AEW will wrap its 2021 pay-per-view schedule this Saturday with the Full Gear event at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The show is headlined by the long-awaited AEW World Championship match between Kenny Omega and Hangman Page, along with some must-see matchups including CM Punk vs. Eddie Kingston, Lucha Brothers vs. FTR and Darby Allin vs. MJF. But can this show surpass All Out, which many fans have crowned AEW’s best show to date? And is it finally time for Omega to drop the title?
Once again, we’ve assembled our time of wrestling writers — including our newest addition, Tim — to break down the biggest questions heading into Saturday’s show and give their predictions on who is winning each match. Check out the full predictions below, and stay tuned for full coverage this weekend!
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A Lot of People Crowned All Out AEW’s Best Pay-Per-View. Can This Show Top It?
Connor Casey: It’s going to be incredibly hard. I was at All Out, and the idea of anything topping the Bucks/Lucha Bros. Steel Cage Match and the arrivals of Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson seems impossible. But Full Gear has something All Out didn’t — a main event that has been building for more than two years. I fully believe this storyline between Hangman Page and The Elite will go down as the signature storyline of AEW’s first decade as a company, but a lot of that hinges on whether or not this main event pays off. There’s a lot to love about this card from top to bottom, so it’s not impossible this goes down as AEW’s best show yet.
Matt Aguilar: It will probably be a great pay-per-view, but I just can’t think of anything that would top the combination of CM Punk’s first match and the debuts of Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole, and Ruby Soho. That’s a high bar, and not sure this will be the event to surpass it. That said, who knows, maybe we get Bray Wyatt coming out to shock everyone, but even that wouldn’t equal the three debuts of last time.
Evan Valentine: Not a chance. All Out feels like a perfect pay-per-view event. It’s hard for me to find any flaws there, but heck, I’m happy to see them try. From a technical standpoint with its matches, maybe Full Gear could hit the same heights as All Out, but the sheer amount of jaw-dropping surprises in the previous event are just too notable not to sway the scale here.
Nick Valdez: All Out was a real game changer, and it’s very hard to imagine anything beating out the Lucha Bros vs. Bucks match, but Full Gear has Hangman Page. Just as Connor mentioned, Page’s story has been on such a slow burn that a satisfying finish could challenge the same heights as All Out. Maybe even more so?
Tim Adams: Unless AEW has some more surprising appearances up its sleeve in the mold of Adam Cole, Ruby Soho, and CM Punk, then I highly doubt it. All Out was one of the most highly anticipated wrestling events in years, so anything would have a hard to living up to that sort of hype. However, there are still plenty of matches on Full Gear worth watching. We’re still in the early stages of CM Punk’s return to wrestling, and Eddie Kingston will have a large segment of the crowd behind him, especially after the release of his Player’s Tribune article. Fans have also eagerly been anticipating Adam “Hangman” Page vs. Kenny Omega, which should be another “Match of the Year” candidate.
Did The Card Getting Leaked Affect Your Excitement at All?
Connor: No, because I liked a lot of what that leaked card had on it and some of the weaker ideas (Punk vs. Wardlow) wound up not happening. I am bummed we’re not getting Danielson vs. Moxley, but I completely understand why and respect Moxley’s decision to step away.
Matt: Matchup spoilers don’t really affect me at all. In fact they typically have the opposite effect if it’s a matchup I actually want to see. I think it was genius for him to “leak” it that way. Surprises like new signings and that type of thing are a different story regarding spoilers, but cards don’t really negatively affect anything.
Evan: Not at all. I’m a proponent of learning a card as soon as possible, as it only gets me more hyped for an event. There aren’t any matches here that I’m not interested in and I’m psyched for the event itself.
Nick: Nope! Honestly forgot about it as soon as I saw it! It all feels totally fresh for me.
Tim: The card getting leaked has no impact on me at all. This is one of those instances where knowing what’s coming actually increases my enjoyment of the product. If the leaks included who was scheduled to win each match, then that’d be a different story. In this case, leaks were a good thing.
Is It Finally Hangman’s Time to Become World Champion?
