"If you want peace, PREPARE FOR WAR." If WrestleDream 2024 was a night where heroes died, Full Gear 2024 was when the heroes began to fight back. AEW is under attack by some of its greatest wrestlers: Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, PAC, Wheeler Yuta, and Marina Shafir. They have waged war on faces and heels to bring All Elite Wrestling into a new dark era of violence and destruction. But not without a fight. We will not go quietly into that good night. We have several new and established talents ready to make waves and shake up AEW for the better. The stars are aligning. The pieces are coming together. The players have already been chosen. Let's go to war.
AEW Full Gear, no hyperbole, is the most consistent AEW PPV in the company's history. Most of the AEW PPVs (Revolution, Double or Nothing, All Out) have one show that isn't quite up to snuff, but NOT FULL GEAR. Since 2019, this series, named after Hangman Adam Page and his antics on Being The Elite, has had a perfect track record of great shows with some major events going down at each! Full Gear 2019, the first PPV after AEW's TV debut on TNT, saw Cody Rhodes vs Chris Jericho for the AEW World title with the former never challenging for the world title again if he lost, which he did thanks to the wonderful betrayal of a young MJF. It also saw the infamous Lights Out match between Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley, Riho vs Emi Sakura for the Women's Title, and the underrated classic of Hangman Page vs PAC! Full Gear 2020 is honestly one of my personal favorite AEW PPVs of all time with ZERO bad matches on the card. Jon Moxley vs Eddie Kingston in an I Quit Match. Kenny Omega vs Hangman Page. Darby Allin vs Cody Rhodes. Hikaru Shida vs Nyla Rose. And of course, THE FIRST EVER TAG TEAM DREAM MATCH of The Young Bucks vs FTR!!! Full Gear 2021: CM Punk vs Eddie Kingston. Darby Allin vs MJF. Jurassic Express vs Superkliq in a Trios Falls Count Anywhere Match. And Hangman defeating Kenny Omega for the AEW World title in the greatest long-term story in the history of AEW and maybe all of wrestling. Full Gear 2022: Saraya's Debut Match with Dr. Britt Baker DMD, The Elite vs Death Triangle for the Trios belts, Jungle Boy vs Luchasaurus in a Steel Cage, and Jamie Hayter and MJF finally being crowned World Champions on this night! Full Gear 2023: Adam Copeland's first AEW PPV match, "Timeless" Toni Storm and Julia Hart win Women's Championship gold, the epic Four Way Tag Team Ladder match, the INSANE BLOODBATH with Hangman Page vs Swerve Strickland in a Texas Death match, Omega and Jericho vs The Young Bucks, and MJF vs Jay White for the AEW title!!
So yeah, some stuff happens on these shows. And it's time for the greatest November tradition since Friendsgiving! For the first time since 2022, LIVE from the Prudential Center AKA "The Rock" (not Dwayne Johnson), in front of 10,000+ fans in Newark, New Jersey, this is my In-Depth review of AEW FULL GEAR 2024 "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum!!!"
ZERO HOUR: Deonna Purrazzo w/Taya Valkyrie vs Anna Jay
FULL GEAR 2024's ZERO HOUR kicked off with a match between Anna Jay vs The Vendetta's Deonna Purrazzo. During her return run on AEW TV, Anna Jay continued to amaze with her feud against AEW Women's World Champion Mariah May. With two back-to-back good matches and a third and great NO DQ rubber match against Mariah, Anna Jay is still on the red-hot push market in AEW. But she's recently caught the attention of The Vendetta, the dangerous duo of "La Wera Loca" Taya Valkyrie and "The Virtuosa" Deonna Purrazzo, who wants to build an empire like the Jersey mob queen that she is. After refusing their request to back up Anna Jay in her matches against Mariah May, The Vendetta has declared war on "The Star of the Show!"
The match was your standard back-and-forth affair with both women showcasing their movesets very well. Deonna continued to show her technical dominance and why is one of the best new hires in the AEW Women's Division. Anna showed some great fire throughout and even locked in her Queenslayer sleeperhold. Valkyrie would interfere throughout the match until she was caught and sent to the back as is her role as the wild muscle/bodyguard of the Virtuosa. It's worth noting that Deonna is wrestling in her home state of New Jersey, but the Hackettstown native was no match for Anna Jay who scored a nice roll-up victory over Purrazzo! It's a decent match and Anna Jay's momentum can't stopped!
ZERO HOUR: Dante Martin vs Komander vs The Beast Mortos vs Buddy Matthews (Four Way Match)
Who wants a flippy four-way match for free?! I DO!! I DO!! I DO!!! Another match announced on the day of the show featured an awesome match with Buddy Matthews of the House of Black, Top Flight's Dante Martin, LFI's The Beast Mortos, and Komander who doesn't have a faction but he's still the best flippy boy in this match.
In case you haven't noticed, Lucha and "flippy" matches are my ultimate weaknesses in wrestling behind brutal and fast-paced hardcore matches and fast-paced, smooth technical wrestling. All four of these men did what they do best and that's make the crowd go "OOH" and in some cases "AHHH." Also, can we talk about the huge pop and chants for Buddy Matthews in New Jersey tonight? Because MY GOD, they love this guy! A harmless, non-stop, fun match with plenty of fun high spots and Buddy Matthews picks up the win in a tidy 10 minutes to an enormous pop! OK! The people have spoken! Let's keep on pushing this talented, ripped-to-shreds, underrated gem of a wrestler. And as always, The House Always Wins.
WINNER: Buddy Matthews (4.25 out of 5 stars!) (Fun and quick match! Go and rewatch it for free on YouTube!)
ZERO HOUR: Big BOOM! AJ w/Big Justice vs QT Marshall (The Rizzler as Special Guest Timekeeper)
Yes, this is a real match. Yes, it made me laugh uproariously several times. And yes, I had my doubts initially. Every mainstream wrestling company has always tried to keep the casual fan audience by bringing in athletes from other sports, singers, actors, and nowadays, YOUTUBERS & TIKTOKERS. Ew. But this match exemplifies AEW's greatly improved marketing strategies.
Look, I don't use TikTok all that much. Imagine my bewilderment and the cringe I felt during the ALL OUT 2024 ZERO HOUR show when I saw a grown man and his little son wearing hoodies printed with the word "BOOM", smiling into the camera as if they were being held at gunpoint, and making everyone at home including RJ City very uncomfortable by screaming "BOOM" after every sentence. I hated it. After ALL OUT 2024, I researched and found out this father and son duo are Big BOOM! AJ and Big Justice AKA "The Costco Guys", a popular TikTok series of cringe-worthy and funny videos where this New Jersey family hang out at Costco and eat all kinds of Costco-branded food, especially THE DOUBLE CHUNK CHOCOLATE COOKIE. So why are these two here in AEW?
QT Marshall is the man to thank. After a fun but short-lived heel run with the QTV faction (remember them?), QT quietly left AEW in 2023 but returned in 2024 in a backstage role as AEW VP of Show and Creative Coordination. With his connections and high-ranking position in the company, QT and Sonjay Dutt made the play to bring the Costco Guys into AEW and bring their 2+ million followers on TikTok with them! Great plan! But what happened after ALL OUT 2024 shocked everyone.
