Chair Shots With Killem Faulkner: Full Gear Preview Dynamite

With one last Dynamite before Full Gear on Saturday, AEW needed to bring its A game to cement fan excitement and make sure it gets as many pay-per-view buys as possible. The AEW World Champion came face-to-face with his challenger, a monumental in-ring return was confirmed, and the #1 contender’s tournament for a title shot at Winter is Coming continued. Elsewhere on the card, the interim women’s champ and the trios champs each got a tune-up ahead of their next title defense, and a fatal four-way turned into a tag match and a tag match turned into a singles match (and a rap video). Which matches and moments got the crowd extra hyped for Full Gear, and which had fans penciling in a bathroom break ahead of the stacked pay-per-view?

Best Match of the Night

This show was fairly unique in that it didn’t end with a match but a promo segment, so from an in-ring perspective there was no risk of the main event overshadowing the rest of the card. With that said, there was a lot of quality wrestling on this show without anything really standing head and shoulders above the rest. I’m going to pick my favorite three and put them in some order based on perceived quality, but really all three were about equally good. Let’s start with the opening match, why not, which was a good match between four wrestlers we’ve seen paired off a lot over the past year or so. Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara vs. Claudio Castagnoli and Bryan Danielson may not be a fresh matchup, but considering all four men will contend for the Ring of Honor championship at Full Gear, it was a natural match to make. Jericho’s desperation to retain his championship (despite the obvious disdain he has for it) was on full display here as he sought to bring Floyd the Bat into play early and often. Claudio looked like the biggest threat to Jericho from a physical standpoint, taking the Ayatollah of Rock and Rollah for a ride on the Big Swing and tapping out the dishonorable heel with the Sharpshooter. Guevara did some flips, Danielson tried to kick people’s heads off, and overall this match was exactly what you’d expect from the four men involved. About the only thing I would have liked a bit more of is an emphasis on the subplots heading into the four-way match on Saturday – as I mentioned last week, I’m not entirely sure what Sammy is doing in this match other than evening out the face-heel dynamic, and while Danielson is a former RoH champion in his own right, he doesn’t have much incentive here other than proving himself to those young whippersnappers Wheeler Yuta and Sammy Guevara. I would have liked it if Danielson’s intensity had caused friction with Castagnoli or if Guevara had teased that he might go into business for himself in order to take the title. These subplots may play out during the match on Saturday, but some if that here would have made the upcoming match feel more interesting rather than relying on two men having storyline reasons to want to fight for the championship while the other two are just along for the ride. Still, the four-way match should be a fun mid-card diversion, and this match was a good preview of what to expect.

Anthony Bowens vs. Swerve Strickland was also a really good match to preview their upcoming tag title showdown on Saturday. Bowens brought the physicality but Strickland lived up to his “sneaky Swerve” nickname with some underhanded tactics to keep his opponent reeling. Strickland and Lee are likely to break up in the near future so their respective singles careers can officially kick off in AEW, so it makes sense to play up his vicious side in a match like this. Lee may be the muscle of the team, but Swerve showed his villainous mastermind side by winning with strategy and cunning rather than overwhelming physical strength. That’s not to say his moves didn’t land with impact – his stomps and kicks especially looked like they could have taken his opponent’s head off or caved his chest in. It’s clear that his savvy as an in-ring veteran and his cerebral approach to the grappling game are his biggest assets, and while Bowens is a skilled wrestler in his own right, he’s just not on that level yet. That doesn’t mean he and Max Caster will fall short on Saturday – full predictions in a moment – but his preferred strategy seems to be based on having a partner rather than going it alone at this point in his career.

The best match of the night by a small margin was the trios title match between Death Triangle and Top Flight with AR Fox. First and foremost, it was awesome to see Darius Martin back in the ring after a second significant injury in his short AEW career. It would be great if AEW starts to build them up again after Dante got over in his brother’s absence and then seemed to cool off for no reason – the tag division could always use some more quality depth. It was also really cool to have Fox appear in AEW – as the broadcast team mentioned, he’s long been an influential figure for high fliers on the indies, so it makes sense that he would team with the Martin brothers who likely looked up to him as they came up in the wrestling industry. As you’d expect with Top Flight and the Lucha Brothers, there was plenty of fast-paced, high-flying action that really got the Bridgeport, CT crowd into the match. Top Flight went out of their way to make Fox look good, setting him up for a cutter on PAC and clearing the ring for him to hit a 450 splash. Of course, he was ultimately the one to eat the pin because he’s the least established wrestler in the match and the champs definitely weren’t losing, but I would be surprised if this was the last we see of AR Fox in AEW. Death Triangle looked to be on the same page despite their recent disagreements vis a vis using small hammers to injure their opponents – PAC pro, Fenix anti, Penta ??? – with the finish involving Penta and Fenix teaming up to hit Fear Factor and PAC hitting the Black Arrow to finish off Fox. Post-match we got what seemed like a tease for the Elite to challenge Death Triangle for the titles that merged into a fairly underwhelming confirmation that yep, that’s exactly what we’re getting at Full Gear. Seriously, couldn’t we have ended this segment with PAC being like “well, if there’s any group of three prominent individuals who haven’t been seen in AEW recently who want to challenge us on Saturday night, we’ll be waiting” and walking off while whistling nonchalantly? Did we really need a match graphic to confirm what everyone already suspected? Especially since Kenny  Omega and the Young Bucks absolutely were not showing up, it seemed like an optimal time for a tease rather than a reveal. Aside from that minor quibble, this was the best and most fun match of the night, and it’s good to see the trios titles being featured again.

