In this AEW Full Gear 2023 review, MJF defends the AEW World title against Jay White, Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland face off in a Texas Death Match, and much more.
Let’s jump in.
- Show: AEW Full Gear
- Date: November 18, 2023
- Location: Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA
Zero Hour
The Gunns vs. (c) MJF and Samoa Joe – ROH Tag Team Titles
This is the most noteworthy match on Zero Hour, so it’s worth discussing. They play up the surprise of Joe actually helping MJF in the early going, and the match works to the hot tag to Joe. However, when Joe goes for the musclebuster, MJF tags himself in and Joe isn’t thrilled about it. MJF goes for a musclebuster of his own but the Gunns deny it. MJF regains control and calls for the KANGAROO KICK but Joe tags himself in. They get on the same page and go for simultaneous muscle busters, but the Gunns reverse again and hit the 3:10 to Yuma on Joe as MJF breaks up the count at two. The Gunns go to finish it off but Adam Cole’s music hits and here he comes on crutches. Meanwhile, Joe chokes out Colten to retain the titles. MJF hugs Cole in the aisle and Excalibur notes that he isn’t sure Cole is cleared to travel.
IN THE RING: MJF and Joe go face to face but shake each other’s hand. Cole and MJF give each other knuckles, but the Gunns attack MJF from behind. Austin grabs a chair and destroys MJF’s knee. Cole is yelling at them from the outside as Austin comes off the top onto the chair on MJF’s knee. Commentary plays up the injury and the medical team checks on MJF, and they call for the stretcher. They take him through the back and into the ambulance. MJF yells at Cole to not let them take his title, and Cole promises things will be fine.
Blake’s Take: Much more about the angle than the match, but that’s fine in this scenario because the storyline development was great stuff. It once again leaves the viewer asking questions. Is Joe’s friendship with MJF too good to be true? Is Cole actually injured? Is MJF bailing on the main event because he’s the devil? We’ll find out, but this was a well-executed setup to get to the answer.
Main Card
RINGSIDE: Excalibur, Nigel McGuiness, and Tony Schiavone run down the card.
ON THE STAGE: A bunch of kids are on the stage doing acapella version of Christian Cage’s theme. I’m sure all of them are his children! Also, Ken Jeong is in the crowd booing him.
Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, and Nick Wayne vs. Adam Copeland, Darby Allin, and Sting (w/Ric Flair)
Copeland has half his face painted, and these three look AWESOME during the entrance. They also give some love to Steve-O in the front row. Nigel says Copeland is gonna get a lesson from the greatest father in the world, and right on cue, Christian gives Wayne a huge hug. Darby and Wayne squares off to start as the crowd chants “who’s your daddy” at them. You’ve gotta love it. Sting gets in on the action and he throws Wayne around like a ragdoll. Wayne manages to tag in Christian, and Sting points to Copeland to get the crowd revved up. The “holy shit” chants start and, of course, Christian tags Luchasaurus. Gotta keep them wanting more.
Darby in and Luchasaurus takes it to him. Then comes yet another scary Darby spot where Luchasauras chokeslams him from the ring onto the hardest part of the apron. Schiavone’s response: “Darby is supposed to get on a red eye tonight to go climb Mt. Everest! What if he can’t?” Not sure that would be a bad thing, Tony. Darby takes a beating for a while as usual, but a sunset power bomb off the top to Wayne reverses the momentum. Just as he tries to crawl to tag in Copeland, Christian pops out from under the ring and pulls Copeland off the apron before throwing him into the ring post. Genius move.
Darby finally makes the hot tag to Copeland, who tries to get his hands on Christian. But Christian crawls out as Copeland runs wild on Luchasaurus and Wayne. Darby flies onto both on the outside, then Sting leaps off the apron onto them. Flair almost got clipped on that one. Copeland and Sting hit the tandem Scorpion Death Drop on Luchasaurus, and Darby flies off again for a delayed vertical suplex on Wayne. Luchasaurus works on Copeland as Flair takes his jacket off after Christian taunts him. Flair with some chops but Christian pokes him in the eye and hits a low blow. The referee checks on Flair and Christian grabs the TNT title belt, but Copeland ducks and Christian hits Luchasaurus with it. Copeland chases after Christian and he runs away through the crowd. It’s a 3-on-1 and Darby hits the Coffin Drop on Luchasaurus to allow Copeland to get the pin for the win.
