Bryan Danielson is the new number one contender to the AEW World Title, PAC & Cody Rhodes
can...kind of co-exist? Jay Lethal is All Elite, and oh...what’s this other note here?
Hangman Page is your new AEW World Champion! Let’s gooooooo!
Subscribe for daily wrestling news but most importantly in celebration because Hangman
did it, Hangman did it! Here’s my review of AEW Full Gear 2021!
Let’s start with the overall points about the show: firstly, AEW shows are still too
long. This one was better than others, but four and a half hours of non-stop matches
is a lot. Secondly, there was a rare problem on this show that doesn’t happen in wrestling
too often: some of the matches were actually too long.
Only two matches of the ten on this card went under 15 minutes, and some of the matches
on this card didn’t need that long. Often fans complain about matches not being given
enough time, but on this occasion, it was a little too much. Some bouts felt they built
to an organic climax, and then went past that climax and kept going. This had the effect
of sapping the crowd of a lot of energy through the night, meaning they weren’t into quite
as much as usual for an AEW crowd. Though they still came alive for the main event,
because it was awesome. That and minor audio issues etc aside, this
was still a good show overall, so let’s break it down match by match.
Also there was this Support WrestleTalk sign that was featured throughout the show, you’re
the best, this fan. The Buy-In started with hometown boy Dante
Martin, who was offered a place in Team Taz on Rampage. He was then offered a place in
the Acclaimed, featuring a rap from Max Caster that was pretty great, but Dante declined
and beat them up. Nice. the women’s tag team match of Hikaru Shida
& Thunder Rosa vs Nyla Rose & Jamie Hayter. There was nothing particularly special about
this match, but it wasn’t bad by any means. They told the simple story of Shida overcoming
the odds and a worked over knee to get the victory over Nyla Rose with a counter to the
Beast Bomb. This was overall, fine. But the main show kicked off with Darby Allin
vs MJF. This match got 22 minutes, but it felt like it used all of it effectively, with
a wonderful back and forth throughout, showcasing some technical mastery, exciting sequences,
great psychology with MJF working Allin’s back after a missed Coffin Drop on the apron,
and a fantastic finish that saw MJF payoff on the promise of beating Allin with a side
headlock takedown. After some distraction from The Pinnacle, MJF nailed Allin with the
Diamond ring, locked in that side headlock takedown and won, and it was marvelous. What
a heel. A great opener and kicked off the show right.
FTR vs The Lucha Bros came next for the AEW World Tag Titles, and this was also a very
fun match. I love the contrast in styles between FTR and Lucha Bros, and I feel like they have
a ton more in the tank for any future encounters. Dax got some amazing heel heat by doing the
Three Amigos, before Penta did it himself followed by a Frog Splash for a nearfall.
Some obviously great spots in this one such as Fenix jumping off the turnbuckle, then
off Penta to hit a crossbody as Penta hits a Package Piledriver. You know, just Lucha
Bros things. This one got 18 minutes but somehow felt like it ended abruptly, when FTR were
selling on the outside, but came back in with the green masks on they used when they were
Andrade’s masked team, but then they just got hit with the Piledriver and lost? I’m...not
sure what that was, but a fun match nonetheless. Miro vs Bryan Danielson was next in the finals
of the AEW World Title Eliminator, and I had really high expectations for this one. Miro,
on the run of his career, against Danielson, who has had outstanding matches with everyone
he’s stepped in the ring with in AEW so far. I will admit, this did not reach my lofty
expectations, but it was still a very good match.
After the pair broke out of each others’ submission holds, Miro was fired up, inviting
Danielson to strike him, taking kicks and returning them in kind. Danielson hit a huge
DDT off the top rope, followed it up with a guillotine but the referee said that Miro
was knocked out and the match was called off, like he was pulled off a second after he locked
it in, and Danielson wins. The finish was a little anticlimactic honestly, it makes
sense on paper but I just think the execution was ever so slightly lacking. Maybe it’s
just a result of wrestling fans being conditioned to expect a pinfall or submission, but this
felt like the crowd popped for the big move, and then had the excitement dashed a little
with them realising oh, the match is over. After that came the Superkliq vs Jurassic
Express & Christian Cage in a Falls Count Anywhere match, and this was wonderful. Another
22 minute match in which Adam Cole bladed, they put thumbtacks in Jungle Boy’s mouth
and superkicked them out, a Panama Sunrise on the stage, thumbtack kneepads leading into
a three-way BTE-Trigger for a nearfall on Luchasaurus, a friggin standing shooting star
press off the stage from Luchasaurus, and a lovely finish that called back to earlier
in the match, where Jungle Boy was hesitant to hit a Conchairto on Adam Cole. At the end
though, Christian was set up to do it to Matt Jackson, but JB said he was ready, he took
the chair, smashed it over Matt’s head, and pinned him for the win. This was really
fun and chaotic, a good time all round. Next up was the weirdest match on the card:
Andrade El Idolo & Malakai Black vs PAC & Cody Rhodes. Now I know what you’re thinking:
how will they co-exist? And the answer is: they won’t really. But also they will?
