21st Nov2023

‘AEW: Full Gear 2023’ PPV Review

by Phil Wheat

Welcome to this review of AEW’s Full Gear, which looks to be yet another huge pay-per-view for All Elite Wrestling – with plenty of title matches, including both the women’s AND men’s titles on the line. The Zero Hour portion of the show kicked off proceedings with a few pre-PPV matches, so let’s see what went down!

ZERO HOUR

Match #1: ROH World Championship Match – Eddie Kingston def. Jay Lethal

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Kingston clotheslined Lethal over the top rope, sending Lethal crashing onto the arena floor. Back in the ring they traded stiff chops. Lethal pulled Kingston out of the ring and sent the champ headfirst into the steel ring post. Lethal took Kingston down with a snap suplex. Lethal followed up with a beautiful overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Lethal executed the Lethal Combination. Kingston countered the Lethal Injection with a suplex. Karen Jarrett distracted the ref while Lethal crawled towards Jeff Jarrett’s guitar. Ortiz appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the guitar and smashed it over Dutt’s head. Kingston countered the Lethal Injection again and then pinned Lethal after a spinning backfist!

My Score: 5 out of 5 – from now on all Eddie Kingston matches get 5 stars!

Match #2: Claudio Castagnoli def. Buddy Matthews

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Buddy Matthews went right after Claudio right out of the gate. Claudio blasted Buddy with a European Uppercut outside the ring. Buddy rocked Claudio with a rising knee and Claudio answered with a lariat. Buddy tried for a meteora, but Claudio caught him and countered with the Big Swing. Buddy employed the hammer and anvil elbow strikes. Claudio deadlifted Buddy into a cutter. Claudio accelerated into an uppercut. Claudio planted Buddy with the Ricola Bomb and then placed Buddy in the sharpshooter, forcing Buddy to tap out!

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #3: ROH World Tag Team Championship Match – MJF & Samoa Joe def. The Gunns (Austin & Colten)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

MJF stomped Colten in the corner. MJF hit the Gunns with a double clothesline. Samoa Joe tagged himself in. Samoa Joe wiped out the Gunns with a tope suicida. Joe connected with a senton on Colten. Joe jabbed away at Colten. Colten swiped MJF with a clothesline as the ref was distracted. Austin Gunn grabbed a tag and kicked MJF in the back. The Gunns employed quick tags and worked over MJF with tandem offense. Samoa Joe tagged in and cleaned house on the Gunns. Samoa Joe powerslammed Austin for a near fall. Samoa Joe was setting up Austin for a muscle buster, but MJF tagged in. MJF went for a muscle buster of his own on Austin but Colten dropkicked MJF. The champ fired back with a double DDT on the Gunns. MJF was looking for the kangaroo kick, but Samoa Joe tagged himself in. The Gunns escaped muscle busters from MJF and Samoa Joe. The Gunns nailed Samoa Joe with the 3:10 to Yuma. MJF broke up the pin attempt. Adam Cole came out and walked down the ramp on crutches. As the Gunns were distracted, Samoa Joe finished off Colten with a submission.

My Score: 3 out of 5

FULL GEAR

Match #1: Adam Copeland, Darby Allin & Sting def. Christian Cage, Luchasaurus & Nick Wayne

