AEW Full Gear aired live from the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. Britt Baker defeated Bea Priestley via submission in the Buy In. After the match, Awesome Kong came down to the ring with Brandi Rhodes. Kong attacked Priestley and cut off some of her hair as a trophy.
Here are 7 takeaways from the show:
Santana & Ortiz Defeated The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) squared off against Proud & Powerful (Santana and Ortiz) tonight at Full Gear. Rock & Roll Express were in the front row for the match.
The match started out in a brawl with all four wrestlers in the ring. Nick sent Santana to the corner and bounced his face off the turnbuckle. Matt tagged in and leveled Santana with a Spear. Nick launched Ortiz over the barricade and into the crowd.
Santana hit Matt with a chop to the chest but Matt battled back with an Arm Drag. Proud and Powerful locked both Matt and Nick in a Boston Crab/ Camel Clutch combo. Santana and Ortiz isolated Nick Jackson in the ring and took turns beating him down.
Ortiz shoved Matt off the apron and then raked his fingernails across Nick’s back. Matt tagged in and hit Ortiz with a Crossbody off the top rope. Matt climbed back up to the top rope and hit an Elbow Drop on Santana for a two count.
Nick tagged in and booted Santana in the face. Nick climbed to the top rope and connected with a Double Stomp to midsection. Nick tried to kick Ortiz but he ducked and Nick booted the ring post. Ortiz then tripped Nick up and he landed head-first on the apron.
Ortiz returned the favor and threw Nick over the barricade. Santana then threw Matt onto the Rock & Roll Express in the front row. Santana went to work on Nick’s knee and then posed in the ring.
Nick Jackson battled back with a Superkick that knocked Ortiz to the canvas. Matt and Santana tagged in and Matt hit five Northern Lights Suplexes in a row. Young Bucks connected with a flip and a Frog Splash for a near fall.
Santana planted Matt with a Cutter and followed it up with a flip. Ortiz took out Nick with a Suicide Dive outside the ring. Ortiz tagged in and walked into a roll-up for a two count.
Matt leveled Ortiz with a Superkick and tagged Nick Jackson in. Matt and Nick hit Ortiz with two Superkicks that knocked him out of the ring. Back in the ring, Matt tagged back in and set up for the Meltzer Driver but Nick’s knee gave out.
Santana tagged in and hit Matt with a Superkick. Nick tagged in and limped into the ring. Nick spit his gum at Santana and he picked it up and ate it as the crowd chanted “you sick f*ck”. Nick hit a series of kicks but Ortiz planted him with a Powerbomb. Santana went for the cover but Matt broke it up at two. Proud and Powerful then planted Nick with the Street Sweeper for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Sammy Guevara came down to the ring and handed Ortiz a sock full of baseballs. Rock and Roll Express hopped in the ring and made the save. Ricky Mortin hit Santana with a Canadian Destroyer and followed it up with a Suicide Dive onto Ortiz and Sammy.
Hangman Page Picked Up A Big Win Over PAC
PAC faced Hangman Adam Page tonight at Full Gear. Hangman started off in control but PAC battled back and beat Hangman down in the corner. PAC slowed things down and dominated the next several minutes of the match.
PAC applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring but Page was able to battle to his feet. PAC slammed Hangman to the mat and went for a Phoenix Splash but Page got out of the way.
Hangman shrugged off a boot to the face and hit a Spinebuster for a two count. Hangman slammed PAC on the ring apron and followed it up with a Moonsault. Back in the ring, Page connected with a big boot for a near fall. PAC rolled out of the ring and Hangman followed him out there. PAC planted Page with a Brainbuster on top of chair as the crowd chanted “holy sh*t!”.
Back in the ring, PAC hit a Dropkick off the second rope for a near fall. Page brought PAC up to the top rope and planted him with a massive Fallaway Slam.
Page went for the Buckshot Lariat but PAC was ready and hit a Superkick. Hangman battled back with a Pop-Up Powerbomb and set up for Dead Eye but PAC escaped. PAC locked in the Brutalizer in the middle of the ring but Hangman fell over to the ropes to break the hold.
PAC climbed to the top rope and went for the Black Arrow but Hangman got out of the way. Page went for the Buckshot Lariat but PAC blocked it. PAC went for a low blow but Page caught him and hit a Clothesline. Hangman followed it up with the Dead Eye for the pinfall victory.
AEW Full Gear was off to a great start with the opening two matches delivering. This was PAC’s first loss in a singles match in AEW.
