5 mistakes AEW made at Full Gear 2021: Major segment not aired, Unnecessary matches on the card, Controversial star signed
Full Gear 2021 was AEW's final pay-per-view of the year. The card was stacked with must-see matches.
The show opened with an instant classic between MJF and Darby Allin. The Salt of the Earth came out with the win as two of The Four Pillars of AEW set the night off to a hot start. A new champion was crowned, and the new #1 contender was announced. Britt Baker retained her title in a tightly contested match against Tay Conti.
A 20-year wrestling veteran made his AEW debut and immediately challenged for the TNT Championship. Eddie Kingston and CM Punk tore the house down in another classic.
However, there were a few things AEW got wrong. Let's take a look at five mistakes AEW made at Full Gear 2021.
#5. Some of the matches at AEW Full Gear 2021 dragged for too long
Full Gear had three amazing mind blowing matches. MJF vs Darby, King vs Punk, and Hangman vs Omega were all instant classics. FTR vs LB and Bryan vs Miro were also great. The multiman matches were too long for me, and the women's title match was a dud. Still 2 thumbs up tho.
Full Gear opened with MJF vs. Darby Allin in one of the greatest pay-per-view openers in modern wrestling history. The two tore the house down as the Dynamite Diamond Ring winner reigned supreme.
The match lasted over 22 minutes, and every second was worth it. The Lucha Brothers vs. FTR for the AEW Tag Team Championship clocked at just under 20 minutes. Another long, excellent match.
The next two matches lasted over 20 minutes each. The first was Miro vs. Bryan Danielson in the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament final and Superkliq vs. Jurassic Express and Christian Cage.
None of the matches were throwaway. Each had top stars involved with a great build-up. For fans to stay invested in four straight matches, all of which were 20 or more minutes long, is next to impossible. This isn't to say the matches weren't great – they all ranged from great to excellent – but fans needed a breather.
The two matches that followed were over 16 and 15 minutes long as Cody Rhodes and PAC defeated Andrade El Idolo and Malakai Black while Britt Baker defeated Tay Conti to retain the AEW Women's Championship.
The shortest match was CM Punk vs. Eddie Kingston at 11 minutes and, immediately after that, we got the Inner Circle vs. American Top Team in yet another match that lasted 20 minutes. The main event lasted nearly half an hour as Hangman Adam Page won the AEW World Championship.
AEW Full Gear was a top tier wrestling ppv show where the right guys won, nobody was made to look like a geek and the fans in the building went home happy.
They had something for almost everyone on the show.
My only complaint was a number of the matches could have been shorter
Some matches, like the Cody/PAC vs. Andrade/Black, Superkliq vs. Jurassic Express/Christian, and Inner Circle vs. ATT could, or should, have been shorter. The Cody Rhodes tag team match would've been better placed on Dynamite as it felt randomly thrown together compared to the rest of the card. The same could be said for the Inner Circle vs. American Top Team Street Fight.