Best Moment of the Night

There were several great moments on this show, and before I get to the more notable developments, I just want to highlight a moment from a segment that wasn’t great overall but was itself pretty cool. As I mentioned last week but will not link to again because there’s a link to last week’s review earlier in this article that if you missed will be a fun little scavenger hunt for you, I’m not really sold on this Wardlow/Samoa Joe/Powerhouse Hobbs feud, though I’m sure it’ll lead to a good match between three of the biggest, most powerful wrestlers on the roster. I just feel like a Wardlow/Hobbs feud was initially teased, which would have been great considering Hobbs had basically nothing going on after he moved on from his rivalry with Ricky Starks, but he was overshadowed by Joe turning on his long-term best buddy short-term random tag partner, and that overshadowing continued this week. However, Wardlow‘s dive over the top ropes onto a mass of wrestlers who were trying to break up the three-way brawl was impressive enough to almost save the segment. Almost, but not completely.

Anyway, on to the actual good stuff. MJF and Jon Moxley‘s face-off that closed the show was really good, though again it didn’t do much that hadn’t already been done in the feud up to this point. That said, the further hints that MJF and William Regal might join forces to screw over Moxley were exciting, and Mox saying his love for fighting is actually a sickness, not something the fans should cheer, was also a great line. His overall point about being a man disillusioned by the violence needed to remain on top the way he has also lends credence to the idea that MJF will take home the gold at Full Gear, as Mox seemingly doesn’t care about winning or losing but just wants to feel something and plans to draw out the most extreme version of MJF in pursuit of that goal. He momentarily forgot which day the pay-per-view is on (which is real because I originally thought it was on Sunday too) but that only served to highlight how checked out he is. Friedman channeled a certain former rival (more on that in a moment) and said he needs the title more than he needs food, water, or oxygen, which reminded me of the desperation Stone Cold expressed in the lead-up to Wrestlemania X-7, which famously ended with Austin making “a deal with the devil” so I have to imagine that’s an intentional callback on MJF’s part. The Firm’s involvement was fairly irrelevant, but it keeps that seed of doubt about whether this is all an elaborate ruse and they’ll end up helping MJF win – I mean, why would they interrupt Mox except to allow MJF to look good by fighting them off? Anyway, this segment mainly accomplished what it needed to, though it didn’t have to do that much to get people excited for what will certainly be the main event of Full Gear.

A segment that had more heavy lifting to do, in my opinion, was Britt Baker‘s fiery promo ahead of her match with Saraya. It was interesting that she made such a point of how she built AEW’s women’s division, which is the kind of rhetoric typically reserved for a babyface, but it made sense in context of her not wanting to let another newcomer push her off her perch. Saraya’s response later in the show was decent enough, but in my opinion the good doctor did more to sell their match on this night. I know Saraya’s return to in-ring competition is exciting in and of itself, but considering there is nothing on the line besides pride, they needed to emphasize how much this match matters both personally and professionally, and I feel like Baker nailed it.

If I was writing an objective wrestling review with match quality ratings and analytical metrics, the Baker promo would probably have gotten match of the night. Because this is just my silly review segment in which I talk nonsense about wrestling and award things that I like because that’s just what I do, I’m giving best moment of the night to the return of Captain Insano! Yeah, Paul Wight’s character in the all-time Adam Sandler classic The Waterboy made his triumphant return in the Acclaimed’s music video for their diss track “A Hand for a Hand” ahead of their title defense against Swerve in Our Glory at Full Gear. For anyone in the audience old enough to remember that cinematic masterpiece, this was easily the biggest (and cheapest) pop of the night. I feel bad for any of my younger readers who may not have experienced the comedic majesty of Bobby Boucher playing “foosball” but I know one man who doesn’t feel bad, and that’s Captain Insano himself because Captain Insano shows no mercy!

