Post by sethisthegoat on Nov 19, 2023 20:09:39 GMT -5
The Road to AEW Full Gear -
Nov. 19, 2023
The road to Full Gear - Match 1 - Jeff Cobb (9-8) vs. Matt Riddle (8-6)
Cobb and Riddle were among the first challengers for the AEW World Championship as Cobb faced Jeff Jarrett in the inaugural tournament finals, and Riddle challenged later. Both men were thwarted as Jarrett assembled The Apex with original members JBL and Beer Money. Cobb and Riddle eventually teamed up as The Chosen Bros and had much success, eventually defeating Natural Selection for the tag team titles earlier this year.
As champions, Riddle started to lose focus and his antics got on Cobb’s nerves. Cobb remained supportive and tried to keep Riddle on-task. The team eventually lost the titles to Diesel and Razor Ramon, after Riddle accidentally kicked Cobb in the face, leading to a Jackknife Powerbomb and win for Diesel. Cobb and Riddle couldn’t regain the belts at All Out, and Cobb gave Riddle a Tour of the Islands after the match, spitting on the former MMA star and walking out.
During the past two months, Riddle sent flowers, chocolates and a barbershop quartet to Cobb to apologize for losing the belts. Each time, Cobb destroyed the gifts (including stuffing a member of the quartet into a trash can). Cobb eventually got Riddle to agree to a match at Full Gear in a bid to get Riddle to stop trying to get back on his good side.
Match 2 - Alexa Bliss (10-5) vs. Beth Phoenix (12-4)
This is a showdown that has been months in-the-making. Upon her AEW debut, Alexa Bliss was possessed by her doll, Lilly. She seemed to have broken that spell, only for the ghoulish Abadon to debut and get Bliss under her spell. Phoenix recognized that Bliss was having trouble getting away from Abadon’s clutches. She eventually snapped Bliss out of her trance, helped Bliss beat Abadon and expel her from AEW.
After that, it appeared that the Beautiful People set their sites on Bliss. But during a tag team match pitting the Beautiful People against Bliss and Phoenix, Bliss sided with the heels and attacked Phoenix, stating that the Glamazon was drawing the beauty index of AEW’s women down. Bliss has spent the past couple of months dodging Phoenix as she assumed leadership of the Beautiful People. Phoenix, on the other hand, has picked her way through the group and eventually got the match she’s desired for months — Bliss vs. Phoenix.
Match 3 - AEW Tag Titles - Natural Selection (Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander) (11-1) vs. Diesel and Razor Ramon © (11-4)
Kevin Nash and Scott Hall debuted in AEW last year, looking to prove that they were the best classic tag team as they tried to assert their dominance over the Steiner Brothers, who were AEW’s first tag team champions.
Meanwhile, Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander came to AEW and aligned themselves with Brian Cage and Cesar Duran as the faction, Natural Selection. The duo became the second AEW Tag Team Champions by becoming the first team to defeat the Steiner Bros. Their reign was ended by the Chosen Bros, but Natural Selection has remained one of the pillars of AEW, as the faction also secured the AEW International Championship. Benjamin and Alexander have made no bones about their desire to recapture tag team gold.
Nash and Hall were disappointed in their comparative lack of success in AEW and decided to go back to the well as Diesel and Razor Ramon. This new focus led to success as they took advantage of Riddle and Cobb’s miscommunication to become tag team champions. They also had a shot at Universal Tag Team gold during last month’s Battle of the Belts, but Benjamin and Alexander attacked before the match and put Ramon out of commission. This has all led to this tag team championship match, with Natural Selection attempting to regain the titles and Diesel and Razor Ramon looking for revenge.
Match 4 - Harley Race (4-1) vs. Kenny Omega (4-2) III - Last Man Standing
The third (and final?) match between Harley Race and Kenny Omega. The AEW feud officially began when Race came to the aide of the Rhodes brothers in their feud with Omega and the Elite. The hard feelings between Omega and Race really began two decades ago when Race’s evaluation during a WWE tryout stopped Omega’s rise in its tracks. Omega has carried that slight for decades.