QT announced he would be returning to an AEW ring to face none other than Big BOOM! AJ at the Full Gear 2024 Zero Hour show! "What?" That was the collective reaction of every single AEW fan since we are being given a celebrity match on an AEW PPV pre-show. As we all hung our heads in shame at the thought of an "outsider" coming in and beating up a well-respected but lower-mid card wrestler, AEW did what they did best. PROVE ALL OF THE HATERS WRONG. To their credit, the Big BOOM family did everything to promote this Zero Hour match, QT Marshall, and the entire Full Gear PPV almost daily on TikTok and YouTube! Sure enough, even a fun story was building! It involved QT Marshall refusing to partake in eating a DOUBLE CHUNK CHOCOLATE COOKIE from Costco and throwing them into the face of AJ. I mean, in the WWF, Chris Jericho's rivalry with Kane began with him spilling coffee on his chest. After a "so bad, it's good" diss track by QT Marshall called "Bring the DOOM" which mocked the "Bring the BOOM" theme song of AJ and Big Justice, and a wonderful weigh-in segment on Rampage where QT laid out AJ with a Diamond Cutter, there was one more surprise waiting for this match. The surprise was THE RIZZLER as the Special Guest Timekeeper for this match. Real name Christian Joesph, The Rizzler is another TikTok/Instagram influencer who got super popular by being the coolest grade-schooler with his famous chin-stroke and sly grin. Much to my own surprise, the response online for this Big BOOM! AJ vs QT match had reached an overwhelmingly positive level, especially with the Rizzler announcement and the secret reveal that AJ had been a pro wrestler years ago and this was his BIG return to the ring!
THE BIGGEST MATCH IN THE HISTORY OF AEW ZERO HOUR SHOWS!!! QT Marshall came out to the ring flanked by his Nightmare Factory trainees AKA his only fans, kissed his wife, and strutted to the ring with his sparkling Colgate grin, ripped bod, and "DOOM" entrance theme song. And in one of the biggest pops of the night, The Rizzler came out accompanied by Paul Wight followed by the hometown heroes Big BOOM! AJ and Big Justice slapping hands with EVERYONE at ringside. As the Rizzler rang the bell, the entire New Jersey crowd exploded with "Big BOOM" chants for AJ, Big Justice and even chanted for the Rizzler throughout this match! Chants of "Fight Forever," "F*** him up, AJ! F*** him up!," and "OH WE WANT THE RIZZLER" in the tune of Seven Nation Army. The Prudential Center crowd was the real star of the match as they popped big for every punch, kick, and slam AJ doled out and booed every time QT got his licks in! Surprisingly, Big BOOM! AJ showed some real grit and professionalism throughout the match, making the right facials, selling moves, and playing up with the crowd! During the match, hijinks ensued with QT Marshall accidently fell into his students at ringside with an impressive plancha! Big BOOM! AJ hitting an awesome spinebuster and a Superplex! Paul Wight coming face to face with his old rival QT. Aaron Solo (a Factory graduate and AEW/ROH enhancement talent) came out to run interference by AJ was having none of it! And in one of the LOUDEST POPS of the night, Big Justice came into the ring and SPEARED QT MARSHALL LIKE HE WAS THE SON OF RHYNO AND GOLDBERG!! How could this little kid hit the best Spear in the business?! Adam Copeland and Roman Reigns, you may wanna step up your spear game! The match ends with Big BOOM! AJ hitting the BIG BOOM! Powerbomb for the pinfall! AJ, Justice and the Rizzler celebrate in the ring as the NJ crowd goes wild!
I love wrestling. So much. Here's to more of Big BOOM! AJ and Big Justice in AEW. I'm ready for more! And thanks to QT Marshall for being such a great sport.
WINNER: Big BOOM! AJ (4 out of 5 Stars) (A super fun and hilarious sideshow attraction! THIS MATCH GETS A BIG BOOM!!!! WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE RIGHT NOW!!)
1. Private Party © vs The Outrunners vs Kings of the Black Throne vs The Acclaimed (Four Way Tag Team Match for the AEW World Tag Team Championships)
Our opening contest is a Four Way Tag Team Match for the AEW World Tag Team Championships! The champs Zay and Quen of Private Party defend against the red-hot Outrunners, the great Kings of the Black Throne, and the team everyone can't wait to see break up, The Acclaimed!
Private Party. Another success story in AEW. After five LONG years, they've finally reached the mountaintop and become the AEW World Tag Team Champions. Beating their eternal rivals, The Young Bucks, on Fright Night Dynamite in the best tag team match on AEW TV this year. Now, they've decided to run a tournament to usher in a new era for the tag division! In the qualifying matches, Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd defeated the underrated Top Flight, King of the Black Throne defeated the two-time AEW tag champs FTR clean as a sheet, and The Acclaimed defeated the red-hot LFI's RUSH and The Beast Mortos! And we're off to the races!
The challenging teams were given special entrances for this match including a live gothic band entrance featuring band members from God's Hate and Twitching Tongues summoning the Kings of the Black Throne, the Outrunners given a brand new 4:3 aspect ratio screen effect straight out of the 80s Miami wrestling scene, The Acclaimed continuing their obvious breakup angle with the two butting heads and Max making sure the spotlight was firmly around him and his sexy mustache. Finally, Zay and Quen made their first PPV entrance as champions and were accompanied by their AEW security bro, Cheesecake, and several party girls carrying glowsticks and champagne!
This all-star tag match kicked off with some very fluid mat wrestling and flippy action from Marc Quen and Malakai Black with the latter overpowering the Brooklyn native. Anthony Bowens tagged in and kept up the quick and fun pace while his "partner" Max Caster was showboating and ignoring Bowens' cries for help. Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd tag in and the crowd went bananas for these grandstandin' and hotdogging personalities. They clear the ring and Turbo Floyd is face to face with a human wrecking ball named Brody King. Even after taking a full-force chop from Brody, Turbo is still standing and flexing like a hoss until a lariat from King flattens him. The match ramps up as Malakai Black pulls off some more flippy and kickboxing offense with partner Brody King onto Brother Zay! Suddenly, the other teams ambushed the Kings of the Black Throne with Anthony Bowens hitting a Scissor Me Timbers leg drop on Big Bad Brody!
Each of the teams have their spotlight moments and the action is nonstop tag team greatness! Private Party hit stereo 450s on the Outrunners, the Outrunners play all of the hits including their "Guile's Theme Goes With Everything" handshake meme, the Kings of the Black Throne hitting their phenomenal double team moves, and much more. The NJ crowd had also had quite enough of "Platinum" Max Caster and made their displeasure known with a "F*** YOU CASTER" chant and followed up with a positive "BOWENS" chant as the two partners had a tense staredown. Spectacular crowd work. As "Daddy Ass" Billy Gunn told both of them to get it together, Max realized he and Anthony were both the legal men in this match after Turbo Floyd tagged in Bowens. Since Max Caster is the smartest guy in this match, he laid down and told Bowens to cover him!! In a four-way tag match, anyone in a tag team can be the legal man no matter which team members tag in. Why has no team in the history of tag wrestling ever thought about doing that? Because the match would be over in three seconds and it didn't work since another wrestler could break up the pin like Quen hitting a gorgeous Swanton bomb onto the Acclaimed! Brilliant stuff.
The Acclaimed continued their super fun breakup angle for a little longer until Private Party scores the win with the Gin & Juice tag finisher on Max for the 1-2-3!! Nice work! Excellent opening match for Full Gear 2024 as the NJ crowd chant "SHOTS!!" to their reigning World Tag Champs: PRIVATE PARTY!! Though the Outrunners will definitely get their big break in 2025 and the Kings of the Black Throne are always over no matter what, The Acclaimed's breakup is a paramount storyline that I hope Tony Khan handles with grace and love since both Max and Anthony are either going to sink or swim in the ocean of AEW's top tier singles division. But I have faith in them.
WINNER AND STILL AEW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: Private Party (4.25 out of 5 Stars!) (Great and fast-paced tag team opener! I wish it went on longer!)
I honestly thought we were getting MJF vs Adam Cole on this show, but this is honestly the next best thing! Match #2 is the returning MJF vs the Undisputed Kingdom's Roderick Strong!