Connor: Yes! And I am sick to death of people online trying to argue about whether or not Omega needs more heat or if the chase should be stretched out another year. Page has already gone through his emotional journey of self-doubt. He finally has the confidence that was lacking in his title match with Jericho and last year’s match with Omega. Now is the time to pull the trigger.
Matt: Yeah, I think it’s time. They’ve effectively made Page so sympathetic and a clear favorite, and I don’t see Omega being able to do anything else that would justify delaying this for another few months up to a year. Fans are ready for it and you’ve told a fun story, so now is the time to capitalize.
Evan: It’s 100% time for a title swap and Hangman is the perfect opponent for Omega to lose the belt to. Kenny’s had an amazing run but it’s time to start up some new stories and Page feels perfect to start ushering in a new era of the AEW following this pay-per-view.
Nick: Absolutely! His return to the main title picture was one of the most satisfying moments of the year, and that’s impressive considering what AEW has already accomplished. It will end the year on a high, and finally end Omega’s run as champion. Totally agree that it’s gone on long enough, and no one else is a better choice to do it.
Tim: It feels like Kenny Omega’s time as world champion has run its course. AEW has been building to Omega/Hangman for about as long as the promotion has been in business, so fans are itching to see Hangman dethrone his former tag team partner. Plus, Hangman as champion opens the door to some fascinating matchups down the road in his title defenses.
Should Eddie Kingston Give CM Punk His First AEW Loss?
Connor: Eddie is the definition of Teflon. He can (and mostly has) take just about any loss and bounce right back with a promo. You won’t hear any complaints from me if he wins (especially after reading his Players Tribune column) but I don’t expect it.
Matt: Nah, and Kingston doesn’t “need” the win either. He’s well-liked by the fans, so he can push Punk to the limits and still look as strong as ever coming out of this. You can even have his emotions getting the best of him during the match for an easy setup for a rematch later on if you do want Kingston to ultimately dethrone Punk from his unbeaten streak, just don’t see it happening here.
Evan: I’m somewhat torn on this, but ultimately I think I’m leaning more toward Eddie eating the loss here and setting Punk up for a bigger loss. CM is still quite early in the AEW game and needs a bit more building up before he comes into contact with an opponent that is able to take him down. If Kenny loses the belt, maybe that’s a storyline we can jump right into.
Nick: I think so, but he’s taken a lot of notable losses recently and come back just fine. He’s got the kind of promo power that keeps him strong no matter what happens to him, but CM Punk’s current trajectory is at a critical building stage. He needs to continue winning and shining himself up before making a first big move. Kingston winning would be great, and I want it, but it won’t happen.
Tim: Kingston will have a large portion of the crowd behind him, but CM Punk will remain undefeated walking out of Full Gear. If their feud didn’t feel like it came out of nowhere and was slowly built up, I’d give Kingston a chance to pin CM Punk. Though, with Jon Moxley taking some personal time off, I could see AEW sliding Kingston in his place as their de facto “People’s Champ.”
Name One Crazy Thing That Happens in the Minneapolis Street Fight
Connor: I’ll give you two — it’s filmed at the Mall of America (because WCW reference) and Jorge Masvidal makes some sort of appearance and nails Chris Jericho with another flying knee.
Matt: I’m with Connor, you’ve got to WCW here and film it there (people like me will have all the feels haha). If you’re going to film there, you’ve got to have an escalator spot that is absurd but incredible.
Evan: This is really a match where anything can happen, but I definitely think we’ll see at least one the players here switch sides, though I’d be hard pressed to think if we’ll see a betrayal on the side of the Inner Circle or the American Top Team.
Nick: I have no idea! I’m expecting cameos and wild spots, but I honestly have no idea.
Tim: Dan Lambert takes an insane bump that would make Shane McMahon proud. If that’s out of the question, then a surprise appearance from one of the many wrestling legends from Minneapolis.
Danielson or Miro — Who Wins the Eliminator Tournament?
Connor: I’ll go with Miro. Since I fully expect Page to win the world title, I don’t expect his first defense (likely at Winter is Coming) to be against another babyface like Danielson. Plus, Bryan’s mission has been more about getting a rematch with Omega rather than winning the world title, so if he loses he can still just keep pursuing that.