IN THE RING: Darby grabs a mic and tells the fans to cheer on Sting since it’s his last time wrestling in California. Sting also hugs his son in the front row.
Blake’s Take: Christian is just the best. His actions made this match enjoyable, since it was all about teasing physicality between him and Copeland….yet Christian kept denying the fans what they wanted. A true heel. (Recommended)
ON THE STAGE: Schiavone with referee Bryce Remsburg. Jay White walks out with the AEW World title belt and gets in Schiavone’s face. Schiavone announces that MJF is injured and won’t be able to defend the title and that the match has been canceled. Just as Schiavone goes to announce White as the new champion, Cole’s music hits and he says White won’t leave the arena with the belt. Cole talked to Tony Khan and he’s gonna replace MJF in the main event. White laughs at him and says he’s gonna beat Cole.
Blake’s Take: Another plot twist! They’ve done a great job building suspense with these two segments.
VIDEO: Highlights of the build to Jon Moxley vs. Orange Cassidy.
Jon Moxley vs. (c) Orange Cassidy – International Title
Commentary plays up Orange landing the Orange Punch and it not phasing Moxley and how it can mess with your mind. Moxley takes the fight to Orange on the outside, then does the same on the inside. Each time Orange tries to fight back, Moxley pummels him. That’s the story of the match in the early going and so is Moxley biting Orange’s face. Orange does the same to Moxley and rakes his back. A round of headbutts from Orange leads to Moxley bleeding from his forehead to absolutely no one’s surprise. In fairness to him, he already had a bandage over it so it was inevitable. It’s what the man does.
Orange with two dives to Moxley on the outside. Moxley regains momentum with some ground-and-pound action, but Orange tries to counter with the Beach Break. He can’t do it but manages to lock in Red Rum which he clearly learned from Hook. Moxley hits an RKO OUTTA NOWHERE and a piledriver for a near fall. Moxley goes face-first into the exposed top turnbuckle and Orange hits three consecutive Orange Punch moves, but it doesn’t phase Moxley. Orange hits two more to send Moxley to his knees. It’s another Orange Punch and Beach Break and Orange pins him to retain the title.
Blake’s Take: I liked the story that Orange needed to take it up a notch to beat Moxley. That’s what he did and it helped him defeat his biggest rival.
RINGSIDE: Excalibur announces that Khan has made it official that it’s Cole vs. White in the main event for the AEW World title.
VIDEO: Jay Briscoe is announced as the third participant in the Continental Classic. He joins Bryan Danielson and Andrade.
Toni Storm (w/Luther) vs. (c) Hikaru Shida – AEW Women’s Title
Before the match, Storm rips up her script. THIS IS A SHOOT. Storm has welts on her chest via Emi Sakura, so Shida chops her. We see Mariah Maye watching on with concern backstage. Each controls the match for a bit with a series of chops, and Storm does the wind-up punch but only gets a one count. Shida regains the advantage and hits a flying dropkick for two. Heel shenanigans from Storm and Luther allow Storm to hit Shida with a shoe for a near fall. However, Shida bounces back with Strong Zero and both women are down.
Shida hammers Storm with a series of strikes, then Storm returns the favor. Shida hits the Falcon Arrow for two. The action continues with Shida coming off the top, but she misses and sells that she hurt her ankle. That leads to Storm countering the Falcon Arrow and putting on the ankle lock, but Shida gets to the ropes. Storm removes Shida’s shoe, but Shida blocks it. Shida grabs a kendo stick and goes to Storm, and here comes Luther to take a nut shot and multiple strikes with the stick. Storm sticks a foreign object in her shorts and the two exchange pinfall attempts. Storm then uses the hip attack with the mirror stuck on her ass to score the victory to win the title.
IN THE RING: After the match, Maye hits the ring and hands flowers to Storm as she celebrates the win.
Blake’s Take: Probably the most obvious finish on the card since there’s so much AEW can do with both Storm as champion and Maye as the understudy. The finish was inadvertently hilarious, but it works for the absurdity of Storm’s character.