In their first matchup at All Out, The Young Bucks ran in and distracted Race long enough for Omega to recover and hit Race for the winning move. Race kicked out a fraction of a second after the 3-count, giving Omega the win. This led to a brutal cage match rematch at last month’s Battle of the Belts. Race got the win following a massive diving headbutt from the top of the cage onto a bloodied Omega.
Omega wanted one more chance to prove that he’s officially better than Harley Race. Race agreed, provided that the Young Bucks are locked out of the building and it’s truly one-on-one. Omega agreed and promised to spread Race’s blood all around the arena before knocking him out to the count of 10.
Match 5 - AEW Women’s Championship - Ronda Rousey (13-4) © vs. Bianca Belair (7-1)
After Rousey finally defeated Paige VanZant for the AEW Women’s Championship, she tried setting her eyes on the UWA Universal Women’s Championship currently held by undefeated AEW Star Jade Cargill. Bianca Belair took exception to this and said that Rousey is just looking to use AEW for a stepping stone. Belair, on the other hand, is here to put her mark on AEW and lift it to greater heights. She wants to prove, once again, that she is the EST and defeat Rousey for the AEW Women’s Championship.
Match 6 - Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo vs. Mick Foley and Britt Baker
Melo blames Baker for her losing her shot at the TBS Championship earlier this year, and the pair have exchanged hard-fought wins against each other. While that feud has blossomed, so too has Sammy Guevara vs. the many faces of Mick Foley, and primarily Cactus Jack. Guevara got mad at Foley after the veteran eliminated him from the Casino Battle Royale at All Out; Guevara re-entered the ring and eliminated Foley. This set up a title defense at Grand Slam, during which Guevara won after knocking Foley out with the Dynamite Diamond Ring.
Leading up to Full Gear, Guevara bemoaned the focus that AEW continues to place on the stars of yesteryear, and noted that while he holds the TNT Championship, he’s still not being given his proper platform. Foley emerged as Dude Love and challenged Guevara to a hardcore match for the championship. This time, Guevara got the win after Melo came to her man’s aide. Britt Baker responded after the match with an attack and all four started brawling. Foley and Baker challenged Guevara and Melo to a tag team match at Full Gear.
Match 7 - World Title - Cody Rhodes © (20-4) vs. Goldberg (10-2)
Rhodes and Goldberg have been feuding all year, since Goldberg surprise attacked Rhodes last December. His stated goal? To end Rhodes’ inaugural AEW World Title reign and ultimately wipe him and the Rhodes family out of wrestling altogether. Goldberg won in dominating fashion in February. Rhodes spent the next seven months working to earn a rematch, which Goldberg agreed to as long as Rhodes put his career on the line. Rhodes ended Goldberg’s undefeated streak at September’s All Out to regain the AEW World Championship, and now the duo is squaring off a third and final time.
Goldberg has been slowly earning more cheers, though he is still the heel. Goldberg is also smarting from losing his shot at Chris Jericho’s UWA Universal Championship thanks to Jericho cheating. Goldberg is also still upset at Kenny Omega because Omega couldn’t defeat Rhodes earlier this year.
Main Event - Blood and Guts - The Bloodline vs. The Apex
The Apex has run AEW since the beginning, with Jeff Jarrett as the first AEW World Champion in May 2022. The group has had its hands in everything around AEW since then. Earlier this year, Roman Reigns and his Uso cousins debuted in AEW and immediately set their sights on The Apex. The two groups have exchanged wins and beatings for months — including Wardlow getting a big win over Reigns — and it’s all leading to this Blood and Guts match. The group that loses has to disband.
Other happenings -
Dean Malenko has a masked man helping him win matches over Miro and Ken Shamrock. The masked man has yet to be revealed.
AEW Owner and CEO/GM Tony Khan announced a major AEW signing that will be announced during the PPV.