‘AEW: Full Gear 2025’ PPV Review

Welcome to this review of AEW’s Full Gear 2025, which looks to be yet another huge pay-per-view for All Elite Wrestling – with plenty of title matches, including both women’s AND men’s titles on the line. As is usual for this year, the pay-per-view kicked off with the Tailgate Brawl, which saw the Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson and Austin Gunn) defeat Anthony Bowens & Max Caster, The Outrunners (Turbo Floyd and Truth Magnum) and Big Bill & Bryan Keith to win $200K in a 4-way tag match; Boom & Doom (Big Boom AJ and QT Marshall – who fought each other last year on the Full Gear pre-show) beat RPG Vice (Rocky Romero and Trent Beretta); Eddie Kingston & HOOK defeat The WorkHorsemen (JD Drake and Anthony Henry); and the CMLL World Trios Championship retained by El Sky Team (Máscara Dorada, Neón and Místico) against the Don Callis Family (Kazuchika Okada, Konosuke Takeshita and Hechicero) – a match that bled into the opening of the PPV itself!

And… as I’ve said in previous reviews, we’ve made the official synopsis a little more concise!

Match #1: PAC def. Darby Allin

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

PAC was already in the ring when a video showed Darby Allin, heavily bandaged in a hospital bed, smashing a TV before making his entrance. Allin arrived taped up across his midsection and right arm, the burns clearly still an issue. Allin started strong with chain wrestling – exactly what PAC said he couldn’t do – before a shotgun dropkick sent PAC outside. Back in the ring, PAC countered a leaping armdrag and took control until Allin grounded him with a headlock. Attempts at the Scorpion Death Lock failed as PAC scrambled to the ropes. Things turned brutal on the apron: PAC press-slammed Allin to the floor, then ripped off his bandages and clawed at the burns. He repeatedly whipped Allin into the ropes and buckles, showing off the damage. Allin refused to stay down, firing back with strikes, a dive to the outside, and a top-rope dropkick that sent PAC crashing into the announce desk. The final stretch became a trading-bombs sprint: German suplexes, a guillotine from Allin, a lariat that floored both men, and PAC catching a Coffin Drop mid-air with another German. PAC locked in the Brutalizer, but Allin made the ropes. After PAC missed a Black Arrow, Allin snatched a Scorpion Death Lock—until Wheeler Yuta distracted him. PAC used the bat behind the ref’s back and stole the pin.

My Score: 4 out of 5

Match #2: Timeless Love Bombs (Toni Storm & Mina Shirakawa) def. Babes of Wrath (Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron), Sisters of Sin (Skye Blue & Julia Hart) and Megan Bayne & Marina Shafir

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Shafir overpowered Storm early, tagging in Bayne so the pair could trap Storm in the ropes with alternating strikes. Storm escaped Bayne’s corner with a DDT and tagged Shirakawa, but Bayne answered with a Samoan drop before Shafir re-entered and punished Shirakawa with rope rake and head scissors. A blind tag let Blue jump in with a neckbreaker, leading to a brief exchange with Mina before Julia Hart yanked Storm off the apron to block a tag. Shirakawa instead tagged Nightingale, who ran wild with lariats. Cameron joined her for an assisted splash and a flurry of offence until Blue dumped her into the corner, allowing Hart to tag in. Chaos broke out with everyone brawling around ringside. Cameron hit a DDT and finally tagged Willow, who dropped Shafir with lariats and an Oklahoma Slam. Shafir countered with a choke, leading to Hart tagging in and landing double thrust kicks with the Sisters of Sin. Bayne broke the pin, tempers flared, and Shirakawa jumped in. Bayne blind-tagged Hart and fed Mina into Shafir for Mother’s Milk, only for Storm to break it up and finally tag back in. Storm hit a DDT before Cameron made a blind tag and nailed a top-rope crossbody for a close near-fall. Storm rallied with a sit-out powerbomb, sparking another multi-woman breakdown: Bayne double-suplexed the Sisters; Willow hit a Pounce; Nightingale cannonballed everyone on the floor; and Storm assisted Mina on a big dive. Back inside, Cameron nearly stole the win with a roll-up, but Storm countered the final exchange and secured the pin with The Big Package.