The story so far. Adam Cole BAY BAY is finally back after 14 months on the shelf, nursing a broken ankle and he has set his sights on ending MJF ONCE AND FOR ALL!! But MJF's modus operandi as a cowardly and devilish heel is "Y'all are gonna have to earn this ass whooping." After a fiery but bizarre promo from Adam Cole and the Undisputed Kingdom where they wished nothing but pain and misery towards the longest reigning AEW World Champion, MJF appeared on the titantron and acted like the sane one in this shattered relationship. Since Adam and his friends wanted a piece of MJF's corpse, Maxwell decided to make it interesting by having both Adam and Roderick Strong run a gauntlet of three weekly matches and if one of or both of them won those three matches, they'd get a match with MJF at Full Gear 2024. They accepted the terms and Roderick Strong won all of his matches against Shane Taylor, The Beast Mortos, and Lance Archer. However, Adam Cole won only two matches against the House of Black's Buddy Matthews and Malakai Black, but finally fell to the International Champion, Konosuke Takeshita, who used MJF's Dynamite Diamond Ring to knock out Adam and secure MJF's victory over his former "brocacho."
With Adam failing in his mission, it's up to Roderick Strong to carry out the Undisputed Kingdom's mission statement: DESTROY MJF. Meanwhile, a concerned Kyle O'Reilly was watching all of this drama unfold backstage. Many of you know that Kyle O'Reilly, Roddy Strong, and Adam Cole have a complicated history across multiple years and promotions such as ROH, PWG, New Japan, WWE, and now AEW. When Kyle O'Reilly returned at Revolution 2024, Roderick Strong was obsessed with bringing him into the UK faction but to no avail leading to their underrated classic match at Dynasty 2024. Now, Adam Cole is back and even after all of the hurt feelings and betrayals, Kyle O'Reilly still considers Adam and Roddy to be his friends. An interesting plot thread indeed.
MJF returns to the Prudential Center, the same arena where two years ago he made history by defeating Jon Moxley to become the youngest and BEST AEW World Champion!! One of the biggest pops of the night as MJF made his entrance complete with his "Thank Me Later" flag, flipping the New Jersey faithful off even though they still treat him like a hometown hero! Roderick Strong came out sporting some very unique gold and black fusion attire to pay respects to the Undisputed Kingdom and his best buddy, Adam Cole. The match began with MJF doing what he does best. WORK THE CROWD! Armed with his secret weapon, a microphone, MJF called Roddy and the people of NJ "White Trash" and reminded Strong of his haunted childhood where his mom shot his father in a drunken arguement. So, in response, Roderick Strong chops the soul out of MJF, who tries to NOPE his way out of the match and run away. Roddy catches him for some more punishment outside until MJF takes control and focuses his energy on bending and breaking Roddy's fingers thanks to the iron turnbuckles! MJF then hits an impressive deadlift powerbomb on the apron, crushing Strong's back and MJF apologizes by playing a sad song on the world's smallest violin. Nice try, Maxie. We still love you.
Back inside the ring we go as MJF cusses like a sailor while focusing on crushing Roddy's fingers and spirit. Strong makes a short comeback with a classic backbreaker and MJF cries "OH S-WORD!!" Dueling chants of "Let's go Roddy!" and "MJF!" ring out as Roderick gets back in the groove with more backdrop suplexes and backbreakers! MJF's Heatseeker DDT is countered by a baseball slide dropkick and a back suplex on the barricade by Roddy! A beautiful and quick superkick counter in the corner by MJF, followed by a "MJF BAY BAY" taunt meant for his rival Adam Cole and a savage Bret's Rope dropkick onto Roddy's arm! Both men rest up after a 2-count kickout by Strong and after MJF crudely spits on Roderick, the Messiah of Backbreakers fires back with some sick chops and dropkicks! Roddy locks MJF in a Texas Cloverleaf submission to target Max's back. MJF powers out of it but Roderick Strong hits the End of Heartache Finisher from out of nowhere for a close 2.9999 pin when MJF drops his foot on the bottom ropes! As MJF tries to weasel and run away from this ass-whooping, Roderick hits the Backbreaker Powerbreaker signature and a powerful thrust kick, but an exhausted MJF counters with a brainbuster. Roddy tries to pin MJF while he's out of energy, but it was a clever ruse to play possum as MJF rolls through for the Salt of the Earth Armbreaker finisher with emphasis on bending Roddy's fingers! Three seconds later, Strong taps out and Maxwell Jacob Friedman beats the ROH legend clean in a great 13 minute match. Even with the short run time, these two still performed tremendously and technically! Thank MJF and Roderick Strong later.
Post-Match Drama: MJF is a sore winner. Why? Because he decides to break poor Roderick Strong's arm with a chair stomp. This summons Adam Cole, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett of the Undisputed Kingdom to run off MJF and protect Roddy. Suddenly, Kyle O'Reilly comes out to help Roddy and he PUSHES Adam Cole to the ground, chastising him for failing to protect Roddy. As Kyle helps Strong to the back, Adam looks so conflicted...It makes you wonder. Is Adam Cole the real villain pretending to be something he's not? Is MJF the hero in this story? Time will tell.
3. Mercedes Mone © vs Kris Statlander (TBS Championship)
Hello visitors and welcome to our grand tour through the AEW Match of the Year Factory. From here, you'll find endless rewatchable AEW matches to enjoy until the end of time. And this is our most recent entry. Mercedes Mone vs Kris Statlander. It's a diamond that exceeded all expectations for the TBS Championship.
Kris Statlander has had to pick up the pieces of her fun but short-lived heel run since AEW ran out of babyfaces in the women's division due to injuries or other forces. But she's found a wonderful feud as a confident babyface going up against the undefeated TBS Champion Mercedes Mone and her Brick Wall/Brickhouse bodyguard of 4 months, Kamille! After racking up wins and even defeating "The Brickhouse" Kamille clean as a sheet in a great match on Fright Night Dynamite, Kris had earned her TBS title shot against the CEO! The feud was cranked up to another level with Mone Corporation (Mercedes and Kamille) failing to commit vehicular homicide on live TV against Kris! It's here where Mone began berating the 5'10" badass known as Kamille with the immortal line "ARE YOU STUPID OR ARE YOU DUMB?!!" The Muscle Space Princess outsmarted the CEO at every turn and overpowered Kamille, who had a kayfabe broken arm as a result of Kris slamming a car door into her arm! As Mone continued to blame all of her problems on the 5'10" Kamille and no one else, the CEO decided that night at Full Gear 2024 that she had banned the 5'10" Kamille from ringside for her PPV match. Mercedes will have to defend her TBS title alone once again and it's worth noting Kamille is 5 FOOT 10 INCHES TALL!!! YOU ARE A SKYSCRAPER COMPARED TO THAT VERY TALENTED, LIGHT-SKINNED, MEGAN THE STALLION WANNABE!!! Anyway, one of the best matches of the year.
Kris and Mercedes looked like megastars in their grand entrances and the match began with some wonderful back-and-forth action! Already you can see the perfect chemistry of powerful hoss versus quick and smooth technician on full display! Mercedes works faster and smarter by trying to outwork Kris with quick strikes and grapples. Kris then immediately shuts Mone down with some impressive deadlift counters and a vicious gorilla press slam. Mone continues to outfox the challenger with speed, an amazing Head scissors takedown from the apron to the outside, and a Meteora double knee attack from the apron! As Mone hilariously counts along with the referee's 10-count, the CEO hits Kris with a devastating running Meteora right into the steel steps!! MY GOD!! It's all about Mone as she brings Kris back in the ring for more head trauma via stomps in the corner, forearm strikes to the head, and a third Meteora. Kris tries to fight back with some counters but Mone hits a FOURTH Meteora off of Bret's Rope! At this point, I'm smiling ear to ear as the lightning-fast pace of this hidden gem continues! Kris tries again for a counter powerbomb but eats a crazy neckbreaker counter from Mone, followed by a sunset flip powerbomb into the bottom turnbuckle and you guessed it, A FIFTH METEORA!!!
