Jon Moxley betrayed; Wrestling legend loses on in-ring debut; Former WWE Champion buried? - Best and Worst of AEW Full Gear 2022

AEW Full Gear drew another year of major All Elite Wrestling events to a close, and did so by crowning a new World Champion.

But aside from that, there was an event of excellent wrestling, compelling storytelling and defining moments. Saraya made her in-ring return, almost five years to the day she was forced to retire. She did so in glorious fashion too, securing a win against former AEW Women's Champion Britt Baker.

That's not to mention the war between Jamie Hayter and Toni Storm, with the white-hot Hayter finding her way to the throne as the new Interim Women's Champion.

But of course, not everything can be as good as what came before, and there were some questionable decisions made too.

So with that in mind, let's try and pluck five moments from the New Jersey event and analyze whether they added to the show or put another hurdle in AEW's direction.

#5 (Best) The Elite are back in AEW and have their futures mapped out

The Elite made their long-awaited return after the false start that was their original AEW Trios Tag Title win. The stage was set for Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks to take back the Titles that they never lost.

It was never uncertain whether The Elite against Death Triangle would deliver or not. But the match carried a great underlying story, a story of desperation to earn and defend the Tag Titles for both teams respectively.

Surprisingly, even after they returned to much ovation and after an epic entrance theme change, The Elite would not have their Titles back. Rather than opt for the moment that the trio winning would have brought, AEW have started a slow-burning, well mapped out storyline.

The teams will now lock horns on potentially six more occasions. Death Triangle's ill-gotten win is only the first clash in a 'Best of Seven Series' for the Trios Tag Titles.

There are many parts at play here including the reluctance of Rey Fenix to join PAC and Penta's slightly darker means of combat, and the slow ascent back to the mountain for The Elite. It'll be interesting and exciting to see how the trios action unfolds in the coming months.

#4 (Worst) Jeff Jarrett loses his debut in All Elite Wrestling

This point could go either way; such is the issue with booking a clash like this. But perhaps Jeff Jarrett could have used the victory to establish some legitimacy on the AEW roster.

Sting and Darby Allin have become a spectacle, making appearances few and far between and maintaining an undefeated streak when paired together. And it does make sense that the company would want to keep that aura, potentially putting younger stars over at a later stage.

That said, it could hurt Jarrett's credibility in the company to lose in what was his first bout - especially after all of the talk in the lead-in. It will be interesting to see how AEW handles Jarrett as a competitor going forward.

#3 (Worst) Chris Jericho retains the ROH Title once more, defeating Bryan Danielson

Chris Jericho's reign with the ROH Title is a positive. Jericho brings a level of genuine star power to the belt that the brand could use, and he has been steadily producing instant classics in his battles against former champions.

However, it's a shame that his title run is seemingly coming at the detriment of Bryan Danielson. The former WWE Champion has endured several high-profile losses this year, especially during the war against the Jericho Appreciation Society.

It all started with Bryan being the fall guy in Double or Nothing's Anarchy in the Arena match. On his return, he lost by referee's decision to Daniel Garcia.

Bryan would secure a win over Red Death again in a 2 out of 3 falls contest, and once more against Jake Hager, before losing to Chris Jericho once again at AEW All Out.

Bryan would later defeat Jericho and Hangman Page before falling short to Jon Moxley in the Tournament of Champions. He and Daniel Garcia then lost to Jericho and Sammy Guevara in tag action weeks later.

Fighting again for the ROH Title, Bryan failed against Jericho, and tonight he failed against Y2J once more. Such a major asset to the company failing to deliver major wins could be damaging, especially when you consider the Bryan that ascended into the WrestleMania 30 main event.

#2 (Best) Swerve in our Glory appear to have gone their separate ways

If there were two superstars ready to come to blows in AEW next year, it would be Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland. The pair hit it off this year with their immensely successful tag run, something that perhaps no one could have foreseen during the Revolution pay-per-view earlier this year.

Their feud with The Acclaimed has witnessed a metamorphosis at multiple stages. The babyface Swerve and Lee find themselves second-best in the fans' eyes compared to Max Caster and Anthony Bowens.

While Keith took the high ground, fans got to see a more spiteful side of Swerve. He has been slowly inching towards the dark side every passing week, and with his actions only growing more heinous, it's clear that Lee has had enough.

It all came to a head tonight when Swerve took his spite out on Lee, who made sure to leave his partner fighting a losing battle against the Tag Champs. The stage has been set for a deeply physical, intense, and personal feud between a top babyface and a sadistic heel.

#1 (Best) William Regal betrays Jon Moxley to hand MJF the World Title

MJF shocked the world by doing half of what he said he was going to do, taking the AEW World Title away from record-setting three-time champ Jon Moxley.

But his means went beyond what he promised. Rather than earn his victory against Moxley, MJF was handed his World Title victory. And he wasn't handed the belt by The Firm, or Stokely Hathaway; instead, William Regal sided with the devil and turned his back on Mox.

After demanding Mox reach for a downed referee so that the match could be won, Regal slid the signature brass knuckles to MJF. Friedman struck the unknowing Moxley square on the head with the knucks, and after kicking out of everything else he had to offer, the champion was finally down for the count.

MJF had been built as a babyface set to turn a new leaf in his career, but it turned out that he just had another cunning plan lying in wait. It'll be interesting to see where Regal and Max go from here.

What did you make of AEW Full Gear? Do you agree with this list? Let us know in the comments section below.