AEW Full Gear 2024 recap & reactions: Car crash theater

AEW Full Gear (Nov. 23, 2024) emanated from Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. The PPV event featured Jon Moxley squeaking by Orange Cassidy to keep the world title, Bobby Lashley making Swerve Strickland pass out, a handful of great matches, and car crash theater to close the show.

Get caught up on all the Full Gear details with the excellent play-by-play from Claire Elizabeth.

Let’s run down the card from top to bottom.

AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley defeated Orange Cassidy to retain the title. The match started with firecrackers. Cassidy struck with a superman punch before the opening bell. Once, twice, thrice. Moxley tumbled out of the ring, so Cassidy followed for a suicide dive.

The action continued outside. Cassidy stayed in Moxley’s playground too long, and Mox gained control fighting tough. He stomped OC’s head into the ring steps for blood, then he added a Paradigm Shift onto the steel. Back inside, Moxley smashed a Gotch piledriver. Instead of the win, he decided to inflict more punishment. Moxley pounded the challenger for an extended period until Cassidy rallied with DDTs and more superman punches. Beach Break! Kick out by Mox. That’s when Claudio Castagnoli and PAC surrounded the ring. The Conglomeration ran out to handle business. Marina Shafir plotted with the briefcase. Willow Nightingale ran in to tackle Shafir. Cassidy had the foreign object in hand and did not hesitate to clobber Moxley. The champ kicked out at 2 for high drama. Moxley used the referee as a shield to block Cassidy’s path for a superman punch. Boom! Wheeler Yuta blindsided Cassidy with a Busaiku Knee. Moxley seized victory on a Death Rider finisher. And still champion.

If you thought that was hectic, just wait for the post-match chaos. After the match, Moxley and Yuta tortured Cassidy by pouring disinfectant on his wounds. That sounds like a caring gesture to me. What swell guys. Hangman Page ran in with a chair to hit Yuta. The cowboy eyed Moxley, then Christian Cage grabbed the champ from behind for the Kill Switch. Christian wanted to cash in his title shot contract. Jay White ran in for a Blade Runner to foil Christian’s grand scheme. No cash-in.

Oh, wait. There’s more. Moxley limped away to the parking lot with the Death Riders watching his back. Crash! Darby Allin drive a car crashing into the getaway vehicle. The Death Riders stole a different automobile to flee the scene. Show over.

Mamma mia! So much to absorb in that main event. Starting with the match. The world title bout was fine by itself. The fiery start was badass from Cassidy. OC put on a heck of a performance throughout. Moxley gained control to punish Cassidy, and this made sense in the story that Mox’s stated goal was to beat him so bad that nobody else dare step up. So far, so good. A plucky babyface rally caught the crowd hard on the false finish with Moxley barely kicking out of the pinfall. That shows how well they cultivated hope for Cassidy to win. From my perspective, things fell apart after that. It’s disappointing how Moxley turned into a generic villain so quickly. He was on his way to making a violent statement to fear the Death Riders. Instead, AEW went with the weak cheat finish. It undercuts the power of Moxley’s threats for the larger story. It would be much more interesting if Moxley was in power, because nobody could stop him. That’s clearly not the intention anymore. It’s just a numbers game at the right time. Boring.

As for the chaos, it was rowdy entertainment. Car crash theater feels like an appropriate description. I’d say it’s better to soak in the excitement and ruminate on the future possibilities rather than analyze the craziness with a fine-tooth comb. It likely won’t stand up to scrutiny. For all the appearances, the one I’m most excited for is Willow fighting Shafir. That is going to be rough and tumble. The most intriguing appearance was from Hangman. That was completely unexpected. I thought for a second he might join Moxley, just because he hates everyone right now. I really want to hear Hangman’s thoughts about the Death Riders. Get Scoopz Marvez in the case, please. The most exhilarating appearance was Allin’s death wish. He takes car crash theater in the literal sense.

Overall, this main event scene will have been talking with curiosity to see the fallout.

Bobby Lashley defeated Swerve Strickland. Muscle beatdown to start. Swerve grit through for a DDT on the apron crashing down to the floor. Lashley stumbled over to commentary. Meanwhile, Swerve timed a leap off the ring steps to stomp Lashley through the table. Damn!

Swerve hit the House Call kick and a flying stomp in the ring. Lashley kicked out. Swerve lost focus by trying to intimidate MVP. Bad mistake. Lashley caught his breath to explode for a belly-to-belly suplex, then he speared Swerve through the barricade.

Lashley made a statement by forcing Swerve to pass out from the full nelson submission. Afterward, Lashley did the same to Prince Nana.

The match was solid inside the ring. The real excitement were the spots outside the ring. Nice timing on the table stomp. This was an impressive win by Lashley. For all the talk of numbers with the Hurt Syndicate, it didn’t play that much of a role in the match. Shelton Benjamin nipped at Swerve’s heels and was ejected. MVP acted the pest at times. But, nothing was egregious to cheat Swerve. Lashley flexed his strength hard when Swerve gave him the opening. It was a fairly clean victory without much reason to run a rematch right away.

