AEW Holiday Bash 2025: A Manchester Crowd, A Million Dollars, and an MJF Bombshell

AEW Dynamite and Collision’s Holiday Bash special from Manchester, England, felt less like a themed TV episode and more like a season finale for the promotion’s 2025 storylines. In front of one of the biggest crowds in Dynamite history, fans saw MJF storm back into the AEW World Championship picture, The Elite turn a risky $1 million wager into cold, hard victory, and a card stacked with matches clearly designed to move the needle on TBS and HBO Max.


AEW ring setup with wrestlers and crowd during a major event
AEW brings a packed arena atmosphere to its Holiday Bash special, continuing its tradition of big December cards. (Promotional image)

Holiday episodes in wrestling can easily slip into throwaway territory, but this show was structured like a statement: AEW wanted buzz heading into the end of the year, and it brought star power, stipulations, and a few genuine shockers to make sure Manchester went home buzzing.


Why Holiday Bash Matters in the AEW Calendar

AEW has slowly turned its December specials into tentpole events. Holiday Bash, Winter Is Coming, and New Year’s Smash historically house big moments—think title changes, debuts, or match-of-the-year contenders. Running Dynamite and Collision together from Manchester amplified that intent, turning the show into a live-event hybrid that felt closer to a pay-per-view than a weekly TV taping.

From a strategy standpoint, it’s smart. Streaming numbers on HBO Max and ratings on TBS both benefit from a “must-see” aura, and stacking the card with The Elite and MJF is as can’t-miss as modern wrestling TV gets.

“These big specials are where we like to pay off long-term stories and set the tone for the next year. Holiday Bash is a chapter break, not filler.”

That philosophy is all over this show, from the way the World Championship picture gets scrambled to how the $1 million Elite showcase is framed as both spectacle and storyline progression.

Wrestling ring illuminated by arena lights with a large crowd in the background
Big-venue TV specials let AEW blur the line between weekly television and pay-per-view presentation.

MJF Returns: The World Title Scene Gets Turned Upside Down

The headline moment from Holiday Bash is MJF’s return. His absence had left the AEW World Championship picture feeling oddly open—more democratic, sure, but missing the live-wire tension he brings as both a talker and a big-match performer. Dropping him back in front of a molten Manchester crowd turned what could’ve been a simple comeback into a narrative reset.

The key here isn’t just that MJF is back—it’s how he’s positioned. AEW framed his return as a direct threat to whoever holds the AEW World Championship going into 2026, all but telegraphing that the title scene will orbit around him again. Whether that’s a good thing depends on your appetite for long-term MJF-centric booking, but there’s no denying he moves metrics.

Creatively, Holiday Bash leans into the idea that absence makes the crowd grow louder. The Manchester audience reacted like they were getting a returning antihero rather than a straight villain, which puts AEW in an interesting spot: do they ride the wave and tilt him even further toward tweener territory, or double down on his worst impulses to keep him firmly on the antagonist side?

Microphone in a spotlight symbolizing a wrestling promo segment
In AEW, a single promo can be as impactful as a main-event match—few understand that better than MJF.

The Elite’s $1 Million Match: High Stakes, Higher Expectations

The other hook for this Holiday Bash was classic wrestling melodrama: The Elite wrestling in a match where $1 million was on the line. Whether kayfabe or not, slapping a seven-figure number on a bout sends a message that this isn’t just another trios exhibition. The Elite winning here doesn’t just give them bragging rights; it frames them as AEW’s indispensable big-match act, again.

From an industry perspective, this is AEW leaning into what made The Elite must-watch in the first place: fast-paced, innovative, occasionally indulgent matches with stakes that feel just a little bit absurd. It taps into the spirit of their New Japan Pro Wrestling and early AEW runs, while also reminding casual TV viewers who the company’s founding stars are.

“When The Elite are given real stakes, they don’t just have good matches—they redefine what a TV main event can look like.” — Anonymous industry analyst

If there’s a critique, it’s that AEW occasionally assumes everyone watching already has years of Elite lore downloaded. For newer viewers coming in via HBO Max, a video package or clearer explanation of the $1 million setup would have helped. Still, as a spectacle, it delivered on the promise of athletic chaos and headline-friendly imagery.

Three wrestlers celebrating on the ropes of a ring in front of a cheering crowd
The Elite continue to be AEW’s go-to act when it wants high-octane, high-stakes main events on television.

