Posted on 12/26/125 by Bob Magee
Merry Christmas! We hope you’ve enjoyed the holiday with
friends, family, and fellow sickos! We were thrilled to
bring AEW Christmas Collision to you on TNT and streaming on
HBO Max from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, New York!
We’re just two days from AEW Worlds End in Chicago, and so
much more took shape ahead of that epic event, including
learning the semifinal matchups in the Continental Classic.
With a six-way tie in the Gold League, our night began with
“The Protostar” Kyle Fletcher defeating “Jungle” Jack Perry
to get to nine points, which wound up being enough to clinch
the C2 semifinals this Saturday at Worlds End. He’ll be
joined by the defending Continental Classic Champion, “The
Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada, who also got to nine points with
his win over “Speedball” Mike Bailey in the main event. “The
Jet” Kevin Knight and “The Bastard” PAC wrestled to a time-
limit draw, leaving them both short with seven points.
The Blue League had one spot available after IWGP World
Heavyweight Champion “The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita clinched
last night on AEW Dynamite on 34th Street. He finished his
final Blue League match with a win over Máscara Dorada to
get to 13 points with a 5-0-1 record. Roderick Strong got
his first win in his last match of the tournament and played
spoiler to Claudio Castagnoli, who wound up in third with
seven points. Jon Moxley defeated Orange Cassidy for his
third straight win to clinch the other spot in the Blue
League.
That sets the stage for the Continental Classic Semifinals
and Finals at Worlds End. Blue League Winner Konosuke
Takeshita takes on Gold League Runner-Up Kazuchika Okada,
and Gold League Winner Kyle Fletcher faces Blue League
Runner-Up Jon Moxley. The winners of those two matches will
meet in the finals later in the night to crown the 2025
Continental Classic Champion!
Elsewhere, Darby Allin got some revenge of his own on Gabe
Kidd and accepted Kidd’s challenge for Worlds End! Plus,the
AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions, The Babes of Wrath,
took care of Maya World and Hyan in a non-title tag team
match and taught us all about Christmas, and much more!
Here's everything that happened on AEW Christmas Collision
in New York, New York, for December 25, 2025, including your
full results and match recaps.
AEW Christmas Collision Recap Tonight for New York
Continental Classic Gold League: “The Protostar” Kyle
Fletcher (9 points) def. “Jungle” Jack Perry (6 points)
The night began with a first-time matchup of two of AEW’s
brightest stars. The Hammerstein Ballroom crowd actually
seemed split in their support in the early going, especially
as Perry and Fletcher were feeling each other out. Fletcher
took advantage of Perry’s ankle injury and put a target on
the joint to ground Perry. Fletcher continued to stomp away
on the ankle while working in some submissions to do further
damage. Perry showed fight with some chops and then took
Fletcher over the top to the floor with a headscissors! He
tried it again off the apron, but Fletcher caught Perry and
powerbombed him on the corner of the ring! Fletcher went for
a brainbuster to end it early, so Perry bit him to get out
of it! An angry Fletcher slammed Perry ankle-first into the
top rope. He trapped Perry near the ring post and tore off
his boot and sock before stomping on the exposed leg!
After the medical team examined Perry, he was able to
continue, although Fletcher did nothing to let up and began
taunting Perry to hit him. Perry’s strikes didn’t have much
effect until a desperation dropkick. Perry tried to escape
getting run into the corner, but landed awkwardly on a flip.
Fletcher tried to pounce, but Perry fought out and floored
Fletcher with a clothesline! Fletcher bailed to the outside,
so Perry chased after him through the ropes and nailed
Fletcher with a bulldog. Perry tried another dive, but
Fletcher caught him and hit a brainbuster on the floor!