BACKSTAGE: Renee Paquette with Eddie Kingston, who is still ROH World Champion. Eddie wants to make the Continental Classic more prestigious by putting the ROH World title and NJPW Strong title in every match in the tournament. They’re now pushing this as the winner will be the first-ever modern American triple crown champ.
Kings of the Black Throne vs. Rush and Dralistico vs. FTR vs. (c) Ricky Starks and Big Bill – AEW Tag Team Titles
They tease a showdown between Brody King and Bill to start things off, but the other teams get involved. Malakai Black with a sling shot move on Dax Harwood in the first ladder spot. Cash Wheeler and Rush chop the hell out of each other, and Wheeler dives through the ropes onto multiple people on the outside. Dralistico then hits a tope con hilo onto the same group. Black flies off the top onto everyone, and Harwood follows it up with a superplex on Starks onto the others on the outside.
Back to the King and Bill clash as they haul off on each other. Harwood and Rush uses the ladders to cause chaos, and Harwood throws a ladder at him. He puts the ladder around his head and swings at his opponents until Dralistico jumps off the ropes with a dropkick. Rush gets some offense going and the crowd loves it. Wheeler is the first to get a finger on the belts, but Black knocks him off the ladder. Black with a creative move to whip the ladder off the ropes into Wheeler’s face. Black and Wheeler fight on top, and a low blow from Wheeler leads to a piledriver on Black onto a ladder below them.
King clotheslines Bill out of the ring, but his tope attempt results in Bill throwing the ladder at him. Starks gets his first run of the match and he hits a flurry of offense on multiple opponents. King is busted open on the outside as Starks and Black exchange blows. Starks with a counter to send Black into a corner ladder, then King throws Starks and Harwood on the same ladder. King hits the cannonball on Harwood on the ladder. King climbs the ladder, but Bill tips it over to send King onto the corner ladder. Bill catches Dralistico and chokeslams him, but Rush sandwiches him in the corner with a ladder. Rush then hits the running dropkick into the ladder in Bill’s face.
Rush climbs the ladder, but Starks joins him. Harwood sets up a taller ladder beside them, and Wheeler sets up another one on the other side. Six men on three ladders now, but King manages to send some of them off. Then in the wildest spot to this point, King hits the Gonzo Bomb on Dralistico onto a ladder that was positioned on apron and guardrail. King gets knocked onto that ladder, so Wheeler hits a splash onto him. Starks and Wheeler on the ladder, but Starks shoves the belt into Wheeler’s face to send him off the ladder. That allows Starks to grab the titles to retain.
Blake’s Take: An action-packed ladder match with lots of chaos. You’d expect nothing different from AEW, and it delivered what the fans wanted to see. (Recommended)
Julia Hart vs. Skye Blue vs. (c) Kris Statlander – TBS Title
Blue takes off the baseball cap and puts a crown on during her entrance, with Excalibur wondering if that completes her transformation. Perhaps a little foreshadowing there. Statlander slams Hart onto Blue and then hits a double clothesline before going for pin attempts on both. In a spot that I’m sure will mean something, Statlander throws Blue towards the corner where Hart is hanging upside down. Blue and Hart lock eyes and stare at each other. They team up on Statlander on the outside, then do the same inside the ring to send her back out of the ring.
Blue and Hart shake hands in the middle of the ring, with Hart reeling her in before unleashing a lot of aggression on her. Blue does the same to Hart. Statlander back in and she takes control until all three women are down after some back and forth. Hart sends both Blue and Statlander down, but Statlander regroups with a near fall on Hart. Blue off the top, but Statlander catches her and throws her face-first onto the mat. Statlander goes up top, but it’s Hart who throws her off and she hits the moonsault onto Blue before Statlander breaks it up at two.
Statlander powerslams Hart on the outside, and Blue kicks Statlander right in the face. However, Statlander catches her to for Saturday Night Fever, but Blue reverses into a sequence where she counters into the Code Blue for the best near fall of the match. That was something. Hart puts the submission on Blue, but Statlander hits the deadlift German suplex on Hart before suplexing both women. Statlander with Saturday Night Fever on Blue, and as she goes for the pin, Hart clotheslines her and jumps on Blue to win the title.