Tully Blanchard Helped Shawn Spears Defeat Joey Janela
Shawn Spears faced Joey Janela tonight at Full Gear. Spears dominated the match early and tied up Janela’s hair with the turnbuckle rope. Janela escaped and launched Spears out of the ring. Janela connected with a Cannonball and climbed up to the rope rope once again.
Spears hopped up on the turnbuckle and hit a Suplex for a near fall. Janela rolled up Shawn for a near fall and followed it up with a Suicide Dive. Back in the ring, Joey hit a Suplex of his own and went for the cover but Shawn kicked out at two.
Joey climbed back up to the top rope but Spears once again caught him and connected with a Backbreaker across the top turnbuckle. Spears took off the turnbuckle padding as Tully Blanchard distracted the referee. Earl Hebner put the padding back on as Spears and Blanchard teamed up for a Piledriver on Joey. Spears then capitalized with a Death Valley Driver for the pinfall victory.
SCU Retained The AEW Tag Team Championships
SCU (Scorpio Sky & Frankie Kazarian) defended their AEW Tag Team Championships against Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix) and Private Party (Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy) tonight at AEW Full Gear.
Fenix booted Kazarian in the face and then hit Scorpio with a Superkick on the apron. Fenix connected with a Suplex on Frankie for a one count. Pentagon and Kazarian took each other out with Clothesines.
Kassidy tagged in and hit Pentagon with a Hurricanrana. Quen tagged in and hit an Atomic Drop and followed it up with a Double Stomp for a near fall. Fenix tagged in and leveled Marq with a Dropkick.
Pentagon tagged in and hit a Backstabber on Quen for a near fall. Frankie threw Kassidy onto the entrance ramp and Quen was forced to tag Scorpio Sky in. Scorpio hit Fenix with a Dropkick to the face and followed it up with a Stunner. Scorpio applied a Dragon Sleeper but it was quickly broken up.
Fenix ran across the top rope and booted Scorpio Sky in the face. Fenix then springboarded off of the ropes twice and took out everyone outside the ring. Fenix followed it up with a springboard Crossbody on Scorpio Sky for a two count.
Kazarian tagged in and hit Fenix with a ridiculous DDT off the middle rope for a two count. Marq Quen tagged himself in and hit Frankie with an Enziguri. Marq made his way to the top rope and connected with a beautiful Shooting Star Press for a two count. Private Party set up for the Gin & Juice but Frankie blocked it. Frankie and Scorpio then hit the SCU Later for the pinfall victory over Kassidy.
After the match, Lucha Bros attacked SCU but the lights went out in the arena. When the lights came back on, Christopher Daniels (dressed as Pentagon) made the save and Lucha Bros retreated.
I really enjoyed this match. It started off slow but they wound up winning the crowd back towards the end. Ray Fenix is absolutely unbelievable in the ring and had most of the highlights from this match.
Riho Retained The AEW Women’s Championship
Riho defended the AEW Women’s Championship against Emi Sakura tonight at Full Gear. Sakura launched Riho across the ring by her hair and connected with a Slam for a one count.
Emi leveled Riho with a Dropkick but Riho battled back with a Double Stomp. Riho applied a Half Crab in the middle of the ring. Sakura escaped and connected with a kick to the face as the crowd got behind Riho.
Riho connected with the 619 and followed it up with a Crossbody off the top rope for a near fall. Emi hit an awesome Backbreaker and followed it up with a Senton off the middle rope for a two count.
Sakura and Riho traded punches and Riho got the better of the exchange. Riho connected with a Double Stomp and followed it up with a Northern Lights Suplex. Riho climbed back up to the top rope and hit another Double Stomp for a two count.
Emi hit a Belly to Back Suplex and went for the cover but Riho got her foot on the bottom rope. Riho then was able to roll-up Sakura for the pinfall victory. Riho is still the AEW Women’s Champion.
Sakura and Riho had a very good match tonight and the crowd was in it the entire time. Riho has clearly become a fan favorite in AEW.
MJF Turned His Back On Cody
Chris Jericho defended his AEW Championship against Cody Rhodes tonight at Full Gear. MJF accompanied Cody to the ring and Cody’s mother was in the front row for the match. Malenko, Anderson, and The Great Muta were also shown in the crowd as the judges for the match. Jake Hager accompanied Jericho to the ring.
