Samoa Joe has reclaimed the AEW World Championship with assistance from Ops. He is set to make his first title defense at the AEW Dynamite: Winter is Coming special in Atlanta on December 10th, where he will face challenger Eddie Kingston. AEW confirmed on X that following a victory by the Mad King and his call-out to Samoa Joe at the Thanksgiving AEW Collision event, the upcoming match will be Joe vs. Kingston for the AEW World Title.
Eddie Kingston recently defeated Katsuyori Shibata of Ops on AEW Collision and expressed concerns in a promo that his friend Hook might be influenced by Joe. After Hook punched former champion “Hangman” Adam Page during the AEW World Championship match at AEW Full Gear, Kingston challenged Joe to defend his title at Winter is Coming. This will be the first one-on-one match between Joe and Kingston since June 2007 at an independent show by Pro Wrestling Syndicate. Their last encounter was in a tag match on November 5th’s Dynamite, where Joe’s team, The Ops, successfully defended the AEW World Trios Championship against Page, Kingston, and Hook. Hook’s apparent departure from The Ops in September was later revealed as a ruse when he attacked Page to help Joe win the world title at Full Gear.
Fan Take: This matchup sets up an exciting chapter in AEW’s championship scene, spotlighting two veterans with deep history and strong fan followings. It promises to bring intense storytelling and high-stakes action, potentially reshaping rivalries and alliances within AEW.
