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AEW Full Gear is now in the books, and though there are some kinks to work out, it was a great show for the company, arguably the best since Double or Nothing. It brought all that we've seen on Dynamite to a head and set the landscape for the next few months in the company. What more could you ask for?
Well-timed and paced, the event never overstayed its welcome, unlike most of the shows in "that other wrestling company," and it made the right calls on winners, losers, and moments. It was a dictionary definition of a well booked and presented wrestling show that served the interests of talent, promotion, and fans alike.
Eight matches sprinkled the card at Full Gear. In case you didn't get to watch live, which ones should you take priority in watching? Here's a ranking of those eight matches from worst to best.
#8 Shawn Spears vs. Joey Janela
This match felt randomly thrown together at the last minute (it was built with a seconds-long segment on an AEW Dark episode and then followed up for a few minutes on this week's episode of Dynamite) and truly didn't need to happen at Full Gear at all.
Tully Blanchard did a good job as a heel manager throughout the match and his interference led to Shawn Spears' victory, but it was a pedestrian, run of the mill wrestling match that felt out of place on a show which had been masterfully built over the six weeks since AEW Dynamite's debut on TNT.
Obviously, the match wasn't actively bad, and was fine enough as a buffer between some of the hotter matches on the show, but if you're going to miss any match from AEW Full Gear, this would be the one.
#7 Britt Baker vs. Bea Priestley
This match was built up over the first few episodes of Dynamite and Dark, with angles stretching back to Fyter Fest in July. It disappeared in the lead up to the show but reappeared in a good promo package before showtime that got fans interested in the match for Full Gear.
The two worked a solid match together, with some strong chain wrestling and a series of near falls. Unfortunately, the striking wasn't all that on point. Baker would eventually get revenge on Priestley with the Lockjaw.
The more notable thing about this match was its aftermath, as Brandi Rhodes and Awesome Kong appeared, with the latter taking out the defeated Priestley and cutting off a lock of her hair as if it were some kind of trophy. That should signal the start of their menace to the women's division, whatever it ultimately entails.
#6 "Hangman" Adam Page vs. Pac
One would think that this match would have a stronger position, but there were a few things working against it. It followed a very hot show opener and its repetitive nature became a combination that prevented full investment in the action from the crowd.
The fact that we will again see this match on Dynamite suggests that it's getting a little bit repetitive, to say the least.
Obviously, both of these guys are very good wrestlers, so the action itself was always going to be good. One spot with a brainbuster on a chair outside sent a jolt of excitement in the viewer.
Adam Page would ultimately avenge himself on PAC with the Dead Eye, though the rankings suggest that this move made him the number one contender. That would be way too soon after his loss at All Out.
Perhaps that's why they're gonna do this match again on Dynamite.
#5 Riho vs. Emi Sakura
It's too bad that this match didn't have more build, because the teacher vs. student angle could have gone places on the weekly Dynamite episodes. The lack of build and the obvious winner didn't subtract from the action itself, though. Riho just has a knack for playing the babyface in danger and getting fans invested in her victory. Any time it feels like she could lose her title, you hold your breath. This is why AEW smartly made her their first women's champion, they knew what they had with her.
Riho was in peril more than once, falling victim to her old mentor's slams, but she kicked out each time. Her big knee strikes weren't enough to down Sakura, either. Ultimately, it came down to an exchange of pins. Riho eventually won with her own rollup, taking revenge for Dynamite earlier this week.
This match did what it needed to do.
#4 SCU vs. The Lucha Bros vs. Private Party
As expected, this match delivered. Six very good wrestlers were in the ring and Private Party got to have a huge spot on the main card of a pay per view. They made the most of it. Even though they were the ones pinned at the end, because of course they were going to be, they still shined with the spots given to them.
SCU was never going to drop their titles on their first defense, though the aftermath of the match saw the Lucha Bros brawling with them, where Christopher Daniels, in a Pentagon disguise, finally returned.
Will the feud continue? Or will SCU now find themselves embroiled with the Inner Circle, as they'll be having a match with Jericho and Sammy Guevara this Wednesday?
Time will tell, but until then, you'll want to catch this match. You'll enjoy it.
#3 The Young Bucks vs. Santana and Ortiz
The top three matches shouldn't surprise anyone, and most people would probably rank them in this particular order, too.
The Young Bucks opened the show against Santana and Ortiz, who did a masterful job of showing how hungry they were in the pre-match promo video.
Nick Jackson did a great job of selling that brutal leg injury through the match. It would ultimately ruin the Bucks' best chance at victory by having him be unable to perform the Meltzer Driver. Santana and Ortiz would take advantage and hit the Street Sweeper to claim victory.
Unfortunately, the aftermath saw the old time Rock and Roll Express get one over on the victorious duo in revenge for two weeks ago. If we constantly berate WWE for doing this kind of thing, we have do so here. All it did was take some heat out of the victorious tag team.
#2 Chris Jericho vs. Cody
The stakes were high here. After a masterful build, Cody added the stipulation that he would never compete for the AEW title again if he lost this match. A perfect character-driven story, Chris Jericho resorted to strategem after strategem that gradually wound Cody down in a war of attrition. Cody had the youth and stamina advantage, but Jericho was outsmarting him at every turn.
The ending still shocked everyone though. MJF, in a fit of "concern," threw in the towel as Cody was trapped in the move formerly called the Walls of Jericho. Jericho thus retained, but Cody's heartbreak didn't end there, because MJF executed the turn everyone but him knew was coming.
So MJF cost Cody the title, the right to challenge for it, and a friendship.
I think the turn came too soon, but it was still masterfully executed and will no doubt go down as one of AEW's most notable moments of 2019.
#1 Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega
To the surprise of no one, this match gets top billing. If you can only watch one match from Full Gear, this is the one. Jon Moxley promised "beautiful, glorious wrestling violence the likes of which we haven't seen in this country in decades." If any match would live up to that hype, it would be this.
Moxley and Kenny Omega went for some brutal spots we don't usually see in a hardcore match, like sweeping each other with barbed wire or grazing one another with an ice pick. Kenny Omega made Jon Moxley crawl through broken glass in order to break a hold. It goes on.
After some brutal work up the entrance ramp, the action returned to the ring, where Jon Moxley tore the apron off and exposed the bare pine. An elevated Paradigm Shift on the hard wood would seal his victory.
