Every AEW PPV Ranked From Worst To Best

2. Full Gear 2021

AEW Full Gear 2021
AEW

A sensational, near-flawless show that proved AEW isn't reliant on the wave of names that generated such buzz in the summer of 2021.

MJF's incredible win over Darby Allin, in a barnstormer of a pro wrestling match that threaded together modern flashes with the timeless core of selling, was equally as great in its own distinct way to CM Punk's witty war with Eddie Kingston. Bryan Danielson arrived from WWE and emerged as #1 contender to the AEW World Championship - which was won on the night by Hangman Page in an unbearably dramatic and ultimately euphoric main event against Kenny Omega. Dream signings held equal weight to internal projects years in the making, making a flexing nonsense of the worst take in all of wrestling discourse:

"aeW JUsT USeS EX-wwE gUYs!"

Southern tag doyens fed mind-bending lucha libre experts; submission-heavy intricacy slowly drew the Minneapolis crowd in; plunder made a man out of Jungle Boy and a pillock out of Dan Lambert.

The crucial range of AEW was in full effect on a hot night in a cold city. This time around, AEW didn't need any new signings.

Seriously: they didn't need any new signings...

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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!