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THE AEW FULL GEAR PPV TIP SHEET IS NOW ONLINE

This Saturday night, All Elite Wrestling will present their Full Gear Pay Per View from Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida.  Here's our take on what will happen at the show.

NWA Women's World Champion Serena Deeb vs. Allysin Kay

Dave: I see no reason to do a Title change here.  Plus, Deeb needs time to see what she can do with the Title.  She wins.

Mike:  One talent is signed here.  The other is not.  Deeb will get the win, but if Kay can impress (and I can't see how she won't), she'll be back.  

Cory: I expect a fantastic match where Serena retains.

Anthony: This has the potential to be the sleeper of the night. Deeb and Kay both had the top women’s matches this year against Thunder Rosa. Deeb has been one of the best stories of 2020 and I fully expect her to retain in an excellent match.

Richard:  I am really happy that this is on the Buy In, even though I wish it would be on the PPV proper.  I have had a chance to see dozens of Allysin Kay matches live at Shine and Deeb has been great in her matches on AEW TV and Youtube so far.  If they could find a way to put Leyla Hirsch in the match, I might want to see this more than half the matches announced for the PPV.  If this leads to a series of matches between Deeb and Kay, I expect this to be a great first chapter.  Kay will come close to regaining the NWA Championship, but Deeb will retain.  PINKIES UP!!!

John Silver vs. Orange Cassidy

Dave: They have really blown the Cassidy push.  He was really being elevated during his feud with Jericho and now he is in this match?  He needs to win this one very easily.  Nothing against Silver but he should not be overly competitive in this bout.

Mike: John Silver is evolving into AEW's answer to South Park's Tweak and I am all for it.  The dude is great.  However, this will be a make the crowd happy opener that sees Cassidy win with all his signature stuff.

Cory:  As I said on this week's After Party, John Silver's character is over with me as the little bodybuilder who is super highly stressed. However, I don't know as I have ever seen him win a match, and Orange Cassidy is supposed to be one of their bigger attractions. I look for this to be a comedy match that Cassidy wins

Anthony:  So we’ve gone from Orange wrestling the co main event against Chris Jericho to struggling to get in the main show. He’s overexposed. Silver is doing everything he can to get over on his own and I applaud him for it. He can lose here and drop no credibility as he’s on the rise. Cassidy needs this to maintain his. It’s unfortunate how he’s found himself in need of a win here.

Richard:  How is Ricky Starks not on this pay per view?  John "Buzz" Silver has been an intriguing character in the Dark Order because everyone beats him up.  Cassidy should win this match.  Where is Lance Archer on this PPV?

AEW Women's Champion Hikaru Shida vs. Nyla Rose.

Dave: The problem with the putting the Title on Rose is getting it off of her.  She is like the Andre The Giant of the division in that respect.  So, it makes sense to keep the belt where it is.  Plus, the match is pretty cold, kind of just thrown on the card.

Mike:  I don't foresee a title change here, just a fun hero overcoming the monster brawl.  They should let Vickie get a good promo to build this during the Buy-In.

Cory:  There has been no build for this, and the addition of Vickie Guerrero has done nothing for Nyla Rose. Shida is one of AEW's best workers, and Nyla is a monster, but hasn't been used for months, so I see this as just a way to give Shida a match with someone she's worked with before. Shida retains.

Anthony: The position of Rose is an indictment of AEW. I’ve been saying since day 1 that she needs protection. She’s a monster and should be booked as such. They have never done right by her in this regard. She means nothing at this point and not even Vickie Guerrero can elevate her. Shida is amazing and is a credit to the thin division. Shida needs to retain for AEWs credibility.

Richard:  For someone who has been ranked number one since they lost the title, how is this Nyla's first title match since May?  Rankings and wins and losses matter.  I want to say that Nyla wins because she destroyed Red Velvet, who is Brandi's new project so Brandi can face Nyla and become the Women's Champion.  EVP/CBO = Gold

Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara - Elite Deletion Match.

Dave: We shouldn't be seeing this since it had a finish already.  So let's just give Matt the win and let him move on to someone who won't destroy his body every time they get in the ring.

Mike: The good news is this was taped and we haven't heard of any doom or destruction.  My gut is that if you like Broken Matt material, this will be to your liking as we'll see the rest of the Hardy clan involved.  As far as who should win here, in most cases I would say the younger talent, but I think Matt Hardy has suffered enough at the hands of Guevara and for a lot of reasons, should go over here.

