The sixth annual edition of AEW Full Gear hits pay-per-view this Saturday as Tony Khan's promotion rocks the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Originally there were nine matches on the card, including the Zero Hour pre-show, but Khan naturally started adding more as soon as we completed our picks process. As a result, we won't be talking here about theInternational title match between Konosuke Takeshita and Ricochet or anything else that gets added after the fact. Even so, we do have eight high-profile singles matches to pick, including three title matches, as well as a tag team championship match. Also The Costco Guys are here!
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Now it should be noted that these days, our collective picks could probably be purchased at Costco in bulk for all the value they've had. WWE Crown Jewel was possibly our roughest-ever showing not only was the Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton thrown out, but we also weren't able to come to a consensus on the winner of the United States title match, and then we proceeded to whiff on both CrownJewel Championship contests, bringing us to a 3-2-1 showing and a 2024 record of 125-26-7.
But don't be daunted by the fact that we're clinging to an 81% hit rate at this point! Crown Jewel was the most divided the WINC staff has ever been on a card, and Full Gear is definitively not that. In fact, while Crown Jewel was the first card where we didn't get to 80% agreement on any match, for Full Gear there are only two matchesbelow80%, and three matches in which the pick was unanimous. For AEW Full Gear, the WINC staff marches in lockstep, and that unity is our ticket to turning things around at the end of 2024.
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With that in mind, let's get to the picks!
The one and only Zero Hour pre-show match announced for AEW Full Gear as of this writing will pit QT Marshall against social media sensation "Big Boom!" AJ, and each and every voter on the Wrestling Inc. staff put their faith in "the BOOM." Not everyone may be in agreement on why exactly this match was booked, but it's safe to say that it makes the most sense for AJ to pick up the win here.
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After all, what would be the point of bringing in the Costco Guys simply to serve as fodder for Marshall, who no longer even appears on AEW TV? The only real reason to bring AJ and his son into the promotion is to bring some of their audience's eyes to AEW, and having AJ lose to Marshall would defeat that entire purpose. AJ and Big Justice are here to pull in a different type of audience to AEW, and a win over Marshall results in positive impressions for those viewers without derailing the career of one of the company's featured wrestlers.
Plus, with the announcement that The Rizzler will be making a Full Gear Zero Hour appearance, how can anyone expect Marshall to stand a chance?
Written by Nick Miller
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This is one of the stronger builds to a match on Full Gear, however, we don't think Will Ospreay is losing to former best friend Kyle Fletcher. A total of 77% of us believe "The Aerial Assassin" is going to continue to dominate, though the pair will put on what could be match of the night. Fletcher has been doing some excellent character work and has been cutting great promos, even going as far as shaving a portion of his head in the middle of the ring so he doesn't look as much like Ospreay anymore. He reminded us, and Ospreay, multiple times that he is NOT like him.
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While we love a good feud between two wrestlers who know the other's in-ring style better than maybe anyone else, we just don't see Fletcher getting the "W" here, though an attempt at using the screwdriver is probably going to be made once again in this match. Ospreay is going to continue to run rampant over The Don Callis Family members to try and get his International Championship back from Konosuke Takeshita, if he's not being targeted by Jon Moxley anytime soon to get into the AEW World Championship picture. This is potentially a feud that could go for multiple matches, which we might not mind too much if their Full Gear match is a banger. Despite Fletcher's excellent character work as a heel, the majority of us are going with Ospreay here.
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Written byDaisyRuth
Over the last six years, Jay White has racked up four singles match victories over "Hangman" Adam Page, with the most recent taking place at AEW WrestleDream. On the other end, Page has claimed a sole singles win. According to 77% of Wrestling Inc. staff, that will change at AEW Full Gear.
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Just within this year, Page and White have faced off on two occasions, with each man taking home one victory. This effectively makes Full Gear the rubber match. And considering Page recently burned down a man's childhood home to gain a mental advantage in another feud, it would come as no surprise if he stops at nothing to ensure that he finally gains the upper hand in his 2024 feud with White.
