| Promotion | All Elite Wrestling |
|---|---|
| Liveevent | Y |
| Date | January 15 and 16, 2025 |
| Date aired | January 15 and 18, 2025 |
| City | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Venue | Andrew J. Brady Music Center |
| Attendance | 1,570 (Dynamite)[1] 1,410 (Collision)[2] |
| Event | AEW Dynamite special episodes |
| Lastevent 2 | Fight for the Fallen |
| Nextevent 2 | Spring BreakThru |
| Event 2 | AEW Collision special episodes |
| Lastevent 3 | Christmas Collision |
| Nextevent 3 | Homecoming |
Maximum Carnage was a two-part professional wrestling television special produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It took place on January 15 and 16, 2025, at the Andrew J. Brady Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, encompassing the broadcasts of Wednesday Night Dynamite and Saturday Night Collision. Dynamite aired live on January 15 on TBS in the United States, while Collision was taped on January 16 and aired on tape delay on January 18 on TNT, also in the United States. Both shows were also simulcast on the streaming service Max.
The opening match of Collision was notable as the in-ring retirement of Christopher Daniels, who was defeated by knockout by "Hangman" Adam Page in a Texas Death Match. Daniels would continue his role both on-screen and backstage as Head of Talent Relations at AEW.
Production
Background
On December 5, 2024, the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) filed to trademark "Maximum Carnage".[3] On December 23, the company announced that Maximum Carnage would be a two-part television special, first airing as a special episode of AEW's flagship program, Wednesday Night Dynamite, and then as a special episode of Saturday Night Collision. The event was scheduled to be held on January 15 and 16, 2025, at the Andrew J. Brady Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dynamite aired live on January 15 on TBS in the United States, while Collision was taped on January 16 and aired on tape delay on January 18 on TNT, also in the United States. Both shows were also simulcast on the streaming service Max.[4]
Collison's opening match marked the in-ring retirement of Christopher Daniels. In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Daniels described his reasoning going into event. He stated that he "knew my contract as a performer was coming to an end." He described his body was feeling "eh", and he wasn't wrestling much anymore. He rejected Tony Khan's requests to label his match with "Hangman" Adam Page as a retirement match, stating "I also didn't want people to know it was my final match. I want people to be shocked."[5]
Storylines
Maximum Carnage featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines.[6] Storylines were produced on AEW's weekly television programs, Dynamite and Collision.[7][8]
References
- ^ "AEW Dynamite #276 - Maximum Carnage - Tag 1". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
- ^ "AEW Collision #77 - Maximum Carnage - Tag 2". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (December 6, 2024). "AEW Files To Trademark 'Maximum Combat,' 'Maximum Carnage,' And More". Fightful. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ Russell, Skylar (December 23, 2024). "AEW Announces Maximum Carnage Dynamite And Collision Tapings". Fightful. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
- ^ "Christopher Daniels On His Retirement Match, FAKE Eye Injury, AEW, TNA, Higher Power, Tiffany Stratton". Chris Van Vliet. 2025-07-03. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
- ^ Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc.. Discovery Communications. Archived November 29, 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ "AEW Dynamite: Cincinnati". All Elite Wrestling. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
- ^ "AEW Collision: Cincinnati". All Elite Wrestling. Retrieved December 27, 2024.