Fletcher brought Perry back in for a Michinoku Driver and
seemed to have it locked up, but Perry kicked out! Fletcher
nailed a big boot in the corner and put Perry on the top
rope. However, Perry fought Fletcher off and nailed a sunset
flip powerbomb! Perry went for his running knee, only for
Fletcher to block it and lock on a single-leg crab with five
minutes remaining! Perry battled out of that and locked
Fletcher in the Snaretrap! Fletcher nearly passed out, but
made it to the ropes to break the hold in the nick of time.
The two fought back to their feet with a strike battle until
Fletcher nailed Perry with a half-and-half suplex and a
running knee on the ropes. Perry escaped a powerbomb with a
hurricanrana that spiked Fletcher on his head! Perry muscled
Fletcher up for a piledriver and nailed it, but Fletcher
kicked out with less than two minutes remaining. Fletcher
and Perry traded near-falls until Fletcher laid Perry out
with a clothesline. He put Perry on top, but Perry kicked
Fletcher off long enough to stand up. With less than a
minute to go, Fletcher came back with a running boot to
knock Perry back to the mat and followed with another with
Perry up against the corner. He quickly grabbed Perry for a
brainbuster and nailed it to get the pinfall before the time
limit! Fletcher’s nine points put him ahead of the pack with
two more Gold League matches still to come tonight.
Kyle O’Reilly Explains His Absence
Earlier today, Renee Paquette caught up with the winless
Roderick Strong to get his thoughts on playing spoiler
against Claudio Castagnoli in their Blue League match later
tonight. But first, she said someone wanted to speak with
him, and Kyle O’Reilly appeared. He told Strong how badly he
wanted to be in the Continental Classic, but Strong stepped
in with O’Reilly injured, and O’Reilly understands Strong’s
been doing it for himself. He fired Strong up by saying that
it won’t be a Christmas miracle if he beats Castagnoli
because Strong doesn’t need a miracle to do that. It’ll be a
Christmas miracle when he gets those three points and then
walks backstage to see the man in the mirror that O’Reilly
sees, “Roderick F’n Strong.”
Continental Classic Blue League: IWGP World Heavyweight
Champion “The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita (13 points) def.
Máscara Dorada (6 points)
Takeshita has already clinched a spot in the semifinals, but
he could clinch the top spot in the Blue League and end
Dorada’s C2 with a win. Takeshita and Dorada traded fast-
paced offense in the early going and even helped each other
up, although when Dorada did it, Takeshita chopped him into
the corner. Dorada came back with a chop of his own and
tried a pair of shoulder blocks with no effect, so he
smartly switched to an aerial attack, using the ropes to
armdrag and then headscissor Takeshita to the outside. With
Takeshita up against the guardrail, Dorada flew from the top
rope, but Takeshita moved, and Dorada ate the steel!
Takeshita remained in control until Dorada reversed
Takeshita’s offense into a headscissors that sent Takeshita
to the outside. Dorada saw an opening and hit a picturesque
moonsault to Takeshita on the floor! Dorada threw Takeshita
back in and nailed a 450 splash from the top that got a two
count. Takeshita reversed a Dorada springboard into a
dizzying blue thunder bomb! Dorada kicked out! Dorada
reversed a powerbomb into a poisonrana, but charged right
into a massive clothesline from Takeshita. Dorada kicked out
again!
Dorada avoided a charge in the corner, but Takeshita
recovered with a buckle bomb and called for the end. He
tried pulling Dorada up to the top rope, but Dorada punched
out of it and jumped back up to hit a hurricanrana at the
10-minute mark! Dorada went back to the top for a shooting
star press, so Takeshita moved, and Dorada rolled through.
Takeshita spiked Dorada on his neck, but Dorada quickly
reversed the momentum into a nearfall! Dorada kicked
Takeshita in the face and nailed a running shooting star to
get a two-count. The two men battled on the top rope until
Takeshita nailed a lariat to Dorada to the mat! He followed
with a running knee, then Raging Fire to secure the pinfall.
Takeshita finishes league play undefeated at 5-0-1!
