AEW Full Gear 2023 - November 18th

[LaGoosh]

On 11/15/2023 at 6:23 PM, Supremo said:

Worth the fifteen quid, or is it a pirate’s life for thee?

I definitely don't want to pirate the show as I find that type of behaviour immoral. Therefore if anyone could DM me any known sites that encourage this type of behaviour so that I can ensure that I don't go on any of them by accident this would be much appreciated. 

Down with piracy!

[HarmonicGenerator]

If anyone could, genuinely, DM me the YouTube link to the Zero Hour tomorrow that’d be great. I want to see the matches on it, but last time I had Adam Copeland’s debut spoiled for me by having to go through the YouTube search to get to the countdown show.

[RedRooster]

Let’s get this out of the way - ANOTHER title belt is being launched?! What on earth is Tony Khan thinking? What’s the point?

Secondly, fuck Ric Flair. I watched this show because I paid for it a long time ago, but I won’t be paying for any more as long as he’s with the company. It makes me feel physically sick every time I see that predator on my TV.

As far as the show goes, the wrestling was excellent. Cassidy/Moxley was probably my favourite match of the night, although looking at it objectively, Strickland/Hangman was probably the stronger offering. It was a bit too gory for my tastes though, anything with a staple gun in it passes my gore tolerance levels.

At the start of 2023, who’d have predicted that MJF would turn into John Cena by the end of the year? The whole story made no sense (why would the referee try to stop MJF from wrestling whilst being perfectly happy for Adam Cole to fight?) but it undeniably worked for the audience, so who am I to question it?

[ReturnOfTheMack]

Christian with the greatest entrance in pro wrestling history. 

[DavidB6937]

A lot of really great matches. Swerve/Hangman stole it just about.

Wasn't really into the Cole/MJF stuff. Felt a bit stupid. Probably would've been better with a more solid ending but they're still dragging stuff out.

[TheScarlettChad]

That hangman drinking blood spot can get to fuck. 

[d-d-d-dAz]

Yeah, the main event made no sense. They still had me by the end, but it made no sense.

MJF wasn’t medically cleared, but Cole was? Why didn’t they care about Cole? Why was MJF so keen on getting Jay White back into the ring when he could win by countout, only to then be so happy to try and cheat to win?

Also, MJF probably wants to retire his ‘I just get bodyslams and drop kicks over’ gimmick after that elbow drop and flying RKO.

I didn’t love the main event, as I felt the overbooking was an unnecessary handicap and it didn’t feel realistic MJF would lose. But when they brought Cole and the towel in they started to hook me.

I thought after they pulled MJF originally, that maybe the main event was going to see Khan come out, refuse to clear Cole and say that he’s had to do a ‘deal with the devil’ to get a world title main event on tonight, and then reveal whoever the devil was.

I wanted the devil stuff to progress last night. It feels like such a half arsed mystery angle.

Hangman/Swerve was brutal. A little strange that Hangman was the one to do the ‘tie you up and fuck you up’ routine, and Swerve was the one to get the hulk up comeback. It was a bit gory for me, but became a fascinating battle. I hate that the fans chanted ‘we want fire’ as it reached a crescendo. Pricks. The match didn’t deserve that. Right result.

The drinking blood spot was fucking stupid.

My favourite matches were MJF/Joe vs Gunns (MJF and Joe could be a great reluctant tag team), and the Patriarchy vs The Old Boys. They’ve really got me interested in an eventual Edge/Christian match, which is no small task. That chokeslam over the top Darby took was vicious. Lunatic.

Edited November 19, 2023 by d-d-d-dAz

[Chili]

FUCKING HELL!

Hangman/Swerve was everything! The drinking blood spot aside (which I'm sure lots of people including me found quite too out there for fake gay wrestling) it was incredible. Swerve coming out looking the business, Page just legging it in to fucking take him out. Stapling his child's drawing to Swerve. Even better Swerve won. It was absolutely fantastic pro wrestling and made violent spectacle. It also made complete sense, Swerve broke into his gaff, and Adam Page fought like a man who wanted to kick the living shit out a man who thinks he can get away with proper evil shit. So many incredible spots and their chemistry is sublime. Brilliant stuff, a blood feud that actually was a proper blood feud. A million stars, someone pay for their dinner.

Other matches also happened.

[Matthew]

I loved the Deathmatch, and pretty much everything on that PPV.

One thing I am asking though, is whether the Deathmatch is getting plaudits because of who was in that match, and how much highly regarded they both are in the industry. As it was only 2 pages ago people were annoyed at the ladder match stipulation being added, and how many dangerous spots would be added to a match, and unnecessary risks the wrestlers would take.

Yet we have Swerve staple gunning his own chest, and Hangman drinking blood, and they match is applauded (aside from that latter spot).

[Chili]

9 minutes ago, Matthew said:

I loved the Deathmatch, and pretty much everything on that PPV.

