15 Greatest Match Finishes In Modern Wrestling History
4. Chris Jericho Vs. Cody - AEW Full Gear 2019
AEW had to accomplish a great deal in a matter of frames.
They had to deliver a momentous finish to substantiate the big match hype and sell the enormity of a bold (and ultimately short-sighted) stipulation. They had to, in the event of Cody losing, transition to the next challenger and not just beat him cleanly. He couldn't simply lose the match of his life and continue on as a babyface worthy of your support; he had to get wronged in a major way. And, in the event of Chris Jericho winning, they had to preserve his aura as World Champion. This was the company that promised a gravity to everything without resorting to cop-out carny shenanigans. An Inner Circle interference finish would have been much too cheap.
In a masterstroke of a finish, they accomplished it all.
After a superb match, a pacing masterclass that unified the audience in support of the pure babyface, Chris Jericho trapped Cody in the Liontamer. This was a more gruesome contortion than most, and Jericho, cleverly extracting maximum opportunity for nasty heel work, scraped his feet on Cody's skull, which had been gashed the hard way earlier in the match. Cody's plight looked hopeless, which convinced referee Aubrey Edwards to accept MJF throwing in the towel.
Cody went out like a badass without AEW resorting to the now hackneyed WrestleMania 13 finish. Chris Jericho looked like a winner without it being an emphatic detriment to Cody's aura. And MJF, after kicking Cody in the balls in the post-match, drew furnace-level heat by ending Cody's dream.
A multifarious masterclass of a finish.