Cory:  I am hoping this matches the craziness that other matches at the Hardy Compound have been, since Matt has been floundering for a while. His matches with Sammy have resulted in injuries each time, and AEW doesn't seem to know what to do with Matt any more. Sammy is wrestling like a baby face, but his out of the ring work is pure heel stuff, so I get the feeling he is going to turn sometime soon and breaking him away from the Inner Circle may help him take the next step in his career. Is this where he turns after a baptism in the Lake of Resurrection? Is this where Matt finally takes the time away from the ring he said a few months ago and never did? Will we get the multiple faces of Matt Hardy? Matt should do the job here, but I think they will do some big storytelling here which will end the feud either way.

Anthony: I breathed a heavy sigh of relief Wednesday when these 2 had physicality and no one got hurt. These Matt Hardy Deletion things are always fun but there’s a definite diminished return each time. Shockingly, Impact remains the company that got the most out of it. This should be insanity at its finest. It will be fun seeing Senior Benjamin, the dilapidated boat, the Lake of Reincarnation, et.all. As far as who wins? Sammy never wins important matches ever. Matt Hardy or Damascus takes the W here and they both move on.

Richard:  I am not a fan of the Hardy compound matches in Impact, WWE, or any other company and I would not be surprised if this joins the party.  Let's hope that no one gets hurt during the match and we see it continue, like last time.  Guevara should win this one.

MJF vs. Chris Jericho - If MJF wins, he joins the Inner Circle.

Dave: I have hated this whole program.  Why would MJF, who wants to be the best there is, want to join a group where he is the second fiddle?  I know, so he can take it over.  That is a wrestling trope I hate.  He shouldn't want to be in.  So, I expect he wins and gets in and we get Inner Circle turmoil going forward.

Mike: My guess is the theme of the match will be that they try to out-cheat the other and see who can do the most underhanded thing.  Given how strong Wardlow looked in the tournament as a monster, I wonder if the Inner Circle will be pinballing off of him if they interfere but run into his offense line.  Jericho's mantra of late seems to be about trying to get the next generation ready, so my gut is MJF wins here and then blows off joining the group to create his own, since he's such a jerk of a character.

Cory:  This has been an erratic build since they decided to put this on the front burner after simmering since the early days There have parts of the feud I have enjoyed and parts I have not, but they have set it up where half of the Inner Circle hates MJF and half does not care, and Jericho is “testing” MJF to see if he's worthy. Because I would love to see the strife and in fighting, I am pulling for a MJF victory here, and Jericho putting him over would be good for the characters involved. I look for this to be an old school match where MJF pulls out a victory. 

Anthony: I had this one circled on my calendar ever since AEW started like a child might circle December 25th. Two of the absolute best mic men in all of wrestling cutting promos, playing one uppmanship, a human chess match if you will. I have circled this again but now I do with the enthusiasm of someone headed to root canal. We didn’t get a build up, we got Broadway. We didn’t get human chess, we got a staged town hall.  This has played for comedy with a stipulation that makes no sense (one of 2 on this show). MJF wins here and maybe in the ensuing weeks they can try to redeem this story ever so slightly. Jericho has lost twice to Orange Cassidy so his credibility is fading fast.

Richard:  Let's hope this match doesn't turn into a scene out of Fame where they suddenly stop wrestling and everyone in the ring and at ringside start an impromptu dance number.  Will we see Wardlow get involved in the match?  Will we see any of the members of the Inner Circle get involved in the match?  MJF should win this match, but if he does, will Wardlow follow him into the group or will Max forget about his independent contractor?  I hope we see a lot of attempts to cheat because they want to out heel the other.  Also, please don't let Jericho do commentary/yelling words during this match either.

AEW Tag Team Champions FTR vs. The Young Bucks - If Bucks lose, they can never challenge for AEW Tag Titles ever again.

Dave: The Bucks are morons.  They had the match already and then still put the stip on that they can't challenge again.  You only do that when the other side won't give you a match.  Plus they were heels and all of the sudden they aren't.  FTR has been disappointing to me in AEW, very flat.  I expected them to be so much better.  Both teams really need to deliver a big match here and I hope they do.  Since they put the stupid stipulation on, the Bucks should lose, just for being stupid.

Mike: They have a lot of pressure on them as they've been building to this match before AEW was even a gleam in the eye of Tony Khan.  On paper, we have the tag team ground and pound vs. the synchronized aerial team machine, and those types of matches can either click or go awry.  This really is a first chance to make a first impression and my gut is we'll get the former.  As far as who goes over, they've sort of painted themselves into the corner here - it has to be The Young Bucks....but hey, how many times did the Midnight Express and Morton and Gibson trade the titles back and forth?  To me, this is do or die time for FTR to put in one of those performances at the level they'd have in NXT.  If they do, it doesn't matter who has the titles, because they'll have them again down the line.

