AEW Full Gear 2020 Quick Takes

The Buy-In

NWA Women’s World Championship: Serena Deeb (c) vs. Allysin Kay

This match did exactly what a Buy-In match should, it got people interested in the PPV. It may have only had a few days to get established but commentary did a lot to get everyone up to speed on why this matters. Deeb and Kay have a long history with one another going back to their training days so they were able to put on a clinic. Deeb was able to retain the title after Kay taps out the Serenity Lock. After the match, former champ Thunder Rosa confronts the champ, prompting a possible rematch in the future. Serena and Allysin both looked great. Serena has done great work with the NWA Women’s championship in a relatively short time and I hope AEW’s relationship with the NWA not only continues but also expands. It was mentioned a few times that Allysin is a recent free agent. She would be a great signing for AEW. I could see her having some great matches in the division. Grade: B-

Main Card

Title Eliminator Final: Kenny Omega vs. Adam Page

I was surprised to see this as the opener for Full Gear but in retrospect, I’m glad it was. This was high energy and really set the tone for the rest of the show. Impact Wrestling’s Don Callis appeared on commentary to support Kenny Omega which I genuinely wasn’t expecting. The former Tag Champs were able to play off of their relationship well with some neat callbacks to their match at Wrestling Dontaku two years ago, this also led to a lot of creative counters of their moves. Kenny pulled off a tremendous moonsault off the barricade while Page was able to hit a gnarly powerbomb on the outside. This match was a straight-up strike-fest. It was fitting to hear Callis and Ross reminisce about NJPW because this felt like a G-1 match. Kenny wins with the One-Winged Angel and it was the right call. It’s time for the Cleaner to take his place in AEW. Grade: A

Orange Cassidy vs. John Silver

If you like Orange Cassidy (I do) and/or enjoy Silver’s bits on BTE (I do) then you probably enjoyed this match. I’ve said before that OC is the embodiment of what AEW represents. I may add John Silver to that list soon. This was over the top comedy but never hit pandering silliness. Silver’s reaction to the Cassidy pocket gag was great, he completely ripped them off. This was goofy but it still made sense. I feel like “goofy but made sense” is a recurring theme in this match. The King of Sloth Style wins with the Beach Break. Orange Cassidy was the star here but John Silver was able to really shine here. Grade: B+

TNT Championship: Cody (Rhodes) (c) vs. Darby Allin

This match had a serious old school vibe to it and had that big fight feel. Cody coming out with the Nightmare Family in full force made it feel like a big deal. I will admit, hearing Justin Roberts announce Cody as Cody Rhodes made me smile. The story here was simple. Cody’s ego was up against Darby’s hunger. Cody used his newfound size to his advantage, working over Darby’s arm. This led to a brutal hammerlock toss from Rhodes to Allin to the outside that had me genuinely concerned for a moment. This was speed vs. power. This was experience vs. youth. Darby Allin finally gets his moment by beating Cody after a series of roll-up reversals. Post match, Cody and Darby get taken out Team Taz. Ricky Starks and Brian Cage try to break the arm of the new champ by slamming it in a car door but they get chased off by a returning Will Hobbs. Grade A-

AEW Women’s Championship: Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Nyla Rose

This was another hard-hitting match. Hikaru Shida’s striking game pairs up nicely against Nyla Rose’s brute force. Shida really impressed me a few times with some feats of strength of her own, especially when she landed a Falcon Arrow on Nyla. Both women had some effective near falls throughout the match. Both took turns toying with their opponent which was a nice touch. Shida retains after several running knees to Nyla for the three count. After the match, Nyla gets screamed at by Vickie Guerrero and even gets a slap to the face. Nyla does not retaliate and takes her verbal thrashing. I have no idea where this is going to wind up but I’m curious to see where it goes. Grade C+

AEW Tag Team Championship: FTR (c) vs. Young Bucks

This match was a love letter to tag team wrestling. It had a little bit of everything. There were tributes to the great tag teams throughout wrestling history including homages to the Steiners, the Hardys, the Hart Foundation, even DIY got a shoutout. The story here was Matt Jackson’s ankle and FTR did everything they could to maintain the advantage. The Young Bucks have got a lot of flack for their selling over the years but they have really found a way to incorporate it into their matches. As for FTR, they finally got really work their style of a match in an AEW ring. The build for this may have fallen flat but the match more than made up for it. The Young Bucks get the win after Matt Jackson superkicks, Cash Wheeler, after missing a 450. Having the “No flips, just fists” team lose their titles because they went for a flip was a nice touch. Grade: A

Final Deletion: Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara

If you like cinematic matches, then this was really cool. If you don’t’, then this was an absolute slough. This was essential a wresting geeks fever dream. It had monster trucks, holograms, a vampire, and a superhero. That’s right, there were cameos from Gangrel and Hurricane Helms. Sammy was backed by Santana and Ortiz. Hardy had Private Party. This was very similar to Hardy’s previous matches at the Hardy Compound, complete with a familiar fireworks spot and a dilapidated boat. The match does take a more vicious tone towards the end after a brutal table spot. Hardy wins with a Conchairto which was a nice call back to his last day in WWE. After the match, Hardy and Private Party place the body of Guevara in a trash can, place it in the back of a truck and have it drive off. I do wonder what will happen once Sammy returns. Grade: N/A

MJF vs. Chris Jericho

On paper, this might have been the match I was most curious about. This had two top-tier heels each trying to out “bad guy” each other. By no means was this a technical masterpiece but, it was a ton of fun. This really was Jericho wrestling a version of his younger self. There wasn’t a lot of work rate stuff in this one. Jericho pulled off a Frankensteiner and a nice Lionsault, considering this was Chris’s last PPV in his 40s, this proved that he still can go when needed. Both men tried their best to cheat. MJF had the Dynamite Diamond ring and Chris had his trusty bat. The bad lead to the Demo-God’s undoing as he fell victim to the old Eddie Guerrero spot of pretending to be hit by the foreign object, as MJF flipped Chris off and dropped to the mat. His antics allowed him to roll up Jericho for the win. MJF and Wardlow are officially in the Inner Circle. Grade B+

AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Eddie Kingston

This was everything it needed to be. Between the promos and interview segments, I almost forgot that this deeply personal rivalry had only a few weeks to really establish itself. The match was a result of two of the most creative mind in pro wrestling being able to tell their story their way. Again, this wasn’t a mat wrestling showcase but it didn’t need to be. This was hard-hitting and absolutely brutal. There were a ton of barb wire spots, thumbtacks, and a particularly gnarly spot involving rubbing alcohol. All of this made for some tremendous visuals that I would proudly display on my wall. Eddie being willing to injury himself with the barbed wire to do what needs to do to achieve his dream and Moxley showing hesitation in having to put down his old friend because he needs to retain his title was a fantastic story. Jon retains his championship using some barbed wire to assist him in a Bulldog choke, forcing the Mad King to say “I Quit”. Yes, this was violent but violence can be an effective way to move a story when it is done well. Post match, the new number 1 contender, Kenny Omega comes down to stand off against his future opponent. Grade: A

#prowrestling #FullGear #ChirisJericho #JonMoxley #EddieKingston #wrestling #AEW #CodyRhodes