Stipulation Set For Jon Moxley Vs. Kenny Omega At AEW Full Gear
Violence cometh.
On last night's Dynamite, AEW confirmed the stipulation for the much-anticipated clash between Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega: a Lights Out match.
Author's note:
A gimmick match indebted to the old Florida territory, this serves several purposes.
A repeat of All Out's structural issue is avoided. Omega Vs. Moxley, if it reaches its vast potential, had threatened to blow away the Cody Vs. Chris Jericho World Championship match, leaving the audience exhausted. The guarantee of violence lives up to the threat promised throughout the several teases wrapped in barbed wire. In addition to framing the personal animosity with the only organic stipulation, there's a neat cause-and-effect here, too: Moxley was reprimanded for his unhinged behaviour. Moreover, this makes the match feel dangerous, lacing everything with high anxiety - and Moxley's threat to bring a level of violence "not seen in decades" effectively created anticipation for gruesome violence and crimson masks.
The reveal of Tony Khan as an ostensible onscreen authority figure was cause for jitters - AEW does not need more nepotism, nor the most rotten WWE trope - but the behind-closed-doors framing of the segment at least felt like an attempt at realism more so than grandstanding*.
*Fingers crossed.