Mone slows down her opponent with a straight jacket/camel clutch hold which gets the crowd clapping for Kris to make a big comeback. When Mone tries for a top rope move, Kris ragdoll throws the CEO off the top rope! Before Mercedes can hit a SIXTH METEORA, Kris catches her knees and hits a savage buckle bomb in the corner! Mone's head bump and award-winning selling terrified the crowd, but that's all part of the job description when it comes to being one of the greatest women's wrestlers ever. Kris takes advantage with some forearms, scoop slams, corner knees and a beautiful Chaos Theory German Suplex spot! Mercedes gets her foot on the ropes as Kris makes the pin and this great match continues! Mone hits a Crucifix bomb straight into the [Redacted] Statement Crossface, Kris powers out and tries for an F5, Mone counters for a Backstabber which then cues the crowd's applause! There is something in the air and in the water tonight in Jersey.
Mone delivers her SIXTH Meteora off of Bret's Rope for another pin attempt, which Kris kicks out of at 2.999! Kris fires back with a Tilt-A-Whirl Backbreaker and a decapitating Discus Lariat for a 2-count pin! More counters and big moves from Kris Stat! A beautiful Tornado DDT counter from Mone gets only a 2-count! A few more kickouts and Mercedes Mone will go full Regina George and start screaming so loud, dogs will start howling! The CEO gets MAXIMUM HEAT for using the Three Amigos suplex combo, made famous by her hero Eddie Guerrero! Mone goes for a flying nothing off the top rope and Kris makes her pay for it with a brutal F5/Drill Claw finisher but Mone kicks out of the pin at 2.99999999!!! OH MY LORD!! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!!! Kris misses a 450 splash and lands on her knees!! OH NO!! KRIS' ULTIMATE WEAKNESS IS HER SURGICALLY REPAIRED KNEES!! Mone smells fresh blood in the water and repeatedly smashes her fists into Kris' bad legs and even hits a Frog Splash on Kris' knees for a close nearfall pin! However, even after taking a Mone Maker finisher, KRIS REFUSES TO STAY DOWN!!! The Prudential Center fans explode with "AEW" chants for this phenomenal bout!
Mone has had enough as she slaps and berates Kris for being so hard to beat. A few counter rollup pins and Kris drops Mone like a bad habit with a Electric Chair Facebuster! Statlander gets Mone up for the Saturday Night Fever or rather "STATURDAY" Night Fever but the crafty princess of Boston BITS into Kris' legs like a vampire, causing her grip to loosen and Kris goes neck first into the middle ropes! Mercedes pulls the unconscious Kris legs first into a stretchy pinfall and 1-2-3! MONE WINS LIKE A BOSS AND SHE DIDN'T NEED KAMILLE!!!
I just have one question. WHO IN THE SAM HILL TOLD THESE TWO TO HAVE A MATCH OF THE YEAR?!! Compared to the best women's matches of the year like "Timeless" Toni Storm vs Serena Deeb, Mercedes Mone vs Willow Nightingale, Kris vs Willow in a Chicago Street Fight, and Mariah May vs Willow Nightingale, this is definitely among the greatest of the year! I couldn't take my eyes off of this and the 20 minutes just flew by without warning! Mercedes and Kris are another pair of wrestling soulmates who have flawless chemistry and it's so amazing we got this classic on PPV. Mone's best PPV since Willow at DON 2024 and Kris looked like a monster babyface contender! We'll be talking about this classic for years to come and the night is still young.
WINNER AND STILL TBS CHAMPION: Mercedes Mone (6 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS) (A BEAUTIFUL UNBREAKABLE DIAMOND OF A MATCH. ONE OF THE BEST MATCHES OF THE YEAR!!! YOU HEARD ME.) (MOTY/MOTD CONTENDER)
Update: Kamille finally reminded herself on the Dynamite after Full Gear 2024 that she is in fact 5 ft 10 inches tall and has ended her relationship as Mone's manager. Sadly, the CEO doesn't take rejection well. The Brickhouse will be back soon enough.
Aw man! Here we go again!! Match #4 is a WrestleDream 2024 rematch between "Hangman" Adam Page and "Switchblade" Jay White!
What I love most about this feud is how simple it is. It's a story about LEGS. Yes, legs. Hangman and Switchblade both have kayfabe leg injuries which was the crutch (no pun intended) of the WrestleDream match where Jay targeted Page's leg throughout the bout. Now a cocky, arrogant babyface instead of his true form of a cocky, arrogant heel, Jay White is being hunted by the Dark Outlaw, Hangman Adam Page, who continues his descent into madness and rage. A rematch was inevitable because Hangman only has ONE win over Switchblade and that was the 7/6/24 episode of Collision during the semifinals of the Owen Hart Men's Cup thanks to the interference of Christian Cage. After that satisfying but tainted victory, Jay White has been determined to prove to everyone that the Switchblade is STILL better than the Hangman. (Also, since Christian Cage helped Hangman defeat Switchblade in July, Adam Page now owes Christian a favor. And he's been waiting to cash it in. Keep that in mind.)
Hangman and Switchblade entered the ring still selling their kayfabe leg injuries like the pros they are. The match begins with a few headlocks and chops until Hangman crudely belly-to-belly suplexes White over the top rope, landing on left leg first onto the outside floor! Hangman viciously targets White's bad leg by punching it like crazy and slamming it on the ring apron and post! YEAH, destroy that leg, Hangman! In the ring, Adam Page takes his sweet time punishing Switchblade with knife-edge chops and leg cranks. Switchblade tries to fight back on one leg with his famous knife-edge chops but Hangman shuts him down quickly and continues to twist and stomp on White's leg! A few counters from both men but they are limited by what they can do in-ring due to their "leg injuries."
Some may call this "wrestling in slow-motion" but I call this level of slow punishment and hatred "beautiful storytelling." Hangman flips off the NJ Jersey crowd who were actually cheering for him. Great job! And the Dark Outlaw continues to methodically MURDER Jay White and wipe that smug look off his face. Hangman hits a BEAUTIFUL Fallaway Slam off the top rope for a 2-count pin but Switchblade recovers just in time to pull Hangman's leg into the steel ring post! Switchblade is back in control for a little bit thanks to a Superplex but the match turns into a mini-chop block festival with both men elbow each other's leg! As they both hobble on their good legs, Switchblade and Hangman trade forearms and more big moves such as Jay's smooth German suplex and Hangman's Pop Up Powerbomb! Outside on the ring apron, Jay White hits a SAVAGE Dragon Suplex on Hangman, followed by another one on the outside floor! YOU'D BEST PROTECT YA NECK, PAGE!!!
"Let's Go Switchblade!" "COWBOY S-WORD!!" The Prudential Center are still loud and proud for this match! As Jay White's leg gives out before he can crush Hangman's leg, Adam Page takes advantage by throwing Switchblade's leg into the barricade and then applying an Ankle Lock! White desperately crawls back into the ring to beat the 10 count with Hangman still locking in the Ankle Lock! They both beat the count and before Hangman can end it with the Buckshot Lariat, Jay White counters but Page goes for the Ankle Lock again! It's a fun back-and-forth sequence with White hitting a Dragon Screw Leg Snap and a Uranage on Hangman for a close 2-count! Some more reversals and Jay White locks Hangman in an Inverted Figure 4-Leg Lock but the Cowboy catches the ropes just in time! This has been an amazing and intense battle of attrition!
In the final stages of the match, Hangman hits TWO Deadeye finishers for a close nearfall!! As Hangman successfully skins the cat and tries for another Buckshot Lariat, a series of tense counters from both Jay and Adam lead to a third ankle lock from Hangman! But Jay White slips out just in time and BANG!!! He hits the Blade Runner finisher from outta nowhere for the clean 1-2-3!!! JAY WHITE HAS DONE IT AGAIN!! He is now 5-1 over Hangman in their overall match history!! MY GOD!! I honestly thought Hangman was gonna get his win back but that's just how the story is supposed to go! Hangman, blinded by rage and reckless abandon, once again loses clean to the Switchblade in order to heat up the BANG BANG GANG leader for his eventual AEW world title program!! Brilliant match!
