Welcome to POST Wrestling’s coverage of AEW Full Gear from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
John Pollock and Wai Ting will be doing a live POST show late Saturday night, after the conclusion of the post-show press conference.
QUICK RESULTS:
*Orange Cassidy & Trent Beretta & Chuck Taylor & Rocky Romero & “Mystery Partner” def. Q. T. Marshall & Cole Carter & Lee Johnson & Aaron Solo & Nick Comoroto
*Ricky Starks def. Brian Cage to advance to the AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament Finals
*Eddie Kingston def. Jun Akiyama
*”Jungle Boy” Jack Perry def. Luchasaurus in a steel cage match
*Death Triangle (Pac, Rey Fenix, & Penta El Zero Miedo) def. The Elite (Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, & Kenny Omega) to retain the AEW World Trios Championship
*Jade Cargill def. Nyla Rose to retain the AEW TBS Championship
*Chris Jericho def. Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson, & Sammy Guevara to retain the ROH World Championship
*Saraya def. Dr. Britt Baker
*Samoa Joe def. Powerhouse Hobbs & Wardlow to win the AEW TNT Championship
*Sting & Darby Allin def. Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarett
*Jamie Hayter def. Toni Storm to win the Interim AEW Women’s World Championship
*The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) def. Swerve in Our Glory (Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland) to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championships
*MJF def. Jon Moxley to win the AEW Heavyweight Championship
Excalibur, Taz, and Tony Schiavone provided commentary for the Zero-Hour portion of the show.
Orange Cassidy & Trent Beretta & Chuck Taylor & Rocky Romero & “Mystery Partner” vs. Q. T. Marshall & Cole Carter & Lee Johnson & Aaron Solo & Nick Comoroto: Ten-Man Tag Match
The Best Friend’s mystery partner did not join them to begin the match. Taylor and Solo started the match, with the Best Friends taking control of the bout early. Romero and Beretta showcased some creative tag offence, harkening back to their Roppongi Vice days. The entirety of the Best Friend’s team entered the ring to beat down Marshall, however The Factory quickly levelled the playing field, and hugged in the centre of the ring to mock the Best Friends.
The crowd broke out into loud “Q.T. sucks!” chants, as the factory beat down Beretta for an extended period of time, leading to a hot tag to Orange Cassidy. Cassidy put his hands in his pockets and did his mock kicks, before sending Comoroto out of the ring with a drop kick. The Factory rushed into the ring to attack Cassidy, but Cassidy was able to fend them off in creative fashion, until the numbers finally got the best of him.
Lee Johnson ran into the ring and caught Romero with a Blue Thunder Bomb, before Cassidy landed a penalty kick on Johnson, in tribute to his recent opponent, Katsuyori Shibata. Cassidy signaled for the Orange Punch, but Marshall countered with a cutter. Marshall was about to finish Cassidy off, but the Best Friend’s “Mystery” Partner finally revealed himself, as Danhausen came out, with a seemingly darker, more serious persona. Danhausen took out The Factory members in the ring, before pouring a jar full of teeth onto Comoroto. Danhausen wasted little time in finishing Comoroto off with a pump kick, and the Best Friends picked up the win.
RESULT: Orange Cassidy, Trent Beretta, Chuck Taylor, Rocky Romero, & Danhausen defeat Q. T. Marshall & Cole Carter & Lee Johnson & Aaron Solo & Nick Comoroto by pinfall in 11:18
After the match, the five winners hugged in the middle of the ring. It was a fun match to start the pre-show, and the babyfaces were very over, especially Cassidy and Danhausen. It will be interesting to see if this is a more permanent switch in character for Danhausen, or if this is perhaps a darker persona that he will bring out for bigger matches. Just as an aside, this match served as a reminder that Romero and Beretta are a great team together, and I wouldn’t mind seeing them as a more regular team in AEW’s tag division.
We then went to Konosuke Takeshita backstage, who was congratulated on his AEW contract. He stated that he was honoured to wrestle in AEW, and it has been his dream to wrestle in the United States.
