8 Match Star Ratings For AEW Full Gear

7. Shawn Spears Vs. Joey Janela

Kenny Omega Jon Moxley
FITE TV

In something of an indictment of the result, Joey Janela was the clear star of the match, and everything interesting about it was clearly consistent with his artistic choices.

Jim Cornette calls him 'Jelly Janela' as part of his crusade to make AEW better/remain relevant, and it's clearly meant as an insult, but it's as if he actually is made of jelly: he can't have a spine anymore, but he used what is left of it to put Spears over in a very selfless, committed, unhinged performance that might ultimately prove pointless: Spears wasn't received as a star. This was no carry-job - Spears performed well here, working in harmony with the story - but the best moment of the match saw Tully Blanchard assist with the spike piledriver. Joey Janela Vs. Tully Blanchard was more interesting than Joey Janela Vs. Shawn Spears.

Janela is a great babyface with old school instincts and new school ideas - the tag rope hair spot was creative as hell - and Spears' reliance on cheating helped put that role over. If he was such a garbage wrestler, he could have put him away cleanly.

A very solid, well-worked, well-told styles clash elevated by Janela's ingenuity (and insanity).

Star Rating: ★★★

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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!