AEW Full Gear 2022 is coming up this Saturday and before the event takes place, let’s run down everything you need to know about the upcoming pay-per-view.
Who is scheduled for the card? How interesting does the show seem? What’s going to happen with all the matches?
Here is a full preview of AEW Full Gear 2022.
PPV EVENT INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, November 19, 2022
Start Time: 7 p.m. ET (Zero Hour pre-show), 8 p.m. ET (main show)
Location: Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey
MATCH CARD, PREDICTIONS & HEAT INDEX ANTICIPATION LEVELS
(as currently advertised; card is always subject to change)
Temperature Scale = Scorching > Hot > Lukewarm > Temperate > Chilly > Cold > Freezing
Heat Index is my assessment of how interesting the segment is, including how excited I am for the match and how intriguing the feud has been. The hotter, the better. Scorching translates to not being able to wait to see it, while Freezing means I couldn’t possibly care less and think it will be awful.
AEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Jon Moxley (c) vs. MJF
Heat Index = Hot
Prediction: MJF wins.
Thoughts: I don’t think it’s a certainty MJF wins the belt, but I do think it is probably the best decision AEW can make. He’s the hot ticket item and Moxley’s had his time as champion extended with this CM Punk situation. Maybe MJF cheats to win. He could win legit, too. Hell, Moxley could cheat to win for a surprise. I’m down to see what they’ve got in mind.
AEW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
The Acclaimed (c) vs. Swerve in Our Glory
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: The Acclaimed wins.
Thoughts: Something I’ll echo later in this list is that I think AEW was on its high horse about not repeating feuds with rematches, only to fall into the same trap. The Acclaimed should have won the first match between these teams. Stretching it out into a second match was milking it. A third? People will argue that this is the rubber match, but there never should have been a sequel to begin with. Swerve in Our Glory has to split up. The Acclaimed need to retain. And even though the match will be good, I don’t think it’s going to feel ultimately worthwhile on a super long card, so I can’t be Scorching or even Hot about it anymore.
AEW INTERIM WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Toni Storm (c) vs. Jamie Hayter
Heat Index = Freezing
Prediction: Jamie Hayter wins.
Thoughts: Even more egregious of a copy/paste repeat than the tag team title match is this. Storm, Hayter, Baker and Rosa had like 80 matches together. I was sick of this feud months ago. With this being an interim title, I particularly don’t care. Put the belt on Hayter. It’s not going to change anything. These two are talented, but this feud has been an utter bore and went on FAR too long.
AEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATOR TOURNAMENT FINAL:
Ethan Page vs. Lance Archer, Ricky Starks or Brian Cage
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Ethan Page wins.
Thoughts: So they’re going to likely do Ricky Starks beating Lance Archer on Rampage, then having to fight Brian Cage on the Zero Hour of this before losing to Ethan Page because he’s already fought earlier in the night, right? Got it. Page makes sense to fight either Moxley or MJF, so he was my pick to begin with. Frankly, I don’t see why they couldn’t just have had a fresh Starks vs. Page match.
ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR-WAY MATCH:
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Sammy Guevara
Heat Index = Hot
Prediction: Chris Jericho wins.
Thoughts: The only thing stopping this from being Scorching is how there’s no way Chris Jericho loses the title. As far as the talent involved, you’ve got four of the best competitors in the company in the ring. It’ll naturally be a great match. I’m curious how the dynamics will work, though, with Guevara/Jericho and Danielson/Castagnoli against each other.
AEW TBS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Jade Cargill (c) vs. Nyla Rose
Heat Index = Cold
Prediction: Jade Cargill wins.
Thoughts: This hasn’t been the feud AEW thinks it is. Somehow, both came off as insufferable heels, but not even in an engaging enough way to be interesting. It’s been more about Rose being annoying and Cargill being annoyed than anything else. I don’t think the match will be good, but I’m hoping it will at least be short.
SINGLES MATCH:
Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. vs. Saraya
Heat Index = Chilly
Prediction: Saraya wins.
Thoughts: I’m not a doctor (or a dentist), but I have so many reservations about seeing Saraya in the ring. I just can’t help but to feel like this is unsafe. The entire match, I’m going to be more worried that she’s going to suffer a horrific injury, rather than enjoying anything. Then again, I also think she was overrated in the ring when she was at her peak, so now, after all that ring rust and the injuries, I can’t even expect something on par with what we used to get when she was in WWE. The feud’s also had dreadful segments, so it’s not as though the storyline is engaging for my personal tastes.
TAG TEAM MATCH:
Darby Allin and Sting vs. Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett
Heat Index = Temperate
Prediction: Darby Allin and Sting wins.
Thoughts: I was more interested in Darby Allin moving away from Sting than for this tag team match, but Jeff Jarrett’s inclusion boosted my interest. If this were Jay Lethal and Satnam Singh, for example, this would be under the Cold or Freezing territory. As it stands, I can see the heels winning to prompt that Sting/Allin separation, but it isn’t necessary. Let’s go with Allin and Sting winning, then agreeing to part ways anyway.
STEEL CAGE MATCH:
Jungle Boy vs. Luchasaurus
Heat Index = Hot
Prediction: Jungle Boy wins.
Thoughts: I’m not positive the steel cage gimmick is where I would have gone for these two, but it does upgrade things from a standard singles match. I’ll give them credit for that. Also, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus are super fun to watch, so the in-ring aspect of this should work well. Thumbs up. It’s not the most important match on the card, but that doesn’t mean it can’t steal the show.
AEW WORLD TRIOS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Death Triangle (c) vs. The Elite
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Death Triangle wins.
Thoughts: I’m sure everyone just assumes The Elite will win their titles back and everything will be a reset button. That’s very likely the case. But there’s a big part of me that thinks that’s too obvious and Tony Khan will opt to not just immediately give The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega the belts right on their return, if not just to surprise the audience and avoid any backlash from pro-CM Punk people. The match should be good.
AEW TNT CHAMPIONSHIP THREE-WAY MATCH:
Wardlow (c) vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Samoa Joe
Heat Index = Hot
Prediction: Wardlow wins.
Thoughts: This is one of those situations where I think AEW could have gotten away with splitting the difference and stretching this out. Wardlow could have fought Hobbs here alone, and then, Joe at Final Battle. I don’t think we’re getting Joe as double champion, nor do I think Hobbs is beating Wardlow unless the plan is to put the ROH TV Championship on Wardlow instead, for some reason. More than likely, Wardlow just retains here.
OVERALL PPV:
How excited am I for the event as a whole?
Heat Index = Hot
Thoughts: This isn’t THE most excited I’ve ever been for an AEW show, but there are enough things on the Hot end to balance out the colder ones for me to go slightly above that Lukewarm range. I fully expect that some of the card is going to drag and I’ll wish I could skip forward, but that other parts are going to be damn good.
What do you think is going to happen at AEW Full Gear? Which matches are you most excited to see? Keep the discussion going in the comments below!
