on his plate recently. From films to injuries to marriage, he\u2019s been preoccupied and thus hasn\u2019t been in the squared circle. The last time fans saw him in an AEW context, MJF lost to Mark Briscoe at All Out\u2019s Tables \u2019n\u2019 Tacks Match. Following the bloody affair, a crimson-soaked MJF decreed that he\u2019d come back even worse. Doing it his way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Something I\u2019m 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

What will victims of crimes like the ones he committed feel like as fans if he wins? Heel or not, that shouldn\u2019t belong here. Actual people were hurt. That warrants its own article someday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chances for the AEW Worlds End Competitors<\/span><\/h2>\n

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\u2019t have the numbers game but has higher honor and spirit. <\/span><\/p>\n

He\u2019ll push to the limit, and push past it if his body wills it. He\u2019s the underdog here, which, given his match history under such circumstances, makes him an equal threat in his own right.<\/span><\/p>\n

This 4-Way Match can go any which way. Strickland and Page are my picks. They, alongside Kingston and Will Ospreay, are the company\u2019s brightest babyfaces. I\u2019m mainly leaning on Page, as he\u2019s overcome so much adversity. Out of all three men, only Strickland defeated him soundly and fairly. But he\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
Photo Credit: AEW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/span>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\u2019s relationship will strain if not ultimately fracture. MJF\u2019s contract usage will be for nothing.<\/span><\/p>\n

May the odds ever be in their favor.<\/span><\/p>\n

More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/strong><\/p>\n

Header photo \u2013 AEW \u2013 Stay tun<\/em>ed to the\u00a0Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a> for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. <\/em>You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.\u00a0 You can catch AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS. AEW Collision airs Saturday at 8 pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content available on their\u00a0YouTube<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5361,"featured_media":149340,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4677,2,6,2192],"tags":[8732,1493,2546,214,8520],"class_list":["post-149282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aew","category-featured","category-north-america","category-wrestling","tag-aew-worlds-end","tag-hangman-page","tag-mjf","tag-samoa-joe","tag-swerve-strickland"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5361"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149282"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":149342,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149282\/revisions\/149342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}