Brian Cage vs. Ricky Starks: AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament Semifinals
Cage attacked Starks the second he entered the ring, but Starks fought back, and the match quickly went to the outside. Cage took control of the match, and worked over the mid-section of Starks, who was wrestling in his shirt throughout the vast majority of the bout. Starks attempts at mounting a comeback were snuffed out by Cage, who utilized his power advantage to great affect, even countering a flying crossbody with a backbreaker at one point.
A DDT from Starks gave him the opening that he was looking for, and he countered a Weapon X attempt from Cage with a roll up, before catching him with a big spear that led to a two count. Cage floored Starks with a big discus lariat, however Starks was able to get his shoulder up before the ref could count three, and Cage went up to the top rope. Cage dived for an elbow drop, but he missed his target, and Starks landed a Canadian Destroyer before hitting the Roshambo for the win.
RESULT: Ricky Starks defeats Brian Cage by pinfall to advance to the AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament Finals
The crowd was behind Starks, and the match was structured in a way that allowed him to really shine as the babyface fighting from behind Cage, who played the role of the monster heel very well here. Ethan Page was on commentary for this match, and he stared Starks down after the bout, as that will be finals matchup to determine the next challenger for the AEW World Championship
Eddie Kingston vs. Jun Akiyama: Singles Match
Kingston cut an emotional promo before the match, really conveying how important this match was to him personally. Akiyama and Kingston stared each other down to begin the bout before quickly locking up and exchanging shoulder tackles. Akiyama hit Kingston with a hard chop, leading to a lengthy forearm/chop exchange between the two. Akiyama’s chest quickly began to redden, and Kingston threw him out of the ring, where he threatened a suplex on the apron, which was revered by a DDT on the apron from Akiyama.
Akiyama brought Kingston back into the ring, where he slowly began to pick away at Kingston with stomps, before he hit Kingston with a piledriver. Kingston kicked out of Akiyama’s pin attempt, but was caught by a penalty kick moments later. Akiyama climbed to the top rope, however Kingston picked himself up, and bit Akiyama on the turnbuckle, before suplexing him down to the mat. They started trading chops in the corner, before exchanging exploders back in the centre of the ring.
The wrestlers made their way back to their feet, where Kingston landed a DDT, before knocking Akiyama down with an Uraken. Kingston went for a pin, however Akiyama was able to kick out, and he sent Kingston to the ground with another exploder, before landing a knee strike that led to a near fall of his own. Kingston removed the straps, and landed one last Uraken before pinning Akiyama.
RESULT: Eddie Kingston defeats Jun Akiyama by pinfall
Kingston was very emotional after the match, and bowed to Akiyama in the middle of the ring. Akiyama bowed in return, and the wrestlers hugged in the middle of the ring. It was a beautiful moment for Kingston, and you could really tell how much this match meant to him. I thought this was a very enjoyable match, and the crowd gave Kingston a much-deserved ovation after the win. Ortiz came into the ring to share the moment with Kingston, where Kingston then grabbed a microphone, and thanked the audience, Akiyama, and Kings Road style, before honoring greats that have passed such as Rikidōzan, Giant Baba, Jumbo Tsuruta, Antonio Inoki, and Mitsuharu Misawa.
Jim Ross came out to join the commentary team to begin the PPV portion of the card, replacing Tony Schiavone.
Luchasaurus vs. “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry: Steel Cage Match
Christian accompanied Luchasaurus to the ring. Perry went on the attack early, backing Luchasaurus into the corner with a missile drop kick. Luchasaurus stopped Jungle Boy’s momentum with a big boot, before lawn darting him into the cage. Luchasaurus grinded Perry’s face against the cage, busting Jungle Boy open. Luchasaurus threw Perry around the ring, before attempting an unsuccessful pinfall following a lateral press. Perry was repeatedly thrown into the cage, and he was a bloody mess by this point.
