8 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Nov 9)

7. Very Compelling Full Gear Main Event Build

Jon Moxley William Regal
AEW

Is this the hardest to call main event in the history of AEW on PPV?

There's a lot going on here, and as you'd expect, it was all delivered brilliantly.

Let's unpack:

In a pre-taped promo, MJF discussed his story of being overshadowed by fate. Matt Hardy's near-death experience; a neck tattoo; a press conference: he resented it all and vowed that it wasn't going to happen again. The rhythm, poise, and conviction in his delivery was incredible, even by his standards. He will be an unreal babyface one day, even if that day isn't Full Gear. He straddled that ambiguity masterfully here.

Immediately following that, Stokely Hathaway cut a pre-taped promo of his own, promising to see MJF "in hell" - but isn't that where MJF, the self-professed "Devil", knows he needs to be to get to the top?

Later in the night, the mystery deepened. Jon Moxley cut a promo that touched on MJF's internal moral crisis but zoned in on how much of a devil his challenger really is. His delivery was also fantastic, and his line of questioning maintained a long gestating thread: how authentic is MJF, really? William Regal smiled devilishly throughout - was he cheekily suggesting that MJF was only good at playing the villain, or does he have something up his sleeve? We were once again reminded that Mox all but ended Regal's in-ring career.

This eyeballs emoji storyline beat might well hint towards the Full Gear finish, but who knows at this point?

Nobody, and that's the hook: while an intense personal conflict sells a big fight better than any other device, this compelling mystery is so layered at this point that you will pay a premium fee to finally get the answer.

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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!