8 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Worlds End 2023
3. AEW Taketh Away!
This was special.
Killswitch predictably won a pre-show Battle Royale to become number one contender for the TNT Title. Any thoughts of him rebelling against Christian and grabbing the title for himself were shot to bits when the hulking bodyguard handed his contract to a smiling Cage as a late Christmas present.
Seconds later, Christian downed Copeland with his own spear (bit of revenge for the prior finisher theft there!) and regained the TNT belt. In one moment, AEW achieved everything: Copeland won the title, then had his heart shattered into pieces by the sadistic and evil Christian. Meanwhile, Killswitch teased becoming his own man.
That'll come eventually, but it's ace that AEW resisted pulling the trigger on a turn here. The clear focus was taking fans on an emotional journey. They witnessed their hero get the win, then circumstances conspired to wreck his night. Really good storytelling all round here.