Luchasaurus was dominating this match, with Jungle Boy repeatedly kicking out after taking increasingly damaging slams. Christian attempted to steel the key to the cage from the cageside referee, and while he was successful in unlocking the cage door, he was caught in the act, and dragged out of the arena. Perry and Luchasaurus left the ring, where Luchasaurus grabbed a table from under the ring, which he brought into the cage. Luchasaurus proceeded to grab some chairs form under the ring as well, before throwing Jungle Boy back into the ring.
Jungle Boy mounted a comeback in the ring, nailing Luchasaurus with a number of drop kicks. Perry began to unload with kicks to the head of Luchasaurus against the cage, but a back body drop from Luchasaurus put an end to his streak of offence. Perry fired back quickly this time however, catching Luchasaurus with a Destroyer before nailing him with an unprettier onto a steel chair. Luchasaurus choke slammed Perry onto a steel chair, which led to a near fall. An avalanche sliced bread from Perry off of the top turnbuckle was a spectacular spot, and both men sat up on the ground as they stared each other down. Luchasaurus connected with a big headbutt before screaming at Perry to stay down, but Jungle Boy kept coming, and he send Luchasaurus down to his knees with a flurry of strikes. Perry landed a piledriver, and a significant portion of the crowd audibly bit on this one, but Luchasaurus kicked out.
Luchasaurus hit Perry with a tombstone piledriver, before lifting Perry back up and slamming him face first onto the canvas. Luchasaurus then attempted to throw Jungle Boy threw the table that was introduced earlier, however Perry reversed it into a rear naked choke, and he left Luchasaurus lying on the table. Jungle Boy climbed to the top of the steel cage, and dropped a spectacular elbow onto Luchasaurus thew the table. Instead of pinning him, Perry locked in the snare trap, and forced Luchasaurus to submit.
RESULT: Jack Perry defeats Luchasaurus by submission
I loved this match. The story was a basic one, with Perry taking a ton of damage from Luchasaurus, and showcasing his resiliency to stay in the fight. As the match progressed, Perry was able to reach down deeper than Luchasaurus, and forced him to submit instead of simply pinning him after the huge elbow drop. There were some great spots throughout this one, and Perry really did take a beating throughout the early portion of the match to make those later moves feel all the more impactful. It doesn’t feel like this feud has reached its conclusion quite yet, but for the time being, I thought this was a career defining match for Jack Perry, and the high-point of this feud to this point.
Death Triangle (Pac & Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix) vs. The Elite (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson & Kenny Omega): AEW World Trios Championship
The Elite got a huge entrance, coming out to Wayward Son by Kansas. The crowd showered Omega and the Bucks in “Welcome Back” chants, and there was a lot of energy in the arena as this one began with Pac and Kenny Omega in the ring. The crowd also notably very loud with anti-CM Punk chants.
Pac was able to avoid Omega’s big attacks early in the bout, and Omega eventually opted to tag in Nick Jackson, as Pac tagged in Fenix. There were some spectacular ariel reversal sequences between the two, just as you would expect, until they tagged in Matt and Penta respectively. The Bucks eventually got the better of the Lucha Bros, and they tagged Omega back in. There was so much going on in this match that it would be quite difficult to recap every high paced sequence, but the crowd was electric for each big move. Eventually Nick Jackson dived over the top rope to take out Pac, where a fan in the front row offered Nick a sip of his drink, which Jackson accepted.
Back in the ring, Death Triangle were able to get the better of Omega, and took control of the match, slowing down the pace. Omega avoided a flying attack form Pac, and tagged in Matt Jackson, who landed a number of Northern Lights suplexes. Death Triangle worked over Matt for some time, until he was eventually able to tag Nick Jackson in for the big comeback. Nick took out the three members of Death Triangle before tagging Omega back in, who landed a series of dragon suplexes. Omega then dived out of the ring, taking out Pac and Penta, before Matt Jackson caught Fenix with an apron DDT. Nick Jackson then proceeded to throw Penta off of the top turnbuckle with a Hurricanrana, onto the other four men who were stationed outside of the ring.