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Nick Wayne cracked Darby Allin with a cheap shot. Darby grappled Nick Wayne to the mat. Darby followed up with two deep arm drags. Sting tagged in and threw Nick Wayne through the ropes and to the floor. Sting whipped Nick Wayne into the steel barricade. Copeland tagged in and Christian Cage immediately tagged out to Luchasaurus. Luchasaurus charged at Cope with a clothesline. Cope escaped a chokeslam attempt. Darby tagged in but ate a right hand from Luchasaurus. Luchasaurus choke slammed Darby over the top rope and onto the ring apron. Christian Cage stomped on Darby and then tagged out to Nick Wayne. Nick punted Darby in the shoulder. Luchasaurus entered the ring and slammed Darby, and then Nick Wayne followed up with a senton for a near fall. Darby nailed Nick with a Code Red from the top turnbuckle. Christian Cage crawled under the ring, popped up on the other side, pulled Copeland down and rammed him into the ring post! Christian taunted Darby, telling him to make the tag. Christian poured on the punishment. Adam Copeland entered the match and unleashed hell on Luchasaurus. Copeland rocked Luchasaurus with an Impaler. Copeland threw Wayne over the top rope at Luchasaurus. Darby rocketed out of the ring with a tope at Nick Wayne and Luchasaurus. Sting and Copeland hammered Luchasaurus. They hit Luchasaurus with a tandem Scorpion Death Drop. Luchasaurus battered Copeland with a lariat to the back of the neck. Christian Cage taunted Ric Flair and Flair chopped Christian. Christian connected with a low blow. Christian Cage tried to hit Copeland with the championship belt, but Copeland ducked, and Cage inadvertently hit Luchasaurus. Christian Cage abandoned his team. Sting splashed Luchasaurus and then Copeland hit the spear! Darby nailed Luchasaurus with the Coffin Drop and then Copeland pinned Luchasaurus!

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #2: AEW International Championship Match – Orange Cassidy def. Jon Moxley

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Moxley sent Cassidy onto the announcers’ table. Mox hoisted up Cassidy and dropped him across the barricade. Moxley chopped at Orange and taunted him. Moxley drove Orange to the mat with a Bossman slam. Orange rocked Mox with a diving DDT. Moxley was busted wide open. Orange flew out of the ring with an elbow suicida to Moxley. Orange hit Mox with another one! Orange cracked Mox with a third elbow suicida, right on the jaw. Orange countered a Death Rider with a Stun Dog Millionaire! Mox grounded and pounded Orange Cassidy and then transitioned into a bulldog choke on Orange! Orange jumped on Mox’s back and applied the Red Rum! Moxley was able to get to the ropes, forcing the ref break. Moxley stunned Orange with a cutter and then a Gotch style piledriver for a two-count! Orange dropkicked Moxley and Moxley collided headfirst into an exposed turnbuckle corner. Orange pulped Mox with three Orange Punches! And then a fourth! And then a fifth Orange Punch! And a sixth Orange Punch! Orange followed up with the Beach Break and pinned Jon Moxley!

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #3: AEW Women’s World Championship Match – Toni Storm def. Hikaru Shida

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Storm and Shida exchanged forearms. Shida stormed Toni with a running knee strike. Mariah May was watching on a monitor backstage. Shida chopped Storm in the chest. Toni backed Shida into the corner with rapid fire chops. Storm pounced on Shida with a running bulldog. Luther handed Toni two shoes. The ref saw one of the shoes and pulled it away, but Storm had a second shoe hidden in her trunks. Storm cracked Shida in the head with the shoe while the ref had her back turned. Shida fired back with a Strong Zero. Shida hit the question mark kick and then a Falcon Arrow for a near fall on “Timeless” Toni Storm. Storm avoided a meteora and Shida’s ankle buckled on the landing. Storm applied an ankle lock. Shida reached the ropes, forcing the ref to break the hold. Storm pulled off one of Shida’s boots. Shida grabbed a kendo stick, but Luther tried to pull it away. Shida wrecked Luther with the kendo stick. Storm walloped Shida with a German Suplex. Storm had a metal tray in her trunks. Storm bashed Shida with her hip attack and pinned Shida!

