From Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston's hardcore main event to Matt Hardy and Sammy Guevara's Elite Deletion Match, AEW Full Gear 2020 featured many contrasting moments.
Full Gear might just be one of the best AEW events of 2020, if not the best AEW pay-per-view this year. It was also a massive improvement compared to the All Out event that went down in September.
Although a long pay-per-view, Full Gear's card was engagingly structured, and it had something for every type of pro-wrestling fan out there. Let us know your thoughts on this AEW event in the comments section below.
Here are the five biggest news stories from AEW Full Gear (November 7, 2020).
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#5: The Young Bucks defeated FTR in a dream match to become the new AEW World Tag Team Champions
The Young Bucks had the odds stacked against them heading into their AEW Full Gear match against FTR. Matt and Nick Jackson would have been barred from challenging for the AEW Tag Team Titles if they lost this high-stakes bout. This is the same stipulation that Cody Rhodes had enforced for the AEW World Championship last year.
Unlike Cody, The Young Bucks were able to win this stipulation by defeating FTR in another one of AEW's Match-of-the-year candidates. Tag Team wrestling has been exceptional in AEW, but The Young Bucks finally won the titles that have eluded them since 2019.
The storytelling in this bout was spot-on as well. Cash Wheeler of FTR made a last-minute mistake by unsuccessfully attempting an aerial maneuver. FTR rarely deviate from their game plan, but this particular mistake cost them the AEW World Tag Team Titles.
Kenny Omega defeated Hangman Page earlier in the night to earn a future AEW World Title shot, which was a great match in its own right. Omega celebrated alongside Matt and Nick Jackson when they won the tag team titles, but a dejected Page was watching them from a distance at Full Gear. The Elite's subtle storyline advancements have been appreciable in recent memory.
#4: MJF tricked Chris Jericho by paying homage to Eddie Guerrero at AEW Full Gear; MJF and Wardlow are now part of The Inner Circle
Heading into AEW Full Gear, MJF, and Chris Jericho's storyline was the most publicized feud thanks to a series of entertaining segments.
The in-ring competition at AEW Full Gear was quite tough, so even though MJF vs. Chris Jericho wasn't the match of the night, it told a pretty great story while also setting up a major conflict for future shows.
MJF was going to execute some shenanigans during this match, and he proceeded to hit Jericho with the Dynamite Diamond ring that Wardlow handed to him. But Le Champion was one step ahead and procured a baseball bat from Jake Hager.
The tides shifted when MJF faked a bump, and the referee turned around to see Jericho holding a foreign object. This Eddie Guerrero ploy caused some chaos, which allowed MJF to roll up his AEW Full Gear opponent for a successful three-count.
Although Jericho's character put his ego aside and gladly welcomed MJF and Wardlow into The Inner Circle, this outcome may result in some conflict between other members of Le Champion's faction in the next few weeks.
#3: Ex-WWE stars appeared in a highly entertaining Elite Deletion Match between Sammy Guevara and Matt Hardy at AEW Full Gear
It was only a moment of time until AEW would capitalize on Matt Hardy's cinematic strengths, which is exactly what fans witnessed during this year's Full Gear event.
Matt Hardy's monster truck crushed Guevara's golf cart, which kickstarted their final potential confrontation in AEW for the time being. An appreciable quality about this fight was that it featured some solid wrestling action as well, which isn't something that one usually expects from a cinematic match.
There were fireworks and fourth-wall-breaking moments. Santana and Ortiz of The Inner Circle and Private Party also got involved in this match. But this fight took an entertaining turn when WWE legends like Hurricane Helms and Gangrel appeared out of nowhere.
Towards the end, the Elite Deletion Match took a brutal turn, and Matt Hardy defeated his opponent by executing a Conchairto against the concrete floor. Matt's wife, Reby, and the Broken Universe's recurring character named Señor Benjamin appeared after things were said and done.
Although fans were a bit worried when this rivalry took a dangerous turn at the previous AEW pay-per-view, Full Gear featured a solid finish to Matt Hardy and Sammy Guevara's long-running feud in AEW.
#2: Jon Moxley defeated Eddie Kingston in one of the most brutal AEW matches of 2020
Contrary to what many people thought when Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston's feud had started, their storyline turned out to be an excellent AEW program for all parties involved.
Blood was spilled, and bodies were broken as Moxley and Kingston's match turned into the most brutal fight of the night. Both of them didn't hold back in terms of inflicting punishment on each other at any point.
Kingston hurt Moxley with a combination of thumbtacks and rubbing alcohol. However, the AEW World Champion made a comeback by putting Kingston in a Bulldog Choke with some barbed-wire wrapped around Moxley's forearm. Kingston had no choice but to quit after this maneuver.
While Moxley stood defiant as the AEW World Champion, Kenny Omega made a post-match appearance soon after, teasing their future clash in AEW.
This was a great example of long-term storytelling opportunities done right. Moxley and Omega had wrestled in an Unsanctioned Match during last year's Full Gear, but the current version of Kenny Omega could very well dethrone Jon Moxley from the top this time around.
#1: Darby Allin finally earned his moment and became the new TNT Champion by defeating Cody Rhodes at AEW Full Gear
In the men's singles AEW division, Darby Allin made history by becoming AEW's first homegrown talent to win a top singles title in the promotion.
His match against Cody Rhodes was very close, and either competitor could have won at any point. The storytelling was good as The American Nightmare made some mistakes by not taking advantage of several opportunities that popped during this match.
Arn Anderson wasn't too happy about it, and Cody paid the price when a younger and faster Darby Allin defeated him in a series of roll-ups.
The title-change ceremony after the match was quite emotional. Cody got over the shock of losing to a former rookie and personally handed the TNT Title to Darby Allin as a sign of respect at AEW Full Gear.
Taz and his crew arrived shortly after, which meant that they weren't done feuding with Darby Allin yet. Ricky Starks and Brian Cage jumped Cody and Allin. Darby's title reign could have ended if Team Taz proceeded to break his arm. Thankfully, Will Hobbs arrived at the new champion's rescue before any serious damage could be done.
Darby Allin's vignettes have been very creative, and his TNT Title reign could be excellent if he brings out the same creativity to live segments on AEW Dynamite from this point onwards.