It is worth noting that this match comes with one of the biggest splits in our predictions, particularly as White may come equipped with the Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson, Austin and Colten Gunn) just in case. Meanwhile, this vicious version of Page has seemingly burned bridges with most of the AEW locker room. He did recently, and successfully, team with Christian Cage, however, which could lead to a temporary alliance with The Patriarchy to even the odds.
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If for nothing else, a Page win at Full Gear would put his program with White to rest, and thus allow both men to move on to new programs (or in Page's case, focus on a new victim). Given that Wrestle Dynasty is right around the corner, it may be time to specifically set up White, a former long-time NJPW roster member, for that right after Full Gear.
Written by Ella Jay
Another match that all of us here at WINC are 100% in agreement about is Maxwell Jacob Friedman coming out on top over Roderick Strong. Many of us were confused by this feud, which was hampered seemingly because of MJF's filming schedule. "The Scumbag" wasn't present in person for the build, rather appearing in pre-taped videos aired to the crowd. MJF initially challenge Adam Cole and Strong to see who could get to three victories to face him at Full Gear and Cole was bested by Konosuke Takeshita while Strong picked up three victories.
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On the most recent episode of "Dynamite," MJF cut a scathing promo about Strong's tumultuous family life growing up, revealing Strong's parents were addicts, and his mom shot his father. The reveal of the dirty details solidified to us that he's going over as the bad guy, though Strong will put up a good fight. It was confusing to a lot of us that MJF is facing Strong rather than Cole as the real feud is Cole now that he is back and healthy after being on the shelf for months with a serious ankle injury, one he sustained while jumping off the stage to help his former tag team partner. However, it could be due to MJF's busy Hollywood schedule that he's facing Strong first before getting to his former best friend. Either way, their feud has to continue, so we 100% believe that MJF is picking up the win here and moving on to a full program with Cole when he can be there in person.
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Written by DaisyRuth
Upon their arrival to All Elite Wrestling, MVP declared that The Hurt Syndicate were there to do three things make money, inflict pain, and take championships. And while neither Shelton Benjamin nor Bobby Lashley have directly come after any titles yet, Lashley will find himself face-to-face with a former AEW World Champion at AEW Full Gear in the form of Swerve Strickland.
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On this week's episode of "AEW Dynamite," Lashley defeated Cheeseburger and Joe Keys in a dominant two-on-one-handicap-match showing. The aftermath didn't produce the same results, though, as Prince Nana lured Benjamin away while Strickland rocked Lashley with a House Call and a double stomp.
Looking ahead, Lashley now looks to settle the score against Strickland in his AEW pay-per-view debut. And according to 94% of Wrestling Inc staff., he will do just that with a victory.
Considering The Hurt Syndicate's arrival is so recent, we believe AEW will want to keep them looking strong and also keep in line with their mission statement. A Lashley loss would weaken both of those elements. A Lashley win, especially over a former AEW World Champion, however, ensures both of those remain intact. It also may move Lashley one step closer to the world title picture, where many pundits believe he belongs.
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Written byElla Jay
Mercedes Mone has yet to lose a match since making her AEW debut earlier this year, and our staff doesn't believe Kris Statlander has much of a shot at delivering her first loss at Full Gear. The TBS Championship has proven to be an important part of Mone's presentation in AEW thus far, and a loss would inevitably mark a sharp turning point for her character. The timing doesn't feel right for Mone to drop the title just yet.
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Statlander has a healthy winning streak of her own, picking up a steady string of victories since defeating Willow Nightingale at AEW All Out in September. However, that feud ensured that Statlander can no longer count Nightingale as a friend, and her partnership with Stokely Hathaway dissolved without explanation following All Out.
Mone, on the other hand, won't be alone. While the cracks might be beginning to show in Mone's relationship with Kamille, it's still too soon to break that pairing up. Statlander has pushed away any allies she might have had in this match, meaning she'll have to contend with the former NWA World Women's Champion in addition to Mone. This puts former TBS Champion Statlander at a disadvantage that many of us feel is insurmountable.
