AEW Full Gear, Sunday 19th November 2023, 12pm AEDT (Zero Hour pre-show at 10:30am *update*)

[nobbyiscool]

That main event was super weird. Did they do the whole pre-show angle and have Cole stand out there for half an hour to try and prove he's not the devil? Or was there no reason at all behind it?

So like AEW to not pay off the (devil) storyline on the PPV as well.

 

[Ry009]

You could have MJF injured and have him checked on during the main card and still get the same effect of thinking he could lose it.

Looking back, the whole Cole and hospital stuff was redundant IMO.

Disappointed we didn't get a payoff with the Devil storyline. Have Ospreay likely in the main card in the next 6 months. I'm all for the 'everyone gunning for MJF' angle for a short time providing it leads to him losing it.

Hope it doesn't jump the shark or get more convoluted.

Regardless, the event was good on the Deathmatch alone.

 

[Ry009]

Swerve, Hangman, MJF, Ospreay, Takeshita, White... Some serious talent with a lot of years left.

Credit to Jericho and the Elite for taking this death slot.

Add Starks too, but think he's probably one of the decent guys they would prefer to keep but will end up leaving.

 

[Mostyn]

No devil stuff is a bit of a bummer, but great show as always.

Yeah, I like the foreshadowing but it's not Tony's style to hotshot it on the same show.

 

[Mostyn]

That was such a good show, a couple of the matches were almost overwhelming. My god, that Swerve and Hangman match!

Plus some extraordinary spots. Literally jump out the seat moments.

 

[Planet14]

Having seen it play out, I am not sure about the thinking behind the MJF injury / Cole proposed substitution.

I am usually not a fan of doing an angle to make your audience doubt whether you will be delivering the match you expected them to pay for, that is straight out of late period WCW playbook. However, the manner in which it was done, and the fact that Cole was the sub, made it so obvious they were doing the "babyface triumphantly returns in the ambulance to make the match", I don't think it was particularly damaging.

The question is what was the purpose of doing it? It created a bit of intrigue throughout the show I guess, and the MJF's return got a big pop. But there was no further angle, MJF still won, Jay looks weaker because he couldn't beat an opponent on one leg, and the injury selling made it harder to have a good match. The did have a good match, and credit to them, but it could have been even better of MJF and Jay just went out there and did their thing.

The lack of some late in the match or post match angle relating to it leaves me confused as to why they bothered.

 

[Mostyn]

 

[Ry009]

Awesome stuff. Just hope they follow through with him and see him with the World Title in the next 6 months.

 

[Mostyn]

Awesome stuff. Just hope they follow through with him and see him with the World Title in the next 6 months.

He feels like the guy in the company that Max could drop it to.

 

[Shaxx Attaxx]

WOW. What a show.

Hangman and Swerve are insane.

Thank **** it was Osprey. Now just sign MJF!

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

Having seen it play out, I am not sure about the thinking behind the MJF injury / Cole proposed substitution.

I am usually not a fan of doing an angle to make your audience doubt whether you will be delivering the match you expected them to pay for, that is straight out of late period WCW playbook. However, the manner in which it was done, and the fact that Cole was the sub, made it so obvious they were doing the "babyface triumphantly returns in the ambulance to make the match", I don't think it was particularly damaging.

The question is what was the purpose of doing it? It created a bit of intrigue throughout the show I guess, and the MJF's return got a big pop. But there was no further angle, MJF still won, Jay looks weaker because he couldn't beat an opponent on one leg, and the injury selling made it harder to have a good match. The did have a good match, and credit to them, but it could have been even better of MJF and Jay just went out there and did their thing.

The lack of some late in the match or post match angle relating to it leaves me confused as to why they bothered.

It was overbooked. It resulted in a poor main event with MJF selling an injury.

Jay White is one of the best wrestlers on the planet. MJF is darn good too. Just let them go one on one with no injury gimmicks.

You can still have the fuc-kery at the end with the Gunns, Adam Cole and ring for the finish.