WINNER: "Switchblade" Jay White (4.75 out of 5 Stars!) (Just as great as their WrestleDream 2024 match!) (Honorable Mention)
Post-Match Drama: Since Hangman can't cope with losing twice to Jay White in back-to-back PPV matches, he did what his old 2019-2020 depressed self would do. Blame everyone else except himself for his own faults. Starting with attacking Jay White on the ramp and punching Interim EVP and probably Hangman's only friend at this point, Christopher Daniels, in the face. Whelp, that's another fine and a suspension. I assume.
And onto our right, here is our newest addition to the AEW MOTY factory, which is a Top 10 contender for Best Match of 2024 and one of the best matches of the decade. UNITED EMPIRE EXPLODES!! Match #5 is a GRUDGE MATCH between arguably two of the greatest wrestlers in AEW: Will "BY GOD" Ospreay vs "THE PROTOSTAR" Kyle Fletcher!!!
"WHY KYLE WHY?" After betraying his United Empire brother Will Ospreay by stabbing him in the forehead with a screwdriver and sending him to the hospital with the Tiger Driver 91 at WrestleDream, Kyle Fletcher has become just like his mentor/manager, Don Callis: Persona non grata. The answer is simple as to why Kyle did what he did. "Ospreay Jr." "Man, he's just like Will Ospreay." "Will Ospreay sure is the best wrestler in the world, isn't he?" "Will Ospreay is SO MUCH BETTER than Kyle Fletcher." Yeah, those sound like fair reasons to betray your best friend. After a lengthy but awesome promo where Kyle vowed to surpass Ospreay, the Protostar would shave his beautiful blonde hair to begin his metamorphosis from "Ospreay Jr." to "KING KYLE." The new Kyle Fletcher wants to fight and end Will Ospreay's career, once and for all.
Before the Billy Goat could return, "DUNKZILLA" Mark Davis, Kyle Fletcher's Aussie Open tag partner, returned after a year away due to injury with one goal in mind: To stop Kyle's descent into villiany. While Mark Davis tried to make his partner see the light, Kyle was only interested in being better than Will Ospreay. Luckily, Ospreay made his return and finally accepted Kyle's challenge to face him one-on-one at Full Gear 2024! For some context, Will Ospreay's second match in AEW as an official #ALLELITE talent was a friendly singles match against Kyle Fletcher on Dynamite. It was one of the greatest matches of the year. So, please keep all hands and feet inside the car at all times. HERE. WE. GO!!!
New logo, same GOAT. Will Ospreay comes dressed in black with a Goat Skull/The Punisher-inspired attire and more importantly, a stoic and heavy expression on his face. This isn't "Happy to be here" Ospreay we're watching. This isn't even "Villainous Kingpin of United Empire" Ospreay. This is Abel looking to finally strike great vengeance and furious anger on his brother Cain. "I Don't Want To Live Forever. I Just Want To DIE A KING." Behold his majesty donned in pure white and gold, the Protostar, accompanied by Don Callis, "KING" Kyle Fletcher. Heavy is the head who wears the crown, but is Kyle strong enough to wear it? Let's find out.
DING DING DING! Immediate fireworks as Ospreay and Fletcher fly at each other with vicious forearm! A hurricanrana sends Fletcher to the outside but the Protostar sends Ospreay to the barricade and steps up some steel steps to do some serious damage! Kyle irish-whips Ospreay into the steps who does a beautiful swan dive over them and counters with a jumping hurricanrana off the steel steps onto Fletcher! In the ring, Ospreay gets in some chops until Fletcher whips him into the corner and hits a sick DDT with authority! Fletcher then rains down some fists of fury on Ospreay's injured neck that's still feeling the effects of the Tiger Driver 91 from WrestleDream. Onto the ring apron, the action gets intense with both men countering some big moves until Kyle hits a savage Brainbuster on Ospreay right on the floor! As the obligatory "F*** Don Callis" chants ring out in the arena, Fletcher continues to dominate with some stiff shots to the back of Ospreay's neck. Ospreay begins to show some Bryan Danielson levels of neck selling as he crumples to the mat after an attempted Handspring kick and Fletcher takes advantage with a soccerball kick to the back of the neck and a Hanging DDT.
The match continues with its amazing action as Fletcher counters an Ospreay Tilt-A-Whirl DDT with a deadlift Falcon Arrow slam for a 2-count pin! Ospreay then gets back control in a big way with a breathtaking Top Rope Spiral Tap on the outside to Kyle Fletcher! One two three four, I declare a CHOP WAR until Fletcher ends it with a brutal Superkick! Ospreay counters with a Bret's Rope Superkick and a wonderful Airplane Spin Powerbomb for a 2-count! A super speedy battle of counters, superkicks, and a incredible Oscutter springboard counter by Kyle, who hits a jumping neckbreaker followed by a Elevated Powerbomb for a 2.999999 kickout! JESUS MARY AND JOSEPH ON A PICKUP TRUCK! That was awesome! Ospreay hits a Stundog Millionaire and pulls Fletcher out of the ring for a TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER on the floor!! This is getting insane!! As Fletcher beats the 10 count, Ospreay immediately hits a Springboard Dropkick and another Spiral Tap on Kyle for a close nearfall! As Ospreay prepares to hit his Hidden Blade elbow, there's a fast-paced series of big moves from both men including a C4/Spanish Fly by Ospreay, a brutal lariat by Fletcher, and ending with a Hidden Blade to Kyle's pretty face. And both men collapse from exhaustion and awesomeness.
"AEW" chants fill the arena as the crowd are all on their feet in anticipation for the next big sequence! Fletcher prepares for his SUPER finisher, a Top Rope Brainbuster onto the turnbuckle, but Ospreay counters just in time for a sunset flip into a STYLES CLASH!!! Fletcher somehow kicks out at 2.99999 and suffers the consequences by eating the most brutal, hard-hitting, unforgiving, and loud Hidden Blade elbow I've ever seen and heard in my days. Seriously, the timestamp on TrillerTV is 1:58:28 for your viewing pleasure and the sound Will's elbow makes when he clocks Kyle in his head makes my skin crawl in the best way. And since Kyle is not a human being, he kicks out at 2.99999 again even though I would have been seeing angels if somebody hit me THAT HARD. "Fight Forever" chants are now in season again in AEW as the crowd watch Ospreay drag an immobile Kyle to the ring apron. Ospreay prepares to hit his Stormbreaker finisher or the infamous Tiger Driver 91 on the apron, but Kyle recovers just in time to hit the mother of all Tombstone Piledrivers, jumping off the apron and RIGHT ONTO THE STEEL STEPS!!! And it's all over.
The crowd all look as if they've witnessed the death of Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher smiles on the inside knowing that his victory is secured. As Ospreay continues his Tony award winning selling on the neck, Kyle hits his Crimstone Gotch-Style Piledriver for an unbelievable 2.999999 kickout! How is Ospreay still going?!!! Ospreay tries for a desperation rollup and a THIRD Hidden Blade but similar to his match with Swerve Strickland at Forbidden Door 2024, Ospreay wasn't able to hit his Hidden Blade with his full strength. It's over, Will. Fletcher is now absorbing Ospreay's offense like a sponge and it's a beautiful dissection as Fletcher destroys Ospreay completely with big move after big move. Kyle hits his Top Rope Brainbuster, crushing Ospreay's head and neck! 1-2-3. Kyle Fletcher has achieved his goal and has beaten Will Ospreay in clean but cold-blooded fashion. Fletcher, at 25 years old, still has a long way to go but it feels like he is hellbent on making 2025: "The Year of The Protostar." You couldn't have asked for a better match and a bigger endorsement than this match. Kyle is the future of AEW and he will be AEW World Champion someday. Will Ospreay, what more can I say? He's had a PERFECT 2024 and it's going to be very interesting to see where the Billy GOAT goes from here. Watch this match, pretty please.
