8 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Full Gear 2020

5. FTR & The Young Bucks Shoot For An All-Timer

FTR and The Young Bucks attempted to craft one of the greatest tag team matches of all time here, doing so not only by telling their own story, but also by paying tribute to the classics, pulling out moves as diverse as the Hart Attack, #DIY's Meeting in the Middle, and a Hardy Boyz Twist of Fate/Swanton Bomb flurry in what felt like an earnest love letter to the artform.

They didn't hit that level.

There was enough here to call this an objectively good match. FTR's assault on Matt Jackson's injured ankle drew another excellent selling performance from the elder Buck, who is great in this role. Nick's first hot tag breathed life into a snoozy first act. Cash Wheeler entered one of the best individual performances of his career, particularly during the closing stretch, where he was a real livewire. FTR losing via delving into Bucks territory (Cash missed a springboard 450 splash) because they thought they could prove themselves capable of doing everything their opponents do, only to fall short, was genuinely brilliant, and one of the best in-ring story points of the year.

But the classic tag team tributes constantly felt like they were getting in the way of the years-long Bucks vs. FTR rivalry, particularly when Cash and Dax clasped hands to prevent tapping out to the Jacksons' tandem Sharpshooters. Moreover, the lack of heat and intensity in FTR's early control periods that plagued their All Out match was a problem here as well. While it wasn't as pronounced, it definitely hindered the clash.

The Bucks' victory was earned and Hangman Page lurking in the background while Kenny Omega celebrated with his Elite friends was a nice touch. Again, there was a lot of good here, but the match would have soared higher had it focused more on FTR and the Bucks, not tribute spots that didn't always fit the context of the fight.