 

[Planet14]

He feels like the guy in the company that Max could drop it to.

The only impediment for Swerve is if they start a six month build in Feb to Osprey winning the title at Wembley. They may want to keep the belt on MJF until then or tradition so someone to set up a Wembley dream match. Osprey / AmDrag or Osprey / Omega.

 

[Planet14]

Now just sign MJF!

My tinfoil hat theory is MJF signed a year ago and they kept it quiet to create some drama when people think his contract is up. TK can then announce another huge re-signing after a non existent bidding war.

Tony investing so much in a guy who could walk next year would be, in the words is Sir Humphrey Appleby: courageous.

 

[mickelboy182]

I don't think the world title is a necessity to be a featured guy in AEW... Swerve and Hangman have been the best match on 2 of the last 3 PPVs without any gold involved, and their feud has been fantastic. People put too much importance on fake titles.

 

[TradeDraft]

The best part of NJPW guys moving across to AEW is it doesn't mean the end of them making NJPW appearances.

That why he probably signed with AEW and not TNA or WWE

 

[Planet14]

Don’t get me wrong, he’ll be a featured guy. However, to be the top guy, which he absolutely can be, he won’t be in that position without the belt.

 

[Mostyn]

I think someone needs to restate how incredible that match was.

If you like Texas Death Match as a style, you'll absolutely love what they did.

 

[Shaxx Attaxx]

That why he probably signed with AEW and not TNA or WWE

He’s way too big for TNA. Surely AEW and WWE outbid them easily and are a lot more attractive.

 

[Shaxx Attaxx]

Time for the AEW crowds to learn the lyrics to Elevated.

 

[nobbyiscool]

They've come this far without giving Swerve any of their meaningless secondary belts - they've gotta hold the line now, and he's gotta go through a babyface turn before he wins the main belt. He'll be ****ing huge as a babyface champ. Promos like that + beatings like he took today + Nana might just get him over as a face...

 

[nobbyiscool]

Having seen it play out, I am not sure about the thinking behind the MJF injury / Cole proposed substitution.

I am usually not a fan of doing an angle to make your audience doubt whether you will be delivering the match you expected them to pay for, that is straight out of late period WCW playbook. However, the manner in which it was done, and the fact that Cole was the sub, made it so obvious they were doing the "babyface triumphantly returns in the ambulance to make the match", I don't think it was particularly damaging.

The question is what was the purpose of doing it? It created a bit of intrigue throughout the show I guess, and the MJF's return got a big pop. But there was no further angle, MJF still won, Jay looks weaker because he couldn't beat an opponent on one leg, and the injury selling made it harder to have a good match. The did have a good match, and credit to them, but it could have been even better of MJF and Jay just went out there and did their thing.

The lack of some late in the match or post match angle relating to it leaves me confused as to why they bothered.

Not even! It's straight out of Monday Night Raw from the PC when they'd set up a main event, they'd throw it into doubt in the first segment, and then, lo and behold, we get the match.

 

[Shaxx Attaxx]

Add Starks too, but think he's probably one of the decent guys they would prefer to keep but will end up leaving.

Yeah I just have a feeling he’s going to go. In saying that, those guys are above Starks IMO.

 

[mickelboy182]

Yeah Starks is a rung below the others IMO

 

[Shaxx Attaxx]

Yeah Starks is a rung below the others IMO

No doubt. Would prefer he stays though. Love his team with Big Bill

 

[Blackhawk42]

I was a vocal critic of Hangman/Moxley death match from earlier this year. Thought it was massively overrated.

Hangman/Swerve might have just catapulted into my top 10 of all time. What an absolute war!

Also, I've never claimed to be knowledgeable of indie wrestling and didn't have a heap of context for a lot of AEW 'insider' references, but for some reason I knew Swerve had been involved in some crazy death matches in his time. The match being brutal wasn't so much of a surprise. The match being as brutal as it was was definitely surprising though.

Also, was everybody given a bit more rope on this show? Darby dropped 2 F bombs on the mic and the Texas Death Match was genuinely gruesome.