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #4: AEW World Tag Team Championship Ladder Match – Big Bill & Ricky Starks def. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood), LFI (Dralistico & Rush) and Kings of the Black Throne (Brody King & Malakai Black)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Dax starched Malakai with a right hand. Malakai knocked a ladder into Dax’s mouth. Rush and Cash whacked one another with nasty shots, forearms and elbows. Cash threw his body through the ropes at Brody, Rush, and Big Bill! Dralistico jumped over the top with a tope con hiro and took out the pile. Ricky Starks climbed to the top, but Malakai knocked him off his perch. Malakai moonsaulted out of the ring and onto the pile! Dax superplexed Starks out of the ring and onto the men outside. Big Bill and Brody King collided with one another in the center of the ring, exchanging wild, clubbing shots. Rush and Dax rammed them with ladders. Dax threw his ladder at Rush. Dralistico dropkicked Dax, who had his head in between rungs of the ladder. Dralistico staggered Cash with a corkscrew kick. Dralistico climbed the ladder, but Cash shoved the ladder down. Cash powerslammed Rush, catching Rush midflight. Cash started climbing the ladder, but Malakai pulled Cash down. Black slingshotted a ladder into the face of Wheeler. Cash Wheeler spiked Black with a piledriver on a ladder! Brody attempted a tope suicida, but Big Bill pulled up a ladder and Brody crashed into it. Starks speared Dralistico and then speared Rush. Starks drilled Dax with a swinging DDT. Starks sent Black overhead with a suplex into a ladder. Brody King cannonballed Dax, who was against a ladder that was propped against the turnbuckles. Brody began to climb the ladder toward the titles, but Big Bill yanked the ladder out from beneath Brody. Dralistico lunged off the ropes with a lung blower to Big Bill. Rush rammed Big Bill with a ladder, sandwiching Big Bill in the corner. Rush rocked Big Bill with the Bull’s Horns, kicking a ladder into Bill’s face. Starks and Rush climbed opposite sides of the ladder. Dax grabbed a taller ladder and began the climb towards the titles. Cash grabbed another ladder, but Brody backdropped him. Dralistico planted Brody with a poison rana. Brody decimated Dralistico with a Gonzo Bomb on a ladder that was propped up between the ring and the guardrail. Cash Wheeler climbed to the top rope and splashed Brody on the ladder, sacrificing his own body. Dax climbed up a ladder toward the titles, but Ricky Starks met him up top. Black pulled Dax down and connected with the End. Starks grabbed the titles and the champions retained!

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #5: TBS Championship Match – Julia Hart def. Kris Statlander and Skye Blue

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Kris body slammed Julia and then body slammed Skye. Skye Blue rolled up Kris from behind for a near fall. Julia jumped on Statlander’s back, but Statlander shucked her off. Skye Blue clocked Kris with a knee strike. Statlander double suplexed Skye and Julia on the arena floor, reversing their attempt on Statlander. Skye Blue offered her hand to Julia and Julia accepted it…and then began to bounce Skye Blue’s head off the mat repeatedly. Blue mounted Julia and began to pound her with shots. She followed up with the PK to Julia. Kris charged at Skye and Julia with knee strikes. Skye nailed Kris with a neck breaker. Julia rallied back with an elbow to Skye Blue. Julia took Statlander off her feet with a lariat. Skye Blue rocked Hart with a thrust kick. Julia moonsaulted Skye Blue but Statlander pulled Julia off Blue to break up the pin attempt. Statlander powerslammed Julia on the arena floor. Skye Blue blasted Kris with a Code Blue for a near fall! Julia applied the Heartless Lock to Skye Blue, but Kris grabbed Julia and sent her overhead with a German Suplex! Then Kris sent Skye flying high with a German Suplex. Kris crushed Skye with the Saturday Night Fever and went for the pin, but instead Julia knocked Kris away, covered Skye, and won the match!