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #3: AEW World Tag Team Championship – FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) def. Brodido (Brody King & Bandido)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Wheeler and Bandido opened with a cautious exchange before Harwood tagged in, only for King to bulldoze him with heavy offence around ringside. Bandido tried to follow up but Wheeler charged, leading King to bodyslam him onto both members of FTR. Bandido went for a dive, but FTR caught him and slammed him into the announce table, swinging momentum hard in their favour. FTR isolated Bandido with rapid tags and double-teams. His first hot tag was wiped out by a referee distraction, letting FTR continue the punishment. Bandido eventually escaped and King finally entered legally, wiping out both members of FTR with slams, sentons, and a cannonball. FTR fired back with a superplex–splash combo, but King cut them off so Bandido could hit a frog splash and a string of near-falls. Chaos took over: King wiped out Stokely on a dive, Wheeler hit a tornado DDT off the apron, and Bandido countered a rebound powerbomb into more close pin attempts. Bandido even press-slammed Wheeler onto Harwood and followed with a huge crossbody to the floor. FTR tried for the Shatter Machine, but Bandido reversed it and kept swinging until Harwood finally caught him clean with the move—broken up at the last second by King. On the outside, King crashed into chairs, leaving Bandido vulnerable. Wheeler secretly blasted Bandido with a title belt, but Bandido somehow kicked out. Brodido answered with their own Shatter Machine, but Harwood survived. Bandido set up the Second Shooter, only to get yanked into the ring post by Wheeler. The closing stretch was frantic: Wheeler wiped out King; Bandido reversed a Doomsday Device; King was spiked on the apron; and FTR unloaded every big double-team they had, including a spike piledriver that still wasn’t enough. Bandido held on with pure defiance—but after one final Shatter Machine, FTR finally put him down and retained.

My Score: 4 out of 5

Match #4: Full Gear Casino Gauntlet Match – Winner: Ricochet

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Lashley and Benjamin entered together despite being the #1 and #2 entrants, circling each other cautiously until the countdown brought trouble. #3: Ricochet. Ricochet talked trash on the mic, distracting the Hurt Syndicate so Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun could ambush them from behind. Ricochet battered MVP while Kaun and Liona wiped out Lashley and Benjamin before being forced to the back. #4: Claudio Castagnoli. Ricochet tried to dive but was caught with a huge uppercut. Castagnoli swung him, hit another uppercut, but Ricochet countered with a head scissors. #5: Daniel Garcia. Garcia jumped Ricochet immediately. Ricochet dodged Castagnoli to send him outside but was crotched on the rope. #6: Orange Cassidy. Cassidy helped Ricochet finish a top-rope German on Garcia, then hit a Stundog Millionaire and tornado DDTs until— #7: Wheeler Yuta. Cassidy squared up with Yuta, but the Death Riders jumped him, turning it into a 3-on-1 beatdown. #8: Kevin Knight. Knight burst in with flying clotheslines, traded with Castagnoli, and nearly got rolled up by Ricochet. #9: Roderick Strong. Strong fired off backbreakers on everyone, hit the Sick Kick, and cleared house. #10: Mark Davis. Davis wrecked Yuta and Garcia and spiked Ricochet before Cassidy followed with a PK. #11: “Speedball” Mike Bailey. Bailey and Knight teamed briefly, then traded roll-ups until Garcia locked Bailey in the Dragon Slayer. #12: Daddy Magic Matt Menard. Garcia panicked. Menard chased him through the crowd. With the chaos outside, Lashley and Benjamin recovered, tossing Davis, Castagnoli, and Knight. Lashley speared Strong and powerslammed Cassidy. Ricochet tried to sneak in but was caught and tossed around by the Hurt Syndicate. A brief surge from Davis and Castagnoli fizzled when Cassidy hit Davis with the Orange Punch. Lashley missed a spear and crashed into the barricade. Back inside, Cassidy aimed for the Orange Punch on Ricochet, but Yuta cut him off. Knight wiped out Yuta with the UFO Splash—only for Ricochet to rocket in with the Spirit Gun, scoring the final pin and winning the match.

