Nerd Watch Wednesday: AEW Full Gear 2019

Nov 13, 201916 min read

Updated: Jun 3, 2020

This week, the WSBF nerds are reviewing their first ever AEW PPV. The last one we watched was at Ross' stag after a particularly heavy night of wrestling and drinking inside the ring at the Resistance Gallery. This one was a lot less hectic as we watched and enjoyed from our own homes, awake and alert and not bruised from Daniel's swanton bombs.

If you want a recap on AEW before this show, head to our blog for the head to head scorecards against NXT, where we have reviewed the TV product for the past few weeks. This show features Cody v Jericho for the World Championship and a lights out unsanctioned main event between Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley.

Let's put it into sixth and enjoy Full Gear!

YOUNG BUCKS v PROUD & POWERFUL

By Ross Casey

First things first, when did LAX become Proud & Powerful? Which one is Hercules and which one is Paul Roma? Well - whichever one is which, they certainly don't like the Rock N'Roll Express, who they attacked last week and just so happen to be in the front row for this opening contest.

The match starts in a pretty fun way, with all four in the ring throwing bombs at eachother. Imagine a battle royal on WWE 2K where all four players are bashing square like madmen. Don't wanna be that guy, but JR immediately gets Santana and Ortiz mixed up, leaving Excalibur to pick up the pieces, like it's Jimmy Havoc in a seafood restaurant.

I enjoyed that Santana wasn't allowed to tag in when he used his hand to tag Ortiz's outreached foot. It sets their stall out as a company on what their rules for tag team wrestling are. Thumbs up, Matt Connolly!

Another ref talking point happens soon after, when the official did not see a genuine tag between the heels and sends Santana to the outside. The crowd boo, which is interesting. Why are they producing the heels this way? This is usually reserved to build frustration and sympathy for the face team.

We got a pretty cool visual of a Boston crab and camel clutch combination between all four men, recalling the matches between Guido, Super Crazy and Tajiri from ECW. I appreciated that. The tide turns when Nick Jackson attempts to kick Ortiz on the outside, but connects shin first with the steel post. That looked like it sucked!

We get an angle then of Santana throwing Matt Jackson into the Rock N'Roll Express in the front row. Someone watched their Wrestlemania XI VHS recently! What followed was a pretty long stretch of Nick Jackson selling said leg injury, which I thought he did a tremendous job with. Those who say that Bucks matches feature no selling simply haven't watched them for the past few years.

Jackson then uses his bad leg to hit a superkick, which I would usually question, but Ortiz sold it in such a comedic way, wobbling and withering back and forth with his arms behind his back, that I didn't care. Bloody hilarious. He should cast for the next Home Alone.

A fresh Matt tags in and takes P&P to suplex city. The match then truly goes into tag team overdrive, with a lack of tags but a huge upturn in pace and moves that is simply amazing to watch, if a little impossible to recap - apologies!

Ortiz starts chewing the top rope at some point - I'm not sure why - but he's not showing off. He takes a double superkick to the back of the head for his troubles. The Bucks look set to win, but Nick takes a comedy fall off the ropes like JT Smith when trying to do a Meltzer Driver due to his bad leg. STORYTELLING!

The now heavily limping Nick Jackson pulls off some incredible moves before eventually falling to the Street Sweeper as P&P pick up the win. Great match this, good storytelling, clean wrestling and lots of nods to past heroes.

Post-match the Inner Circle attack again before the Rock N'Roll Express save the day, culminating in Ricky Morton hitting a very awkward looking destroyer on Santana. Cue more Home Alone selling. The heels won, but the faces got their own back to send the crowd into the second match happy.

WINNERS - PROUD & POWERFUL BY STREET SWEEPER

ADAM PAGE v PAC

By Matt Connolly

Okay. So very happy with what I have been given this week. It's AEW's blue chip prospect Hangman Page taking on Newcastle's own PAC. I love Page. His look is the thing that draws me to him most. He looks like he would of been the top guy in any era.

PAC is out first. His run in AEW has been good. He hasn't ascended to the title picture just yet but you have to imagine it will be sooner rather than later. My favourite thing about his AEW presentation is that he is billed at 206lbs. Making slight gains now he isn't tied into a weight based division. He has some fireworks and looks intense. Standard.