Blake’s Take: All three of these women have worked hard in AEW, and it culminated in what was a very good pay-per-view match. In somewhat similar fashion to Storm winning the Women’s title, Hart winning the TBS title gives AEW some intriguing options as to how the character moves forward as champion. (Recommended)
IN THE RING: Schiavone announces the newest AEW signing, and it’s Will Ospreay. Even if it was the most likely choice, it doesn’t make it any less of a huge addition for the company. Ospreay signs the contract but says he’s not joining AEW just yet because he’s gonna finish up with NJPW. He’s gonna be on the road to Revolution, and he wants Khan to line up the best opponents, especially for Wembley Stadium. Had to make sure to get that in there with the pre-sale coming up!
VIDEO: Highlights of the feud between Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland.
Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page (w/Prince Nana) – Texas Death Match
Hangman sprints at Swerve right from the jump, and that’s exactly the way it should be since the man broke into his house and stood over his kid’s crib. Hangman hits the Buckshot Lariat and he’s going off on Swerve. Then the man takes out a stapler and puts it into Swerve’s bicep. He keeps going with the stapler before he hits Swerve in the face with a chair. Swerve is busted open, so Hangman figures he’ll staple the man’s cheeks. Then in what may be the most disgusting spot in AEW history, Hangman lays on the mat under Swerve and DRINKS THE BLOOD that’s dropping from his face. And of course the fans are cheering this. Swerve is bleeding profusely at this point, and Hangman staples him multiple times yet again.
Swerve starts stapling himself and this match is just insane. He’s also gushing blood in a way that would make Moxley jealous Swerve throws Hangman into a barbed wire chair in the corner. As if that wasn’t enough, Swerve grabs a cinder block before the two fight back and forth. That’s when Swerve drops Hangman onto the block on the apron. Swerve pulls Hangman onto the guardrail and there is so much blood that I’m hoping they don’t go into the crowd. Please don’t do it, gentlemen. Luckily, they don’t and instead fight back into the ring.
Hangman wraps barbed wire around Swerve because of course he does. Then he hits a fallaway slam for good measure. Hangman with a moonsault off the top with the barbed wire chair in his hands, and what do you know, Swerve is a bloody mess. Nana tries to get involved, but Hangman kicks him away. However, Swerve kicks the barbed wire chair into Hangman’s face and goes for a tombstone, but Hangman counters it with the same move onto the chair. Nana helps Swerve get up at nine, and Hangman pops Swerve with the chair to the back.
They head up top, but Swerve hops off and hits Hangman in the back with the barbed wire chair. But wait, there’s more. Swerve powerbombs Hangman onto the chair and then hits the double stomp off the top. Hangman makes it to his feet but gets another shot from the chair. Swerve goes under the ring and we all know what has yet to make an appearance: broken glass. He pours it on Hangman’s back and dives off the top onto him. Swerve jumps up and hits another move, but Hangman is up at nine. Next up is a barbed wire board. Swerve bridges it between two chairs, and it says “Swerve House” on it. Swerve pulls Hangman on top, and Hangman bites Swerve’s bloody head. Hangman’s slams him off the top onto the board, then hits a powerbomb and Deadeye. Hangman wraps barbed wire around Swerve’s head, and he hits the Buckshot Lariat. Nana pulls Swerve up again, and Brian Cage runs in and destroys Hangman.
Cage pulls out a table and sets it up outside the ring. The fans chant “we want fire” in a development that should surprise no one. Hangman takes out Cage and hits the Deadeye on Nana through the table. Swerve comes from behind and hits Hangman with the cinder block. Swerve grabs a chain and wraps it around Hangman’s throat. Yes, Swerve is trying to hang Hangman. He lets go of the chain and Hangman can’t answer the count to give Swerve the victory.