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #5: No Holds Barred Match – Kyle O’Reilly def. Jon Moxley

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

O’Reilly hit the ring and instantly shot for a double-leg, unloading on Moxley until Mox clawed back and took top control. O’Reilly nearly caught an armbar, so Mox bailed and resorted to gouging the eyes and fishhooks—legal under the rules. O’Reilly answered with stiff corner kicks and another ankle-lock attempt, forcing Mox outside, where Shafir handed him a fork. Moxley carved O’Reilly’s head and back open, bit his wounds, and kept him grounded, even gnawing at O’Reilly’s fingers to block escapes. O’Reilly fired back with an ankle lock and headlock until Mox escaped, reclaimed the fork, and—yes—jammed it into O’Reilly’s nipple. O’Reilly escaped to the apron, slingshotted Mox into the post, and dropkicked him off a chair into the guardrail. Back inside, he countered a cutter into another ankle lock. Mox transitioned to a triangle, O’Reilly reversed, and when Mox reached for the fork again, O’Reilly stole it and stabbed Mox repeatedly, leaving both men drenched in blood. O’Reilly grabbed a chain from under the ring, wrapping it around himself to lock in a guillotine. Mox reversed, suplexing them both with the chain around their necks. They each grabbed a length of chain and swung wildly before Mox trapped O’Reilly in a bulldog choke, then an ankle lock, then an STF—each one broken by O’Reilly stabbing Mox’s hand with the fork. Mox stomped O’Reilly’s arm in a chair, possibly breaking it, then hit the Paradigm Shift and clamped on a submission. O’Reilly blocked by grabbing his tights, slipped free, and wrapped the chain around Moxley’s legs while applying an ankle lock. With nowhere to go, Moxley finally tapped out.

My Score: 4.5 out of 5

Match #6: No DQ TNT Championship – Mark Briscoe def. Kyle Fletcher

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Fletcher sent Briscoe outside early, but Briscoe tripped him and immediately introduced chairs into this no-DQ fight—smashing Fletcher in the back and head before seating him for a cannonball. Fletcher caught him mid-air and drilled a brainbuster onto the chair. Briscoe answered by sweeping Fletcher onto the steel steps, then tried a ladder attack that backfired when the ladder bent around him on impact. Fletcher hurled the ladder into Briscoe’s face and kept piling on the punishment, bodyslamming him onto it and throwing him into it in the corner. Briscoe recovered on the top rope, dropkicking the ladder into Fletcher and busting him open. He set up a table, but Fletcher escaped and hit a half-and-half suplex onto multiple chairs. When Fletcher built a six-chair contraption, Briscoe cut him off—until Callis distracted him and Fletcher shoved Briscoe off the top and through a table. Fletcher hit a running boot, blocked a Jay Driller, and lawn-darted Briscoe through another table, then powerbombed him for two. He poured thumbtacks across the mat, stuffed a handful in Briscoe’s mouth, and kicked them in. Briscoe responded with a fisherman buster onto the tacks for a near-fall. He added a barbed-wire table, a regular table, and a massive ladder to the carnage. On the apron, Briscoe hit a flipping neckbreaker through chairs. Both men climbed the big ladder inside, where Briscoe knocked Fletcher down and nailed a Froggy Bow through a table—still only a two-count. Going for the barbed-wire table, Briscoe missed Callis handing Fletcher a screwdriver. Fletcher’s low blow and screwdriver shots drew blood, but Briscoe survived long enough to suplex Fletcher into the tacks. Fletcher kicked out again. Fletcher regained the screwdriver, looking for a brainbuster onto it, but Briscoe blocked and the tool stuck in the turnbuckle. Fletcher stabbed Briscoe repeatedly and hit a brainbuster onto the tacks—Briscoe still kicked out. Fletcher moved the barbed-wire table for a top-rope brainbuster, but Briscoe countered, crotching him and hitting a crucifix powerbomb through the barbed-wire table. Briscoe immediately followed with the Jay Driller onto the scattered weapons and finally pinned Fletcher to win the TNT Championship.