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #6: Texas Death Match – Swerve Strickland def. “Hangman” Adam Page

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Page cleaned Swerve’s clock with a Buckshot Lariat right at the bell. Hangman taped Swerve’s wrists together. Hangman had a staple gun and began stapling Swerve’s body! Page plastered Swerve in the side of the head with a steel chair. Page grabbed a steel chair wrapped in barb wire. Page swung it at Swerve, but Swerve saved himself by kicking Page between the legs. Prince Nana had scissors and cut Swerve free of the tape. Swerve pulled the staple gun and stapled Page right between the eyes. Swerve sent Hangman headfirst into the barbed wire wrapped steel chair. Swerve pulled a cinder block out from beneath the ring. Hangman and Swerve brawled on the ring apron. Swerve spiked Hangman with a Death Valley Driver on the cinder block. Swerve delivered a piledriver on top of the guardrail! Back in the ring, Page planted Swerve with a fallaway slam. Page sent Swerve flying with another fallaway slam. Page wrapped barbed wire around Swerve’s head. Page trapped Swerve’s arm against his body by wrapping the barbed wire around him. Page hit another fallaway slam. Page moonsaulted off the post and landed on Swerve with the barbed wire wrapped steel chair. Swerve intercepted the Buckshot Lariat attempt. Swerve booted the chair into Page’s head. Page reversed a tombstone and dropped Swerve onto the barbed wire wrapped steel chair with a tombstone piledriver of his own. Swerve power bombed Page onto the barbed wire wrapped chair and followed up with the Swerve Stomp! Swerve grabbed a black bag from beneath the ring. Swerve spilled the bag onto Page’s back. It was full of broken glass. Swerve connected with a 450 splash onto Page, who had glass all over his bag. Swerve followed up with the JML Driver. Swerve placed a board covered with barb wire and bridged it between two chairs in the ring. Page chomped down on Swerve’s forehead. Page planted Swerve with a fallaway slam off the top and followed up with a Dead Eye on the barbed wire. Page wrapped the barbed wire around Swerve’s head and face. Page blasted Swerve with a Buckshot barbed wire lariat! Prince Nana pulled Swerve out of the ring to break the ref’s count. Brian Cage ambushed Page from behind and power bombed him! Brian Cage pulled out a table and set it up on the arena floor. Page cracked Cage with a barbed wire wrapped rolling elbow. Adam Page almost broke Nana in half with a Dead Eye through the table! Swerve shattered the cinder block on Hangman Page. Swerve wrapped a chain around Page’s throat, and then Swerve yanked on the chain after it was draped across ring post. Page couldn’t answer the ten count and Swerve was declared the winner!

My Score: 5 out of 5

Match #7: The Golden Jets (Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega) def. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Chris Jericho and Matt Jackson chain wrestled. Jericho chopped at Matt and then Omega tagged himself in, allowing Matt some time to step away from Jericho and his swarm of chops. Matt mauled Omega with a flurry of shots to the back of the head. Omega answered with a hurracanrana. Omega launched himself with the Terminator Dive and landed on Matt Jackson. Chris Jericho slid into Nick Jackson with a baseball dropkick. The Bucks went to work on Jericho’s arm, trying to take out the arm Jericho uses for the Judas Effect. Jericho dropkicked Nick Jackson from the middle rope and then tagged out to Omega. Omega took Matt down with a snapdragon suplex. Omega wiped out both Bucks with his offense. Omega moonsaulted out of the ring and onto Matt Jackson. Omega followed up with a crossbody press to Nick, but Nick countered by rolling through for a near fall. Omega smashed Nick with a knee strike. Jericho lionsaulted onto both Young Bucks! Jericho was looking for the Walls, but Matt Jackson kicked Jericho in the injured arm. Nick Jackson connected with a rolling roundhouse to Jericho. Matt was looking for a rana, but Jericho put the brakes on and sat down with the Walls of Jericho. Matt used the heel of his boot to kick Jericho in the arm and escape the hold. Matt Jackson sent the Golden Jets flying with double Northern Lights Suplexes. Jericho lawn darted Matt Jackson’s face into the mat. Matt held Jericho while Nick connected with a senton. Nick Jackson kicked Jericho between the legs. The ref admonished Nick and while she had her back turned, Matt kicked Omega between the legs. Nick Jackson rocked Jericho with the Judas Effect! The Bucks bashed Jericho with the BTE Trigger. Somehow Jericho kicked out of Matt’s pin attempt. Nick Jackson superkicked Jericho on the injured arm. Omega tagged in and stunned Nick with a V Trigger. Omega lifted off Nick for a One Winged Angel, but Nick reversed it with a rana. Matt planted Omega with a One Winged Angel and Nick covered Omega, but the Cleaner kicked out. Omega drilled Matt Jackson with a German Suplex. Nick Jackson starched Omega with a superkick. Jericho ate a superkick from Matt Jackson. Omega clocked Matt with a V Trigger and then finished him off with the One Winged Angel to score the pin!