AEW International Championship: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Ricochet to retain the title. Takeshita had laser focus on tenderizing the spine of his opponent. The punishment took a toll in the end. Ricochet was poised for a high-flying feat, but he was too slow to climb. Takeshita hit brutal strikes to the spine to set up an avalanche falcon arrow for victory.

Exciting match. Ricochet sold pain and hit his fair share of thrilling moves. He had moments of success that caused Don Callis to nervously abandon commentary to coach his man. This turned out to be a strong win for Takeshita. Beating Ricochet clean made Takeshita look like a badass.

TNT Championship: Daniel Garcia defeated Jack Perry to win the title. Perry crushed Garcia with a pair of DDTs on the floor and a powerbomb through the timekeeper table. Garcia looked in the dumps.

Daddy Magic shouted encouragement to light the fire. Garcia beat the ten-count back into the ring, then he went on a run of offense. When that rush wore off, Perry went back to his tricks. He handed the title belt to Garcia and taunted him to strike. Perry opened his arms like a sacrifice, but Garcia didn’t take the bait. Perry had a backup plan. When Garcia handed the foreign object to the referee, Perry hit a low blow. The Scapegoat followed for a running knee. 1, 2, kick out by Garcia! Red Death surged with piledrivers and a sharpshooter in the center of the ring. Perry tapped out in defeat.

Garcia finally won the big match. Hooray! This was a simple story of confidence, and it worked to draw drama. I like the touch to get Daddy Magic involved as a coach, because he has been trying to guide Garcia since they arrived in AEW. Perry was consistent with his character playing mind games. When that wouldn’t work, he got dirty. This title swap feels right. Perry kind of sinks alone without the Elite, and Garcia is ready to reach a higher level of success.

Champagne championship celebration. Mina Shirakawa toasted her friend. Mariah May was glitz and glamour soaking in the party. Sneak attack by Mariah! Mina sensed it coming and tackled Mariah off stage crashing through tables.

Did this need to be on PPV? Not necessarily. But since it was, I love that AEW went full steam ahead to create a moment. Mina standing up with blood from her mouth has me salivating for the official match.

Kyle Fletcher defeated Will Ospreay. The Aerial Assassin had victory in his grasp on a Styles Clash followed by the Hidden Blade, but Fletcher shockingly kicked out on the cover. Fletcher turned the tide by countering the Storm Breaker into a jumping tombstone piledriver off the apron onto the ring steps.

Ospreay was damaged goods. Fletcher kicked it into overdrive to dismantle Ospreay piece by piece. Ospreay could barely defend himself. Fletcher finished off his foe with a brainbuster onto the top turnbuckle. Afterward, Mark Davis ran in to check on Ospreay. Fletcher exited in peace toward Davis and satisfaction for victory.

Wow. First, that was a damn good match. The high level of wrestling was exactly what fans would expect. The physicality was intense. I like how the finish left no doubt. Fletcher was elevated by destroying Ospreay in the end. Second, I’m a little shocked that Fletcher won. I knew it was a possibility, but I wouldn’t have bet on that outcome. That was a pleasant surprise as an underdog victory. This is the type of win for Fletcher where a championship is next in order, but I don’t know where he fits into the current title pictures. AEW needs to figure out a way to capitalize on this for Fletcher. They can’t let the heat escape into the ether. On a personal level, it’s cool that Ospreay did the job to put over his friend.

Jay White defeated Hangman Page. War of attrition. Hangman attacked White’s left ankle, while White targeted Hangman’s left knee. The finish was a wild sequence. After White survived two consecutive Deadeye piledrivers, Hangman launched for the buckshot lariat. White was too slick to get hit. They danced with reversals, then Hangman snatched an ankle lock. White was able to swing his body creating motion for a counter into the Blade Runner to win. Afterward, White rubbed his success in Hangman’s face. The cowboy attacked on stage. Christopher Daniels tried to deescalate the situation. Hangman punched him. Commentary mentioned that fines or a suspension could be coming Hangman’s way for striking a person of authority.

This one lived up to the hype. It was a gritty battle. White and Hangman put it all out there trying to win. Interesting call for White to triumph, and he did it clean. Switchblade firmly stands head and shoulders above Hangman in the pecking order. This feud over Hangman is finally the meaty value White needed to cement his status a serious player in AEW.

TBS Championship: Mercedes Moné defeated Kris Statlander to retain the title. Mercedes felt embarrassed by Kamille’s blunders lately, so she ordered the Brickhouse to stay in the back to learn how it’s done. The CEO backed it up by tearing the house down with Statlander. Mercedes attacked the knees, and that strategy paid off when Statlander crashed to the mat on a 450 splash. Mercedes went ballistic to target the knee pain. The CEO hit two backstabbers and the Moné Maker, however, Statlander refused to lose. When Statlander maneuvered into the Saturday Night Fever finisher, Mercedes went back at the knee to escape. A cazadora roll sent Statlander into the ropes hitting her throat. Mercedes rolled up her opponent on the bounce back for victory.

