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AEW Full Gear 2021 came in with lofty expectations with a well hyped card that had plenty of highly anticipated matches.
The show was the fourth and final pay-per-view of 2021 for All Elite Wrestling, taking place from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The event was headlined by Kenny Omega defending the AEW World Championship against Hangman Adam Page.
After the success of All Out, this show couldn't have had a better lineup. There were grudge matches, like CM Punk vs. Eddie Kingston and MJF vs. Darby Allin, and high stakes contests, such as Miro vs. Bryan Danielson and The Lucha Brothers vs. FTR.
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There were also wild brawls like SuperKliq vs. Christian Cage and Jurassic Express and The Inner Circle vs. American Top Team.
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With an exceptional year closing out and a two-year storyline being culminated in the main event, Full Gear looked like it had the makings to deliver another classic event for the fledging promotion. In this article, let's take a look at the star ratings for every match at AEW Full Gear 2021.
Thunder Rosa & Hikaru Shida vs. Jamie Hayter & Nyla Rose (AEW Full Gear 2021 Buy In)
AEW Full Gear 2021 Buy-In highlighted the company's ongoing TBS Women's Championship Tournament with a tag team contest featuring four ladies that will compete in the next round.
Former AEW Women's World Champions Nyla Rose and Hikaru Shida will resume their rivalry, while Thunder Rosa and Jamie Hayter have had rising tension over the past few weeks.
This bout had a lot of physicality between both sides. The Minneapolis crowd was loud and vocal. They immediately showed their interest in this opener, especially Rosa. It was nice to see Hikaru Shida and Nyla back at a major event. It was also cool to see Jamie Hayter featured prominently again. Serena Deeb was at ringside to add to her ongoing feud with Shida, so there was a lot to take away here.
The action in this AEW Full Gear 2021 Buy-In match was entertaining and made the fans further invested in the upcoming TBS Women's Championship Tournament contests. Shida pinned Rose with a jackknife cover to gain momentum ahead of their upcoming bout. It was a good start to the show.
Star rating: **3/4
MJF vs. Darby Allin (AEW Full Gear 2021)
There was some talk among fans that several different matches should kick off the main show of AEW Full Gear 2021. Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Darby Allin's personal rivalry didn't get too much mention, but it made for a perfect opener to the pay-per-view with the crowd heavily into both men.
Both men had superstar entrances that added to the big fight feel of this grudge match at Full Gear. MJF and Darby Allin exchanged technical wrestling and mat work.
They showed natural chemistry that created beautiful magic that enamored the Minneapolis crowd. Like his promo on AEW Dynamite, Friedman tried to win with a headlock takeover early and often to give a simple story to follow.
MJF attacked Darby's back after a missed Coffin Drop on the apron, while Allin focused on Friedman's leg. The AEW Full Gear 2021 opener was excellent with an effective story that intensified as it went on. The finish was superb, with MJF using the Diamond Ring to knock out Darby Allin and then beat him with the headlock takeover.
Star rating: ****1/2
The Lucha Brothers vs. FTR for the AEW World Tag Team Championships
Last year at Full Gear, FTR lost the AEW World Tag Team Titles to the Young Bucks. A year later, they got their rematch at the gold against the same team they defeated for the AAA World Tag Team Championships. The Lucha Brothers vs. FTR opened with a brawl before breaking down into more traditional tag wrestling. Their contrasting styles made for a fabulous clash.
The crowd were hot for this one as well, with the false finishes exciting them a lot. Lucha Bros got the win after Cash Wheeler attempted to use the Super Ranas mask to get the victory, but Penta and Fenix hit the assisted Package Piledriver to retain.
It was another great bout that showed why these four men are apart of two of the best tag teams on the planet.
Star rating: ****
Bryan Danielson vs. Miro in the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament Finals
The AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament Finals conclude at AEW Full Gear 2021 with Bryan Danielson facing Miro.
The American Dragon beat Dustin Rhodes and Eddie Kingston to get here, while Miro replaced Jon Moxley to defeat Orange Cassidy and advance into the tournament. The two men last faced in WWE in May of 2018.
Miro and Danielson told a marvelous David vs. Goliath story. Miro utilized his overwhelming strength to wear down his opponent, while Bryan used his technical and striking prowess to attack the achilles heel of his opponent with his neck. That eventually became Miro's kypronite once again after Bryan hit a top rope tornado DDT into a choke to win and become Number One Contender.
Star rating: ****
SuperKliq vs. Christian Cage & Jurassic Express in a Falls Count Anywhere Match
The SuperKliq vs. Christian Cage and Jurassic Express feud came to an end in a Falls Count Anywhere Match at AEW Full Gear 2021. Adam Cole and The Young Bucks looked like a complete unit in matching gear, while Christian Cage and Jurassic Express came prepared for a fight in matching jeans. This one became wild in a hurry.
Christian Cage was willing to take things to the extreme and even looked to Jungle Boy to hit a Con-Chair-To on Adam Cole early, but he didn't want to take things to that level. After a crazy sequence with the SuperKliq using thumbtacked knee pads for a BTE Trigger and Luchasaurus going beast mode, Jungle Boy decided to take the chair from Christian to hit the Con-Chair-To on Matt Jackson to win.
