10 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Full Gear 2021

6. ANOTHER Great, Different (But Long) Match

Jurassic Express
AEW

The Jurassic Express & Christian Vs. SuperKliq Falls Count Anywhere match was great, even if it peaked before the finish.

This was more of a structural issue than another example of AEW's trademark PPV excess. There was an actual reason to go 20 minutes beyond the idea that a long match is automatically better. That really is a take that belongs in the last decade, incidentally. This was the story of Jungle Boy evolving into a grown-up ass-kicker who learned that, to become a babyface force, he has to realise that vengeance is a virtue. This neat character progression justified the length - he had to absorb brutal punishment to ultimately convince himself - but after three consecutive lengthy matches, the near-falls at the finish couldn't register with the same head-spinning effect.

But it was a minor issue; the match was mostly an exhilarating display of jaw-dropping plunder violence threaded together by the Bucks' supreme genre expertise. A bloody and destructive high spot-driven war, it was expertly laid out to redeem and spotlight the babyfaces.

Jungle Boy shed something of his innocence.

Christian Cage, 47, performed a balcony dive.

And Luchasaurus executed a shooting star press off the stage.

Unreal - but also a bit normal-feeling by the end.

Advertisement
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!