Page next. I love his goofy horse video that accompanies him. His music is fairly generic but over time it might work. He's looking like the stud he is. Bell rings and a quick start as the two men charge each other! Page takes control early showing that babyface fire and throws right hands and chops before flinging his opponent to the outside. Crowd on board early doors.

Page shoots him into the barriers and is well on top. When they return to the ring Page hits a fallaway slam. Similar to his pump handle deadlift. It's one of hit crispest moves in my opinion but only when he follows it up with that ridiculous bridge pin. After PAC again retreats to the outside Page hits a vicious suicide dive and is well on top here. JR has an issue with Excalibur calling it a Tope Suicida and notes that he will be using the English name. Whatever Jim.

Page hits a short armed clothesline that reminds me why I love him so much. He seems to always be improving. Now he hits the Pump Handle Deadlift into the bridging pin. It's only a two this time but so far so good for Hangman. This is until the ref gets way to close to the action and misses PAC using the ropes across Page's face for the turn around in momentum. Just another shit ref. We then go through a spell of PAC dominance. It's mean and methodical and the crowd don't like it in the best way possible. The change in persona from his early Neville days is so clear to see at moments like this. Every pin exerts more physical pressure. Every hold a grimace on his face. When he deviates from this and tries to go aerial it goes wrong for him.

A missed Phoenix splash allows Page a breather. Page nails strikes including a beautifully fierce lariat. A spinebuster gets him a two. "Cowboy Shit" rings around the arena as the fans begin to rally behind Page. There are whispers of duelling chants but the fact that generally the crowd backs their babyfaces and boos their heels is another reason why AEW is made for me. When the action spills to the outside Page shows his versatility by hitting a textbook top rope moonsault on PAC.

Page lines up for the buckshot lariat to end this and hit the showers early but PAC retreats to the outside. Top Heel. Page stalks him but PAC was playing possum and nails Page with a beautiful ugly suplex through a steel chair. That looked horrendous and awesome! PAC has to instruct the ref to start counting Page out because refs are trash but Page returns at the last possible moment to keep this one going. PAC hits a shotgun dropkick plum through Page for a two count followed by some nasty kicks to keep our hero down. As the announcement of 15 minutes passing is heard Page is able to stem the flow of the attack as he clips PAC's feet whilst he attempts another aerial attack. Page pops himself up top and chucks PAC across the ring to Oohs and Aahs.

Then a sequence of both Men landing massive moves. PAC a snap German, Page a Pop Up Powerbomb. Both men's back's have took a hammering here. Page looks for Deadeye but PAC reverses into a version of The Brutalizer. Excellent transition there. Must be in the final stretch. Page collapses but as he does grabs the bottom rope to break the move. CLOSE!

The finish is really fun. PAC goes up top but yet again fails to connect. He has a 25% hit ratio from up there. He's gotta review the videotape and find a new strategy. Page lines up the buckshot lariat but PAC grabs him and charges at the ref. He wants to create a distraction so as he can hit a low blow, echoes of their last match, but Page scouts it and is able to block it and hit a thunderous lariat. Dead Eye. 1 - 2 - 3. Page clearly did his homework and gets the win. What a Freak!

WINNER - ADAM PAGE BY DEAD EYE LARIAT

SHAWN SPEARS v JOEY JANELA

By JCH

Here comes the Chairman. Seriously. I believe Tully Blanchard means something to people who like the Four Horseman. Not much to me. Followed by Joey Janela. Another I’m not enamoured with. Basically this is my second match on the card as I fill in, so not getting my faves here.

The opening section of the match is Spears trying to use Blanchard distractions to attack Janela, but Janela is one step ahead of him. The tide turns when Spears catches Janela coming off the ropes into a nice power slam on to the floor.

Janela had to tell bloody Hebner to get out the way when trying to exit the ring. The match carries on with mainly Spears working a methodical style and Janela having moment of hope that are then stopped by Spears. Spears tries a timeout on the outside at one point and Janela dives on to him. The next Spears near fall sees Tull shouting at Hebner ‘Earl count faster’.

