SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
HITS
HANGMAN PAGE VS. KATSUYORI SHIBATA
This was an entertaining, albeit predictable match, but “Hangman” Page continues to do a great job as champion and a great job making this pivoted storyline as good as he possibly can. I know the original plan was not to have Hangman face Samoa Joe in back-to-back PPVs, so I give them both credit for making this match one that I’m looking forward to on Saturday. Joe did a great job on commentary showing an intensity that made the match better. Calling a low-blow an “amazing technique” was amusing and the tension added to the post-match worked as well.
DEATH RIDERS VS. RODERICK STRONG & ORANGE CASSIDY
This was another solid match that got Jon Moxley & Claudio a victory and set up what is likely to be a handful of matches on Saturday that should advance a storyline where Moxley is no longer the leader of the Death Riders. Kyle O’Reilly was booked strong as he came out to a crowd pop, which is a great sign for him. He HAS TO win the no holds barred match at Full Gear to pay off this narrative. Pac cut a great backstage promo, showing the leadership qualities that should pay off if he takes over the group. He also HAS TO beat Darby Allin to make this story work.
YOUNG BUCKS & JOSH ALEXANDER VS. SKYFLIGHT
This match was also a lot of fun. The Bucks and the Top Flight brothers had some insane chemistry. Everything was so smooth. Dante Martin wowed the crowd like he used to years ago. Kenny Omega’s return got a huge reaction and there was a lot of foreshadowing of the Bucks turning down the invitation to join the Callis Family and instead working their way back to an Elite reunion. Not sure what was up with Jurassic Express coming out for the save with a shovel and vacuum! Perhaps the vacuum was a reference to “The Cleaner”?!
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
Check out the latest episode of the “All Elite Conversation Club” with Joel Dehnel and Gregg Kanner, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “pwtorch” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
TONI STORM & MINA SHIRAKAWA VS. RIHO & ALEX WINDSOR
The “lovers” set the tone with a cute dance on the stage, but things got serious and this match really cooked. This was one of the best women’s matches I’ve seen in a while. All four competitors were on their games. They had great chemistry, the moves were crisp and clean and despite the fact we knew who was going to win, it did not overstay its welcome. I know Riho comes and goes, but I would really get behind Alex Windsor and make her among the top 4-5 women in the division.
QUICK HITS
– I don’t like seeing Ricochet get squashed as I see a lot in his character and he does generate heat, but it was nice to see a match have a definitive finish and not go on and on in a 50/50 manner through commercial breaks. It was a decisive win for Bobby Lashley giving him momentum he continues to be the favorite in the Casino Gauntlet match.
– The Speedball Bailey vs. Shelton Benjamin match was fantastic until the botched finish. The two showed solid chemistry and it showcased how each wrestler can adapt styles. The finish was unfortunate, but I thought the two did a solid job trying to cover it and not just rush to another pin. Benjamin unleashed more punishment to really put Speedball down for the count.
– Tay Jay vs. Megan Bayne & Marina Shafir was decent, but it lacked the smoothness of the earlier tournament tag match. When it comes to Tay Melo and Anna Jay, they seem to look better in the ring when they have continuous reps, so hopefully this isn’t the last we see of them for a while.
– Despite the fact that Mascara Dorada almost died twice, he and Kazuchika Okada had a very solid match where both wrestlers were able to play to their strengths. Hopefully Dorada is not injured from some of the bumps he took. As for Okada, his facial expression when Don Callis mentioned that Konosuke Takeshita will be joining their team on Saturday for the CMLL Trios Title match was priceless. Okada is doing a great job right now as they hopefully are finally going to pull the trigger on starting the build for their feud. Okada being more serious and not saying “bitch” all the time is a positive step forward.
– It was nice to see a Bob Caudle tribute from Tony Schiavone. I remember watching him when I was a kid on a random UHF channel when I was able to get Mid-Atlantic Wrestling on Saturdays. His voice always brought me back to the old-school days!
MISSES
KRIS STATLANDER-MERCEDES
Who am I rooting for? Do I want Kris Statlander, whose character is all over the place, to win or do I want Mercedes Mone to obtain her 743rd belt? After some thought, for me, it’s Mercedes because I think the Kris Statlander champion experiment just has not worked out. Kris is a very good wrestler and has a great look, but she does not have the personality and has not developed the promo skills to be at the top of the women’s division.
The match on Saturday should be great because both are so good in the ring, but I have run out of patience with Statlander’s character. She struggled on commentary and has not been able to recover from her character turning back and forth over the past year to be taken seriously. I think the booking and backstage producers have failed to develop her over the past few months and whether that is their fault or hers, or both, is a mystery. I think she is an asset to the company, but not at this level and I’m hoping they move on.
Full Gear should be a fun show to watch and it’s clear AEW has gone for volume on this one. There are a ton of matches so while it’ll be a long show, I expect it to have a good pace with most of the matches staying in that 15-20 minute window.
Don’t forget to check out the weekly free podcast I’m part of, “The All Elite Conversation Club” that typically drops on Fridays the PWTorch Dailycast lineup. Joel Dehnel and I have a great time breaking down all things AEW. Search “pwtorch” on your podcast app to subscribe. Send questions and comments to allelitecc@gmail.com.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.