Matt: I just don’t see Danielson not winning this unless someone interferes. Like with Punk, you don’t just hand a lost to one of your biggest stars this early in their run. Miro can still look strong in a loss and you can even use it to fuel his next monster run, but here think Danielson leaves as the winner.
Evan: Much like CM Punk, I think Danielson still has to accumulate some heat and taking down a bruiser like Miro is a perfect way to continue lighting the fire beneath the WWE transplant. Bryan winning here just opens up far too many juicy storyline opportunities not to hit.
Nick: It would make sense for Miro to win given he’s coming hot off the TNT Championship, but this seems like it was built for Danielson. It fits right into his current run through AEW’s toughest, and seems like a natural course for it. But at the same time, this could be the perfect time for Danielson to lose and find a new focus while Miro goes full monster. Both sound fun, but I’d say Danielson.
Tim: Bryan Danielson is on a mission, and even though Miro will give him everything he’s got, it won’t be enough to stop the American Dragon. This is one of the most highly-anticipated matches on the Full Gear card, and normally Miro would be in position to earn a world title shot after being the TNT champion. But the story is Danielson and being with a company (AEW) that allows him to display his exceptional workrate. Fans want to see Danielson get another world title shot. It’s just a matter of who that opportunity will come against: a rematch with Kenny Omega, or a shot at Adam Page?
Predictions
Connor:
- AEW World Championship: Hangman Page def. Kenny Omega
- AEW Women’s World Championship: Dr. Britt Baker def. Tay Conti
- AEW World Tag Team Championships: Lucha Brothers def. FTR
- AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament: Miro def. Bryan Danielson
- MJF def. Darby Allin
- CM Punk def. Eddie Kingston
- The Inner Circle def. Men of the Year & American Top Team (Minneapolis Street Fight)
- Adam Cole & The Young Bucks def. Christian Cage & Jurassic Express (Falls Count Anywhere)
Matt:
- AEW World Championship: Hangman Page def. Kenny Omega
- AEW Women’s World Championship: Dr. Britt Baker def. Tay Conti
- AEW World Tag Team Championships: Lucha Brothers def. FTR
- AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament: Bryan Danielson def. Miro
- Darby Allin def. MJF
- CM Punk def. Eddie Kingston
- Men of the Year & American Top Team def. The Inner Circle (Minneapolis Street Fight)
- Adam Cole & The Young Bucks def. Christian Cage & Jurassic Express (Falls Count Anywhere)
Evan:
- AEW World Championship: Hangman Page def. Kenny Omega
- AEW Women’s World Championship: Dr. Britt Baker def. Tay Conti
- AEW World Tag Team Championships: Lucha Brothers def. FTR
- AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament: Bryan Danielson def. Miro
- Darby Allin def. MJF
- CM Punk def. Eddie Kingston
- The Inner Circle def. Men of the Year & American Top Team (Minneapolis Street Fight)
- Christian Cage & Jurassic Express def. Adam Cole & The Young Bucks (Falls Count Anywhere)
Nick:
- AEW World Championship: Hangman Page def. Kenny Omega
- AEW Women’s World Championship: Dr. Britt Baker def. Tay Conti
- AEW World Tag Team Championships: Lucha Brothers def. FTR
- AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament: Bryan Danielson def. Miro
- Darby Allin def. MJF
- CM Punk def. Eddie Kingston
- The Inner Circle def. Men of the Year & American Top Team (Minneapolis Street Fight)
- Christian Cage & Jurassic Express def. Adam Cole & The Young Bucks (Falls Count Anywhere)
Tim:
- AEW World Championship: Hangman Page def Kenny Omega
- AEW Women’s World Championship: Dr. Britt Baker def Tay Conti
- AEW World Tag Team Championships: FTR def Lucha Brothers
- AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament: Bryan Danielson def Miro
- MJF def Darby Allin
- CM Punk def Eddie Kingston
- Men of the Year & American Top Team def The Inner Circle (Minneapolis Street Fight)
- Christian Cage & Jurassic Express def Adam Cole & The Young Bucks (Falls Count Anywhere)