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Written by NickMiller
As the Death Riders (formerly known as the Blackpool Combat Club) continue to terrorize the All Elite Wrestling locker room, many pundits expect there to be multiple heroic yet unsuccessful attempts to take them down with the first coming from Orange Cassidy until the final boss enters the fray. According to those same pundits, that final boss, or rather bosses, may very well be The Elite (The Young Bucks, Jack Perry, and Kazuchika Okada). In this case, though, The Elite seem set to face a series of misfortunes first, before rising from the ashes and saving AEW from the Death Riders.
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Step one of The Elite's potential "savior" arc saw AEW EVPs The Young Bucks lose the AEW Tag Team Championships to Private Party, and subsequently proclaim that they will now be working from home. Per Wrestling Inc. staff predictions, Jack Perry will commence the second phase with a TNT Championship loss to Daniel Garcia at AEW Full Gear. Finally, Kazuchika Okada would likely lose his Continental Championship either during the 2024 Continental Classic or in its finals, which take place at the next AEW pay-per-view, Worlds End.
Creative plots aside, it is worth noting that Daniel Garcia just recently re-signed with AEW, with a positive backstage environment and wider leash of freedom cited as reasons for that decision. Another enticement may have been the TNT Championship, which Garcia has unsuccessfully pursued in the past. And for that, plus The Elite's impending downfall, 94% of Wrestling Inc. staff believe Garcia will dethrone Perry at Full Gear, and usher in new era (perhaps of dance) for the TNT Championship.
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Written by Ella Jay
We're not at 100% in agreement here, in part due to the amount of teams in this match, but the majority of us here at WINC, a total of 88%, believe Private Party are walking away from Full Gear still AEW Tag Team Champions. They're facing the super-hot "meme team" of The Outrunners (who earned 6% of the vote) Kings of the Black Throne (who also earned 6% of the vote), and The Acclaimed (who earned no percent of the vote whatsoever). While it may seem like a great time to put the championships on The Outrunners while they're hot, they're currently mostly wrestling on "AEW Collision," which doesn't have as many eyes on it right now.
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If AEW isn't putting the championships on the only really super hot team right now, and because of the fact FTR aren't involved in this match, we're thinking they stay on Private Party, especially because Zay and Quen did the seemingly unthinkable they defeated Matthew and Nicholas Jackson for the belts. The EVPs are seemingly out of action on a break for the moment, so it makes sense to us that Private Party doesn't lose the gold. We think this has the potential to be a fun match with all the teams involved, and with the three other teams vying to capture the gold, maybe Private Party enter a one-on-one feud with The Acclaimed or Kings of the Black Throne on TV moving forward. For this match, 88% of us are sticking with the champs.
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Written by DaisyRuth
Full Gear is set to be headlined by Jon Moxley's first AEW World Championship defense, despite the fact that he won the title well over a month ago. Though many of us here at Wrestling Inc. are Orange Cassidy fans, that didn't stop the vote from going 100% in favor of Moxley.
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Over the last few months, Moxley has been built up as the promotion's biggest antagonist, challenging the sense of complacency he feels has developed in AEW. Cassidy stepped up as the first challenger, with the Conglomeration at his back to help him defend against the Death Riders. However, to truly sell this story and the legitimacy of the Death Riders, Moxley needs to win here, plain and simple.
Moxley's reign has promise, but it still feels like it's just getting started. First of all, there are plenty more challengers waiting in the wings, with Darby Allin presenting himself as a particular annoyance for the Death Riders. Most importantly, though, Moxley has to establish himself as a truly massive threat to ensure it means something when he eventually does get pinned, and that requires a successful defense.
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There's nothing wrong with a transitional world title run every now and then, but this is not that. Every member of our staff who voted agrees that Moxley will retain the AEW World Championship this weekend.
Written byNickMiller
