Roundtable: AEW Full Gear

After six episodes, how would you rate AEW Dynamite?

Jack Goodwillie: It’s a very good show and has carved out a nice niche for itself on account of it being…well, good and SmackDown being not so good (last week notwithstanding). The wrestling has been good, but I’d like to see some more promos and character building and less Orange Cassidy. What I can say is that there has been a clear vision for what they’d like Full Gear to be and are doing everything they can to make it as big as can be. That’s good. So far, I’d say Dynamite has been a B+ wrestling show with the potential for more.

Juan Bautista: 9. It is a very consistent product right now. When I was watching, I knew that the tag team tournament was the most important thing going on, as it should be. Any development in a storyline is followed up the next week. They are also willing to try things like the car ride with Cody and Tony, although it probably dragged on a couple minutes longer than it needed to and would have been more suited for the Inner Circle.

David Gibb: I haven’t been watching Dynamite because it’s not on the standard tier of Hulu and I refuse to sign up for another paid steaming service just to watch another wrestling show. I have been watching Dark each week on YouTube and mostly enjoying it, though.

Steven Jackson: AEW Dynamite is fantastic! I really love the concept, the style, the presentation and the overall feel of the shows. The shows are a treat to watch and each episode is improving from the last.

Neal Wagner: 8/10. It’s been amazing so far, but there’s still a little something missing. I just can’t tell what it is.

Chad Gelfand: 7.5. I’ve really enjoyed Dynamite – it feels like they love wrestling. The show is refreshing and building to something every week. The things I would improve on are giving the women more storylines and providing the midcard more shine. AEW has been doing a great job with the top of the card, but the midcard definitely has room for improvement.

John Corrigan: 9. Everything has been fun and exciting except for the women’s division. Riho is defending the title against Emi Sakura at the PPV and who really cares? With so much talent in the division, it’s frustrating that every women’s match feels like a cruiserweight opener from Nitro: all substance and no storyline.

Matthew Smith: 6.7. Let’s start with the good: it’s been fun to watch a new product that isn’t WWE on a prime time channel. It’s a breath of fresh air for the wrestling world: we’ve seen a massive focus on tag team wrestling, there are win/loss records and a new crop of faces to cheer for or become invested in. The focus has been heavy wrestling and not “my wife cheated on me because I’m a sex addict” storylines, which is again refreshing. The downside has been the heavy focus on The Elite, which is to be expected, but they have got to start focusing more on some of the unknown wrestlers they have. For example, I never saw a Private Party match until they knocked off the Young Bucks and pushed Lucha Bros to the limit. AEW doesn’t need to fall into the start-stop booking WWE has been known for.

Speaking of WWE, it’s fine to let it motivate you to be better, but we know who you are referring to and competing against, so you don’t have to say “we aren’t in that company in anymore” as Cody said before he went after Jericho. Just go do it, Cody – we are already behind you. The matches overall haven’t been world changing; in fact, there have been a good bit of botches even from veteran talent, such as the Young Bucks. These things will get better in time, but they can’t be known as the wrestling show and keep missing the mark. The final thing that has stood out to me is Sammy G; this guy could be The Inner Circle’s Randy Orton. A young kid with the looks and a strong support system, they must avoid turning him into the jobber of the group and into a diamond.

Which match are you most looking forward to at AEW Full Gear?

Goodwillie: Moxley vs. Omega. This match was cruelly taken from us at All Out, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the feud is hotter than ever; not to mention both wrestlers have overarching stakes involved. For Omega, he needs to show he can win over new fans to the program and as history has shown, hot personal issues tend to get guys over. For Moxley, he’s been in the position to do a highly dangerous match before with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania and it ended up being a total flop. With seemingly no obstacles in his way now, the world will be watching to see what he does next.

Bautista: Young Bucks vs. Santana and Ortiz.

Gibb: Everything Cody and Jericho has been a cut above everything else, so Cody and Jericho.