I automatically like Tully Blanchard a lot more now. J.R says Tully looks like Greg Popovich. It is the best thing he’s done in years. Janela has an offensive stretch before he’s distracted by Tully and Spears drops him on the top rope. More Tully distracting and Spears unhooks a turnbuckle pad. As the ever observant Hebner is fixing this Spears and Tully hit an assisted spike piledriver on the outside.

Spears hits his finish, dunno what it is? The Recliner? The Takeover? The Vote of No Confidence? This was a match I will not remember. Proof of this being this was the 2nd time I’d watched it and didn’t remember any of it.

WINNER - SHAWN SPEARS BY A POSSIBLE RECLINER

AEW TAG TEAM CHAMPIOSNHIP MATCH: SO CAL UNCENSORED (C) v PRIVATE PARTY v LUCHA BROS

By Larry Csonka

We didn't have a taker for this match. So here is the review from WSBF favourite Larry Csonka...

WINNERS - AND STILL AEW TAG CHAMPS, SO CAL UNCENSORED BY WHATEVER LARRY SAID

AEW WOMENS'S CHAMPIONSHIP: RIHO (C) v EMI SAKURA

By JCH

I’m a big fan of Emi from her work in EvE. I don’t like Queen though, so this is a slight downside. Emi has tears in her eyes as Riho comes out. This is the 269th match they’ve been involved in. 32 singles matches. Great stats from Excalibur. From what I can tell Gatoh Move is wrestled in almost a living room and the fans are watching through the windows. So for these two to have gone from wrestling there to here is a great achievement and explains Emi’s emotion.

Some early highlights include Emi’s crossbody through the ropes that has seen her nearly put many an opponent through the resistance gallery wall and a double stomp down on to the apron from Riho. Emi channels her inner Freddie Mercury whilst rolling into multiple surfboards. An impressive feat. It’s pace vs power, Riho trying to use her speed to avoid and attack Emi, who when she catches her, her power moves look devastating especially due to the size discrepancy. The tilt-a-whirl backbreaker looked particularly brutal.

J.R just forgets how to talk at this point and gets so annoyed with himself. We get a very nice striking exchange, Emi showing off her own speed with a vicious combination. Sakura ducks Riho’s running knees, so she carries on jumps on to the turnbuckle and lands a stomp coming back off the ropes. That was slick. Loved it.

The finishing stretch is fucking great. It is a mixture of counters and pinfalls at a ridiculous pace. Check it out. A really good match. I think was my favourite match on the card. That or the opener was my live opinions. Top stuff.

WINNER - STILL AEW WOMEN'S CHAMPION, RIHO BY FUCKING GREAT FINAL STRETCH

AEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: CHRIS JERICHO (C) v CODY

By RJF

So here we are, the last sanctioned match on the card. Cody our first, what a theme song, I listen to it at least once a day! Brandi has let herself go a bit, oh no wait, it’s MJF accompanying Cody to the ring. Crowd are big time into Cody.

Next here come the youngest ever AEW champion, a man that was born to be AEW champion, le champion Chris Jericho, accompanied by Jake Hager.

Huge intro into this match, a lot on the line. Not just the championship, but also if Cody loses he won’t ever challenge for the title again. 60 minute time limit and if we go the distance a panel of 3 judges will determine the winner. The judges are Dean Malenko, Arn Anderson and the Great Muta.

Jericho retreats from the get go. Heads back to the ring and a slow methodical start from both men. Cody drops to the canvas for the right hand sending Jericho to the ground before he rolls out of the ring.

Both men setting this methodical pace, signs of things to come... will we go the 60 minutes? Jericho is sent to the outside leading to a suicide dive from Cody. That’s the first piece of real offence so far in this match up.

Cody takes control and starts to work over the right arm of Jericho, he’s looking to remove the threat of the Judas affect. Power slam from Cody for a 2 count. Cody sends Jericho to the elevated ramp outside the ring, lining up another dive....

Jericho gets out the way and Cody face plants into the steel ramp, that looks painful. Now here comes the blood! Cody has a huge gash above his eye, I’m not sure that’s how he planned on getting colour in this one but it sure did work!

