Full Gear 2022 Reactions This is my knee jerk reaction to the PPV. Keep in mind they may very well change by the time of our next recording given time to digest everything that happened on the show. In the meantime, here’s my two cents:
Jungle Boy Jack Perry v Luchasaurus-Steel Cage Match
Deliberate match pace, great work. Like the touch of camera inside the cage. Cage design growing on me. Like the rule of pin or submission as only way to win. Really shows the heart of JB taking heavy punishment. What an elbow from the top. Gotta say I felt emotional at the end. The shot of his sister crying got me. That was art and we all went for the ride with JB on his journey.
The Elite vs Death Triangle-AEW Trios Championship
Great moment for the Elite to return. Great music choice. Very appropriate theme of Carrying On from the infamous presser fight and from Punk. What a chant from the crowd "fuck CM Punk". How poetic the same crowd chanting for years for his return now celebrating his absence. Kenny looks healthy, rested and motivated. This is a confident Kenny. Moved beyond the injury, the turmoil and focused on his craft, and showcasing himself as one of the best in the business. The hammer shot is quite the finish. Interesting moral ambiguity for Penta and Rey. We better get ready to see this match 6 more times.
Nyla Rose vs Jade Cargill-TBS Championship
Great Eddie tribute on the low rider entrance and Vicki wearing Rhea Ripley's shirt on AEW TV. Sweet Thundercat makeup. The match had little fan engagement unfortunately. Hard to get people invested when they give them shitty story motivation. Either way glad Jade wins this one and let's get her a legit rivalry instead of flavors of the month and see how she does in a serious program. Unfortunately, this match was not PPV caliber to me, but I don't doubt the work both put into it.
Chris Jericho vs Claudio Castagnoli vs Sammy Guevara vs Bryan Danielson -ROH World Championship
Sammy gear is unfitting and speaks to him not having clear identity and why I cannot get behind him. Did not really care about this match. ROH needs to be its own thing, it is difficult to make that title feel like it should matter while in another wrestling company.
Saraya vs Britt Baker
Weird that Saraya came out first. Would have made her entrance last for the pop. Gutsy match for Saraya. Pace was slow, they did not try to do too much and with her neck I don't blame them. Crowd came and went but the match psychology was sound and it was a feel-good moment for her and her brother at the end. DMD did great working the neck and now let's see where she goes from here getting the first match out of the way. I hope she continues to grow in her comfort in the ring as gets more matches under her. It's promising from here.
Samoa Joe vs Powerhouse Hobbs vs Wardlow-TNT Championship
This might be my least favorite match. Didn't feel like it did anything for any of these guys, in fact felt it hurt Hobbs and Wardlow here. Hobbs is very good and I hope to see him with meaningful title matches unlike this one where he can continue to shine. Wardlow is one note to me right now. Joe didn't need this at all. Match could've been on Rampage and wasn't needed for the PPV.
Jericho segment...yawn. why get Renee if you won't use her for big shows? Schiavone can sit this one out.
Darby Allin and Sting vs Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal
I always appreciate the character work of Darby. He feels like the most well-developed character in AEW. It's a big reason why the crowd loves him. That apron spot was scary to watch. Hope Lethal is ok. Really liked the double team move from Sting and Darby on Singh. This did not need the no DQ stipulation. AEW rarely dq's to begin with so this felt unnecessary.
Toni Storm vs Jamie Hayter-AEW Women's Championship
Enough with interim.
Hayter has been on incredible roll over the summer. Fans have rallied behind her organically watching her in the ring. Good technical start to the match, markedly different than what was expected however it did get a lot more rugged as it went on. What a moment for Hayter, she's such a great talent and this furthers what will eventually be a nice rivalry with Britt for the title. Toni has nothing to hang her head about. She had a very nice title run and likely not the last. I could see her being the next opponent for Saraya as it'll be pivotal to keep her in ring with women who know what they're doing. And again I say GET RID OF THE INTERIM CRAP.
Swerve in our Glory vs The Acclaimed-AEW Tag Team Championship
Unfortunate positioning for this match, but it's a reality of having such a loaded show. I appreciate the tension among Swerve and Keith Lee. God I love The Acclaimed-Max Caster is great on the mic. The guard rail spot had to kill. Acclaimed have a real special connection with the crowd. Very natural. Invested in where Keith and Swerve go from here. It's had enough build and feels significant. Sidenote-I don't get why almost every match has some extra weapons. It feels stale when it happens most of the night and makes the refereeing look stupid for not disqualifying anyone.
MJF vs Jon Moxley-AEW World Championship
A Wedding Crashers quote comes to mind to describe MJFs entrance. If you know, you know. Again with foreign objects being used without disqualifying...is nothing illegal in AEW?! Anyway. Moxley with the attempted figure eight ala Charlotte Flair. The turn by Regal was lnt a surprise at all given the promos in the last month. It's fitting for MJFs character to win by nefarious means, but for some reason it felt like it didn't stick the landing. Match was good, but felt like something was missing. I find myself wondering just how much more significant it would've been if this was CM Punk instead of Moxley getting beaten. But we'll never know.
Tune into our Full Gear review episode for more thoughts what was an overall good show.