A huge German suplex from Pac dropped Omega on his head, before the Death Triangle hit the three members of the Elite with a trio of tombstones. Pac landed the Black Arrow onto the back of Omega, and he then attempted to submit Omega until the hold was broke up by Nick Jackson. Pac tossed Fenix the hammer, urging him to cheat, but Fenix refused, and was nailed with a V-Trigger for his mercy, before Omega hit the Tiger Driver ’97 for a near fall. Penta came into the ring to stage a comeback, but was stopped by a trio of superkicks, and the Elite hit Fenix with the BTE trigger for a near fall.
Pac attempted to hit Omega with the hammer himself, but he was super kicked in the process, and Omega and Fenix were left in the ring as the other four wrestlers battled outside the ring. Pac passed Fenix the hammer once more, and as Omega brought Fenix up for the One-Winged Angel, Fenix clocked him with the hammer before rolling Omega up for the win.
RESULT: Death Triangle defeat the Elite by pinfall to retain the AEW World Trios Championship
This match was just as exciting as it sounded on paper, with each of these six-men showcasing their ridiculous athletic ability. The story going into this match was the tension between Pac and Fenix, and whether Fenix would ultimately fight dirty as Pac has urged him to. When he was on the verge of defeat, Fenix opted to use the hammer to secure victory, and the Death Triangle retained their titles at the cost of Fenix’s honour as a competitor. I thought it was a well told story, and I’m genuinely interested to see if this leads to a full-on heel turn for the Lucha Bros, or if this is actually the beginning of a break up for Death Triangle, despite retaining their titles here. I don’t know how many people expected the Elite to loss their big return match, but it made sense here considering that the story being told here was focused on their opponents, and with Death Triangle ultimately cheating to win, the rematch will be the natural direction to go on down the road.
Jade Cargill vs. Nyla Rose: AEW TBS Championship
Cargill immediately took control of the match, beating on Rose in the corner. Cargill brought Rose outside the ring, where she sent Rose over the barricade with a pump kick. Rose recovered, and she began to go on the attack when the action returned to the ring. Nyla threw Cargill onto the top rope, and she ascended the turnbuckle before catching Cargill with a diving knee drop. A beast-bomb from Cargill led to a near fall, before she unsuccessfully attempted to finish Rose off with Jaded. Rose was able to escape the maneuver, and she proceeded to hit Cargill with Cargills own finisher, which Jade was able to kick out of. A pump kick from Cargill sent Rose to the ground, and Cargill then finished Rose off with Jaded for the three-count.
RESULT: Jade Cargill defeats Nyla Rose by pinfall to retain the AEW TBS Championship
There was definitely a bit of a come down from the crowd after the previous match, but I thought that they grabbed the audience by the end of this one, and the dynamitic between Cargill and Rose was a refreshing change from the typical Cargill match formula. I don’t know if there is a clear direction for either of them coming out of this one, but this did seem like a definitive end to this feud, and there are really no shortage of women on the roster to challenge Cargill for her title next.
Chris Jericho vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Sammy Guevara: ROH World Championship
Jericho fought with Castagnoli to begin the match, as Danielson battled Guevara. Bryan took Guevara out with a suicide dive, and the two Blackpool Combat Club members began to team up against Jericho inside the ring. Guevara came in to save Jericho, but just ended up taking his place as Danielson and Castagnoli teed off on him. Danielson and Castagnoli shook hands, but did not let go of their grips, and started trading strikes.
Jericho attempted to capitalize on Danielson and Castagnoli’s brawl, but they went right back to teaming up on him, until Guevara came in for the save once more. Jericho and Guevara started beating down Danielson, taunting the crowd in the process. Guevara was sitting back while Jericho attempted pinfalls, but he was visibly growing frustrated as he passed up these title winning opportunities. Bryan was able to mount a comeback, and he downed Jericho and Guevara with his signature kicks. Guevara stopped Bryan’s attacking with a Spanish Fly, and Jericho hit him with a Lionsault for the near fall.