Sam Gladen: I am most excited for Proud and Powerful vs. The Young Bucks, as well as Adam Page vs. PAC. Both of these matches should be hard hitting and high intensity bouts that you’ll miss if you blink at the wrong moment.

Jackson: Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega. The feud they have had has been fantastic, and the fact that this match is unsanctioned makes it even more exciting. Two of the best wrestlers in the world who are going to tear the house down!

Wagner: Cody vs Jericho. The hype and story behind the match is excellent. I love both these guys, but they’ve done so well at making me want to see Jericho get his ass kicked. Regardless, I’m gonna be happy for the winner.

Gelfand: After the promo that Cody cut on Dynamite, I’m most looking forward to Cody/ Jericho. The build to this has been great, and I trust these two to tell a good story in the ring. This isn’t the type of match that needs to go 15-20 minutes either.

Corrigan: Chris Jericho and Cody are going to have one of the greatest matches of all time. Get the stars ready!

Smith: Mox vs. Omega. It’s a put up or shut up match for both guys. If you never saw Kenny wrestle in Japan and have only seen him on AEW TV, he just feels like more hype than substance. He is the Best Bout Machine on the planet and it’s about time he proved it. Maybe he was waiting on this Mox match to go all out, but whatever the case may be, it’s time to turn it up. In the other corner, Mox set the world on fire with his Talk is Jericho interview and attack on Omega at Double or Nothing, but besides that, he doesn’t have a lot of substance either. He has been portrayed as just another hardcore guy. Granted, his work in New Japan was very good, but I’m going strictly AEW here, and I most note the injury to Mox didn’t help either man. In fact, the biggest winner out of this feud so far has been PAC. I expect both men to try and put on the match of the night or die trying.

Is Cody pushing himself too strong?

Goodwillie: It’s too early to say. Based on how things broke between Double or Nothing and All Out, Cody makes sense as Chris Jericho’s first title challenger. But he should not be going over here and I don’t think he has it in him to be a core champion that can carry the company from month-to-month. I’m kind of hoping the company just pulls the trigger on the MJF turn already. Everybody and their mother knows that MJF is not a babyface and his intentions for Cody are anything but pure, so it’s due time we get on with it already.

Bautista: No. Right now, AEW has to go with proven and familiar names to challenge for the title. As everything progresses, we’ll probably see Jimmy Havoc, Sammy Guevara, Jon Moxley, PAC and Kenny Omega make charges at the title.

Gibb: I see where some people think Cody takes things a little too far, but he’s had an extra-base hit in basically every at-bat since AEW launched. I’ll wait until he’s floundering and pushing himself this hard to complain.

Gladen: I don’t think so. He’s set himself up to look stronger than the other three OG members of The Elite so far, but he’s using that strength to build new stars like Darby Allin and Sammy Guevara. I don’t think the time limit draw with Allin and the near loss from Guevara would hold as much weight if Cody was not being built as strong as he is.

Jackson: It is a really hard one to answer. He probably is, but Cody has really come into his own in AEW. The fans are really behind him (as I am myself) so it is only natural that he will be fighting for the AEW World Title. As long as he doesn’t bury talent and start a lot of political games (which I highly doubt), then I have great faith in him.

Wagner: I don’t mind Cody pushing himself because he knows that he is the money draw right now. If we are in the same position six months from now, then I’d say it might be a little overboard.

Gelfand: I don’t think so. Cody is the most over face in the company right now and he’s putting on great performances in the ring and on the microphone.

Corrigan: Not at all. As the great American poet Kid Rock said, “it isn’t bragging motherfucker if you back it up.”

Smith: I don’t think so. All of his wins have been understandable and flowed with the storyline. The only win you can argue is against Shawn Spears because “The Chairman” winning would have created another credible heel on the roster. I don’t see Cody picking up the win at Full Gear because he knows it’s too soon as well. I see this more of a match to build up just how tough it’s going to be to deal with the Inner Circle. Cody, like the Young Bucks, is very in tune with his audience and as far as crowd reactions, go no one is generating a bigger pop than Cody. He’s already given the rub to Darby Allin – I didn’t even know who he was before their match. That’s what you want your top guys to do; draw interest in the product as a whole and as of right now, Cody is doing a great job.