Cory:  Jericho was nearly obsessed with the fact that last time this stipulation was in play, Cody lost and has stuck to the rule that he can't challenge for the AEW title never again. Will the Bucks lose only to create a new title for themselves? FTR has been put in the position of dominating the Bucks at every turn, which usually means they will lose. The Bucks have had endless obstacles put in their way, which means they should win if they were babyfaces, but as they are in the midst of a heel turn, it makes things more confusing. In my heart of hearts, I would hope that they lose because Tony Schiavone takes revenge on them, but I think FTR will be the ones looking at the lights here as the Bucks go full heel and do something outside the rules to win, and FTR has to climb the ladder to get another chance at them. 

Anthony: The match at least 4 years in the making comes to us with the very odd stipulation that if the Bucks lose, they can never challenge for the AEW world tag team titles again. I don’t like the stip. what AEW has booked themselves into is a result that no one wants: either FTRs title reign ends way too quickly or they leave money on the table telling the long term story of the Bucks chasing the gold. If you like Young Buck matches, you’ll enjoy this. FTR will do their best to keep this from devolving into nonsense. Ultimately the Bucks have to win here due to the stipulation.

Richard:  I really wish this was one of the FTR 20 Minute time limit challenge matches because my biggest fear is that this will go at least 40 minutes because they can.  For all of the 'we follow the rules' promos when they first came in, FTR sure has cheated a lot.  The 'We will never challenge for the titles again' stipulation should mean that the Bucks will win because EVP=Gold.  With all of the hype for this match since FTR was let go from WWE, since they came into the company that interest has diminished a lot.  Since Tully is banned from ringside, who will be able to cheat for the champs?  There will be many super kicks in this match.  I wonder if Matt's ankle will be a story in this match or not.  I see new champions even though they haven't delved deep enough into FTR's title reign potential.

TNT Champion Cody vs. Darby Allin.

Dave: I expect a war here and Cody wins.  Taz and his crew aren't on the show so they could definitely show up here.

Mike: I am interested in seeing where they go with this one, but my gut is this is where Team Taz makes their threatened appearance.  It may be we get the old comic book trick where two heroes are facing off and end up teaming against the villains.   I don't see a title change, either way.

Cory:  Darby is going to be a big star once they are back in front of crowds. They should save his big win for that time. Plus, Cody JUST came back and got his last name back, so he will win, probably going a couple of more steps down the path of becoming a full fledged heel. We also had Arn Anderson interference in the Orange Cassidy match that Cody may not have seen, so that will need to pay off, possibly in this match.

Anthony: It is way too soon to take the TNT title away from Cody, especially since I’m figuring 2 other title changes happen here. Team Taz has a built in angle to create havoc somewhere where. Allin is not the kind of character that needs a championship. In fact, for who he is, it would look wrong if he was toting a championship belt. Cody retains. Team Taz with a post match beat down only to be “saved” by Will Hobbs, who will shock everyone by accepting Taz’ offer to join the team.

Richard:  They should wrestle this match in the upper concourse of the Amphitheater to give Darby an advantage.  If they can't put Ricky Starks into a match on this show, maybe he should get involved in the match to set up a feud with the champion after Saturday.  If he gets involved, he should keep Allin from winning the title, but it would be more interesting to see Starks help Darby out just so Ricky can take the title from Darby.  Cody retains and he gets a tattoo of the TNT title belt on the other side of his neck.  

AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament Finals: Kenny Omega vs. Adam Hangman Page.

Dave: I have hated what they have done with Adam Page.  He was ascending so much, then suddenly they made him a putz.  I expect Kenny wins here since all of the people that the company cares about thinks he is the best wrestler that ever lived but if it were me, I would book a starmaking performance for Page and have him win.

Mike: I thought AEW did a really nice job with the Cinderella music video on Dynamite and I am interested in seeing where this goes.  To me, it comes down to who needs what the most?  Omega needs to have the type of performance he used to give on big New Japan Dome shows so that he can stand out with a brilliant performance...but that doesn't mean he has to win.  To me, Page needs the win.  They've told this story that he's at his lowest point, right down to his over-drinking during the interview with Jim Ross on Dynamite.  Page needs to win to find his balance.  In having a great bout and putting over Page, Omega gets that balance as well.