Castagnoli came back into the match as Bryan rolled to the outside, but was caught by a codebreaker in mid-air from Jericho. Jericho went for the cover, but Guevara pulled Jericho off of him, and the two began to exchange strikes in the middle of the ring. Guevara caught Jericho with a codebreaker of his own, but Jericho kicked out. Guevara continued to pull from Jericho’s moveset as he attempted to catch him with the Walls of Jericho, but Jericho was able to reverse the position and secure the submission himself.
Later in the match, Danielson and Castagnoli attempted to submit Jericho simultaneously, however both holds were broken up by Guevara. Guevara hit Jericho with a GTH after faking a hug, and landed a shooting star press for a near fall that the crowd definitely bit on. Guevara started trading strikes with Danielson, but had the taste slapped out of his mouth, and Castagnoli launched him onto Jericho outside of the ring. Castagnoli turned around and got leveled by a Busaiku Knee from Danielson, which was the biggest near fall yet. Guevara hit Castagnoli with a cutter off of the top rope, before hitting Danielson with a Spanish Fly off of the same turnbuckle. The action poured outside of the ring, where Castagnoli hit Danielson with a neutralizer, before Guevara hit him with a shooting star press to the outside.
Guevara and Castagnoli returned to the ring, and Castagnoli began to swing Guevara around to the audience’s delight. Jericho rushed into the ring and hit Castagnoli with a pair of Judas Effect’s to secure the three count and the victory.
RESULT: Chris Jericho defeats Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson, & Sammy Guevara by pinfall to retain the ROH World Championship
The story going into this one was whether or not Guevara would turn on Jericho and attempt to win the match for himself, and that’s the direction they went in here, with Guevara turning on Jericho halfway through the bout. I don’t think this was supposed to be a babyface turn for Guevara, or even a split from the J.A.S., but the tension between him and Jericho will certainly be built upon coming out of this match, possibly leading to a proper program down the road. I thought the match itself was very entertaining, and the crowd’s energy was infectious for the numerous near falls. In particular, the crowd got so excited for every Bryan Danielson near-fall, that I thought the end-result was a bit deflating, simply because they would have exploded if he were to win, but that’s clearly not the direction they’re going in for the time being.
Dr. Britt Baker vs. Saraya: Singles Match
Baker and Saraya locked up to begin the match as the crowd gave Saraya a “Welcome Back” chant. Baker dragged Saraya to the apron, where she hit Saraya with a twisting neck breaker to the floor. Baker attacked Saraya in front of her brother outside the ring, before rolling Saraya back in for an attempted pinfall. Baker put on her glove and singled for the lockjaw, but Saraya avoided the hold, before being grounded by a neck breaker. Saraya hit Baker with a diving cross body to take control of the match, which led to an exchange of elbows.
Baker threatened the lockjaw in the middle of the ring, but Saraya was able to make it to the ropes. An air-raid crash from Baker led to a pin attempt, before she hit a curb-stomp for a near fall. Saraya partially landed a powerbomb off of the top rope, but it did not take long for Baker to go for another lockjaw attempt, with Saraya countering this one with an attempted roll up. Baker landed a rip-cord elbow strike back on the feet, before hitting Saraya with another curb-stop, for another near fall. Saraya recovered, and hit what was formerly called the “Rampaige” for the win.
RESULT: Saraya defeats Dr. Britt Baker by pinfall
Saraya was emotional after her win, and celebrated with her family outside of the ring. This marked her first bout since 2017, and I thought she looked solid in there despite some timing issues between the two throughout the bout. The crowd seemed as though they weren’t quite sure how to react at points here, which I chalk up to the strange build up to the match, where Saraya came off as rather heelish while Baker was portrayed as the loyal representative of AEW, but in the end, the crowd was respectful, and seemed to acknowledge that this moment for her was far realer than the poor storytelling that led up to it.
Wardlow vs. Samoa Joe vs. Powerhouse Hobbs: AEW TNT Championship
The match began as most three person matches do, with one wrestler temporarily removing themselves from the action as the other two battled. Wardlow brought some energy to the match with an incredibly athletic dive off the top rope that took out Hobbs and Joe, and he proceeded to land a big senton that led to a pinfall attempt. Samoa Joe soon took control of the match, beating Hobbs down in the corner, before laying Wardlow out in the middle of the ring.