WINNER: Kyle Fletcher (8 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS) (HOLY S-WORD. ONE OF THE GREATEST MATCHES OF THE YEAR!!! AND THE BEST OVERALL MATCH ON THIS PPV!!) (MOTY/MOTD CONTENDER)
6. MARIAH MAY AND MINA SHIRAKAWA'S CHAMPAGNE CHAMPIONSHIP CELEBRATION!! (Promo Segment)
CHEERS!! KANPAI!! IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER ANNOUNCED PROMO SEGMENT ON PPV!!! Mariah May and Mina Shirakawa. Reunited and it feels so good! Mariah's Joshi Pro-esque heel run where she is a despicable and demonic queen of mean towards the best Women's division in the world has been incredible. As one of AEW's biggest homegrown success stories, Mariah May as AEW Women's World Champion is entering a very exciting phase in her reign with her STARDOM senpai and the love of her life, Mina Shirakawa!
Where has Ms. Shirakawa been? Still ruling over STARDOM as the leader of Empress Nexus Venus, having great matches, and collecting titles on the indies! But also, she's been watching AEW very closely, especially her former protege's actions as AEW Women's World Champion. Since Mina Shirakawa is one of STARDOM's most popular faces and one of it's most vain heels, you would think she'd be proud of Mariah's cruel treatment of AEW's women's division. How wrong we were. Mina Shirakawa has been left wondering "What happened to the sweet girl I fell in love with in Japan? When did she become so cruel and sadistic towards her enemies?" The answer is...She never existed. Mariah May became a villain the day she became a wrestler. And Mina was about to find out just how her lover had fallen. Several vignettes began to air on AEW TV, heralding the return of everyone's favorite dancing queen, Mina Shirakawa (and also, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it QR code in BLACK AND WHITE that sent fans to a mysterious video package on the whereabouts of "Timeless" Toni Storm, who has been MIA since losing her title to Mariah May at ALL IN LONDON 2024. HINT HINT.) When Mina made her AEW return, it was to rejoin with Mariah for her long-awaited championship celebration! A celebration that Mariah will NEVER FORGET in Mina's own words.
The segment began with Mina Shirakawa introducing the crowd to her friend, partner, AEW Women's World Champion, and most importantly, the love of her life, Mariah May! The Glamour came out sporting a fresh shiner of a black eye from her epic No DQ match against Anna Jay but May still looked confident and cold as ice as she asserted her dominance over the AEW Women's Division. "There's not a woman alive who can touch me," Mariah said as Mina looked very fidgety and impatient throughout. The two began to toast with champagne and dance with Mina's music. Fun times all around! But of course, here comes the record-scratch moment.
In a shocking swerve, Mariah May takes a champagne bottle and swings it at Mina, who saw it coming from a mile away but still couldn't believe it happened. It finally happened. Mariah has officially betrayed another close friend and she has no regrets even when she spit in Mina's face right after. In a fit of rage, Mina shattered the champagne bottle with a swift kick and speared Mariah May off the Full Gear Stage through a bunch of tables! While Mariah landed safely, Mina unfortunately knocked her noggin onto the hard floor leading to a big ol' lump to grow on her forehead. But like the professional she is, Mina closed the segment with elegance and grace. And by that, I mean she screamed bloody murder and gave Mariah a bloody kiss goodnight on her forehead. A beautiful callback moment from when Mariah gave Toni Storm the same bloody forehead kiss. THIS BEAUTIFUL ROMANCE IS OVER AND THE FEUD IS OFFICIALLY ON!!!
A few complaints though. I honestly wish Mina and Mariah could've had a longer run as a heelish tag team, ruling the AEW Women's Division through their beauty, skills, and love for each other. But they have been teasing this feud since June's Forbidden Door 2024. And with the secret "Timeless" Toni Storm QR code vignette, time will tell where "she" will fit into this story.
4 Star Segment (Short but good stuff! A great teaser for Mariah vs Mina! I really wish Ms. Timeless made her return during this segment. Perhaps Toni Storm's story is over?)
Update as of Dynamite Winter is Coming 2024: IT'S NOT OVER YET!! YAY!
Roll up everyone! It's time to play everyone's favorite game! "Jack Perry messes around and finds out!" Match #6 is for the TNT Championship as the slimy "Scapegoat" of the Elite, Jack Perry, defends his TNT title against "RED DEATH" Daniel Garcia.
After barely escaping the Terminator model known as Katsuyori Shibata at WrestleDream 2024, Jack Perry continues to avoid more challengers for his TNT champion, especially the up-and-coming Daniel Garcia. Daniel would attack and threaten Jack Perry backstage calling him and the Elite "cowards" for failing to protect AEW from the Death Riders and their crimes against humanity! Jack Perry merely smirked like, "Does it look like I care that Rome is burning? I think it's quite beautiful." Perry also added that Garcia didn't have what it took to become a champion because he was still holding on to his pathetic morals and love of the fans. Instead of listen to the words of a smarmy jerkface, Daniel Garcia had decided to become "Mr. AEW" and show this Scapegoat exactly how dangerous he could be.
In a memorable segment on Collision, Jack Perry would ambush Daniel's best friend and mentor, "Daddy Magic" Matt Menard at commentary. Perry beat Menard senseless backstage and dragged him to the outside of the arena where he planned to tie him up and commit MURDER with his bus. Luckily, Daniel Garcia caught Perry red-handed and proceeded to destroy the Scapegoat with bare hands, free his partner Menard, and then tie up Jack Perry to the hood of his own bus! It still makes me smile as I write this. THIS IS HOW YOU BOOK SMART AND RUTHLESS BABYFACES IN WRESTLING! Garcia and Menard took the still-bounded Jack Perry through the streets and into a hidden location where Daniel threatened to go all "Joker beating Jason Todd to death" levels of crazy with a crowbar on Perry. But in this scenario, Jack Perry is the Joker, laughing like a madman and going on and on about sacrifice. But Garcia puts down the crowbar and leaves Jack alone to say, "I'm nothing like you, Jack. I'll never go to that place." Let's see how far these two young lions will go tonight.
It's time to make Mama proud!! Like Private Party at WrestleDream 2024, Daniel Garcia is given a touching vignette about the childhood and history of Buffalo's favorite son. And a hopeful voicemail from Ms. Garcia, Danny's actual mom, telling him that he's ready and he'll finish what he started! Wearing a "Restore The Feeling" shirt and best friend/mentor Matt Menard calling this match on commentary, Daniel Garcia officially feels like the biggest defender of AEW ready to take a bullet for this promotion. Through the fire and flames, "Scapegoat" Jack Perry walks in with all of the arrogance and heat in the world.
The match begins with the not-at-all-cool and disrespectful "CM PUNK" chants for Jack Perry but they are quickly drowned out by the louder boos of the more sensible AEW fans. Garcia and Perry lock up and feel each other out with Perry playing some mind games by crawling in and out of the ring. Garcia has to calm himself down and keep himself focused but patience pays off with Daniel finally catching Jack and the Scapegoat's only reaction is a quick "Oh S***!" Garcia throws Perry into barricades, boots Jack into the crowd, and punishes him on the ring post! Perry quickly counters with two Draping DDTs onto the floor, attacking Daniel's kayfabe injured neck thanks to MJF's infamous piledrivers months ago. Perry hits a missile dropkick back inside the ring for a pinfall and the Scapegoat is in complete control. Perry trash talks Garcia and takes his sweet time targeting his injured neck with some chin locks. Daniel hits a Saito Suplex to get back in the fight but Jack Perry quickly locks in the Snare Trap STF which forces Daniel to grab the ropes! On the apron, Perry hits a sick back suplex, dropping Danny on the hardest part of the ring while also taking time to bully Daddy Magic on commentary. Perry then goes farther with a powerbomb on the timekeeper's table and dumps trash on him while the crowd and Menard will Garcia back to life to beat the 10 count!
