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AEW's second Full Gear pay-per-view will be taking place tonight, live from Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida. With that, it is a good time to check in on the winners of last year's event, and see how the AEW machine has treated them over the last year.
AEW Superstar Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D
2019 Match: Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. Def. Bea Priestley
2020 Match: N/A (Not on the card)
As much criticism as AEW's women's division has received in the past year, virtually zero of that negativity is directed at Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. There is no question that Dr. Baker has carried a large amount of the entertainment of the division, with many attributing a badly-timed leg injury as one of the only reasons why she hasn't had a run with the AEW Women's Championship.
At AEW Full Gear in 2019, Dr. Baker took on Bea Priestly in a fairly average match, with all things considered. The match was designed to help Dr. Baker continue to build credibility, and that it did.
In the months following her Full Gear match, Dr. Baker worked programs with some of the top women in AEW. She fought in many matches involving Nyla Rose, Penelope Ford, AEW Women's Champion Riho and more.
Even after her injury in May, Dr. Baker still entertained with her "Roll Model" gimmick and hilarious segments throughout AEW programing. When she was finally able to transition back into full-time wrestling, she engaged in a fun feud with AEW star Big Swole, ultimately helping elevate Swole's status at the same time.
Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D is not on this year's AEW Full Gear card, but she still holds the fifth best record for 2020 in the women's division. This has led some to believe it is only a matter of time before she receives another opportunity at the AEW Women's Championship.
Former AEW Women's Champion Riho
2019 Match: Riho Def. Emi Sakura to retain AEW Women's Championship
2020 Match: N/A (Not on the card)
If you are looking for a good example of how someone could go from top star to non-existent in a short amount of time, here is the best case study...
Riho became AEW's first Women's Champion in October 2019, when she defeated Nyla Rose on an episode of Dynamite. While fans loved her fighting spirit, they were heavily critical of AEW's decision to give Riho the championship so quickly.
As a natural babyface, it seemed like she was perfect for a slow buildup, and one that would conclude with her having to conquer the mighty Rose later down the line. Instead, AEW rolled the dice by making her their first champion, and it quickly backfired.
Fans found themselves becoming bored with Riho and AEW did not do their best in marketing her to a larger audience. Her matches became stale, and her lack of character beyond being a rag doll would eventually catch up to her.
She would eventually lose the title to Nyla Rose on a February episode Dynamite. Before then, however, she would face Emi Sakura in a slightly above-average match at Full Gear. After their bout, Sakura would wrestle two more matches for AEW. Her final match took place on the December 19th edition of Dynamite, where she lost to Big Swole.
Riho would go on to defend her championship successfully twice, defeating Dr. Britt Baker and Kris Statlander just one week apart from each other. After her loss to Rose in February, she would wrestle five more times in AEW in a mix of singles and tag team matches. She was on the losing side of each match.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Riho has been unable to return to the United States to compete for the promotion.
AEW Superstar "Hangman" Adam Page
2019 Match: Page Def. PAC
2020 Match: Adam Page vs. Kenny Omega - Winner to receive an AEW World Championship match
"Hangman" Adam Page has gone through so many twists and turns since his match again PAC at AEW Full Gear in 2019, it could all be described in its own separate article.
From his descent into his drinking gimmick, to his tag team title reign with his now-opponent Kenny Omega, Page has certainly been kept busy and continues to be a huge fan favorite in AEW.
Following his match with PAC, Page would soon be put into a tag team with Omega, with the duo winning the AEW Tag Team Championships on Day Two of Chris Jericho's Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager at Sea Part Deux in January of this year.
The unlikely team would hold on to the titles for months, putting on consistently-great bouts with some of AEW's top tag teams. This includes their match with the Young Bucks at AEW Revolution in February, which many have called the best matches in AEW's short history.
They would eventually lose the belts at AEW All Out in September to FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood). This has since prompted Omega and Page to go and forge their own success in their singles careers. Ironically, it has led them to collide at this year's event.
AEW tag team Proud and Powerful (Santana and Ortiz)
2019 Match: Proud & Powerful Def. Young Bucks
2020 Match: N/A (Not on the card)
Santana and Ortiz made an impact in AEW on their first night. At AEW's All Out event, Proud and Powerful attacked the Young Bucks, the heart and soul of the AEW tag team division.
The duo would later join The Inner Circle, not long after the first episode of AEW Dynamite, and quickly challenged the Young Bucks to a match at Full Gear.
The match itself was wildly entertaining, with Santana and Ortiz able to scratch out a victory due to Nick Jackson favoring his right shin throughout the contest. The aftermath was fun as well.
The Rock N' Roll Express flew through the ring to save the Young Bucks from a beat down from PNP and Sammy Guevara. The ageing duo managed to hit a Canadian Destroyer and then did a dive to outside the ring.
