More than two months removed from the events of All Out, AEW has a chance to turn the page and chart a new path forward.
AEW returns to pay-per-view as Full Gear takes place in Newark, N.J., on Saturday. It’s the first AEW PPV since September’s post-All Out brawl, which resulted in CM Punk and The Elite (Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson and Kenny Omega) being stripped of their championships, disappearing from television and an investigation into the fight being launched.
That investigation left AEW in an awkward holding pattern. With AEW never publicly addressing the backstage melee between Punk and The Elite directly, the company was suddenly without four of its top stars and fans weren’t sure if they’d ever be back. But with the investigation now over, we’ve at least started to get some clarity. Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks will make their return at Full Gear, looking to regain the trios titles that they never actually lost. It appears that Punk won’t be returning to AEW, with the two sides reportedly working on a buyout of his contract.
If this is the end of Punk’s time in AEW, it’s a sad conclusion to what had been such a feel-good story. Punk returning to professional wrestling after seven years away was an amazing moment. He reestablished himself as one of the top draws in the industry and proved that he can have great matches with a younger generation of wrestlers. There was still so much left for Punk to do in AEW. He never even got to have a real AEW world title run because injuries and the All Out brawl cut his reigns short.
It’s unfortunate for everyone involved that Punk’s issues with The Elite boiled over like they did. The ideal version of AEW would have been Punk and The Elite working together to have some of the best feuds and matches in company history. But once Punk started to go off on The Elite, “Hangman” Adam Page, and Colt Cabana during his press conference after All Out, it was clear that things would need to change. Reality usually ends up being different than our idealized vision of what we want something to be. If Punk’s presence had become toxic, removing him from the equation will help AEW become a better and more cohesive company.
Getting Omega and The Young Bucks back is a huge boost for AEW. In addition to their returns, Full Gear may be where we see a changing of the guard in the promotion. MJF—the brightest young star in all of wrestling—seems poised to win the first major world title of his career. The main event of Saturday’s PPV will see MJF challenge Jon Moxley for the AEW world championship. Moxley, who was originally supposed to be on a six-week vacation between All Out and Full Gear, has done an admirable job as champion in emergency duty, but this is MJF’s time to win the belt.
The landscape of the AEW women’s division looks like it may be changing as well. After neck issues forced her to retire nearly five years ago, Saraya (former WWE wrestler Paige) will return to the ring against Britt Baker at Full Gear. Also on the PPV, Baker’s friend Jamie Hayter will be looking to break out into superstardom as she challenges Toni Storm for the interim AEW women’s world championship.
The Full Gear main card will air live on PPV starting at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday. Here’s a full rundown of the card, along with predictions for each match:
Jon Moxley vs. MJF for the AEW world championship
The result of this match isn’t as interesting as the path that MJF takes to get there. Will he really go through with his promise to win the title without cheating? If he does cheat, who will help MJF win? Stokely Hathaway could interfere on MJF’s behalf, revealing that The Firm attacking MJF three weeks ago was just a swerve. William Regal could betray Moxley, instead aligning with MJF and helping him win the title.
Turning babyface or staying heel are both compelling directions for MJF. In the times he’s briefly teased going babyface in the past, MJF has shown that he’s totally capable of playing that role. There’s an argument to be made that AEW should just accept that fans are going to cheer MJF and go along with it. Even as someone who stays in character as an arrogant rich kid at all times, it’s hard to boo MJF. He’s so good on the microphone that his talent shines through and he stands out from everyone else. There should definitely be a massive babyface run in MJF’s future, but he’s such a great heel that it’s hard to see AEW deviating from that in his first world title reign.
Prediction: MJF wins
Death Triangle (Pac, Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix) vs. The Elite (Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks) for the AEW trios titles
This trios title match should be absolutely incredible. It’s six of the best wrestlers in the world facing off in a high-intensity six-man tag. The Elite will be extra motivated to put on a great match after having not wrestled since All Out. Omega and The Young Bucks became the inaugural AEW trios champions at that PPV, but the post-show brawl forced them to vacate the titles before their reign could really begin. Death Triangle were the right choice as temporary champions, but Omega and The Young Bucks need to reclaim the throne in their return.
Prediction: The Elite win
Saraya vs. Britt Baker
Seeing Saraya return to the ring will be one of the highlights of the night at Full Gear. She’s been through so much in her career and has fought through adversity to be able to compete again. She lost out on five years of being one of the biggest stars in the WWE women’s division. Now 100% cleared from her neck issues, she’ll have the chance to make her mark in AEW.