Wardlow soon took back control, and he began to just throw Hobbs and Joe around, hitting Joe with a spinebuster for an unsuccessful pinfall attempt. Wardlow and Hobbs started brawling outside the ring, and Joe dived out of the ring on top of them, before getting speared into the barricade by Hobbs. Hobbs brought Wardlow back into the ring, where he nailed Wardlow with a spinebuster for a near-fall. Wardlow hit Hobbs with a trio of powerbombs, but Joe ran in and clocked him in the back of the head with a title, before locking Hobbs in the Coquina Clutch to secure the submission victory.
RESULT: Samoa Joe defeats Powerhouse Hobbs and Wardlow by submission to win the AEW TNT Championship
Going into this match, I don’t know if I would have predicted this outcome, but given the recency of Joe’s turn, it makes sense for him to emerge from this match as the victor, and AEW can extent the rivalry between him and Wardlow. I thought this match was a bit slow at times, but the ariel attacks from Wardlow got a huge reaction from the crowd, as did Joe’s eventual win.
After the match, Chris Jericho was interviewed in the back, where he made it clear that he bears no ill-will towards Guevara for attempting to win the match for himself. Orange Cassidy interrupted Jericho’s interview, and stated that Tomohiro Ishii should be the next person to challenge for Jericho’s title. Jericho accepted the challenge, and called back to his memories of Ishii as a young boy/lion, shrugging off his modern reputation as a great wrestler. Afterwards, a match between Cassidy and Jake Hager was teased.
Jeff Jarett & Jay Lethal vs. Sting & Darby Allin: Tag Team Match
Jarett came out with a number of men in Sting mask. A body bag was left on the ramp as Darby Allin’s theme hit, and he jumped Lethal and the men in Sting masks as they met him on the ramp. Sting appeared behind Jarett in the ring, and the bell sounded to begin the bout, as the fans chanted “TNA”. Sting threw Lethal from the top rope onto the ring apron in brutal fashion, as Allin and Jarett brawled outside the ring. Allin dragged a ladder onto the ramp, and he attempted to hit a coffin drop off it, but was caught by Satnam Singh on his way down.
Sting then proceeded to dive onto Singh from the audience, and he brought Lethal back to the ring as Jarett attacked Allin with a steel chair. Allin tagged Sting into this match, as I (and I assume everyone else in attendance) realized this was not in fact a tornado tag match. Sting caught Jarett in the Scorpion Death Lock, but a big chokeslam from Singh broke up the submission, and Allin was tagged back into the match. Allin attempted another coffin drop, but this time Jarett caught him with a guitar shot in-mid air. Allin fired back to his feet, and began to beat on Jarett and Lethal at the same time. Sting hit Singh with the Scorpion Death Drop as Allin landed the Coffin Drop at the same time to remove him from the equation. Sting countered the Lethal Injection with a messy Scorpion Death Drop, and Allin proceeded to land the Coffin Drop for the pinfall victory.
RESULT: Sting & Darby Allin defeat Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarett by pinfall
The match began in chaotic fashion, as is the successful formula for these Darby/Sting matches. The brawling and stunts that took place outside the ring were very entertaining, although I found the latter part of the match that was largely a straight tag (with interference allowed) to be a bit of a sharp contrast from what came directly before it. Regardless, it was a fun match, and Jarett served his purpose as the old-school heel. He’s really in great physical condition for his age, and I would say it was all in all a solid showing from Jarett in his AEW debut match.
Toni Storm vs. Jamie Hayter: Interim AEW Women’s World Championship
Hayter and Storm exchanged strikes early in the bout, until Storm launched Hayter out of the ring with a missile dropkick/hip attack combination. Storm beat on Hayter outside of the ring, until Storm smashed her hand off of the ring post, and Hayter returned the action to the ring. Hayter was getting cocky with her pin attempts as she took control of the match, and she began to argue with the referee, letting her emotions get the best of her. Storm began to mount a comeback, hitting Hayter with a hip attack as well as a flying cross body.