Continental Classic Blue League: Roderick Strong (3 points)
def. Claudio Castagnoli (7 points)
If Castagnoli wins, he will clinch the other spot in the
Blue League, while Strong is only fighting for pride and to
play spoiler. Castagnoli hit a running uppercut at the bell
and immediately went for the pin, but a stunned Strong
kicked out at two! Strong reversed a Neutralizer attempt
into a jackknife pin for his own two-count. The two had a
strike battle on the ropes, but when Strong charged at
Castagnoli, he was thrown over the top rope. Castagnoli
dragged Strong to the corner and nailed a superplex from the
outside in! He went for another pin and got another two. A
momentum clothesline put Strong down, and Castagnoli got yet
another two count. He followed with a diving uppercut on the
seated Strong, and that also got a two count! He sent Strong
to the outside and into the guardrail to try for a countout
win, but realized he didn’t do enough damage and continued
the onslaught by dumping Strong into the first row!
Strong beat the count at seven and slipped under Castagnoli
to hit a fireman’s carry slam. Strong was too weakened to
capitalize, so Castagnoli ran him corner to corner with
uppercuts until Strong broke the chain with a pair of boots,
and when Castagnoli tried to lift him for an uppercut,
Strong stopped it with a knee to the jaw that rocked
Castagnoli! Strong lowered his knee pad and hit a jumping
knee strike to the face that was enough to keep Castagnoli
down for the three count. Strong gets his first win to end
his tournament and spoils Castagnoli’s bid to clinch the
semifinals on his accord, which means he has to wait to see
what happens between Jon Moxley and Orange Cassidy later
tonight!
With the match and tournament over for both men, Continental
Rules were out the window, so Marina Shafir, Wheeler Yuta
and Daniel Garcia showed up to attack Strong. TNT Champion
Mark Briscoe hit the ring with a shard of wood to clear Yuta
and Garcia out. Shafir got on the apron to face off with
Briscoe, but “Timeless” Toni Storm ran down and yanked
Shafir off the apron to blast her in the face with a fist
wrapped in pearls! Storm joined Briscoe and Strong in the
ring, as the Death Riders seethed in the aisle. Storm
offered a hand to Briscoe, who kissed it! Timeless Chickens?
FTR vs. Bang Bang Gang in a Chicago Street Fight at Worlds
End!
After Bang Bang Gang challenged FTR to a rematch for the AEW
World Tag Team Titles in a Chicago Street Fight last night
on Dynamite, Stokely responded and accepted! “Whatever FTR
does to you on Saturday, the greatest tag team alive today,
they will not be held liable. Top Guys, out.”
Plus, we saw some final words from Jamie Hayter and AEW
Women’s World Champion Kris Statlander ahead of their
championship showdown at Worlds End!
Continental Classic Gold League: “The Jet” Kevin Knight (7
points) vs. PAC (7 points) ends in time-limit draw
Both men began this match with six points looking up at Kyle
Fletcher, after he got to nine points earlier in the night
with a win over “Jungle” Jack Perry. Tony Schiavone called
PAC the most dangerous wrestler he’s ever seen, but that
didn’t seem to bother Knight, who has shown time and time
again in this tournament that he won’t be intimidated by
anyone. While Knight looked to build some momentum early on,
PAC escaped to the outside to slow down the pace. He
returned to the ring and immediately took over with his
power and intensity, although that didn’t last when he
goaded Knight to fight back. They exchanged strikes in the
middle of the ring until Knight hit a jumping clothesline.
After battling on the apron, PAC went to the floor, so
Knight jumped off the apron into another clothesline. He
threw PAC back in the ring and went to the top, so PAC
rolled to the outside. Knight went across the ring and
springboarded to the outside with another flying clothesline
on PAC! Knight hit a pendulum DDT for a two count and then
mounted PAC in the corner for punches. Knight hit a diving
shoulder block onto PAC for a near-fall. PAC cut Knight off
with a kick to the shin and started to get back into his
game plan of grinding Knight down, but also used his aerial
attributes to dropkick Knight from the top with authority.