Cory:  The story for this match is that Page is at his lowest point, self-pitying, drinking to excess, all alone in this world. Kenny has become The Cleaner, arrogant, over confident, and thinking he's a good buy when he's really a jerk. This match will show if Page has hit rock bottom or not. The interaction he and Omega had at this week's Dynamite was interesting in that they didn't go after each other, but acted more like former friends who are unsure where they stand with one another. These two can tear the house down, and it's time for Kenny to show why he is the Best Bout Machine with a blow away match. It's also time to move Page forward in his story. He SHOULD win, moving Kenny into full Cleaner mode, but...Page needs to have his moment of Clarity. I am calling it a win for Kenny, and Page to spin off further into his storyline of having to claw his way out of darkness.

Anthony: In ring? I have little to no doubt this will be the match of the night. AEW played a nice long game with these two and was able to get them in the ring for their first match without having to go to a big angle and speed up Kenny’s full re transformation into the Cleaner. AEW would be best served staying the course. Omega NEEDS a big singles win on PPV. Hangman NEEDS to further his story of a man descending into a scared and confused little boy. The beauty? Omega doesn’t need to make a full vicious heel turn here. He just needs to win.  This won’t be their last dance.

Richard:  When the brackets were announced, this was the expected finals and I am not disappointed they went with the chalk.  This will be the first match that Omega has had against an opponent he should be wrestling (since Janela was replaced by Sonny and Penta took Fenix' spot)  With the way he has worked in the last few months, I would have Page win the title, but there is more money in a Moxley (or Kingston) versus Omega match.  Page will get a number of near falls but in the end, Omega's run to the top after the 'this guy had a 500 star match at the Tokyo Dome, are you sure' booking continues.  EVP=Gold.  The big question for this PPV is whether this match or the Tag Title Match will be the longest on the show.  I expect both to go at least 30 and I will be disappointed if both don't approach 40 minutes.

AEW Champion Jon Moxley vs. Eddie Kingston - I Quit.

Dave: The build for this has been really good but as I said with the Mikes on audio, they should have never done the first match with these two.  Moxley already beat him so I don't expect that to change this time.  I don't see Moxley saying I Quit and Kingston has people that can do it for him.  Mox retains.  

Mike: In a perfect world, Eddie Kingston would win the title, at least for a week, as sort of a lifetime achievement award, but this isn't a perfect world and it is more fitting for the angry, bitter fighter that Kingston is if he loses.  The segment with Moxley and Kingston this past Wednesday was one of the best, if not the best, "talk people into the building" talking segments in a long, long time, but Moxley has to win.  I expect this to be a hell of a gritty, physical fight but I see way more money in Omega or Page vs. Moxley, so Moxley it is.

Cory:  I didn't realize that Mox has held the title as long as he has, and the graphic that he had held the title for over 240 or so days blew me away. His title reign has had good feuds, but after he beats his opponent, they tend to vanish. Eddie has been a bolt of lightning in this company, giving gold every time a microphone is put in his hands. I can see him calling on his team to assist and making Mox quit, rewarding Eddie for the great job he's done, as well as to shake up the title picture with a new series of opponents. Either way, this will a brutal brawl that will be full of plunder and violence for the sake of violence.

Anthony: Wow!  Just wow!  This has been, to me at least, the single best build up to any match in 2020. I’ve always liked Eddie as a small time guy. Never in a million years did I think he had THIS in him. I’m thinking 99.99% of the wrestling world thinks Moxley wins easily. I’m going for the major upset. I see Kingston being used as The Iron Sheik to Kenny Omega’s Hulk Hogan. I have no idea how they’ll figure out how to get Moxley to quit but it will be a heck of a lot of fun trying to figure it out. From an emotional investment standpoint, this match here is the one that “talked me into the building”. Eddie Kingston will win the AEW World title

Richard:  After what we saw on this week's episode of Dynamite, I would almost rather see them cut promos for 15 or 20 minutes because it was so good.  Since Moxley has won matches by making his recent opponents pass out instead of tapping out, the "I Quit" stipulation has more importance.  If Moxley makes Kingston pass out, will the referee say 'he can't say I Quit because he is passed out' (like we saw recently on a PPV with an I Quit Match) or will they say 'he's out so that is the same'?  I hope we get 15 to 20 minutes of Moxley and Kingston beating the hell out of each other to end this story.  I really want to say that we get a new champion on Saturday night.  Give Kingston a title reign like ROH did with Homicide and then let Omega take his place as the AEVPW champion.  

 

Cory:  I also think Taz's crew will interfere in at least one match,

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