Jericho controlled the bout early and applied a Headlock. Cody broke free but Jericho took him down with a shoulder tackle. Jericho started trash talking with Malenko, Anderson and Great Muta before turning his attention back to Cody.
Cody hit Jericho with a Suicide Dive and rolled him back into the ring. Rhodes connected with a Dropkick off the top rope for a one count. Cody stomped on Jericho’s elbow and followed it up with a Powerslam for a two count.
Rhodes Clotheslined Jericho out of the ring and Chris landed on the entrance ramp. Cody went for another Suicide Dive but Jericho got out of the way. Cody landed hard on the entrance ramp and busted his head open.
Jericho took a seat on a steel chair in the ring before Cody finally made his way back in. Chris threw the chair out of the ring and started punching away at Cody’s head. Jake Hager shoved Cody into the barricade as MJF was arguing with referee Aubrey Edwards.
Cody got back into the ring and Jericho hit him with a knee to the midsection for a two count. Cody battled back and went for a Moonsault but Jericho got out of the way. Rhodes crashed to the canvas and Jericho went for the cover but Cody kicked out at the last moment.
Jericho locked in an Abdominal Stretch in the middle of the ring as MJF tried to fire up the crowd. Cody broke free but walked right into a Dropkick for a near fall. Jericho mockingly smacked Cody in the back of the head and applied a Chin Lock.
Chris avoided a Dropkick and went for the Lionsault but Cody got his knees up. Cody connected with a Diamond Cutter and went for the cover but Jericho was able to kick out.
Cody sent Jericho to the corner and hit him with ten punches to the head. Cody followed it up with the Disaster Kick and Jericho tumbled to the floor outside the ring. Jericho once again battled back and slammed Cody into the ring post. Jericho then got back into the ring and posed for the crowd as they booed him.
Jericho approached Cody’s mom and she slapped him in the face. Cody hit a Spear and mom slapped Jericho in the face. Cody hugged his mom and then rolled Jericho back in the ring.
Rhodes slammed Jericho the canvas and went for the cover but Chris kicked out at two. Cody locked in the Figure Four in the middle of the ring and the crowd chanted “tap!”. Jericho fought through the pain and reversed the hold but Cody was able to reach the ropes to break the hold.
Hager got in another cheap shot and hopped onto the apron. Cody slung Jericho into Hager and rolled up Chris for a two count. Jake hit Cody in the face once again and Aubrey ejected him from the match. MJF started trash-talking Hager and Jake launched him into the barricade.
Jericho hit Cody with the title as the referee was distracted with Hager and then threw the title out of the ring. Chris went for the cover but Cody kicked out at two. Jericho went for Judas Effect but it was blocked and Cody hit Cross Rhodes but Jericho somehow kicked out. Cody followed it up with the Bionic Elbow but Jericho somehow was able to kick out again.
Cody went for the Disaster Kick but Jericho countered into the Codebreaker for another near fall. Jericho went back on the attack and unloaded a series of shots to Cody’s midsection. Jericho took off his belt and whipped Cody several times.
Jericho climbed to the top but Cody hit him with a boot to the ribs. Cody went for a Hurricanrana but Jericho countered into the Walls of Jericho in the middle of the ring. The fans got behind Cody and he reached the bottom rope to break the hold.
Jericho unloaded some more punches to the open wound on top of Cody’s head. Jericho and Aubrey Edwards got in a shoving match and Cody capitalized with a roll-up. Jericho locked in the Walls of Jericho once again in the middle of the ring and MJF grabbed a towel and threw it into the ring to end the match. After the match, MJF broke down in tears as Cody got to his feet. MJF then hit Cody with a low blow and smirked as the crowd booed. A fan launched garbage at MJF as he was on top of the entrance ramp.
I thought that this match was awesome. The pace and storytelling was near perfect and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I figured that MJF was going to turn on Cody but I was expecting him to attack Cody ending the match in a DQ. That way Cody would win the match but not the title and could get a future title match down the line. As of now, Cody can no longer challenge for the AEW Championship because of what he said on Dynamite.
Jon Moxley Defeated Kenny Omega In An Insane Match
Jon Moxley battled Kenny Omega in an Unsanctioned Lights Out Match to close the show. Moxley dominated the match early and planted Omega with a Sidewalk Slam. Moxley brought a trash can into the ring and hit Omega on the head with the lid.
Kenny tackled Jon out of the ring and sent him over the barricade. Omega sprinted and leaped over the barricade and hit an awesome Dropkick. Omega blasted Moxley with a steel chair and then cracked him over the head with a can of beer.