The doctor is trying to patch up Cody, are we heading to a doctors stoppage? Of course not, Cody won’t give up that easily. Jericho throws Cody to the outside and distracts the ref as Hager takes down Cody, MJF is not amused. Let’s be honest, Hager’s deadpan look all the time is great.

Jericho on top now and continues to work over Cody. But Cody tries the moonsault to get back into it, no one home, Jericho with the pin, 1, 2, kick out before the 3.

Jericho is now working over the back and the ribs of Cody, stretching him out whenever he can. Cody gets a counter in with the hip toss but Jericho comes straight back with a drop kick to keep the upper hand.

Here comes the lionsault from Jericho but Cody gets the knees up! Now Cody hits the Diamond Cutter... 1, 2, no! Kick out from Le Champion. Cody powers up and gets the upper hand now. This may not be high pace but it sure is high intensity and some good story telling.

Cody sends Jericho to the outside. But Jericho attacks the ribs again and Cody hits the ground instantly. Jericho gets in the face of Cody’s mum who is sitting ringside, Cody is having none of it and hits the spear out of nowhere. Mother Cody gets a few dig in on Jericho before a hug with Cody.

Back in the ring, Cody gets some offence in for a near fall before applying the figure four. But Jericho manages to roll over and reverse the submission. Cody makes the ropes. Now Hager gets involved slapping Cody and jumps up onto the apron.

Cody reverses Jericho into Hager before getting the roll up. Jericho kicks out sending Cody in the direction of Hager who slaps him again. The ref didn’t see it but she’s had enough, ejecting Hager to the back. MJF starts singing goodbye to him. Classic MJF, loves a good sing song!

Hager attacks MJF and the ref is distracted as Jericho hits Cody with the belt. Jericho then instantly hits the deck so he can pretend like nothing happened. He crawls as if he’s hurt for the pin. 1, 2, no! Another kick out from Cody.

Jericho lines up for the Judas affect... but it’s blocked by Cody! Into the cross roads! This could be it, 1, 2, No! Another near fall, it’s not everyday someone kicks out from the Cross Roads!

After some yay boo exchanges in the middle of the ring, Cody finally has the upper hand for the first time in what feels like forever. This slow methodical match is beginning to drag on a little in my opinion.

But Jericho gets back on top with a Code Breaker from nowhere, or should we call it a Cody Breaker? Another slow exchange ends with both men on the top rope, Cody looks for the Rana from the top but Jericho blocks it, straight into the walls of Jericho, that was an inventive spot.

Cody makes the ropes. He looks in a lot of pain. After another exchange in the middle of the ring, Jericho gets the wall applied again. And wait... what’s that in MJF’s hand? A towel? He wouldn’t would he???

Jericho stomps the head of Cody with the walls still applied, he’s really got this locked in. MJF has seen enough! He throws in the towel! Jericho retains and Cody can never challenge for the title again! Wow, thats not how I expected this one to end, I thought MJF would be involved but not by throwing in the towel on Cody’s behalf!

This crowd is not impressed as Jericho heads to the ramp to celebrate with the inner circle and MJF is left in the ring almost in tears with Cody. MJF cries but Cody cannot look at him. Finally he turns and takes his shoulder as if to forgive him.

Oh my MJF just boots him in the dick! There’s the heel turn that has been teased for a while now! MJF begins to chuckle to himself as the crowd go nuts. They hate this guy. So much so that he is doused in drinks on his way up the ramp. Someone’s beer hits him square on the chest.

All in all, I would say that match could have gone about 10 minutes less and told the same story, it dragged a little. That being said it was still decent and great story telling, all building up to MJF turning on Cody. Lovely stuff.

WINNER - AND STILL AEW WORLD CHAMPION, CHRIS JERICHO BY MJF TOWEL PLOY

UNSANCTIONED LIGHTS OUT MATCH: KENNY OMEGA v JON MOXLEY

By Dom Van Dam

“Some people say what I do isn’t wrestling. I say what I do is better than wrestling.” Necro Butcher

G’day lads and welcome to your unofficial, unsanctioned main event of the evening here at AEW Full Gear. A main event in which John Moxley has promised the audience “beautiful, glorious wrestling violence,” and that’s exactly what we got dear reader.