Blake’s Take: You aren’t going to see many like this one…..which may not be a bad thing. This likely elevates Swerve into the AEW title picture with the win, but Hangman winning seemed like the most likely scenario since his opponent messed with his family. I thought the match was a little long as the crowd may have had enough after some of the earlier crazy spots. It’s not a match that everyone will love, but you can’t deny that these two went all out to push the hatred that they have for each other. (Must-See)
Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega vs. The Young Bucks
What are Jericho, Omega, and the Bucks thinking having to follow that match? Don Callis joins commentary. Callis continues to refer to Jericho as a sociopath and how Omega left his best friends for him. Jericho and Matt Jackson taunt each other, then Jericho really goes at Matt in the corner. Omega tags himself in and gets in the middle of them, which gets a confused look from Jericho. The action spills outside, the Bucks step up the aggression with Nick Jackson working on Jericho’s arm by putting it between the steel steps and ring post.
Jericho mounts a comeback with a dropkick off the top, and he tags in Omega. He takes it to the Bucks and hits a cross body off the top, but Nick counters into a two count. Omega with the knee to Nick’s face and Jericho gets the tag. Jericho with the Lionsault onto both Bucks, but they rally and go back to working on the arm. Matt goes to put on the Walls, but Jericho counters into a pin attempt. Jericho inadvertently hits Omega after Matt ducks, then he locks on the Walls. Nick goes to make the save, and Omega pulls Nick off the apron. However, Jericho’s arm doesn’t allow him to hold the move and Matt gets out.
Double team from the Bucks on Jericho, and Nick takes it a step further with a German suplex on Omega on the apron. The Bucks isolate Jericho again and Nick hits the senton on Jericho for two. Matt heads up top, but Jericho joins him and hits the hurricanrana. Nick with a low blow to Jericho, and Matt does the same to Omega. Nick hits the Judas Effect on Jericho but Omega breaks the count. The Bucks take out Omega again and hit the V-Trigger on Jericho but he kicks out at two and a half. Jericho with a desperation roll-up, then Nick regains the momentum with a super kick.
Jericho hits a low blow to Nick and tags Omega. He looks at both Jericho and Nick and teases turning on Jericho, but he runs wild on the Bucks. Matt hits the One Winged Angel on Omega but he also kicks out. Jericho with a Codebreaker to Nick, and Omega hits a German suplex on Matt for the near fall. Bucks with superkicks to Jericho, but Omega hits the One Winged Angel on Matt for the win.
RINGSIDE: Nick starts throwing stuff out of frustration, and Omega tries to extend his hand to the Bucks. Matt takes his shoe off and throws it before hitting the post with a chair. That doesn’t make much sense. Another tantrum from the Bucks who are both shoeless and angry.
Blake’s Take: They were in an impossible spot after the previous match, but this was a good tag match with several false finishes. The Bucks are better as heels at this point in their AEW run, so there’s intrigue with what’s next for them. (Recommended)
RINGSIDE: Commentary plays up Cole substituting for MJF in the main event. Cole makes his entrance and he’s still on crutches without his ring gear on. The reveal of Cole as the devil is gonna be fantastic. We hear the sirens and MJF is driving the ambulance back into the arena. The camera focuses in on Cole’s stunned face, which is a nice touch considering that they can use this as motivation for the heel turn since MJF ruined his master plan. Good stuff.
Jay White (w/The Gunns) vs. (c) MJF (w/Adam Cole) – AEW World Title
White takes the fight to MJF, who is favoring the injured knee. The Gunns use some underhanded tactics while White distracts the referee. Cole tries to hobble over to help but he can’t do anything because he’s also injured….right? Austin tries to use the chair on MJF’s leg, but the ref ejects the Gunns from ringside to a huge ovation from the crowd. Excalibur says White has to go this alone since Juice Robinson isn’t in the building. I’m not so sure since he may have a little help soon enough. White teases hitting Cole but doesn’t. Then he throws MJF’s shirt in Cole’s face.
MJF gets pissed and gains some momentum with a series of offense. He’s fighting for his friend! MJF bites White’s head in the corner, then hits the kangaroo kick. Cole wants MJF to do the dive to the outside, and there’s another story tidbit that connects the eventual turn. He doesn’t do it because White runs back in and dropkicks the knee. White goes to Irish whip MJF but the knee gives out and he falls to the mat. White with a near fall, and Excalibur says the he thinks Cole being ringside is distracting MJF. We all know where this is headed, folks.