Omega put a trash can on top of Moxley and hit him with a Double Stomp. Kenny hit Jon with another beer and then threw him over the barricade. Jon connected with a Suplex on the floor outside the ring. Moxley brought in a barbed wire bat and hit Omega in the ribs.
Moxley then hit Omega in the back with the bat a couple of times and Kenny’s back was bleeding. Jon put the bat on Kenny’s back and stomped on it as the crowd chanted “you sick f*ck!”. Kenny hit a couple of chops but Jon raked the barbed wire bat across his arm.
Kenny grabbed the trash can and bounced it off of Jon’s face. Omega followed it up with a Piledriver on top of the trash can. Omega grabbed a table from under the ring and set it up against the barricade. Omega brought out the broom with the barbed wire around it but Moxley launched the trash can at him.
Moxley went for a Suicide Dive but Omega hit him in the head with the barbed wire broom. Kenny hit Jon in the back and then started sweeping away the flesh on Jon’s back as blood poured everywhere.
Omega raked the barbed wire across Moxley’s face and then slammed his head on top of it. Kenny hit a Moonsault with the trash can and went for the cover but Moxley kicked out at two. Omega then brought out a giant board covered in mouse traps and slid it into the ring.
Omega hit the V-Trigger but Moxley bounced off the ropes and hit a massive Clothesline. Jon then Suplexed Omega on top of the mouse traps as the crowd chanted “AEW!”. Moxley brought some chains and planted Omega with a Sidewalk Slam on top of them.
Jon followed it up with a Neckbreaker on top of the chains and went for the cover but Kenny kicked out at one. Moxley smiled when Omega kicked out and dared him to punch him in the face. Kenny obliged and then Moxley wrapped the chain around Omega’s face.
Omega bashed Jon in the head several times with the trash lid to break up a choke hold. Jon then brought in an ice pick and Omega hit him with the chain. Moxley tried to stab Kenny with the ice pick but Omega got out of the way and the ice pick went into the trunbuckle pad.
Moxley hit a Back Drop that sent Kenny crashing onto the chain. Omega battled back with a Snap Dragon Suplex and followed it up with another one. Jon bit Kenny’s face but Omega broke free and hit a third Snap Dragon Suplex. Omega wrapped the chain around Jon’s throat and choked him over the ropes.
Omega then flipped onto Moxley and they crashed through the table set up against the barricade. The fans chanted “both these guys!” as Omega grabbed a bag of broken glass from the table Moxley hit him with the Paradigm Shift through. Kenny cut Jon in between the fingers and then stomped on the bag of glasas. Omega then hit him with a Spinebuster on top of the glass for a two count.
Kenny locked in a Sharpshooter and Jon crawled through the broken glass to reach the ropes to get himself out of the hold. Kenny put glass in Moxley’s mouth but Jon hit him with a German Suplex on the glass. Kenny hit Moxley with the V-Trigger and glass went flying out of Jon’s mouth.
Moxley crawled up the entrance ramp and Omega grabbed the ice pick or screwdriver out of the turnbuckle pad. Kenny cut Moxley’s head with the pick as the crowd chanted “you sick f*ck!”. The Young Bucks, Hangman Adam Page tried to reason with Omega to stop but Kenny talked them into going to get something.
They then brought a gigantic structure that was absolutely covered with barbed wire and set it up next to the ramp. Moxley then Suplexed Omega on top of the barbed wire as the crowd chanted “holy sh*t!”. Both men were then peeled off the barbed wire and Moxley hilariously punched one of the AEW employees in the face. Omega connected with a V-Trigger that sent both men through a plexiglass structure set up next to the stage.
They then battled all the way back to the ring and Moxley hit the Paradigm Shift for a two count. Moxley ripped up the canvas and exposed the wood in the ring. Moxley went for a Piledriver but Omega countered into a Back Body Drop on top of the wood. Omega followed it up with a DDT on top of the wood and went for the cover but Jon kicked out at two.
Kenny climbed to the top rope and went for a Phoenix Splash but Jon got out of way and Omega crashed onto the wood. Moxley went for the cover but Kenny kicked out at two. Jon then hit the Paradigm Shift for the pinfall victory.
I’m the kind of person that loves matches like this but I can understand if this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. This was absolutely insane and it capped off a hell of PPV. There were some down moments throughout the show but overall AEW Full Gear was great.