The Scapegoat laughs in the face of a defiant Daniel and one too many pushes activates "RED DEATH" Daniel Garcia! Devastating lariats, endless stomps in the corner, and brutal suplexes! These are just a few of the ingredients that make Garcia so special! On the top rope, the two young lions tetter on the edge with hard shots until Perry brings him down with a Long Dart into the corner and even a Burning Hammer!! Daniel kicks out at 2.9 and Perry has already had enough! Jack goads Daniel into hitting him with the TNT title belt only to use it as a distraction for a LOW BLOW, a running knee finisher, and a CLOSE nearfall! Nice try, Scapegoat!! As Daniel seemingly collaspes from exhaustion, Jack Perry shouts "We all have to sacrifice" as he prepares for another running knee! But Daniel was playing possum as he strikes with a quick rollup and a BRUTAL Gotch-Style Piledriver for another nearfall!!
After an intense slap/chop fight that is won by Garcia, Jack is still smiling like a maniac until Daniel gives him something to smile about. Another piledrivers and the DRAGON SLAYER SHARPSHOOTER!!!! AND IT'S OVER!!! Daniel Garcia has won his first official AEW title!! After grinding on the indies for what seemed like a lifetime, a fun and character building year with the Jericho Appreciation Society, and having MOTY contenders against the likes of Bryan Danielson, Will Ospreay and MJF, "Red Death" Daniel Garcia has FINALLY won the TNT CHAMPIONSHIP!! What a journey for this young man and now the real work begins for TNT Champ Daniel Garcia! Meanwhile, Jack Perry is literally crying a river of tears as his precious TNT champion is gone. Moral of the story: DON'T EVER SMILE IN THE FACE OF RED DEATH, JACK.
WINNER AND NEWWWWWW TNT CHAMPION: Daniel Garcia (4.5 out of 5 Stars) (Good technical match and it gets bonus points for a well-deserved and new champion!)
8. Konosuke Takeshita © vs Ricochet (AEW International Championship)
The MOTY factory keeps on pumping out bangers!! It's the one and only, Mr. OUTTA THIS WORLD, Ricochet vs the Alpha, Konosuke Takeshita for the AEW International Championship!
Not too much story going into this match execpt for one glaring detail. Takeshita "RUINED" the dream rematch between Will Ospreay and Ricochet on the 5th Anniversary of Dynamite!! While we will get Ospreay vs Ricochet in AEW without a DQ finish sometime soon, the greatest flippy wrestler in the world demands satisfaction from the culprit Takeshita! After failing to win the International Title at WrestleDream 2024 in an all-timer Three Way with Ospreay and Takeshita, the super-popular Ricochet is ready for his one-on-one match against the Alpha for the workhorse championship of AEW!!
The match began with a feeling out process where Takeshita is having fun playing with his prey and Ricochet pushing back with impressive technical prowess! It's a fun back and forth with more springboard and lucha offense from Ricochet and Takeshita's raw power with a vicious high boot that sends Ricochet to the outside! And now, The Alpha can have some real and sadistic fun using a back suplex on the barricade to kill Ricochet's back and momentum! This is a great strategy to slow down the match and punish the flippiest man who ever flipped by attacking his back! A beautiful and early Blue Thunderbomb by the Alpha only gets a 2 count! Ricochet struggles to fight back as Takeshita continues to target the back with brutal irish-whips into the corner and more forearm back shots.
Takeshita is a great heel by robbing the fans of Ricochet's fast and furious offense with back stretches and power moves. Ricochet tries to get back in control with a rolling dropkick and a handspring back elbow! A Springboard Forearm and the King is back in action!! Ricochet sends Takeshita to the outside and lights up the fans with a handspring backflip Tornillo dive to the outside!! A thing of beauty indeed! A successful Springboard 450 splash gets only a 2-count and Don Callis got so scared from that Ricochet signature move, he left the commentary desk to cheer on Takeshita! Ricochet misses an Axe Kick and gets caught in mid-springboard for another Blue Thunderbomb and another nearfall!! Now this match is getting SUPER fun!!
Takeshita prepares to hit the Power Drive knee that he used to beat Kenny Omega a year ago, but Ricochet catches it just in time only for Takeshita to start a Forearm War!! The Alpha puts all his strength into the forearms but Ricochet is still getting back up like Spider-Man! A very fun series of quick counters, a beautiful deadlift German Suplex by Takeshita, and a Jumping Knee/Lariat combo by Ricochet and the crowd are LOVING this match! And then, one of the biggest moments of the night, Konosuke hits a dangerous and mental German Suplex from the Top Rope, which completely shattering Ricochet's poor neck to pieces!!! A hard lariat and a Power Drive knee and Ricochet still kicks out! TWICE!! These wrestlers are INSANE and I love them!
Takeshita hits a Jumping Senton on Ricochet's back but Ricochet fires back with a Frankensteiner off the top rope and a Poisonrana that spikes the Alpha on his head! Ricochet then hits his picture perfect Shooting Star Press finisher but Takeshita kicks out at 2.99999! As Ricochet misses his Spirit Gun Elbow and the Vertigo 1916 finisher, Takeshita hits the Raging Fire Driver for another 2.99999 kickout!!! Ricochet counters with a Tornado Kick, a twisting Brainbuster with a battle cry to go with it, and the Fireman's Carry Kick Combo for ANOTHER NEARFALL!!! THIS IS GETTING TENSE!! As the match reaches it finale, Ricochet is about hit his rare 630 Senton from the top rope but Takeshita stops him just in time to target the back of Ricochet and hit a Avalanche Falcon Arrow for the clean pinfall! Wonderful match and I can't wait to see where both men go from here!! The Don Callis Family have defeated the dynamic duo of Will Ospreay and Ricochet on this night but they will come back from this!
WINNER AND STILL AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPION: Konosuke Takeshita (5 OUT OF 5 STARS!!) (MOTY CONTENDER)
Black excellence in AEW. Nothing more, nothing less. Our penultimate match of the evening is a DREAM MATCH between AEW's most dangerous man, Swerve Strickland, and the newest threat to any championship in AEW, THE ALL MIGHTY, Bobby Lashley!!!
Another "Hell Frozen Over" debut in AEW alongside CM Punk and Adam Copeland, I never would've dreamed that Bobby Lashley, MVP, Shelton Benjamin, or even THE HURT BUSINESS/SYNDICATE would become #ALLELITE. Yet here we are. After a few years of nothing in WWE and sprinkled in with a few allegations of favoritism and racism from upper management, MVP, Shelton, and Bobby made the best decisions of their professional careers and joined All Elite Wrestling as a force to be reckoned with. After refusing to join MVP's Hurt Syndicate, Swerve Strickland defeated Shelton Benjamin on Fright Night Dynamite in a stone cold classic. MVP then called in the demigod of pro wrestling, the Walking Armageddon (his TNA nickname), THE ALL MIGHTY BOBBY LASHLEY to do what he does best. HURT PEOPLE.
A vengeful and chain wrapped Swerve Strickland said only four words to his newest enemy. "BOBBY LASHLEY. FULL GEAR." MVP, full of confidence and swagger, accepted the challenge on Lashley's behalf and people were already salivating the thought of these two living legends throwing hands and brutalizing each other on PPV! The rest of the build consisted of Swerve being jumped by the rebooted Hurt Syndicate until Swerve finally got a measure of heat back when he attacked and stomped the life out of Lashley on the go-home Dynamite! Now let's do this dance!
