8 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Full Gear 2020

Downs...

2. Elite Deletion Kills The Flow

There was plenty to like within Sammy Guevara and Matt Hardy's Elite Deletion.

This was a more brutal, nastier encounter than fans have come to expect from Hardy's cinematic bouts, particularly at the finish, where Sammy's skull was sandwiched between a steel chair and the concrete floor, his face seeping claret. Hurricane Helms and Gangrel were poppable cameos, the "mud show" line was genuinely funny, and the performers deserve great credit for making this feel like a fight, despite the wackiness. On the whole, this was a clear step up from All Out's Tooth and Nail disaster.

But that the previously emerged crowded sounded so sapped during and after it makes it hard to classify the Elite Deletion as anything but a Down. Positioned just before the last two matches, this wild, creative spectacle harmed the pay-per-view's flow and went at least twice as long as it needed to, devolving to a sluggish viewing experience towards the end.

Much of this is subjective, as Hardy diehards would have likely found plenty more to enjoy here, but Full Gear could have done without this jarring change of pace. Perhaps this would have fit better on Dynamite.