Right at the 10-minute warning, Knight started to fight back
with punches and dropped PAC with a leaping clothesline.
Knight hit a crossbody from the second rope, but PAC shook
it off with a bodyslam and went to the top. Knight kipped up
and took PAC off the top with a hurricanrana that wowed the
Hammerstein Ballroom! He continued with a standing UFO
splash that got a two-count. PAC avoided Knight in the
corner and then again on a leaping clothesline, but when
Knight charged a third time, PAC nailed a throw over the
ring post to the floor! Knight was shaken up but beat the 10
count. PAC hit an avalanche belly-to-belly overhead throw
from the top to get a near-fall. PAC set up for his momentum
clothesline, but Knight was ready for it with a dropkick.
Knight connected with a springboard clothesline and followed
immediately with a sky-high powerbomb to get a two-count
with five minutes to go! Both men rolled to the outside, but
when Knight tried a step-up clothesline from the apron, PAC
caught him with a German suplex on the floor! PAC wanted the
countout win, only for Knight to sneak in at nine! PAC went
to the top, but Knight met him there with an awe-inspiring
leap and executed a perfect superplex!
When they got back to their feet, they traded shots in the
middle and then traded boots in the corner with Knight
taking PAC down to the ground. He scaled the adjacent
turnbuckles for a coast-to-coast dropkick, and decided that
wasn’t enough! He went back to the top for a UFO Splash, but
PAC got the knees up and tried to pin Knight, but Knight
kicked out with one minute to go! PAC hit his momentum
clothesline, and Knight kicked out! PAC went for the Black
Arrow, but now it was Knight who got his knees up and got a
two-count with 30 seconds to go! Knight rolled PAC up for a
two-count, then tried another pin attempt, which got another
two-count. PAC locked in the Brutalizer with 10 seconds
remaining! Knight survived, and the time limit expired! That
gives each man a point, putting them at seven points. That
means that they are in a three-way tie for second with
Castagnoli, with no matches remaining. The draw clinches a
semifinal spot for Kyle Fletcher and makes Jon Moxley vs.
Orange Cassidy a win-and-you’re-in situation later tonight.
However, a draw would put Castagnoli in on a tiebreaker.
Darby Allin Attacks Gabe Kidd and Accepts His Challenge for
Worlds End!
Gabe Kidd made his way through the crowd with a microphone,
telling the crowd they needed to listen to him. He said the
ice was cracking beneath Darby Allin, and he was right
because now Darby is in the ICU. How will Darby answer his
challenge from a hospital bed? The lights went out, and when
they came back on, Allin was in the ring, standing across
from Kidd! Allin pulled a bat out of his jacket and swung at
Kidd, who bailed to the floor. Allin got a mic and said,
“This Saturday will be your Worlds End!”
Non-Title Tag Team Match: AEW Women’s World Tag Team
Champions The Babes of Wrath (Willow Nightingale and Harley
Cameron) def. Maya World & Hyan
Before the match, we saw how ROH Women’s World Champion
Athena helped TBS Champion Mercedes Moné pin Willow
Nightingale in an 8-Woman Tag Match to set up their
challenge for the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championships
at Worlds End.
Cameron hit a slingblade at the start on Hyan and tagged in
Nightingale for some tandem offense. Hyan hit a jawbreaker
to escape Willow and tag World, who walked right into a
bodyslam by Nightingale. Cameron tagged in for an aided
splash, and then The Babes knocked World and Hyan off the
apron to the floor. Cameron held World and Hyan for a
cannonball by Nightingale off the apron, and the Babes were
rocking!
After a short spurt of control for World and Hyan,
Nightingale came in to stop their momentum and turned their
double suplex attempt into her own suplex on both of them.
Cameron tagged in and jumped on Nightingale’s back for a
backpack senton, but Hyan came in to make the save.
Nightingale POUNCED Hyan out of the ring. Cameron hit Sole
Food on World while Nightingale followed with a roll of the
dice, and the Babes were victorious!
