Why AEW Worlds End Was The Company’s Worst PPV Ever
Highlights
- AEW Worlds End was slow, predictable, and lacked variety in matches.
- Fans couldn't get into the event due to lackluster storylines and low energy from wrestlers.
- Multiple matches had problems, including predictability in women's matches and a poorly structured match between Swerve Strickland and Dustin Rhodes.
AEW Worlds End has now been and gone, and whilst the show did offer some good matches and moments, such as Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage, Eddie Kingston vs. Jon Moxley, Samoa Joe being crowned as AEW World Champion and the reveal of The Devil, it was a show that had more negatives than any other in AEW PPV history (and yes, All Out 2020 is included in that with Matt Hardy’s concussion injury which left a sour taste on the event). There are several factors to argue for this being the worst AEW PPV to date, some coming down to the booking and also other reasons which were perhaps out of AEW’s direct control on the night.
AEW Worlds End Was Slow, Mostly Predictable, And Had No Variety
Compared To Most AEW PPVs, Worlds End Was Lacking
AEW Worlds End Results | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia & Mark Briscoe defeats RUSH, Jay White, Brody King & Jay Lethal | 17:50 | |
Miro defeated Andrade El Idolo | 14:45 | |
Toni Storm (c) defeats Riho | 11:40 | AEW Women's World Championship |
Swerve Strickland defeats Dustin Rhodes | 9:30 | |
Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Sting & Darby Allin defeats Ricky Starks, Big Bill, Powerhouse Hobbs & Konosuke Takeshita | 15:40 | |
Julia Hart (c) defeats Abadon | 11:35 | TBS Championship |
Adam Copeland (c) defeats Christian Cage (c) | 25:00 | TNT Championship No DQ |
Christian Cage defeats Adam Copeland (c) | 00:11 | TNT Championship |
Eddie Kingston defeats Jon Moxley | 17:20 | Triple Crown Championship |
Samoa Joe defeats MJF (c) | 17:50 | AEW World Championship |
The entire feeling around AEW at the back end of 2023 has been one showered in negativity. With backstage controversy, reported low morale per Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, and criticism towards some of the booking on week-to-week television, fans and critics alike were not going into Worlds End with the same optimism as other shows from AEW’s past. This was only made ten times worse with the recent allegations of misconduct directed towards Chris Jericho, and this really was a shadow cast over the whole event taking headlines away from what could have been a better show without this story developing.
AEW Worlds End 2023: Every Match Ranked Worst To Best
AEW finished the year strong with AEW Worlds End 2023! How did the matches stack up against each other?Before getting into specifics, this was a show that lacked energy from both wrestlers and the crowd (who weren’t given too many reasons to get off their feet and make noise). Some lackluster storylines leading in, a lessened star quality in some matches, and an issue with predictability really changed the tone for this show. The lack of match variety was glaring too. Most AEW events have more than one gimmick match, some different styles on display, and more, but aside from Copeland vs. Cage, there were no other gimmick matches. This in itself made it feel less like a typical AEW PPV.
Fans Couldn't Get Into AEW Worlds End
There Were Problems With Multiple Matches At Worlds End
- Both women’s matches were far too predictable
- Fans turned on Chris Jericho’s match
- The structure of Swerve Strickland vs. Dustin Rhodes was all over the place
The show itself started with a fun multi-man match, though the lack of stakes did make it feel as though it was a glorified TV main event. Next up was Miro vs. Andrade El Idolo, which was a fine match but one which struggled from a storytelling perspective. CJ Perry spent all match in a war of words with Miro, but ultimately helped him win and defeat a man who had one foot out the door in the company. The storyline hadn’t been interesting in the build, and that was reflected in the match. Toni Storm vs. Riho was arguably the most predictable match on the card, and it had little energy too. The night began in a fine manner, but it was below average.
The next three matches plummeted this into the worst AEW PPV ever. Dustin Rhodes stepped in to replace an injured Keith Lee against Swerve Strickland, but instead of a quick and decisive win, this dragged and dragged despite a pre-match beatdown from Strickland. The job could’ve been done without the bell even ringing, and the quietness from the crowd was obvious. Next up was the worst match on the show - the multi-man tag which saw Chris Jericho, Sting, Darby Allin, and Sammy Guevara vs. Big Bill, Ricky Starks, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Konosuke Takeshita.
10 Things AEW Wants Fans To Forget About 2023
There are certain things that happened in 2023 that Tony Khan would likely prefer AEW fans to forget about completely.The aforementioned allegations led to a truly horrible atmosphere. The crowd booed Jericho, chanted at him, and found it hard to get invested in anything else. Sting was slow in this one, and the structure of the match was a complete mess. It also dragged, and this terrible feeling in the arena bled into the next match between Julia Hart and Abadon. This match was slow, predictable, and had a disinterested crowd who couldn’t get into it. There was nothing memorable on this card in the first six matches - a stark contrast to all over AEW major shows.
Worlds End Is AEW’s Worst Rated Show
AEW Worlds End Has An Awful Cagematch.Net Rating
Worst Rated AEW PPVs | Cagematch.net Rating |
|---|---|
Worlds End 2023 | 5.48 |
All Out 2020 | 5.77 |
Double Or Nothing 2023 | 6.58 |
Revolution 2021 | 6.68 |
Full Gear 2023 | 7.29 |
The next three matches did have some positives, though there was a mixed response to the finish of Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage, and the match between Samoa Joe and MJF didn’t quite kick into full slow despite still being good.
10 Mistakes AEW Needs To Avoid In 2024
AEW had its ups and downs in 2023, so the company needs to avoid making certain bad decisions for 2024.As of this writing, Worlds End has the worst rating out of any AEW event ever on cagematch.net, and whilst that could change, it can still be argued as being the weakest show they’ve ever put forth. Even after a year of some great shows, 2023 has been signed off with a few steps back.