The commentary were also asking the question through the whole match of how either team
could co-exist, and really what it came down to was each team making a ton of blind tags
and the other person looking like... And like...that was most of the match. The
action was decent, to good at times, but the story and confusing nature of it, overshadowed
the goodness of the wrestling itself. There were times when teams couldn’t co-exist,
but then after were just doing normal tags for a bit until the next part of the script
said they were supposed to be annoyed at each other. And in the end, PAC just won against
Andrade with a Black Arrow, and the co-existing didn’t play into the finish at all. And
then Cash Wheeler comes out and stomps on PAC a little bit and then walks away and that’s
it? This felt like a Dynamite angle. Bit weird that one.
Also everyone hates Cody and it’s hilarious. Britt Baker defended her AEW Women’s Title
against Tay Conti next, and this was another match that felt like it reached its peak a
few minutes before the match actually ended. Conti got a ton of offense in this match,
hitting big move after big move towards the latter stages, a Tay-KO, a DDTay, several
pump kicks, nothing put Britt away, and after a couple of stomps it looked like Britt was
going to win with the Lockjaw, but Conti countered into a rollup, and then Baker countered that
into a rollup of her own, and she won. This was good, it was just another factor in the
crowd losing energy a bit. But don’t worry, they’re coming alive
again because it’s CM Punk vs Eddie Kingston and good god this was awesome. This was the
shortest match on the show, and you know what, they didn’t need any more time. 11 minutes
and it absolutely flew by, with Kingston getting in a backfist before the bell rung, the two
brawled back and forth for the entirety, Punk bladed, Kingston looked like a man possessed,
and the crowd started to boo CM Punk for the audacity of fighting back! That’s crazy!
Punk hit the GTS, but started the let the crowd get to him, looking around at them all
while they booed him, but hit another GTS and won. Honestly the match was great and
everything, but I’m so curious about what happens next. How will Punk react to the boos?
What will Kingston do, after he failed to put Punk away, and then refused the handshake
after the match? I love all of the character work going on here.
The politest street fight ever took place next, where Inner Circle vs American Top Team
& Men of the Year cordially stood on the ring apron and did legal tags. In a street fight.
Until it all broke down and then the legal people didn’t matter at all. That’s an
odd way to book it, and hey I’d criticize WWE for doing it, so I gotta do it here too.
Honour your stipulations. When this reached the actual street fight
portion of the match, things got wacky, with various weapons like a hockey stick, a toaster,
something about a butt cake or something that the commentary wouldn’t shut up about, and
also a giant ladder that Sammy Guevara did a gigantic swanton off oh my god. Baron Von
Raschke at ringside did the Iron Claw to Ethan Page, that was nice, Santana dived on some
fans, that was nice, Jericho used a staple gun to staple Dan Lambert’s...dick? I think?
And Jericho won with an homage to Eddie Guerrero, hitting a Frog Splash. This was alright I
thought, not my cup of tea personally, but superficially fun.
Tony Schiavone then introduced the newest member who is All Elite: Ring of Honor’s
Jay Lethal! I’m happy for Lethal, and he inserted himself right into a TNT Title match
with Sammy Guevara on Dynamite. This is good stuff.
And then. Oh boy and then. It was the main event. Kenny Omega vs Hangman Adam Page for
the AEW World Title. The stage was set absolutely perfectly. Hangman was riding on horseback
down the street while his failures played on screens around him, Hangman got fired up
as he heard the crowd roar, the graphics team even said they were proud of him! During Kenny’s
entrance, he stared down a fan sign that said What Would Kota Think - and that’s awesome.
This was pure theatrics and drama in the best way. After the foundation opening back and
forth, this went into big move territory, with a huge moonsault to the outside, a springboard
sunset powerbomb to Hangman, however that works, a Deadeye countered into a Tiger Driver,
an avalanche I don’t even know what the move is called but it’s awesome, a huge
diving lariat through a table on the outside. Before this match, everyone thought Hangman
should kick out of the One Winged Angel. That’s not what happened. It was Kenny that kicked
out of the One Winged Angel after Hangman hit it on him instead, what a brilliant nearfall.
Hangman hit the Buckshot, but Kenny dragged the referee in front of him so he hit the
ref instead, Kenny tried to use the AEW title, but Hangman hit a Deadeye, but there’s no
referee, wait here’s Aubrey, 1, 2, kickout! The Young Bucks came out to ringside, and
Hangman is lining up for the Buckshot. Nick Jackson just stares at Hangman as he nails
a Buckshot to the back of Kenny’s head, he goes to the other side. He stares at Matt
Jackson, who just nods his approval, as Hangman hits the Buckshot again and 1, 2, 3, Hangman
is the new AEW World Champion. The drama, the emotion, everything was absolutely
spot on. The Dark Order came out to celebrate with a beer, and Hangman chucked away the
beer and instead hugged them all and I was damn near tears. What a fantastic ending,
and congratulations Hangman. A perfect coronation. So overall: there were some ups and downs
on this show, no not that kind, but you can’t deny that ending was outstanding, and as I’ve
mentioned on many reviews before, it’s how you leave them. Was this better than All Out?
No, probably not. But it was still a very, very good show overall, I’d give this a
high 4/5.