AEW Full Gear 2021: Every Match Ranked From Worst To Best
Another world class AEW pay-per-view, but some matches fell just short.
Well, this is going to be difficult.
Ranking each match on an AEW pay-per-view always is, because the company loves epics and doesn't really believe in sprinkling cards with a few "let-me-up" bouts that enable fans to buy popcorn or check out the merch stands. That's not necessarily a criticism, but it is jarring after so many years of living WWE's style.
Full Gear 2021 was a breathless example of what happens when companies let top tier workers go out there and wrestle until they can wrestle no more. The first three matches, in particular, might well be the best opening trio of matches one could expect from a supershow like this.
Things sagged in the middle a bit, sadly, but All Elite's roster had picked things back up by the end to deliver a satisfying conclusion to the night. Tony Khan must be super-proud of this show - he'd have every right to be smug about it.
Side note: AEW's pre-show tag pitting Hikaru Shida and Thunder Rosa vs. Jamie Hayter and Nyla Rose isn't ranked here. Only matches from the actual pay-per-view are included.
Let's get stuck in to some AEW goodness, but first...
9. Malakai Black & Andrade El Idolo Vs. Cody Rhodes & PAC
...big old 'hmm' for this one.
JR hit the nail on the head by saying AEW had plonked four individuals together rather than producing a doubles effort between two solid teams. That meant this was only average. Your writer didn't really dig it at all, in truth - it should've been on Dynamite or Rampage, not pay-per-view.
Also, crowds booing Cody is a problem now. All Elite are gonna have to do something about that, because it's strangling every match he's in and is actually in danger of becoming this generation's "X-Pac heat". It's not great that Andrade El Idolo and Malakai Black were cheered for beating the sh*t out of him.
Rhodes might be spinning away from those heels to work with PAC too. That's fine and all, but what are the others going to do if so? The other option is moving Cody off Malakai and having him work more exclusively with El Idolo. Yeah, this was a TV match at best.