Worst Matches/Moments of the Night

There weren’t any bad matches on this show – Ethan Page vs. Bandido was better than you might have expected given how short it was, and Toni Storm vs. Anna Jay (who was subbed in at the last minute as the Bunny was apparently unable to compete) was decent despite having very little drama as Storm is already scheduled to defend the interim championship against Jamie Hayter – and I can’t think of any segments or moments that really didn’t work either. The build to Full Gear may not have been perfect, but the go-home show delivered from start to finish.

Parting Shots

• I know this absolutely isn’t happening, so don’t blame me if you get your hopes up, but I just feel like all of the recent developments with Colt Cabana competing on Dynamite, the Elite returning, and now MJF referencing Punk with his “while you’re laying there hopefully in a ton of pain” and “the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist” lines directed at Jon Moxley would make the perfect setup for the Second City Saint’s return to AEW as a pissed-off heel. Think about it: Punk could morph into the bitter old man that so many in the audience already see him as, complaining about being shackled to a company he no longer wants to work for, putting up with a roster that resents him and an audience that no longer reveres him. Cabana, the Elite, and MJF have thrived in his absence, he could argue, in direct defiance of his own wishes, and since Tony Khan doesn’t have the money, the balls, or both to send him home, he’s back to take out his own misery on those who have wronged him. Ideally, I would have Punk cost MJF the title (or at least cut his celebration short after winning the championship) but I suspect that he’s too far off from an in-ring return at this point (physically and probably also mentally) but Adam Cole disbanded the Undisputed Elite despite still being injured, so if something could be worked out financially Punk could at least make his intentions known and cut a follow-up promo on next week’s Dynamite before going away again to heal up. Again, I want to emphasize that this absolutely will not happen at Full Gear. I doubt Punk will ever return to AEW at this point. I’m just saying that the ingredients are there for an absolutely perfect (and incredibly buzzworthy) return that is disappointingly off the table, and that is Punk’s own fault. He could be the biggest heel and one of the most over wrestlers in the company if he would just recognize the opportunity, bury the hatchet with Omega and the Bucks, and apologize to Tony Khan for his unprofessionalism, but I don’t really see any of those things happening.
• Speaking of things that are virtually certain not to happen at Full Gear, here are my official predictions! If you want to know what to expect on Saturday, read on and then expect the exact opposite because I am notoriously terrible at predicting these things! Here we go:
  • The Elite defeat Death Triangle to win the AEW Trios Championships
  • The Acclaimed retain their AEW World Tag Team Championships against Swerve in Our Glory – possibly with Swerve turning on Lee after or during the match (I think that’s going to happen one way or another but that’s a separate prediction so don’t hold me to it)
  • Wardlow retains the TNT Championship against Samoa Joe and Powerhouse Hobbs – I would like to see Hobbs win the title, but if Wardlow pins Joe to retain, I think we could still see a solo feud in the future (also, I assume this match is happening, but I missed a specific mention of it in Excalibur’s trademark fast-talking rundown of the pay-per-view card, so if it ends up being something else or if this match ends up not happening, this prediction doesn’t count and in fact should count as a double win for me because I need all the help I can get in the prediction game)
  • Chris Jericho retains the Ring of Honor World Championship against Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson, and Sammy Guevara
  • Sting and Darby Allin defeat Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal in the bathroom break match of the night
  • Jade Cargill retains (or regains, to be more accurate) the TBS Championship against Nyla Rose
  • Saraya defeats Dr. Britt Baker DMD
  • Jamie Hayter defeats Toni Storm to win the interim AEW Women’s World Championship and drive a major wedge between herself and Baker, which should be the next feud that could potentially kick off immediately after this match with Baker attacking her former protégé out of jealousy and frustration over losing while Hayter is winning her first title
  • Jungle Boy Jack Perry defeats Luchasaurus in a steel cage match
  • MJF defeats Jon Moxley to win the AEW World Championship, probably via association with William Regal and/or the Firm
• We’ll probably get another match or two – we were supposed to have the finals in the eliminator tournament for the #1 contendership at Winter is Coming, but the first round matchup of Lance Archer vs. Ricky Starks had to be delayed to Friday’s Rampage so I’m not sure how they could have a semifinal and then final match before Full Gear. I guess they could put Ricky Starks vs. Brian Cage on the buy-in show and then Starks vs. Ethan Page on the main show (yes, that is what I am officially predicting) in which case I would guess Page wins if MJF doesn’t turn heel and Starks wins if he does. That’s a pretty lame prediction, but we haven’t even gotten confirmation that any of this stuff is still planned – we have time before Winter is Coming, so they could easily just move the schedule back a bit and have the finals on Dynamite in a couple of weeks. Full Gear will absolutely not suffer from having one fewer match than AEW may have originally planned.

That’s all for another week – good show ahead of Full Gear, which looks like it will be another solid AEW pay-per-view. The build to this show may not have been an all-time great, but there look to be plenty of great matches full of potential on the card. I hope everyone enjoys Full Gear, and I hope you’ll all join me again next week for more Chair Shots!