White dumps MJF outside the ring and hits a huge chop. MJF battles back and goes to set White up on the announcer’s desk, but the thing breaks as soon as he puts White on there. MJF goes up top anyways and hits a flying elbow drop onto White. Probably not ideal without the table for padding. White regains control and puts him upside down in the corner, but MJF pulls from the top for a belly-to-belly suplex. White hits the avalanche from the top for a near fall. The camera keeps going back to Cole who is looking on with an interesting stare.
White with some hard chops and he goes for the Blade Runner, but MJF escapes. Both men counter roll-up attempts and try to get the pin, but they kick out. MJF hits a piledriver on White but is still having issues with the knee. Cole is pounding on the mat to rally MJF but White denies him yet again. MJF then hits a LEAPING CUTTER from the ring to White that sends both to the outside. That was nuts, especially for someone with an injured leg. Cole suggests MJF do it again as commentary questions why he’d do that. MJF instead goes for the pin but White kicks out.
MJF pulls off his kneed pad, which becomes a target for White. The camera work is great here with the shots of Cole staring at MJF. The referee calls for the doctor to look at MJF’s knee but MJF won’t allow him to check it. White locks on the figure four a spits at Cole. That’s when Cole contemplates throwing in the towel, but MJF screams at him not to do it. White pulls MJF back to the middle of the ring, then MJF counters it. White gets to the ropes, and with the referee checking on MJF, Cole thinks about hitting White with the tag belt. His hesitation allows White to grab the belt and hit MJF with it, but MJF kicks out at two and a half.
White tries to pull MJF away from the ropes, but MJF kicks him into the referee. The suspense is excellent in this match. Cole puts the Dynamite diamond ring on the mat, but White grabs it and gives the finger to Cole. White goes to hit MJF with it, but MJF hits the low blow. The Gunns are back, and MJF wallops them with the ring. He does the same to White and MJF pins him to retain the title.
RINGSIDE: MJF celebrates with Cole, and they hug in the corner. Both men raise the titled exit the ring as commentary pushes MJF’s rematch with Samoa Joe. MJF and Cole stand on the ramp with more celebration.
Blake’s Take: There are going to be a lot of differing thoughts on this match. For starters, the lack of an appearance from the devil will disappoint a lot of people. I expected some storyline advancement there until you realize they are setting everything up to make Cole the devil. If he’s ringside, how can the devil appear? That part of the equation makes sense. Of course, there’s also the possibility that they are connecting all the dots to make you think it’s Cole, and it winds up being someone else.
I know there are debatable plot points at this point in the storyline, but I think there’s way more to work with having Cole as the devil than any of the other rumored possibilities. He has motivation for it, and though some are questioning why he wouldn’t just cost MJF the title, I think it’s very obvious: Cole wants the title himself. If the greatest trick the devil pulled is making you think he didn’t exist, why wouldn’t he do everything to keep the title on the man who trusts him most….only to turn on him and take the title when he wants? I have no issue with that approach, and all plot points of MJF returning to save his friend, Cole pushing MJF to do things he shouldn’t, and other similar things work perfectly if Cole is the reveal.
Now for the other stuff. I’m not sure this match does White any favors as not only was he the background player in a bigger story, but he couldn’t find a way to beat MJF at his most vulnerable. Very few people ever thought White would win the title, but there may have been a better way to present him as a legitimate threat in the future, even if MJF technically won by cheating. The injury angle to get to the main event was another questionable move. How could anyone let Cole replace MJF when he’s on crutches, yet no one wanted MJF to wrestle while injured. Also, how could Cole defend a title that isn’t his own? That lacks logic. Still, it was a good match and important for the storyline. (Recommended)
BLAKE’S TAKE ON AEW FULL GEAR 2023
Overall Rating: 8.0/10
Thoughts: Another top-notch pay-per-view from AEW with lots of entertaining matches. The Hangman vs. Swerve match won’t be for everyone, but it’s an unforgettable match for those who watched it. The running storyline with MJF and Cole was a bit convoluted, but I can appreciate a show-long story even on a PPV. However, the main event is what a lot of people pay for, so there’s the potential for backlash depending on what fans expected with the devil storyline. Two matches that exceeded expectations were the Ladder Match for the Tag Team titles and the three-way TBS title match. It’s the variety that makes this a fun show.
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