But before I continue

One moment’s reprieve

I grant you dear audience

The chance to leave

For my recap this week is not a live blog, giving you the back and forth of this match. It is instead written from my hazy memories of the match that I watched 3 days ago. The truth of the matter is, that I did think to make some notes whilst I watched it, but I was having too much fun to pick up the pen. Hell, I was having too much fun to even pick up my phone, which is an extremely rare occurrence whilst watching wrestling in 2019. So what follows are simply my feelings, my memories, my emotions.

“I don’t know why I like it. I just always have.” Yes just like Blaustein in the opening lines of “Beyond the Mat” I have a confession to make. I love garbage wrestling.

I really like it here and there

I really like it everywhere

I really like it one on one

I fucking love a staple gun

I like it bloodstained, I like it rough

I watched all Ambrose’s CZW stuff

Keep your science, keep your catch

I’ll have the crab juice and a death match

In our main event this evening Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega had one of the most deathly of matches I remember on a televised, mainstream (whatever, don’t @ me) wrestling show. The story has been simmering like a crock pot in Winter for months now. Moxley has entered AEW with a mantra of destruction and in his own mind he thought it best to target the superstar who he has consistently heard is “The Best Wrestler in the World.” Ambrose termed his previous life in the WWE as like being in prison and now that Mox has been released it’s clear he has not been even the slightest bit rehabilitated.

Omega on the other hand has different motivations for seeking out a “Lights Out” match with Moxley. He is conflicted in his role in AEW. On the one hand he wants to be “The Best Bout Machine” and feel free to express himself artistically through his athleticism. However, being an

executive Vice President of the company means that he also has to toe the corporate line somewhat. But there’s something else with Kenny recently.

A diligent viewer would see the pain in Kenny’s face. I can’t quite put my finger on whether his crisis comes from the previously mentioned conflict of interests, his recent win-loss record being less than stellar, or even just a downright hatred for Moxley, but one gets the feeling that Omega has some untold darkness inside of him which he has been looking to release. And it seems to suit The Cleaner just fine, to be able to use Moxley’s recent attacks as an excuse to embrace the monster within.

The match is a brawl. There are very few periods in the 40 odd minutes when one of the competitors goes on a run of extended offensive dominance. Instead the ascendency see-saws back and forth and up and down with each new high spot. If you are playing the death match drinking game at home you will be feeling a bit tipsy by the end of the: mousetraps, broken glass, barbed wire bats, barbed wire brooms, barbed wire circus nets, tables, screwdrivers, and even the exposed ring boards.

“”Better be with the dead…than on the torture of the mind to lie in restless ecstasy.” - Macbeth 3.2.19

Sometimes the idea of a Death Match is confusing. Because on the one hand the narrative is hatred between 2 competitors that requires weapons, but on the other hand no one wants to actually commit a homicide. People ask me, well if he had the screwdriver, why didn’t he just stab him in the eye and murder him to win? It’s because there is an unspoken system of honour involved in a death match. Like the Bushido code, the true reason you are there is to prove your own toughness and resilience rather than completely ruin someone else’s career.

Entering a death match is a challenge to yourself as much as your opponent, what can I withstand and still keep fighting? I know that my opponent is going to inflict torture on my body, with the aim to make me “cry Hold! Hold!” that’s enough. But if they came straight at my peepers with an ice pick, well that would be too quick, too simplistic and not at all within the “beautiful, glorious, wrestling violence” that Moxley and Omega have delivered.

If you want to know what happened; Moxley wins with an elevated paradigm shift onto the exposed ring boards. But it won’t count to win loss records, so it probably doesn’t really mean much to anyone watching, reading or the company itself. What was important was the absolute refusal of both of these men to quit because they wanted to inflict more damage on their opponent. A loss may provide relief from “the tortures of the mind” one goes through in a match like this, but the ambition that drove these 2 men to carry on was just too strong for someone to submit, until Omega was finally knocked unconscious. Moxley gets the pin, but I think that both men got what they wanted.

Drink lots of water and look after your mates.

WINNER - JON MOXLEY BY AN ELEVATED PARADIGM SHIFT ON EXPOSED RING BOARDS