There was a heavy headbutt exchange, where Storm basically just collapsed onto Hayter for a pinfall that Hayter kicked out of. Rebel ran out, as Hayter and Storm traded elbows. Rebel clocked Storm with the belt, and Hayter covered Storm after a sliding lariat for a strong near fall. The referee tossed Rebel out of the match, and Storm landed a brutal ripcord lariat for a near fall. Hayter threw Storm out of the ring, where Baker ran in with a curb stomp to Storm on the title. Storm was thrown into the ring where Hayter landed a piledriver before going for the cover, and once again Storm was able to kick out. Back on her feet, Storm hit the Storm Zero, but Hayter kicked out, before landing a backbreaker for a near fall of her own. Britt Baker removed one of the turnbuckle pads, and Hayter threw Storm into it, before landing the ripcord lariat for the pinfall victory.
RESULT: Jamie Hayter defeat Toni Storm by pinfall to win the Interim AEW Women’s World Championship
This was a hard-hitting match, and by the end of it, the crowd was entirely behind Jamie Hayter, exploding when Hayter eventually won the match. There has been debate on whether recent storylines have cooled Hayter off, but it was apparent here that the audience is still very much behind her, and her title win was one of the biggest reactions of this entire show. I thought they over-did it with the interference at the end, and I assume they just wanted to keep Storm strong, but with the crowd clearly behind Hayter, it made for a strange dynamic as Storm was booed for kicking out of the late near falls. Still, this was a great moment for Hayter, and there are no shortage of interesting programs to go to with Hayter as champion.
The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) vs. Swerve in Our Glory (Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland): AEW World Tag Team Championship
Caster referenced Kanye West, Twitter, Donald Trump, Monsters Inc., and Tristan Thompson (among others) in his rap.
The action began tornado style in the ring, as the Acclaimed knocked Keith Lee out of the ring before Bowens moved into his corner to begin the match properly. Swerve was able to weather the storm and tag Lee in, where Lee was quickly able to take control of the bout, as Swerve grabbed a barricade from the audience, using it as a table. Lee was distracted by Swerve’s antics, and Bowens attempted to overwhelm him with a flurry of strikes. Swerve pulled Bowens out of the ring, but when he attempted to throw him through the barricade he had set up against the ring, Bowens was able to counter with a hard suplex on the outside.
Lee slowly picked apart at Bowens for some time, before tagging Swerve back in, who kept Bowens down with a running stomp before tagging Lee in. Lee lifted Bowens up onto his shoulders, but Bowens was able to hit a hurricanrana to escape, before tagging Caster back in. Caster was unable to get the better of Lee at first, but he eventually landed a leg drop off of the top rope, and he proceeded to tag Bowens back in as they teamed up on Swerve. Lee saved Swerve from being thrown through the barricade, but he was soon thrown through the barricade himself, removing him from the match for the time being.
Swerve landed numerous kicks to the head of Bowens in the ring, growing increasingly frustrated by Bowens resiliency. Swerve missed with the Swerve Stomp, and Caster hit him with the mic drop, leading to a pinfall attempt that was broken up by Keith Lee. Swerve landed a teardrop brain buster before tagging Lee back in, and Lee began to just throw the Acclaimed around in impressive fashion. Swerve in our Glory hit the Fall from Glory, but Caster kicked out, and he was able to take Bowens back in. Lee demolished the both of them regardless, and Swerve threw Caster over a table outside of the ring. Swerve grabbed a pair of pliers as he threatened to cut off Casters fingers, but Billy Gunn ran out for the save. The referees were distracted by Gunn, and Swerve gave Lee the pliers, urging him to use them on Bowens. Lee threw them away, and Swerve slapped him in response. Lee proceeded to abandon Swerve, and the Acclaimed overwhelmed Swerve moments later to secure the pinfall victory.