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #8: AEW World Championship Match – MJF def. “Switchblade” Jay White

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

MJF slapped Switchblade in the face, but Switchblade went right to work on MJF’s injured left leg. Jay White diverted the attention of the ref while the Gunns stomped on MJF outside the ring. The ref eventually saw the Gunns interfering and ejected them from ringside. MJF turned the tables on Jay White and chomped down on White’s forehead. MJF fired up and hit the kangaroo kick on Switchblade. Jay White dropkicked MJF in the bad leg. Jay White spiked MJF with a DDT. Jay White planted MJF with a uranage for a near fall. MJF gouged at Jay’s eyes and then DDT’ed him on the floor. MJF slammed Jay White onto the announcers’ desk. MJF dropped an elbow from the top turnbuckle right onto Jay White on the arena floor. Back in the ring, Jay White employed a dragon screw leg whip on MJF. Jay White tied up MJF in the Tree of Woe. Jay White climbed to the top, but MJF yanked White down to the mat. Jay White climbed back up and nailed MJF with an avalanche uranage for a two-count! MJF countered the Blade Runner with a spinning elbow. Jay White answered with a release German Suplex. MJF spiked White with a tombstone piledriver. MJF jumped over the top rope and caught Jay White with a cutter, planting him on the arena floor. Back in the ring Jay White went back to work on MJF’s injured leg. Jay White spat at Adam Cole and then applied the figure four to MJF. Adam Cole had a towel and was contemplating throwing it into the ring to end the match. MJF reversed the figure four. Jay White made a desperate dive and grabbed the bottom rope to force the break. Adam Cole had his ROH Tag Title and was thinking about using it against Jay White, but Jay White grabbed it away and smacked MJF in the head with it! Jay White covered MJF but MJF kicked out at two! Jay White was yanking on MJF’s leg, but MJF shoved him away, with White colliding with the ref and knocking him down. Adam Cole slipped the Dynamite Diamond Ring into the ring, but before MJF could retrieve it, Jay White grabbed it. MJF hit White with a low blow before White could use the Dynamite Diamond Ring. MJF slipped the Dynamite Diamond Ring on his hand. The Gunns ran down and MJF clocked them! Jay White was looking for the Blade Runner, but MJF cracked Jay with the Dynamite Diamond Ring and pinned Switchblade!

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Final Verdict: 4/5

Another cracking pay-per-view from AEW but one that wasn’t without a few issues – namely the weak main event, where Jay White lost to a guy with a bum leg(!) and the fact that anything that followed the incredibly brutal Texas Death Match was going to feel lacklustre. On the other hand, we got some surprising wins  – especially Julia Hart picking up the TBS women’s title. Though like Toni Storm winning the Women’s Championship, it was a case of both women being at the peak of their “gimmick” and being totally over with the AEW audience – all of which meant it was the perfect time to give BOTH women the titles. I’ll be interested to see where Hart takes the TBS title going forward. As for the International Championship, seeing Orange Cassidy pick up the win, again, over Jon Moxley cements him as THE champ. I hope that this significant win over AEW’s biggest (because Mox is still the biggest talent in the company) talent means that whomever DOES win the title off Cassidy becomes a made man.

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