Awesome effort from Mercedes and Statlander. There were plenty of creative moves, such as Statlander catching a meteora to counter for a buckle bomb. The drama increased the longer the match went. It felt like anybody’s game to win. In the end, Mercedes made a statement to show she is the champ for a reason. As tough as Statlander was, Mercedes took her game to a higher level with a killer instinct.

MJF defeated Roderick Strong. Strong hit the Sick Kick. When he went for his backbreaker finisher, MJF countered for a brainbuster. Both men were down. Strong crawled over for a weak pin. MJF snatched the arm to roll for an armbar. Strong tapped out in defeat. Afterward, MJF used a chair to stomp Strong’s arm. All of Strong’s friends, minus Beast Mortos, ran out for the save. Kyle O’Reilly shoved Adam Cole putting the blame for Strong’s injury on BayBay.

Decent wrestling match. It achieved its purpose of stringing along the story between MJF and Cole. MJF poured fuel on Cole’s fire for revenge. The protective drama from O’Reilly adds an interesting layer to the story. The question becomes if Cole will sacrifice his friends to get payback on his nemesis.

AEW World Tag Team Championship: Private Party defeated House of Black, the Outrunners, and the Acclaimed to retain the titles. Four-way tag bout. The story of this match was miscues from the Acclaimed. It started before the bell when Max Caster chucked the microphone out of reach from Anthony Bowens. The Acclaimed couldn’t get on the same page at all in the ring. Caster was busy hyping the crowd and missed a tag opportunity. When Bowens wanted to scissor Turbo Floyd, Caster blindsided the Outrunner. At one point, both of the Acclaimed were the legal men. Caster tried to lie down, buy it seemed like Bowens didn’t want to win that way. After wasting a little time, Bowens reluctantly obliged, but Isiah Kassidy broke it up on a dive. On the finish, Caster tagged himself in on Bowens with anticipation for the Mic Drop combo. Unfortunately, Bowens went for a crucifix pin instead, but he wasn’t the legal man anymore. A little bickering set the stage for Private Party to pounce for Gin & Juice to beat Caster.

Solid action for the opener. House of Black were studs, and the other teams had to group up on them. The Outrunners were fun as always. On the negative, the Acclaimed story was so much in focus that it made Private Party an afterthought as champions. This match would have been nice for TV. As a PPV contest, I wasn’t feeling the story. It was more about the Acclaimed drama than the championships. The victory did Private Party no favors. AEW is dropping the ball on them. Private Party were super hot with the title win over the Bucks. Since then, the champs had a promo celebration then were put in the background on TV. On their first defense, the focus of the story went to another team.

There were three bouts on the Zero Hour free pre-show.

Big Boom AJ defeated QT Marshall. QT hit a cutter, but AJ kicked out on the cover. QT tried to intimidate the Rizzler as timekeeper, so Paul Wight stepped in to protect the kid. Back in the ring, AJ hit a superplex. Aaron Solo ran out to create a distraction to prevent the pin. That plan backfired. Big Justice speared QT, then AJ finished with a powerbomb.

Even though I don’t know squat about the Costco Guys, I still thought this match was a lot of fun as a spectacle. AJ has real experience in the ring, and it showed. AJ hit his moves with power, and he worked the crowd well to get a reaction. The New Jersey fans were into it.

Buddy Matthews defeated Dante Martin, Komander, and the Beast Mortos. Four-way match. Komander hit a springboard reverse rana on Mortos. Martin flew in for a crossover splash onto Beast. Matthews picked his spot with perfect timing for a curb stomp to Martin atop the pin. Matthews covered Martin to win.

Hot action to get the crowd grooving. Cool moves galore with every wrestler having a chance to shine. The closing sequence was pretty slick. Matthews was a good choice to win. He’ll always benefit from a bump in these types of matches to offset being the fall guy for the House of Black.

Anna Jay defeated Deonna Purrazzo. When Anna had momentum, Taya Valkyrie snapped into Wera Loca mode to spear her on the floor. The referee saw the interference and ejected Taya. Purrazzo went to work for an armbar. The Virtuosa leaned back to crank the submission, and Anna was able to shift position to stack a roll-up to escape with the win.

Interesting result. Anna stays hot with the win after raising her stock from the women’s world title feud. Purrazzo controlled the flow, so the loss could feel like a fluke in her mind. The Vendetta will need to show more bite in the future. If they want to force others into their protection racket, then they need to break some windows and use other tried and true mafia methods.

Notes: The ROH qualifier for the NJPW Women’s International Cup at Wrestle Dynasty will be Athena, Red Velvet, Billie Starkz, and Leyla Hirsch in a four-way.

Stud of the Show: Kyle Fletcher

The win of his career in domineering fashion.

Match of the Night: Mercedes Moné vs. Kris Statlander

Nifty speed versus power chess match with a dash of killer instinct.

Grade: B+

Full Gear had a mix of PPV-quality matches with a few TV-level stories. Clean finishes were the order of the evening, not counting the main event. The decision for decisive wins elevated a lot of wrestlers on this show. Thus, the results felt like they had meaning. The match flow felt a little repetitive at times with a strong focus on working a body part and heroic kick-outs from finishers. Overall, the show was entertaining.

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