Dynamite & Collision Holiday Bash: Match Highlights and Story Beats

With Dynamite and Collision effectively braided together, the Holiday Bash card moved briskly. While the full match list reads like a novel, a few segments and bouts stood out as particularly meaningful heading into 2026.

Key Moments from the Night

  • MJF’s in-ring segment that directly called out the current World Champion and teased multiple possible challengers, rather than a single linear feud.
  • The Elite’s $1 million showcase, structured to highlight both their chemistry and the sheer chaos of high-stakes trios wrestling.
  • Cross-brand angles that blurred the lines between Dynamite and Collision rosters, signaling a more fluid 2026 landscape.
  • Under-card title defenses designed to steady the midcard, even on a night dominated by top-of-the-card drama.

The thread tying all of these together is pacing. AEW sometimes falls into the trap of stuffing too many things into two hours; Holiday Bash still flirted with that chaos, but the Manchester crowd’s energy and the larger-than-usual stakes kept it from feeling bloated.

Two wrestlers engaging in a high-impact move in a packed arena
AEW continues to lean on fast-paced, multi-man matches as the backbone of its TV specials.

Production, Crowd, and the Manchester Effect

One of the unsung stars of Holiday Bash is the Manchester crowd itself. AEW’s European fanbase tends to skew hardcore and vocal, and that translates incredibly well on television. Big pops for The Elite and MJF made the show feel big even before any match really got going.

Production-wise, the show continues AEW’s 2025 trend toward a slightly more polished, streaming-friendly look: tighter camera cuts, cleaner graphics, and a sense that the show is being presented as a premium event rather than just a live sports broadcast. It’s a subtle evolution, but it matters on platforms like HBO Max, where viewers are trained to expect prestige-level visuals.

Wide shot of a wrestling arena with lighting rigs and fans holding signs
A hot international crowd can turn a themed wrestling show into an event that feels era-defining for hardcore fans.

If there’s a minor downside, it’s that the always-loud, always-on crowd energy can sometimes flatten the emotional peaks—when everything gets a big reaction, fewer moments feel truly once-in-a-year. But that’s a good problem to have, and AEW mostly navigated it by saving the loudest beats for the bookends of the show.


Strengths, Weaknesses, and How Holiday Bash Fits AEW’s Bigger Picture

What Worked

  • Clear Event Identity: The co-branded Dynamite/Collision format felt purposeful rather than gimmicky.
  • Star-Driven Booking: Anchoring the show on MJF and The Elite gave it a marquee feel.
  • Crowd Energy: Manchester amplified almost every major angle and made the broadcast feel live and unpredictable.
  • Forward Momentum: The show didn’t just look backward; it clearly seeded stories for early 2026.

Where It Stumbled

  • New Viewer Onboarding: Some stipulations and story beats assumed deep familiarity with AEW lore.
  • Card Density: As with many AEW specials, the sheer volume of angles flirted with overload.
  • Spotlight Balance: Midcard talent occasionally felt like window dressing on a night dominated by a few top names.

Still, as a television product, Holiday Bash checks the boxes AEW needs right now: buzzworthy returns, social-media-ready moments, and matches that will live on in clips long after the holidays. It feels designed as much for the algorithm as for the live crowd—whether that’s a feature or a bug depends on your perspective.


Final Verdict: A Holiday Bash That Actually Means Something

AEW’s 2025 Holiday Bash from Manchester isn’t just another themed show—it’s a line in the sand for where the company wants to head in 2026. MJF’s return instantly restores a sense of danger to the AEW World Championship scene, while The Elite’s $1 million victory reinforces their place as the company’s high-stakes workhorses. The show isn’t flawless, but it mostly nails the tricky balance between fan service, storytelling, and spectacle.

For long-time AEW fans, Holiday Bash will read like a reward for sticking with the product through its 2025 ups and downs. For newer viewers, it’s a bit dense, but still a clear invitation: this is where the stories that will define AEW’s next year truly begin.

4.2/5 — A lively, story-driven special that sets the table for AEW’s 2026, powered by a red-hot Manchester crowd and a pair of genuine headline angles.

Wrestler standing on the turnbuckle celebrating while fireworks and lights go off
Holiday Bash 2025 positions AEW for another year defined by big personalities, bigger stakes, and global crowds.