My Score: 4.5 out of 5

Match #7: One Million Dollar Trios Match – Josh Alexander & The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) def. Kenny Omega & Jurassic Express (“Jungle” Jack Perry & Luchasaurus)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Nick and Perry opened the million-dollar match evenly before both tagged out, bringing in Matt and Luchasaurus. Danielson joked that Luchasaurus could become the richest dinosaur as he flattened all three opponents. Perry re-entered briefly, then Omega tagged in to a huge reaction—only to be swarmed in the wrong corner and elbowed down by Alexander. Omega escaped, dove onto Alexander and the Bucks, but limped noticeably afterward. Back in the ring, Omega fought off a Bucks double-team and hit a big flip dive, then tagged out so Jurassic Express could run their tandem offence. Alexander caught Perry and slammed him on the apron, letting the Bucks take over. Matt even dove onto Omega outside, worsening the ankle issue. Perry finally hit a DDT and reached Luchasaurus, who tore through everyone with chokeslams before Omega tagged back in. Alexander tried tagging Matt, but Matt bailed, leaving him alone with Omega. Kenny hit a flurry, but his bad ankle caused him to miss the moonsault in You Can’t Escape. The Bucks returned, only for Perry to counter their stop-over attack. A rapid six-man exchange left everyone down. Omega fired off snap dragons on all three opponents until Alexander chopped the injured knee and locked in an ankle lock. The Bucks hit a BTE Trigger on Omega while he was trapped, but he still made the ropes. Luchasaurus broke up a piledriver attempt, and Omega/Jurassic Express hit their own spike piledriver for two. Perry called for Countdown to Extinction, but chaos erupted: Alexander hit Matt by accident, Omega kneed Alexander, and Perry hurricanrana’d Matt to the floor. Jurassic Express hit Countdown to Extinction on Nick, but Alexander saved him. Luchasaurus and Omega set up a double doomsday device, but the Bucks landed on their feet and hit superkicks—accidentally blasting Alexander. Omega capitalised by One-Winged-Angel’ing Alexander on the floor. But in the ring, the Bucks caught Perry, hit the BTE Trigger, and won the million dollars.

My Score: 4 out of 5

Match #8: AEW Women’s World Championship – Kris Statlander def. Mercedes Moné

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Statlander wasted no time, taking Moné down and hitting a standing moonsault for an early near-fall. Moné answered with a dive, but Statlander caught her and marched her up the steps until a fight on the apron led to a Statlander superplex. Statlander missed a 450 badly and immediately clutched her left arm. After insisting on continuing, she was met with a meteora off the apron, another into the steps, and relentless arm attacks from Moné, including a Fujiwara armbar and joint manipulation. Statlander created a brief opening with a one-armed clothesline, but Moné kept dragging her back into armbreakers and even hit a tornado DDT. She then delivered 14 Amigos before missing a Frog Splash, giving Statlander a second wind. Statlander fired up with clotheslines, a running boot, and a one-armed slam. Moné kept targeting the limb, but Statlander countered a run on the apron into a Blue Thunder Bomb. Back inside, Moné hit backstabbers and a sunset flip buckle bomb, but Statlander blasted her with a huge lariat. Statlander answered Moné’s Statement Maker with one of her own before hitting a super rib-breaker, though she was too hurt to capitalize. Attempts at Staturday Night Fever failed due to the arm, so Statlander shifted to a seatbelt pin, then a package piledriver—only for Moné to grab the rope. They exchanged counters, meteoras, hurricanranas, and piledriver reversals until Statlander rammed Moné into the buckles repeatedly, hoisted her off the top, and finally hit Staturday Night Fever to retain the AEW Women’s World Championship—her first singles win over Moné and Moné’s second-ever singles loss in AEW.

