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AEW Full Gear was a really good show, even though it went on far too long for my taste. I would definitely say that all said and done, I thought that the show delivered and then some.
There is much to write about from this show and most of it is positive. But of course, I had a few reservations and I will jot everything down for your reading pleasure in this review.
In the past, I've been a little critical of Jim Ross' commentary in AEW but I just thought that he was on fire during the event, especially in the clash between Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley. I've been called out in the past for being far too harsh to Jim Ross and let me be the first to admit that I thought he was absolute gold through the night.
With that out of the way, it's time to list the best and worst from the pay-per-view.
#1 Best: The hardcore-est of all hardcore marches
This was an unsanctioned match and so we all expected it to be a bloody mess that would make us cringe. What we did not expect is just how bloody and brutal it got, to such an extent that it made Renee Young send out a Tweet about how uncomfortable she was about what her husband was up to, during the match.
Kenny Omega relinquished his artistic persona to delve into the darker side of his character and unleashed it to such an extent that The Young Bucks and Hangman Page had to ask him to slow down and rethink his strategy during the course of the match. The way the match ended with the wooden board under the ring getting exposed made the match even more interesting than one expected it would be!
#1 Worst: The excruciating length of the show
I am a huge fan of the Walking Dead and it was recently announced that there would be 42 shows from the franchise over the course of 2020. While that seems like a massive number, that's just 42 weeks of actual content.
AEW Full Gear lasted four and a half hours and I am exhausted as I write this review up. I keep thinking to myself, had I only watched the show as a fan, would I have seen it at a go or watched it separately, in various parts?
AEW does not have mainstream names like Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns to keep an audience invested for the entire duration of the length of its pay-per-view events. Chris Jericho is a legend but is he really that big a mainstream name?
Pro wrestling needs to take a cue or two from the UFC about show duration!
#2 Best: MJF betrays Cody Rhodes
While we can all talk about how good the main event was, we all know that the biggest headline to come out of AEW Full Gear was MJF betraying Cody Rhodes. I'd found their whole alliance iffy from the very start and I love how the whole thing was carried out during the match. MJF was Cody Rhodes' cornerman, who threw in the towel, costing Rhodes the match.
We all thought that the match would go 60 minutes because of the judges sitting at ringside. But when it did not, and when MJF threw in the towel, we knew something dramatic would happen. Also, Cody Rhodes vs. MJF is a feud I can get behind.
These are two men who rely more on storytelling than flips, to sell a program. They don't need a title feud to make the story interesting. I can't wait to see how this plays out on Dynamite.
#2 Worst: The Buy-In match
The Joshis in All Elite Wrestling wrestle at a level that is supremely good. Dr. Britt Baker and Bea Priestley are both good, but they just paled in comparison to the level of wrestling that we witnessed on the show otherwise. It just felt like it wouldn't be the ideal match to get people to buy the pay-per-view event.
If the best thing about the match was Awesome Kong and Brandi Rhodes arriving towards the end of the contest and chopping off Bea Priestley's hair, we have a slight problem. I really think that much like Cody Rhodes does with each one of his feuds, if Britt Baker has a story that gets the audience invested in her, she will do much better.
Like it or not, most of the world is used to the WWE style of sports entertainment. You need a story to find out who you'll root for and whom you'll cheer for, something Cody Rhodes ensures in all of his feuds brilliantly.
#3 Best: The Women's Championship match delivers
While the first women's match of the night was a disappointment, at least to me, the second one was absolute class, in my opinion. This was a match between teacher and student, between Riho and her teacher, Emi Sakura, a match they've performed numerous times yet.
I had an issue with the relationship between the two women not being established when the go-home episode of Dynamite happened, but I'm glad to report that both Excalibur and JR did the needful at the pay-per-view. The match in itself was incredibly fast-paced and it was clear to see where Riho's influence comes from.
The right person won in my opinion in Riho who's been a great international representative of the title, and while I am not the biggest fan of Emi Sakura's Freddie Mercury inspired gimmick (mind you, Queen is my favorite band, but it just feels out of place in a wrestling ring), I wouldn't mind seeing her return for a big rematch!
#3 Worst: A filler clash?
This wasn't a bad match by any stretch of the imagination but it is one of those contests that could have been left out of the card and reserved for AEW Dynamite. It just didn't feel special in any sense, to me.
I just think that Joey Janela is very out of sorts in a match without a hardcore stipulation. While Tully Blanchard getting physically involved at his age was great, it was just not enough for this match to make it to the 'Best' column, in my personal opinion.
Shawn Spears is just one of those characters who needs a massive program with a lot of TV time to be considered a major player in All Elite Wrestling. Such has not been the case thus far.
I hate to say it, but the show would have been more solid had the match been left off the card, I believe.
#4 Best: The truly fast-paced opening contest
We all knew that a match between The Young Bucks and Santana and Ortiz would steal the show. What I did not know is that the match would kick the show off, taking our breath away. Two of the best tag teams in the world clashed and the result, as one would expect, was very awesome. The former LAX has finally got their groove back.
Of course, everyone is also talking about the Rock n' Roll Express getting physically involved after the match and that was quite awesome as well. Jim Cornette probably had a heart attack when he saw the seasoned veterans give the rubs to The Young Bucks.
All in all, this was a pay-per-view that should go down in the history books as one of the best that AEW has put forth. I just wish that it was shorter.
Do you guys agree?