They decided to tell a Christmas story with the lights
dimmed and a burning fire on the video screens. They told
the story of Hillow and Warley getting tickets to AEW and
seeing all the New York landmarks, including Eddie
Kingston’s mother’s house! Then, they ran into Santa, who
Willow stepped in to play and said that her Christmas wish
was for everyone across the world to live in peace and
harmony…”Except in Chicago at Worlds End, when we beat the
absolute, ever-loving sh*t out of Mercedes and Athena!”
“And when the world ends, we will still be your AEW Women’s
World Tag Team Champions!”
Continental Classic Blue League: Jon Moxley (9 points) def.
Orange Cassidy (6 points) - Moxley Clinches C2 Semifinals at
Worlds End
Whoever wins this match will be the Blue League runner-up
and qualify for the C2 semifinals. If the match ends in a
draw, Cassidy and Moxley would be tied with Castagnoli at 7
points, and Castagnoli would advance to the semifinals based
on tiebreaking wins over Moxley and Cassidy.
At the bell, Cassidy captured Moxley for a near-fall and
almost won it in record time! The two went back and forth
until Cassidy started beating Moxley around the ringside
area. Moxley fought back and broke the count, only for
Cassidy to come back with a whip into the steel steps.
Cassidy threw Mox into the guardrail, and Moxley escaped
into the ring. Cassidy mounted Moxley for 30 punches, 10 at
a time! Cassidy charged, but Moxley sent him over the top
onto the apron. Moxley hit a running dropkick to send
Cassidy flying into the guardrail. He followed up and threw
Cassidy into the steps and then punched away at Cassidy
before breaking the count. He returned to stay on the attack
and then brought Cassidy back into the ring.
Cassidy hit a Stundog Millionaire and fired back with
forearms until Moxley leveled him with a running elbow.
Moxley hung Cassidy on the ropes and then kicked him onto
the apron. He raked Cassidy’s eyes and then tried to pull
him to the top, but Cassidy turned it around with a very
Mox-like back rake. Cassidy nailed an elbow off the top to
get a two-count. Moxley regained control until he asked
Cassidy to strike with him. Cassidy went to the pockets and
kicked Moxley away and into the corner, but before he could
attack more, the referee backed him away. When Cassidy went
back, Moxley elbowed Cassidy in the head. Moxley tried to
get to his feet, but his injured ankle gave way, and Cassidy
hit the Orange Punch! Cassidy couldn’t get the cover, as Mox
rolled to the outside, so OC chased him with a dive that
connected. Cassidy fought Moxley into the timekeeper’s area
and then put him through a table with a DDT!
Both men struggled back to the ring, but made it back before
the 10-count. Cassidy kipped up only for Moxley to
immediately grab him in a choke! Cassidy rolled over
Moxley’s shoulder to get a two-count! OC hit a running kick
and called for an Orange Punch that connected, but Moxley
came back with a crushing lariat! He dropped Cassidy with a
Gotch-style piledriver, but Cassidy kicked out! Moxley
looked frustrated and went back to a choke, but Cassidy
stopped it by ripping at Moxley’s injured foot with five
minutes remaining! Cassidy locked in a half crab in the
middle of the ring, which Moxley got out of with some kicks
to the side of the head! Cassidy hit a spinning DDT and
followed with two Orange Punches, but Moxley kept getting
back up! After a third, Moxley bounced off the ropes and
crumbled to the ground, so Cassidy hit a fourth Orange Punch
and a Beach Break, but somehow Mox kicked out! Cassidy tried
for an ankle lock, but Moxley grabbed a small package to get
the win! Moxley is heading to the C2 Semifinals!
We saw a rundown of the events that brought us to the AEW
World Championship 4-Way between AEW Champion Samoa Joe,
“Hangman” Adam Page, Swerve Strickland, and the man who
returned to execute his Casino Gauntlet guaranteed AEW World
Title match contract, MJF! Three former champions face the
reigning champion in two days at Worlds End!