With Good Ol' JR back on commentary for the last two matches of the night, Swerve Strickland emerges wearing his own bloody face as a mask and THE ALL MIGHTY Bobby Lashley makes his AEW PPV match debut with his banging track of "WE HURT PEOPLE!" As the "SWERVE'S HOUSE" chants and the brand new "WE HURT PEOPLE" chants for Lashley fill the arena, the match begins with complete dominance by The All Mighty! Lashley takes control with big slams, corner shots, and his Dominator finisher move! Lashley goes for a cover but pulls Swerve up by the hair at 2, meaning he wants to make the Mogul suffer for not taking up their offer. An impressive delayed suplex and more corner punishment by Lashley but Swerve gets in a few shots and a headbutt before getting shut down with a running powerslam. For the first time in AEW, Swerve Strickland is an underdog babyface in peril as he is helpless against the onslaught of Bobby Lashley. Take notes, everyone. This is how you make a new signing look like a worldkiller.
Bobby gets too cocky as he rushes to the corner only to get booted in the face by Swerve! As Strickland goes to the top rope for the Swerve Stomp, Shelton Benjamin distracts him on the apron and gets Bobby back in the fight! Bobby takes his time throwing around Swerve on the outside and Shelton's second interference gets him ejected to the amusement of Prince Nana! Swerve can't celebrate for long as Lashley responds with a Chokeslam on the apron and he launches Swerve right into the barricade! Before Bobby could hit another running powerslam on the steel steps, Swerve fights out of it and deals some mighty head trauma to The All Mighty by slamming his head into the ring post and steel steps. "The most dangerous man in AEW until Bobby Lashley showed up" Swerve Strickland proves he is still a powerful threat as he plants Bobby with a sick DDT on the apron! Swerve continues his comeback with an innovative and INCREDIBLE Swerve Stomp, jumping off the steel steps and jamming his legs into the chest of Bobby Lashley and the announce table!!!! Swerve brings Lashley back in the ring for a House Call Kick and a Swerve Stomp but it only gets a 2.9 kickout!!!
As MVP gives his biggest asset a peptalk, Swerve mean mugs Montel with his cold death stare only to meet a vicious belly-to-belly suplex and a brutal spear through the barricade by Lashley!!! Back inside the ring, the wicked and apex predator eyes of Bobby Lashley lock onto Swerve for another spear that connects! Seconds later, Lashley puts Swerve in the infamous Hurt Lock/Full Nelson submission hold to knock him out and just like that, IT'S OVER!!! Short, sweet, and to the point. I LOVE IT. The former AEW World Champion has just been dominated and decimated in just 13 minutes. It's truly amazing how easy AEW makes it look to put someone over. LONG LIVE THE ALL MIGHTY AND THE HURT SYNDICATE!!
WINNER: Bobby Lashley (4.75 OUT OF 5 STARS!!!) (GREAT AND DOMINANT SHOWCASE FOR BOBBY LASHLEY AND A GREAT UNDERDOG PERFORMANCE BY SWERVE!!) (MOTY CONTENDER)
Post-Match Drama: Bobby Lashley puts Prince Nana in the Hurt Lock and the Hurt Syndicate stand tall. Swerve will NEVER forget this
10. Jon Moxley © vs Orange Cassidy (AEW World Championship)
WAR. What is it good for? OUR FULL GEAR 2024 MAIN EVENT IS FOR THE AEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP!! The rubber match between the King of AEW, Jon Moxley, and everyone's favorite Wet Hot American Summer Cosplayer, Orange Cassidy!!!
At All Out 2023, one of the most beloved and talked about PPVs in AEW's short history, Jon Moxley defeated Orange Cassidy in the main event, ending his record-breaking 326-day reign as AEW International Championship in one of the best matches of the year. Two months later, Orange Cassidy defeated Jon Moxley at Full Gear 2023 thanks to the help of an exposed turnbuckle in a solid sequel to their All Out match. And now, one year later at Full Gear 2024, AEW continues its streak of excellent long-term booking and great matches as they close the chapter on Moxley and Cassidy with a third and final rubber match for the greatest prize in professional wrestling today. Poetry.
Jon Moxley has become a king in his own mind after winning the AEW World Championship against his former BCC brother, Bryan Danielson. Ever since Moxley and his Death Riders destroyed Bryan's neck in front of more than 10,000+ witnesses at WrestleDream 2024, the world has been crying out for a hero. Someone who can light the flame of hope in AEW's darkest hour. Someone who is destined to become an AEW World Champion and become the true foundation of the greatest promotion in wrestling today. Will Ospreay? Mark Briscoe? Jay White? Daniel Garcia? HOOK? Darby Allin? None of the above...for now at least. But right now, there is one man. One man who has been AEW's most consistent MOTY factory, a constant fan favorite, and arguably the most popular babyface on the roster. "Freshly Squeezed" Orange Cassidy.
For the past weeks, starting at WrestleDream 2024, legends such as Jerry Lynn to young up-and-comers like HOOK to his own teammates in the Conglomeration have told Orange Cassidy that he is ready. Ready to become AEW World Champion. If only he could believe in himself and stop being a follower. He's a natural born locker room leader. He's beaten former world champions and battled the greatest wrestlers in this sport. But Cassidy himself can't see it. Until the Death Riders forced his hand by attacking his best friend, the now-retired Chuck Taylor, by snapping his neck in a chair. And Orange Cassidy was too late to save him. Now you've gone and done it. Orange Cassidy isn't mildly annoyed. He isn't upset. For the first time since 2023, Orange Cassidy is ANGRY. And abandon all hope ye who brings out his rage.
A cold Newark night in November. Tension in the air. A truck pulls up to the Prudential center at around 30 minutes past 11:00 PM. Fashionably late as always is the AEW heavyweight champion of the world, Jon Moxley, flanked by "The Problem" Marina Shafir and the other ones known as PAC and Claudio Castagnoli. (I'm kidding. Although I believe Marina Shafir could legit murder everyone on the AEW rosters. Men, women, and non-binaries. NO ONE IS SAFE FROM MOTHER.) Moxley awaits the arrival of his opponent, Orange Cassidy, who has lost his "Best Friends" through hideous betrayal and bloody violence. Now, Cassidy must abandon his new friends in the Conglomeration and face this battle alone to avenge Chuck Taylor, punish his former friend Wheeler Yuta, and take the AEW World Championship out of Marina's briefcase and into his own backpack.
The match begins with the emo funeral version of Orange Cassidy wasting no time attacking Moxley with three surprise Orange Punches before Justin Roberts can finish his "JONNNNNNNN MOXLEYYYYYYYY" ring announcement! Orange Cassidy is taking off like a house of fire with a Tope Suicida and taking Moxley to pound town all over the outside!! This is Orange Cassidy at 5% of his full power!! After biting Moxley's face off, the leader of the Death Riders takes back control by throwing Cassidy into the crowd and pummeling some sense into him with stiff punches and kicks! Jon elevates the violence with a curb stomp onto the steel steps that busts poor Cassidy's forehead wide open! Moxley then takes the bloody Orange and delivers a Paradigm Shift right onto the steel steps! As Marina takes a little cheap shot to a dazed and confused Cassidy, Jon Moxley paces around the ring and waits to deliver more punishment to "Freshly Squeezed."
It's all Moxley now as he focuses on cracking Orange's skull wide open with stomps in the corner and a Gotch-style piledriver! The right hands and forearms of Moxley start raining down like a storm of hammers and nails onto Cassidy! Mox starts biting Orange's fingers off on the announce table until Cassidy tries to gouge out Mox's eyes! Mox quickly fires back with by throwing Orange into the steel steps and slaps hands with Marina Shafir with Orange's blood all over him. Gross but cool. The slaughter continues as Mox starts stomping OC in the face but Mr. Maximum Effort is defiant and won't stay down! Moxley responds with an X-PLEX and a pinfall, but OC kicks out at 2! Jon goes for a wristlock and then boots OC to the outside to catch his breath. Funniest moment in the match is when Orange gets back up as refer