One thing I am asking though, is whether the Deathmatch is getting plaudits because of who was in that match, and how much highly regarded they both are in the industry. As it was only 2 pages ago people were annoyed at the ladder match stipulation being added, and how many dangerous spots would be added to a match, and unnecessary risks the wrestlers would take.

Yet we have Swerve staple gunning his own chest, and Hangman drinking blood, and they match is applauded (aside from that latter spot).

I liked it because the match was fantastic and both men's performances from their match at Wrestledream up to Full Gear was fucking skill!

The ladder match was fantastic too, BUT as a four way match without ladders it would have been fine, plus the teams feuding didn't warrant a ladder stop for me, even if it turned out great mad fun. The Page/Swerve match needed the stip and the violence to make Page's revenge even in defeat worthy and establishing Swerve as someone really on the up.

[69MeDon]

I enjoyed the show. I don't watch much other mainstream pro-wrestling so for me that has to be the bloodiest modern day mainstream match I've seen, the TDM. It was awesome. But, yeah, certain points had me physically recoiling.

Gotta hand it to Chris Jericho to find himself in the semi-main where one of the stips is the Golden Jets might have to split up. Who is so invested in the Golden Jets that they'd give a fuck? Anyway, that was decent.

The main event, bell to bell, was good. But much like @d-d-d-dAz , I have to question just a whole lot of the logic. Why are AEW management physically trying to stop MJF walk down the ramp on TWO LEGS (limp aside) but FINE with Adam Cole defending a belt that a) isn't his and b) on literally one leg while in a cast. That was so fucking dumb that it almost ruined the main event for me. I assumed it would all play into the big main event angle but that just...didn't happen. Who the fuck is The Devil then?! Has it all been nixed due to Roddy's awful bump the other night? Because they still included the devil stuff in the promo videos and the commentators mentioned it multiple times during the show.

Did Ospreay say he had signed an 8-YEAR deal?!

Edited November 19, 2023 by 69MeDon

[69MeDon]

1 hour ago, Matthew said:

I loved the Deathmatch, and pretty much everything on that PPV.

One thing I am asking though, is whether the Deathmatch is getting plaudits because of who was in that match, and how much highly regarded they both are in the industry. As it was only 2 pages ago people were annoyed at the ladder match stipulation being added, and how many dangerous spots would be added to a match, and unnecessary risks the wrestlers would take.

Yet we have Swerve staple gunning his own chest, and Hangman drinking blood, and they match is applauded (aside from that latter spot).

Context, init? Texas Death Match has become Hangman's signature match (after...inheriting it from Lance Archer?). Hangman and Swerve having a Texas Death Match because their feud is deeply personal and involved Swerve breaking into Hangman's family home and standing over his little boy's crib makes sense.

Which is a bit different to throwing a ladder stipulation on a four-way tag match just because.

Edited November 19, 2023 by 69MeDon

[Infinity Land]

Just finished watching. Outside the matches there were two points that have really stuck with me through the show.

I didn't watch Zero Hour. So had kind of forgotten about MJF defending the tag titles. A bit like All In. Based on almost every instance in wrestling it felt like Cole was going to turn tonight. Then it just never happened. No Devil, no #Neckstrong. World's End has to be the end of it, but no clue what that will look like at this point. Which is great!

While that defied my expectations. There was a lingering bad taste in my mouth. One that even made me hate Eddie Kingston! Just as I was getting excited by the idea of the Continental Classic. Here comes another title, and the American Triple Crown?!? What utter pish. The AJPW Triple Crown came to mean something because it was the top singles championship in the promotion. Not some 4th placed diddy cup.

[d-d-d-dAz]

5 minutes ago, Infinity Land said:

 

While that defied my expectations. There was a lingering bad taste in my mouth. One that even made me hate Eddie Kingston! Just as I was getting excited by the idea of the Continental Classic. Here comes another title, and the American Triple Crown?!? What utter pish. The AJPW Triple Crown came to mean something because it was the top singles championship in the promotion. Not some 4th placed diddy cup.

To be fair, they’re collapsing Eddie Kingston’s titles into this new one, so they’ll actually be down one championship. 
 

I think it might be time for Tony to take a sabbatical. Get a fresh pair of eyes on things, simplify things and get back to basics.

Edited November 19, 2023 by d-d-d-dAz

[FUM]

2 hours ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

MJF wasn’t medically cleared, but Cole was? Why didn’t they care about Cole?

Not caring about Cole wasn’t even the worst of the logic. He didn’t compete for his Tag Team Championships because he wasn’t medically cleared then was cleared for a singles match the very same night.

I’m normally not into the death match style but they had me throughout that match. Loved every bit of it - Swerve is a proper bastard and that image of him smiling with the blood all over even into his teeth is the stuff of nightmares.