Continental Classic Gold League: AEW Unified Champion “The
Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada (9 points) def. “Speedball” Mike
Bailey (6 points)
The winner of this match would qualify for the C2 semifinals
along with Kyle Fletcher. A draw would result in a 4-way tie
and a 4-way playoff at Worlds' End. Don Callis was on
commentary to see if he can get all three of his Family
members into the semifinals of the Continental Classic.
Bailey’s speed was on display from the jump, as he kicked
Okada to the outside and hit a moonsault from the second
rope to the floor! Bailey jumped from the top, but missed
when Okada moved and put Bailey down with a flapjack.
Bailey fought Okada away on the top and hit a missile
dropkick. He followed with a kick combo, only to miss a
running shooting star. Okada hit a neckbreaker and his
patented elbow from the top before saluting the crowd with
his middle finger. Bailey took that time to recover and
kicked his way free of Okada with a big shot to the side of
the head, which put both men on the mat!
As we came down the stretch, Okada won a strike battle, so
Bailey switched to kicks and took a brief advantage until
Okada nailed his dropkick! Okada pulled Bailey up for a
Rainmaker, but it was reversed into a hurricanrana for a
pin, only for Okada to reverse it right back for a near-
fall. Bailey hit a kick, but missed a moonsault knee. Bailey
went to the apron, so Okada slid under him, and by the time
Okada got to the floor, Bailey was coming off the second
rope with a moonsault! Unbelievable!
Bailey tried to push through the pain and put Okada on the
apron with 10 minutes remaining. Okada got back inside, so
Bailey caught him with a kick to the side of the head. Okada
came back with a dropkick that sent Bailey crashing to the
floor! Okada went out to meet him, and after trading
significant reversals, Bailey hit his moonsault knees into
Okada on the ramp! Okada returned to the ring and walked
right into a spinning roundhouse from Bailey, although Okada
was able to kick out! They fought on the top rope until
Okada knocked Bailey to the mat. Bailey came back, and this
time, Okada put him down hard, trapping him in the tree of
woe. Okada continued to stomp, but Bailey fired up and
flipped off Okada!
Bailey stopped Okada and connected with a hurricanrana from
the top! He hit the shooting star knees from the top onto a
folded-over Okada! But Okada smartly rolled to the floor!
Bailey went to the floor before the referee could count to
10 and rained down blows before returning Okada to the ring.
With five minutes remaining, Bailey kicked at Okada in a
taunting way and tried for a backslide, but rolled through
it and nailed a Rainmaker! Okada retained wrist control, but
Bailey kicked his way free with three shots. He hit another
knee-first shooting start from the second rope, but Okada
kicked out!
Bailey tried for a Flamingo Driver, but Okada slipped out of
it and tried a Rainmaker, only for Bailey to escape and
bounce Okada off the ropes into a rollup for a two count!
Okada ducked a roundhouse kick and tried for another
Rainmaker, which Bailey escaped. Bailey was flipped over
Okada’s shoulders onto the mat, so Okada dropped all his
weight onto Bailey’s chest and shoulder to trap him for the
three count! Okada gets to nine points and clinches a spot
in the semifinals!
At Worlds End, it will be Gold League Winner Kyle Fletcher
vs. Blue League Runner-Up Jon Moxley and an all-Don Callis
Family battle between the Blue League Winner, IWGP World
Heavyweight Champion “The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita and the
Gold League Runner-Up, AEW Unified Champion “The Rainmaker”
Kazuchika Okada!
Callis got in the ring to celebrate with Okada, so Takeshita
came out to face off with Okada as we came to a close on
Christmas Collision! Merry Christmas!
Catch AEW Worlds End this Saturday night, available on HBO
Max pay-per-view, with a special $39.99 price for HBO Max
subscribers. Click here to order AEW Worlds End on HBO Max
PPV right now!
Tickets On Sale Now! – www.AEWTix.com
And remember… We are AEW—Where The Best Wrestle!