10 All Out Mistakes AEW Can't Afford To Repeat At Full Gear

3. Don't Telegraph The Big Finishes

AEW Full Gear Set
AEW

AEW takes a great deal of care in establishing and furthering a sense of continuity. Little is arrived at by random. By gradually setting talent on course for a match, the match feels more earned and anticipated when it happens.

This in-character framing is often accomplished with an artistic flourish: MJF turning the Diamond Cutter upside down like he would Cody's world; Orange Cassidy literally stumbling carelessly into a programme with Chris Jericho; Wardlow very subtly showing his worn patience virtually every time he shares the screen with his boss.

It's an approach that makes everything coherent and builds the anticipation for that everything, but AEW has telegraphed its future direction more than it has foreshadowed it in recent weeks.

At All Out, Casino Battle Royale winner Lance Archer descended on ringside to take in the main event. The mere sight of him revealed the outcome, even if Jon Moxley Vs. MJF was so well-worked that doubt was cast over it. AEW doesn't book within strict babyface/heel confines, to counter that, but one man in that match was the obvious opponent for the Murderhawk, and it wasn't MJF.

Again, when Moxley Vs. Archer happened on the Anniversary show, Eddie Kingston's presence at the commentary booth gave the game away. Kingston has a history with Archer that will surely be revisited shortly, so it's not as if AEW narrowed its creative avenues there. But one path was so much clearer than the other.

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 current Undisputed WWE 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!