8 Match Star Ratings For AEW Full Gear

2. Chris Jericho Vs. Cody - AEW World Championship Match

Kenny Omega Jon Moxley
FITE TV

The sort of pro wrestling match you didn't think could ever get over again, this was so f*cking great.

It was like Kazuchika Okada wrestling at the height of Jim Crockett Promotions: this epic was built very, very slowly, but to incredible effect: by encouraging the crowd to react to every last minutiae of the action, when that action ramped up, Cody and Chris Jericho orchestrated a furnace atmosphere of the oldest school of pro wrestling drama accentuated by the stiffest of shots at the most pivotal of moments.

Cody either bled hardway at the most convenient time possible, or pulled off one of the best, most believable and most clandestine of blade jobs in the history of the game. These two pros timed absolutely everything to perfection in a story driven by Cody's guts and Jericho's unsurpassed, long history of accruing every last heel tactic to his advantage. Cody's babyface ring work was equal to his instant classic of a go-home promo, and Jericho was superb value, threatening Cody's mother and referee Aubrey Edwards and feigning to sell after the belt shot - just one of several worn tropes executed with master craftsmanship.

MJF threw in the towel for the finish, and it worked, because the gruesome torque on the Liontamer looked so nasty.

Star Rating: ★★★★½

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!