The final AEW Dynamite of 2025 is a big one! Title bouts! Feuds continue! This past Saturday night saw some massive game-changing results heading into 2026. Will New Year’s Smash 2025 give us one last surprise as the year closes?!
IT ABSOLUTELY DOES!!! WILLOW NIGHTINGALE DEFEATS MERCEDES MONE TO BECOME THE NEW TBS CHAMPION in the main event of New Year’s Smash. Mone tried valiantly to overcome Willow’s undeniable strength but despite Mone’s attempts to maneuver Willow into her finisher was unsuccessful multiple times. On a counter, Willow managed to deadlift Mone up, planting her down hard with the mighty Doctor Bomb for the pinfall victory.
The Conglomeration came to the ring to celebrate, and in the ultimate feel-good moment, AEW Women’s World Champion Kris Statlander came to the ring and embraced her long-time friend.
Now, that’s how you end 2025 and kick off 2026.
MJF shocked the world by avenging his championship loss at the same PPV, where Samoa Joe defeated Maxwell Friedman for the World Championship at World’s End, now regaining it at the same PPV, two years later. The new champ starts the show gloating about his win, overcoming Samoa Joe, Swerve Strickland, and “Hangman” Adam Page. As he unveils his brand new Triple B, he is interrupted by KENNY ‘FREAKIN’ OMEGA.
Kenny Omega straight up wants a shot at the championship. He’s wondering if his career might be winding down, but perhaps dethroning MJF and taking the title might get him to reconsider. Omega’s not the only one with an active threat, as MJF thinks he is in the clear, Adam Page and Swerve surround the champ until security arrives in time to allow MJF to run away to fight another day. If you think that closed the segment you clearly haven’t been watching.
Talk about storytelling, Page and Swerve united, beat the crap out of security. Page using Swerve as a booster for a Buckshot is a work of art. Swerve and Page have no plan to leave MJF alone, however Samoa Joe appears on the big screen, irate at losing the championship, stating he was unfairly robbed. An Angry Joe is a dangerous Joe. He tells Page and Swerve that “Meat is back on the menu” and plans to “Send Hook” after them. Great! Swerve welcomes the challenge but wants a LIGHTS OUT match!!!
Storytelling! Page and Swerve, despite both wanting title matches, remain unified in their mutual quests to stop Samoa Joe in order to get to MJF.
Backstage: Hilarious segment with Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, Mark Briscoe, and Toni Storm. Mina Shirakawa shows up angrily accusing Freshly Squeezed of muscling in on her “wife.” Storm remarks about his Citrus nature while Mina is non-plussed. Roddy starting to swing back into his comedic side. Commentary remark about Roddy’s stable with Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly. Hmm… Interesting.
More Mixed Nuts Match: Claudio Castignoli, Daniel Garica, and Marina Shafir defeated Roderick Strong, Orange Cassidy, and “Timeless” Toni Storm
Roderick Strong has one of the most fluid, picture-perfect dropkicks in the business. Let me get this straight, Mox goes babyface but the rest of the stable remain as heels? Honestly, I don’t care because we’re getting great wrestling tonight. Roddy gets the MVP for the match, multiple times rockin’ out. We’re going crazy as men and women are beating the snot out of each other including Roddy and Marina going at it. Crowd popped huge for it. Unfortunately Wheeler Yuta interfered which led to Claudio pinning Cassidy.
O.C. and Timeless had their obligatory offensive dance. Mina is still unhappy about it.
Bandido retains the Ring of Honor World Championship against The Beast Mortos
Now this was a damn fun match. Bandido does his flying style to daze and dizzy his opponents, but when you get a big beast doing the same thing it’s time to revisit belief in logic and gravity. Gotta love these guys.
Brody King defeated “Shotty” Lee Johnson
It was a match. Short. Johnson tried. He really did.
Darby Allin pre-tape promo with some cryptic words directed towards the Death Riders, but to PAC specifically.
Jon Moxley defeated Josh Alexander in a Eliminator Match
Booked as a babyface, crowd firmly behind Mox. Just imagine, about seven years ago we had a crazy Dean Ambrose running around. Can someone explain to me why or how Josh Alexander bleeds to easily? I think he took a bodyslam and suddenly was busted open. A well-paced match as the Walking Weapon continued where Okada and Fletcher left off, working over the bad ankle which commentary accurately reminded everyone it was Kyle O’Reilly whom was first to injure him. Ultimately Alexander tapped out to the sleeper choke hold. After the match, MVP and Shelton Benjamin made their presence known as Mox leaves through the crowd. Afterwards the Death Riders collectively cut a promo backstage, appearing to all be on the same page. Wheeler Yuta calls out Darby Allin, which just doesn’t seem like a great idea if he wants to survive the first month of 2026.
Ricochet defeated “Jungle” Jack Perry to retain the AEW National Championship
Really good match, but of course Ricochet wasn’t losing the title so quickly. However, it does seem as though Jurassic Express will continue a feud with The Demand. Jack Perry and Ricochet one-upped each other over and over until interference played a role in the finish. Perry has become more versatile and able to change his wrestling styles depending on who he shares the ring with. He kept pace with the fast antics of Ricochet, as proof, delivered a fantastic dodge into a reversal culminating into a deadlift german suplex. I’ll take Perry vs. Ricochet II please.
Main Event: Willow Nightingale defeated Mercedes Mone to win the TBS Championship
As stated at the top of the column, the big event to close out the year is the change of TBS titleholder. Willow and Kris Statlander make up, and Mercedes Mone continues to fall from her pedestal. Real interesting, as she loses the TBS Championship prior to the loss of her many championships from indy promotions. Oh, those losses are coming. She’s lost the NJPW Women’s Strong, RevPro Undisputed Women’s, and now the TBS Championship, the three main titles initially won to start her belt collecting crusade. It’s over now folks!
2026 appears to feature the reign of MJF, the downfall of Mercedes Mone, the potential rejuvenation of the Death Riders and Jon Moxley. Kenny Omega returns to the ring to make a run for the world championship. The Don Callis Family regrouping, and hopefully the major feud between Takeshita and Okada will continue.
2025 was a great year for pro-wrestling, and AEW had a major role in that. If not for their successes, other promotions were forced to team up (or buy up) and up their game, as evidenced by TNA and NXT trying to keep up. As much as the tribalists out there would rather blame and slander, how about we put those antics away and make 2026 a better year for appreciating the gift professional wrestling has given us. We will be starting the year with the final match for the retiring Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 20. Perhaps this could be motivation for fans to set aside their grievances and appreciate having more wrestling available than in the past decade.
Oh, who am I kidding? Fickle fans gonna stay fickle.