To this day, this match stands as the biggest win in the duo's tenure in AEW, as they have since failed to reach the main event picture of the AEW tag team division.
They have enjoyed tons of success and program focus on AEW television, but this is mainly due to their position in The Inner Circle. Being joined by their fellow members: Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, and of course the leader of the group Chris Jericho, PNP have had no shortage of entertaining material to work with.
However, even though they continue to get shine from simply standing near Chris Jericho's light, success for the duo - as an independent act - has been a bit stalled. One could suspect, however, that the duo will get back in the AEW Tag Team Championship hunt some time soon.
Former AEW Tag Team Champions S.C.U
2019 Match: SoCal Uncensored (Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky) Def. Lucha Brothers (Pentagón Jr. and Rey Fénix) and Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen)
2020 Match: N/A (Not on the card)
SoCal Uncensored entered last year's Full Gear event with a ton of weight on their shoulders, and some around their waist as well. After being crowned the inaugural AEW Tag Team Champions, SCU were given an enormous task by AEW to prove to the whole world why the promotion's tag division was the best in the world.
On paper, the division seemed stacked with talent, but SoCal Uncensored and company wanted to show that AEW could consistently put on good tag team action and not just one-off "spot fests."
With the company being so young, every match in their first year was designed to help make the AEW Tag Team Championships respected throughout the industry. Their match at AEW Full Gear last year definitely added to that campaign.
Former AEW World Champion Chris Jericho
2019 Match: Chris Jericho Def. Cody to retain the AEW World Championship
2020 Match: Chris Jericho vs. MJF - If MJF wins, he is allowed to join The Inner Circle.
Le Champion, The Demo God, Leader of the Inner Circle... Whatever you call Chris Jericho, it doesn't really matter. The pro-wrestling icon continues to prove every week why he is one of the greatest to ever lace up a pair of boots. Contrary to initial concerns, Jericho's time in AEW has only helped his legendary status grow.
This time last year, Jericho was taking on the Executive Vice President of AEW in a match with enormous stakes that still affect AEW programing to this day. Not only was the championship on the line, but the stipulation also stated that if Cody was to lose the match, he would never be allowed to challenge for the AEW World Championship again.
Jericho would go on to defeat Cody by "Technical Submission" when the latter was locked into the Liontamer and his supposed "ally" MJF threw in a towel to end the bout. MJF would later kick Cody well below the belt, making him one of the biggest heels in pro-wrestling.
From there, Jericho continued to carry the AEW brand. Whether it was waging war against The Elite or running a muck with his group The Inner Circle, Le Champion reigned supreme as not just the hottest act in AEW, but one of the best World Champions in pro-wrestling, all at the ripe young age of 48 years old.
There seemed to be no end in sight to Jericho's hold on the AEW Championship until he lost the title to Jon Moxley at AEW Revolution. Since then, Jericho has remained at the top of his game and his group, the Inner Circle have only become more and more entertaining. A whole show was dedicated to his 30 years of wrestling in October.
His over-the-top feud with Orange Cassidy, his venture into the tag team division with fellow Inner Circle member Jake Hager, and his current feud with MJF have proven that Jericho is truly timeless.
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley
2019 Match: Jon Moxley Def. Kenny Omega in an Unsanctioned Lights Out Match
2020 Match: Jon Moxley defends his AEW World Championship against Eddie Kingston in an "I Quit" Match
Jon Moxley has definitely come a long way since his match at AEW's 2019 Full Gear pay-per-view. Moxley arrived in AEW with a big splash, considered by many to be the biggest free agent signing by a non-WWE company in more than a decade.
He made his debut at AEW's first Double or Nothing event, where he attacked both Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho. This would lead to the now-famous image of Moxley giving the Paradigm Shift to Omega at the top of the entrance stage.
At Full Gear, Moxley took on The Cleaner in an Unsanctioned Lights Out match, where there were no disqualifications and no count outs. The match itself was "not officially recognized" by AEW, as Tony Khan agreed to allow the match to take place to simply end the feud between the two.
The match was brutal, with every weapon imaginable being used. It was an intense and, at times, very gruesome affair. So much so, that after an investigation by the Maryland Athletic State Commission, AEW was fined $10,000 for the unsanctioned match between Moxley and Omega. This was due to the fact that intentional bleeding is disallowed during professional wrestling matches contested in the state of Maryland.
Moxley would go on to win the AEW Championship at AEW Revolution. Since winning the strap, he has accumulated quite a list of people he has successfully defended his title against.
These names include: Lance Archer, Darby Allen, Mr. Brodie Lee, Brian Cage, MJF, and even his opponent for this years' Full Gear event, Eddie Kingston.
