10 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Full Gear 2021

by Michael Sidgwick

1. Winning The World Title Is Cowboy Sh*t

Hangman Page
AEW

What was so perfect about this main event, beyond the fact that it was an utterly fantastic professional wrestling match, is that it was as awesome for what didn't happen as it was awesome for what did.

Hangman Page's sense of belief never once wavered. He didn't perform any shocked melodramatic kick-out faces or doubt himself with corny body language. This was his night. He said it in the build. He didn't betray that in a broad, manipulative story beat. That doesn't mean the match was without drama.

It was incredible in that regard; with a roaring cry of "Is that all you got motherf*cker?" Page blasted the dual threat of Don Callis being a cheating bastard and Kenny Omega using one of wrestling's deepest arsenals to extract the maximum drama from the spectacle. That Omega springboard top-rope sit-out powerbomb was insane.

Nick and Matt Jackson circled Page as he motioned to perform the Buckshot, trusting the molten crowd to remember the events of the pre-All Out 2020 gauntlet match and fear the revenge. The threat of something that didn't happen was remarkable. The last seven minutes of the match were spectacular; a gruesome procession of head drops laced with so much suspense and catharsis.

Where once Hangman clung to the legs of Nick Jackson in a state of anxious self-loathing, here, he clung to Omega's, countering the V-Trigger, in a state of total spirit. Every move was performed incredibly well. Omega is Omega, still, and Page's imperceptible high spot catches are unparalleled in all of wrestling.

But none of that matters compared to the feeling AEW elicited: after over two years, the moment delivered completely.

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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!