With a month of Dynamite behind us, we've reached the time for another AEW PPV. The card here is stacked top to bottom with matches that have been well-built and figure to be great. The TV has felt fresh and interesting in a way other companies have failed to capture, and that has reflected greatly on the build to this show. Every match has a reason to happen and the promos to build the show have been excellent across the board. So let's get to the lineup.
AEW World Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Cody
Shortly after Chris Jericho won the AEW World Championship at All Out, we found out that his first PPV title defense would come against Cody at Full Gear. On the very first episode of Dynamite, Jericho changed the calculus by introducing his "Inner Circle" comprised of Santana and Ortiz (the former LAX), Sammy Guevara, and Jake Hager. The Inner Circle spent the following weeks causing chaos in AEW, leading to more than a few massive brawls and promos that have ranged from passionate to hilarious. Tensions between the Inner Circle and the Elite have hit a boiling point going into this match, and Cody compounded the drama by announcing that if he cannot defeat Jericho then he will never challenge for the AEW World Championship again. Will Cody cut Jericho's inaugural reign short and shut down the Inner Circle? Or will Jericho end Cody's dreams of being world champion for good only one month into AEW's TV life?
Lights Out Match: Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega
At Double or Nothing, Jon Moxley made his AEW debut attacking Kenny Omega after the main event and leaving him laying after a vicious attack. The two were at each other's throats over the summer in what was supposed to culminate in a match at All Out, but a severe staph infection took Moxley out for over a month and he was forced off the show. Omega would go on to lose to PAC on that show, but the question of his rivalry with Moxley remained unanswered. The match was promptly rescheduled for Full Gear and the two men have spent the past month of television going after one another at every turn. The animosity reached such a high level that AEW management chose to make this match "Lights Out", which means it will be unsanctioned and anything goes. Omega has been trying to get his career back on track, while Moxley feels like he's being robbed of an opportunity for an official win. What will it mean for the match? As Moxley promised us last week, "beautiful, glorious wrestling violence".
AEW Women's Title: Riho (c) vs. Emi Sakura
After defeating Hikaru Shida at All Out, Riho carried her momentum into the debut of AEW Dynamite and defeated Nyla Rose to become the very first AEW Women's Champion. Carrying an undefeated singles record, Riho has proven tough to solve for the entire AEW women's roster regardless of her short stature. With her reliance on her wits, Riho has also overcome a challenge from Britt Baker on the road to Full Gear. But on this show she faces the woman who taught her all those tricks in joshi legend Emi Sakura. This week on Dynamite, Sakura became only the second woman in AEW to score a pinfall on Riho as she defeated the champion in a tag team match. Riho will need to pull out something new to overcome her mentor and ensure her reign as Women's Champion doesn't meet an early end.
AEW World Tag Team Championship: SCU (c) vs. Private Party vs. The Lucha Bros
After a month long tournament to determine the first ever AEW Tag Team Champions, the team of SCU, Kazarian and Scorpio Sky, defeated the Lucha Bros in the finals and captured the gold. Just a few short weeks earlier, the Lucha Bros attempted to derail SCU's run before it even started by assaulting and injuring Christopher Daniels before SCU's first round match with the Best Friends. Instead of falling apart, Scorpio Sky stepped in for Daniels and SCU shined brighter than they ever have on their way to winning the tournament. Also acquitting themselves well in the tournament, Private Party scored the biggest win of their careers when they unseated the top-seeded Young Bucks in the very first round. Both Private Party and The Lucha Bros get a chance to make their tournament defeats a distant memory and cut short the run of SCU, while Sky and Kazarian aim to prove their tournament run was no fluke.
Proud-N-Powerful (Santana and Ortiz) vs. The Young Bucks
As part of the ongoing feud between the Inner Circle and the Elite, the Young Bucks will meet the team formerly known as LAX for the first time in AEW at Full Gear. After brutally attacking the legendary Rock N Roll Express last week, Santana and Ortiz made it clear that they will do whatever it takes to make noise in AEW. Following that up with an attack on The Young Bucks later that night, PnP come into the PPV with all the momentum on their side. AEW announcers constantly refer to The Young Bucks as one of the best tag teams on the planet, but after an early exit from the Tag Title Tournament, Matt and Nick Jackson have something to prove in this match as they aim to put Santana and Ortiz behind them and refocus on the Tag Team Championships.
Hangman Page vs. PAC
Hangman and PAC have both had rocky years with AEW. First the two were scheduled to meet at Double or Nothing, but visa issues took PAC off of that show which left Hangman in the Casino Battle Royale. This downgrade hurt Hangman's hype over the summer, which was also stunted by some ill-fated matches that failed to show people why they should be excited about him as a potential world champion. This cloud carried all the way to All Out, where Hangman failed in his effort to be the first AEW Champion and fell to Chris Jericho. On that same show, PAC finally debuted in AEW and scored a huge victory over Kenny Omega. Finally, we saw these two meet in the ring on the first episode of Dynamite in a match that PAC would win under dubious circumstances. By hook or by crook, PAC goes into this rematch as one of the few men who are undefeated in singles competition in AEW and he aims to keep it that way and continue on towards a shot at the AEW World Championship. Hangman would love nothing more than to hand PAC his first L, and has promised us some "real cowboy shit" along the way.
Shawn Spears vs. Joey Janela
A relatively recent rivalry, Spears assaulted Janela following this week's episode of AEW Dark at the behest of his manager Tully Blanchard, even going so far as to shove cigarettes in Joey's mouth. After defeating Brandon Cutler on Dynamite this week, Spears tried to continue the assault but was run off by Janela. There isn't much to this feud so far, but Janela has already made his name in AEW by being willing to do anything and everything to put on a show and I expect this match with Spears will be no different.
Britt Baker vs. Bea Priestley
Following a rather nasty kick to the head and a concussion to show for it, Britt Baker has had her sights set on Bea Priestley since July. Tensions between the two continued to grow when they helped eliminated one another from the Casino Battle Royale at All Out. Now the two are finally set to meet on the Buy-In pre-show for Full Gear. With her Women's Championship challenge in the rear-view Baker has her full attention (and aggression) targeted on Priestley, who looks to make her AEW singles debut with a statement win over a top contender. (P.S. Britt Baker is a dentist in case you guys didn't know)
And that is the card. Most of the matches on the show figure to be great, and almost all of them have compelling stories feeding into them. On that note, I recommend everyone watch the Countdown special AEW put together for the show, as it does a great job highlighting the top matches on the show.
Also watch this Cody promo from this week's Dynamite because it rules and it will make you root for him even more (you can find other Dynamite clips on the YouTube page).