RESULT: The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) def. Swerve in Our Glory (Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland) by pinfall to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championships
In direct contract to the other tag title match on this card, we saw Keith Lee decide to stick to his morals here, costing his team the match, where Rey Fenix abandoned them to win his teams title match earlier in the night. I thought that Swerve in Our Glory still had life in them as a team, but Strickland has really excelled in this heel role, and perhaps it was time for him to break away from Lee, who he will naturally be feuding with coming out of this match.
Several matches were officially announced for dynamite, including Chris Jericho versus Tomohiro Ishii for the ROH World Championship, Jake Hager versus Orange Cassidy for the All-Atlantic Championship, Ethan Page versus Ricky Starks in the finals of the AEW World Title Eliminator tournament, and Death Triangle versus the Elite in what will be the second bout of a best of seven series, with dates announced for each potential match.
Jon Moxley vs. MJF: AEW World Championship
The crowd was almost entirely behind MJF here. Moxley tagged MJF with a hard strike to begin the match, and he was putting a beating on MJF early in the bout, disrespecting him by putting his hands behind his back. MJF sent Moxley over the top rope, and MJF faked a suicide dive in entertaining fashion. Moxley slid into the ring and bit MJF, before flipping off the crowd. The crowd was firmly against Moxley by this point, showering him in boos as he beat on MJF.
Moxley threatened an armbar, and while he couldn’t submit MJF, Moxley flattened him with a clothesline as MJF recovered against the turnbuckle. Moxley started parading around with his title outside of the ring, and MJF blinded him momentarily by throwing a drink in his face. MJF took control of the action inside of the ring, where he played to the crowd with combinations of strikes. MJF grabbed a table outside of the ring, but Moxley knocked him down with another lariat as MJF rolled back into the ring, before Moxley began to stomp away at MJF’s face, Bryan Danielson style. MJF nailed Moxley with a piledriver on the apron, but he hurt his left leg on the way down, screaming in pain. This bought Moxley time to recover, and he went for an apron piledriver of his own, except he jump off of the apron with MJF, driving him through the table that MJF set up earlier.
MJF was able to beat the ten count, but was hit by the Paradigm Shift from Moxley, leading to a near fall. Moxley began to attack the hurt leg of MJF with a figure four, however he was forced to break the hold after MJF reversed the pressure. MJF was beginning to mount some sustained offence of his own, but his knee was giving out on him, and a chop block from Moxley allowed him to go back on the attack. Moxley landed an avalanche Paradigm Shift, but they were too close to the ropes, and MJF was able to grab the bottom rope to break the cover.
Moxley started trading shots with MJF, knowing that MJF couldn’t keep up, and he started attacking the injured leg when MJF began to land heavy shots of his own. MJF pulled the referee in the way of an attack from Moxley, and with the referee down, MJF went for the diamond ring. William Regal came out, and MJF threw the ring down at Regal. Moxley attempted to capitalize by choking MJF out from behind, and while he eventually got MJF to tap out, there was no referee to acknowledge the submission. Regal urged Moxley to wake the referee, but threw a pair of brass knuckles to MJF as Moxley was distracted. MJF clocked Moxley with the brass knuckles to knock him out, and MJF dragged himself over Moxley, pinning him for the three count.
RESULT: MJF defeats Jon Moxley by pinfall to win the AEW World Championship.
Moxley was a tremendous heel throughout this match. The way he viciously attacked MJF throughout the bout, while taunting the crowd and working the injured leg of MJF was fantastic stuff. The crowd was entirely behind MJF here, and while I think most could tell that this wasn’t a legitimate babyface turn for him, it didn’t really matter, because it fit his character perfectly, and the audience was here to see him win regardless. Regal’s betrayal will have interesting ramifications outside of Moxley as well, as that opens up natural feuds for MJF and Regal against the various members of the faction. I imagine Moxley will return to his role as one of the good guys after tonight, but this match served as a reminder that Jon Moxley could be the best villain in this company if they decide to go down that route down the road, and the future prospect of a proper heel Moxley versus a genuine babyface MJF is an exciting one.