How do you feel about the Inner Circle?

Goodwillie: I love it. At first glance, it doesn’t seem like any of the members have anything in common, but that’s kind of why it works. They’re united in their process: To keep the AEW World Championship around the waist of Chris Jericho? Why? Maybe we’ll find out soon enough. But this wrestling foster family strangely works and is probably my favorite stable going at the moment.

Bautista: It is very strong. Each member has their own identity – none of them blend in together. Santana and Ortiz are a great tag team that can cause havoc at any time. Jake Hager is a ruthless strongman. Sammy Guevara is a Spanish god and Chris Jericho is the champion.

Gibb: I dig it. Guevara feels like the next big thing, and I did not see it in him a year ago.

Gladen: I like the Inner Circle. They are a great foil to The Elite and a great launch pad for the top heels in the company.

Jackson: The Inner Circle is a brilliant stable and each of the members really brings something to the table. I just hope AEW learn from the past and don’t make the stable huge, and in the process, diluted. The Inner Circle should stay that: an inner circle.

Wagner: The Inner Circle is what wrestling has needed for a while now: factions. Groups that feature top stars, mid-level and future stars. I’m all for it!

Gelfand: I really like the faction right now. You have the aging, crafty world champion in Chris Jericho, the prodigy understudy in Sammy Guevera, the rough and tumble tag team in the Proud and the Powerful and the hoss enforcer in Jake Hager. It’s a good mix of talent, and they’ve meshed well so far.

Corrigan: Next to Contra, it’s my favorite group in wrestling. Jericho has elevated Guevara, reinvented Hager and added a mean streak to Santana and Ortiz. Le Champion is the MVP of AEW.

Smith: I want to give it some more time because the little I have seen, it feels good. They’re all heels who can bring different things to the table, but I want to see how they work a PPV together. Jericho did an amazing job putting each guy over when he first introduced them. Now it’s up to the guys to make the rest work. I don’t think they need a Shield-type run where they just plow through everybody, but every time we see the Inner Circle, they need to make an impact.

Who wins: Kenny Omega or Jon Moxley?

Goodwillie: Part of the intrigue of this match lies in the result. Who wins? I don’t know! I could see the company going either way with it, although if it were up to me, Moxley would get the nod. He has the highest upside of anybody on the roster at the moment, and AEW can definitely learn from WWE’s mistakes. Moxley is hot again, even after his WWE run and even after having to sit out with staph. Now that he’s back and firing on all cylinders, it’s up to the creative to strike while the iron is hot to capitalize on that megastar upside.

Bautista: Jon Moxley will win. He needs the big marquee win to make the charge towards the championship. Plus, he needs the credibility whenever he grabs a microphone to prove he can back up his words.

Gibb: Based on the way they told the story with Moxley putting Omega through the glass table, Omega has to get his gutsy, gory win here.

Gladen: Moxley wins, triggering a heel turn and personality change from Omega. Sort of like the Broken Matt Hardy gimmick where everything has just gone so, so wrong for him that he just goes off the rails and starts working in a more snug and serious strong style.

Jackson: I’m really rooting for Jon Moxley. I want him to get a massive win over Omega and ride high onto a feud for the AEW Title.

Wagner: I have to go with Moxley because he needs the wins more to be established for a main event title match. It’s gonna be a brutal match.

Gelfand: Jon Moxley. This type of match favors a wrestler like Moxley. The story coming out of this match can be that Jon Moxley can out brawl Kenny Omega, but can he really outwrestle him? And that can be the story of their first regular singles match.

Corrigan: If Omega hadn’t already taken a few losses, I’d say it was a close call. But the fact that he’s more fallible in AEW than any other Elite member has me picking Moxley, who definitely needs the big win more.

Smith: If both men deliver like I stated earlier, we all win. But I would love to see the return of “The Cleaner” and Kenny pick up a much needed big win.