10 All Out Mistakes AEW Can't Afford To Repeat At Full Gear
7. Do Right By The Women
This problem wasn't exclusive to All Out. If anything, Hikaru Shida and Thunder Rosa were victims of circumstance; in a rare show of faith, they were entrusted to pivot away from the Broken Rules match and bring forth the serious title match business end of the card.
Or is that too generous?
All going well, Matt Hardy Vs. Sammy Guevara was sure to unleash yet more unhinged stunts in what was intended to be a violent, crazed brawl. Perhaps the intention, all along, was to position the women to allow the fans at home to catch their breath. Sadly, AEW's non-committal approach to its Women's division, whether it is justified by depleted talent or otherwise, leads one to the cynical blade of Occam's razor.
Nyla Rose and Kris Statlander were damned at Revolution. The match was very uneven, at best, but even a very good one would have died in the wake of the long, emotionally draining Tag Team Title masterpiece. Riho and Emi Sakura stood far more of a chance at last year's Full Gear, and their pulsating war more than followed the wonky trios Tag Team Title match. The Women's division is less of a concern now than it was then.
The build to Hikaru Shida Vs. Nyla Rose II barely warrants that descriptor. Before the grim obligation of the go-home show, Rose hadn't worked a Dynamite match since September 9. They didn't even bother to build her as a jobber-eating squash powerhouse, which would have represented a diminished return in any event. Put the match on first. There's no drama; if Rose was winning, they'd have actually bothered to push her. The result isn't in doubt, and expectation is low.
The very least AEW can do now is allow Shida and Rose to bask in the fired-up glow of a bang-up-for-it crowd and give them the confidence to tear it up.