Star rating: ****
PAC & Cody Rhodes vs. Malakai Black & Andrade El Idolo
Going along with everything else this night had to offer, a star studded tag team bout was next on AEW Full Gear 2021. PAC and Cody Rhodes faced their individual rivals in Andrade El Idolo and Malakai Black. The crowd was vocal for all men, especially the boos for the American Nightmare.
Both tag teams showed their issues with one another with blind tags and bickering. Cody Rhodes was knocked to the outside, leaving PAC on his own for much of the contest. Andrade and Black looked good here, but this Full Gear bout lacked the spark of the previous four matches. PAC earned a surprising win with the Black Arrow for himself and Cody Rhodes over Andrade El Idolo and Malakai Black.
Star rating: ***1/2
Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. vs. Tay Conti for the AEW Women's World Championship
The biggest match of Tay Conti's career had a huge stage here at AEW Full Gear 2021. The Number One Contender faced AEW Women's World Champion Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. The two women are known for their hard-hitting styles, so there was potential for success on this tremendous card.
The Full Gear 2021 contest started well and hit a nice crescendo and kept going maybe a bit too long. Baker is a homegrown star for the company that shines bright on big stages, while Tay really stepped up and looked great. Britt retained after applying the Lockjaw, which was reversed into a rollup by Conti and then countered again by Baker for the win.
Star rating: ***1/4
CM Punk vs. Eddie Kingston (AEW Full Gear 2021)
Arguably the best buildup to any bout at AEW Full Gear 2021, CM Punk faced Eddie Kingston in a high profile grudge match.
The two babyfaces were able to completely engage the fans in just two segments than most performers wish they could their entire careers. The Target Center crowd were split in their admiration for both men.
Kingston immediately kicked off this Full Gear contest with a spinning backfist on Punk. This set the tone for a physically intense fight that was bloody and violent throughout. Fans were red hot in support of both men, with Kingston winning them over with his grit.
However, Punk hit a second Go To Sleep to win. This more than lived up to the hype heading in.
Star rating: ****1/4
The Inner Circle vs. Men of the Year & American Top Team in a Minneapolis Street Fight (AEW Full Gear 2021)
Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle looked to finally settle the score with Men of the Year and American Top Team in a Minneapolis Street Fight here at AEW Full Gear 2021. The feud has been divisive on social media, while the live fans have reacted well. After big show entrances for both sides, this started quite strange with all ten men standing on the apron in a street fight.
When the Full Gear contest broke down and became a wild brawl, it improved greatly. Sammy Guevara was the highlight with his high-flying exploits including an insane Swanton Bomb off a ladder on Scorpio Sky through a table. Dan Lambert made a fun villain, finally vanquished by Chris Jericho with an Eddie Guerrero-inspired Frog Splash tribute for the win.
Star rating: ***1/4
Kenny Omega vs. Hangman Page for the AEW World Championship
Two years in the making, Hangman Page's odyssey of growth to the top spot in All Elite Wrestling ended in the main event of Full Gear 2021. The millennial cowboy has been groomed for this moment and faced the longest reigning AEW World Champion ever in Kenny Omega.
The Best Bout Machine held the AEW World Championship for 346 days and put on terrific encounters along the way.
Before rising to the top of the promotion, Omega held the AEW World Tag Team Championships with his fellow Elite member Hangman Page. They held those titles for 228 days before losing to FTR at All Out 2020.
The following month at Full Gear, Kenny Omega defeated Hangman Page to win the World Title Eliminator Tournament. He used that victory to propel him to the AEW World Championship, defeating Jon Moxley at "Winter Is Coming."
While Omega was the face of the company, Page went through a journey to find his confidence and finally face his former partner for the top prize.
The AEW Full Gear 2021 main event had big show entrances with Hangman Page standing out with a pre-match vignette of him on a horse riding through the streets while his failures played on the buildings. Both men had new attire and received loud receptions from the Minneapolis crowd, giving this a palpable energy from the beginning.
Early on, Hangman would get going, but Omega would cut him off and take control. Page hit a ridiculous, avalanche moonsault slam, but the AEW World Champion responded with an insane springboard sunset flip powerbomb off the top rope. Both men showed their daredevil ways. Omega hit the Terminator Dive, while Hangman hit a moonsault to the floor and a crazy dive through a table.
The energy for this AEW Full Gear 2021 main event hit another gear when Kenny pulled the referee in the way of the Buckshot Lariat. Don Callis tried to use this to get involved, but Hangman took him out and hit the Deadeye on Omega when he attempted to use the gold. It was only good for a thrilling nearfall after Aubrey Edwards ran into the ring for the count.
The Young Bucks came down to ringside to watch the closing minutes of this Full Gear closer. Omega countered the Buckshot with a V-Trigger and looked for the One Winged Angel, only for Hangman to hit one of his own for a two count.
The finish was sublime with attention to detail here at Full Gear 2021 as Nick Jackson didn't grab the leg of Hangman like he did previously for the Buckshot.
Page hit one on Omega's back and went for another. He stared with Matt Jackson, who nodded his approval before Hangman hit a second Buckshot to win the AEW World Championship. This created a magical moment with a well-built coronation that felt earned for the babyface in a major way. It was tapped off with an outstanding main event with captivating storytelling at Full Gear 2021.
Star rating: ****1/2