Finding her place in the AEW women’s division has been somewhat of a rough transition for Saraya thus far. It can be hard to come into a new company and feud with someone whose role is already so established. Still, Saraya vs. Baker feels like the biggest women’s match in AEW history. A good showing in her return will get everything on the right track for Saraya.
Prediction: Saraya wins
Toni Storm vs. Jamie Hayter for the interim AEW women’s world championship
Like MJF, Hayter could get the biggest win of her career on Saturday night and cement herself as the future of AEW. But her chances of winning definitely aren’t as high as MJF’s are. Hayter’s next feud should be against Baker, with their friendship finally coming to an end after Full Gear. It would make sense for that feud to kick off with Baker costing Hayter this match. Storm can remain interim champion while she awaits Thunder Rosa’s return for an undisputed title bout.
Prediction: Toni Storm retains
The Acclaimed vs. Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland for the AEW tag team titles
The Acclaimed are one of the hottest acts in wrestling right now. Anthony Bowens and Max Caster fit so well together that it’s hard to believe they weren’t a team before being paired up in AEW. This will be their third match against Swerve in Our Glory and should be the final time the two teams face off. With Keith Lee not approving of how Swerve Strickland has cheated to win matches, they’re headed toward a split. Dysfunction between Lee and Strickland will be what gives The Acclaimed the victory.
Prediction: The Acclaimed retain
Chris Jericho vs. Sammy Guevara vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH world championship
Two members of the Jericho Appreciation Society and two members of Blackpool Combat Club are taking part in this four-way match for the ROH world championship. The ongoing story has been that Chris Jericho wants to desecrate ROH’s legacy and defeat wrestlers from the promotion’s past. Jericho losing the title is more likely to happen at a standalone ROH event than here. When AEW launched in 2019, Tony Khan saw how valuable having Jericho as a face of the brand was. He may be looking to replicate that with ROH as it attempts to get a weekly TV deal.
Prediction: Chris Jericho retains
Sting and Darby Allin vs. Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal
The addition of Jeff Jarrett to AEW came totally out of left field. Him being hired as the company’s director of business development is a logical move, but having Jarrett as a regular in-ring contributor in 2022 wouldn’t be a good decision. There are too many deserving wrestlers on the roster to give PPV spots to Jeff Jarrett. Hopefully this is just a short-lived feud to give Sting and Darby Allin something to do while playing off of the history between Sting and Jarrett from TNA/WCW.
Prediction: Sting and Darby Allin win
Wardlow vs. Samoa Joe vs. Powerhouse Hobbs for the TNT championship
Featuring three of the best big men in AEW, this is an undercard match that could steal the show on Saturday. The finish of the match has to be Wardlow retaining the TNT title while also continuing his feud with Samoa Joe. Wardlow pinning Powerhouse Hobbs is the right outcome.
Prediction: Wardlow retains
Jade Cargill vs. Nyla Rose for the TBS championship
Possession of the TBS championship belt will be up for grabs when Jade Cargill takes on Nyla Rose at Full Gear. Cargill hasn’t had her title belt since it was stolen by Rose last month. Rose antagonizing Cargill has changed up the build to this match, with the always-dominant Cargill instead put in the position of having to chase after her own title. But this won’t end any differently than Cargill’s previous championship defenses. She’ll get her belt back and remain undefeated.
Prediction: Jade Cargill retains
Steel cage match: Jungle Boy vs. Luchasaurus
With Christian Cage out of action due to injury, Jungle Boy hasn’t been able to get his revenge on Christian in the ring. It will instead be a battle of former Jurassic Express partners as Jungle Boy takes on Luchasaurus inside of a steel cage. AEW always puts on great steel cage matches, and this will be a star-making spot for Jungle Boy. Whenever he does get to face Christian, Jungle Boy should leave that match as a legitimate main eventer.
Prediction: Jungle Boy wins
Pre-show: Brian Cage vs. either Ricky Starks or Lance Archer (world title eliminator tournament semifinal match)
An injury to Ricky Starks forced AEW to change its schedule for the world title contender's tournament. The finals were originally supposed to take place at Full Gear, but they’ve been moved to the Nov. 23 episode of Dynamite. Ethan Page has already advanced to the finals and will be waiting to face either Brian Cage, Starks or Lance Archer.
A match between Starks and Archer on Rampage this Friday will determine Cage’s opponent for the Full Gear pre-show. Starks is the best wrestler left in the tournament and the best opponent for Page. Defeating two monsters in Archer and Cage will help Starks a lot, even if he ends up losing in the finals.
