8 Match Star Ratings For AEW Full Gear

An unforgettable night nobody will ever agree on.

Kenny Omega Jon Moxley
FITE TV
"I've shouted it off the rooftops, how proud I am of AEW - how proud I am of the all-inclusive nature, of the schedule, of the pay, of the fact that we will listen..."

Cody, AEW Dynamite, November 6

This promo was consistent with Dave Meltzer's report in this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, in which he revealed Full Gear's intended run-time of four hours maximum. AEW listened to one of few complaints levelled at the first two major shows and sought to correct it; the long All Out's main event failed to create an atmosphere on the level of the insane Escalera De La Muerte, and AEW appeared to consider the sequencing with more care, in addition to the run-time.

The star power and destructive tendencies of Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega - and the promise/threat of a "level of beautiful pro wrestling violence not seen in decades" - meant nothing could follow it. And so nothing did: the Lights Out stipulation manoeuvred it into the (non-canon) last slot, allowing the World Championship clash to both act as the "official" main event and not suffer through the quenched bloodlust of exhaustion.

The divisive Librarian comedy was left to Dark. The Buy-In was limited to one attraction.

AEW listened - but did they deliver a brisker and better event than All Out?

8. BUY-IN: Britt Baker Vs. Bea Priestley

Kenny Omega Jon Moxley
FITE TV

This was a quite good match - over-delivered is the fairest assessment - but it never stood a chance of reaching its ambitious plot.

That plot, based in reality, saw Bea Priestley attempt to once more injure Britt Baker with a series of lunging strikes that aimed to echo the real, errant blows that twice injured the Dentist. To escape the damage, Baker had to out-wrestle her opponent. This fell a bit flat in execution because Baker isn't yet polished enough to pull off the role of mat craftswoman.

Encouragingly, this was a better performance from Baker, whose forearm strikes looked to land with credibility, and this worked enough to drive a generous crowd reaction. Priestley had twice injured Baker, who according to Cody had entered the match the "full blown flu". AEW taunted fate with this match, but mercifully, both women were on point relative to their level of experience.

Baker still has trouble positioning her finish for the hard camera, and Priestley isn't great at stringing what she can do very well together - but it didn't tarnish what was a well-built closing sequence and feel-good win.

Star Rating: ★★¾

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!