8 Match Star Ratings For AEW Full Gear
6. PAC Vs. Hangman Page
This was another very good pro wrestling match that deviated from the in-house style and drew a more detached reaction because of it. This being the first pay-per-view of the Dynamite era, the psychological complexion of the PPV matches felt jarring, at first.
But then PAC and Hangman Page engineered a reaction through their punishing, hard-hitting work. Jim Ross liked this, mostly, which doubles as convenient shorthand analysis: they worked this like a fight in which the more spectacular moves felt like the risk necessary to gain the advantage, which is the real purpose behind them. Ross bemoaned Page's very over moonsault and suicide dive because to him, Page has the frame and power to get it done in the ring.
If that felt like Bill Watts-in-WCW stuff, thankfully, so did the action: this was very well-crafted, PAC moved like a killer, much less wrestled like one, and Page's stuff looks like it really packs oomph. This fused power and psychology very well.
A gruelling match, the pacing served the story more than the crowd, but this boasted one of the best finishes you'll see all year, and it paid off everything that preceded it wonderfully: a seamless Dead Eye reversal, a show of real babyface grit, and a further display of babyface ingenuity scored Page the win.
Star Rating: ★★★¾