My Score: 4 out of 5

Match #9: AEW World Championship Steel Cage Match – Samoa Joe def. “Hangman” Adam Page

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

The Opps Dojo members flanked Joe for his entrance before Page made a memorable entrance with different theme music. It should be noted that Page still had plenty of tape around his injured ribs, which was precisely what Joe targeted at the outset. Page fought back and sent Joe into the cage face-first, which created a bloody laceration on Joe’s forehead. Page went right after the cut by pounding Joe in the corner. Hangman took his boot off and just beat the hell out of Joe with it, as his aggressive side had been on display in recent weeks. Joe collapsed in the opposite corner, as Page stayed on him to make the wound worse. Joe fought back with chops and forearms before raking the eyes of the AEW World Champion. Page charged at Joe, but Joe side-stepped him and sent Page face-first into the steel. The cut on Joe’s head seemed to be getting worse, yet he continued to throw everything he had at Page, which caused Page to bleed. Joe sandwiched Page between the ropes and the cage and nailed him with an enziguri. Joe followed by raking Page’s face across the steel. Page punched his way free only to run right into a lightning-fast powerslam by Joe for a near-fall. With the amount of blood both men lost, it’s hard to believe either can see. Page fought his way through some significant strikes and sent Joe into the metal supports that keep the cage upright. He hit so hard that there was a massive blood mark on the cage. Page got Joe down and used the Coquina Clutch, although he couldn’t cinch it all the way in. Joe escaped and hit a uranage out of the corner. He took off the turnbuckle pad and had Page on that top rope to go for a Muscle Buster, but Page bit Joe on the head to get some separation. Joe fought his way back up to the top with Page, so Page came off with a sunset flip powerbomb. Shibata appeared at the locked cage door, so Page kicked him away, and Shibata grabbed the AEW World Title and climbed the cage! Eddie Kingston ran down to pull Shibata off the cage and fought him to the back. In the cage, referee Paul Turner was inadvertently crushed against the cage, so he wasn’t able to count when Page hit a Dead Eye for at least a three-count. Powerhouse Hobbs showed up and ripped the lock off the cage door! He entered with the AEW World Title, but Page was ready and fought him off. Joe was ready, though, and caught Page in the Coquina Clutch. Page escaped it by running Joe into the exposed turnbuckle and followed with a Buckshot Lariat, but the referee was still down! HOOK ran down to wake the referee, though helping Page wasn’t the actual plan. Instead, HOOK smiled and grabbed the AEW World Title to smash Page across the face! HOOK took off his jacket to reveal an Opps shirt, as it was clear he had never left the group. Joe hit Page with a Muscle Buster on the title, as the referee came to for the three-count.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Final Verdict: 4.5/5

Full Gear delivered the kind of pay-per-view AEW needed — sharp, energetic, stacked, and packed with the sort of big-moment wrestling that reminds you why this company can still fire on all cylinders when it wants to. The undercard was consistently strong, with the tag division feeling alive again, the new National Championship adding real mid-card purpose, and several feuds finally paying off with proper violence, emotion, and spectacular spots. But it was the big matches that pushed this show into top-tier territory. The surprises landed, the returns felt important, and the big title bouts — even the more controversial decisions — had weight and drama. Whether you agreed with every outcome or not, the show felt big, which is something AEW has struggled with lately. More importantly, Full Gear set up new directions across the board, giving Dynamite and Collision a clear boost heading into winter. If AEW follows through, this could mark a genuine turning point…