AEW Full Gear results: Powell’s live review of MJF vs. Jay White for the AEW World Championship, Hikaru Shida vs. Toni Storm for the AEW Women’s Title, Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page in a Texas Death Match – Pro Wrestling Dot Net

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

AEW Full Gear
Aired live November 18, 2023 on pay-per-view and B/R Live
Los Angeles, California at the Kia Forum

AEW Full Gear Zero Hour Pre-Show results: Eddie Kingston defeated Jay Lethal in 10:55 to retain the ROH Championship, Claudio Castagnoli defeated Buddy Matthews in 10:30, and MJF and Samoa Joe defeated Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn in 9:25 to retain the ROH Tag Team Titles…

The pay-per-view opened with a video package… Pyro shot off on the stage and then the broadcast team of Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Nigel McGuinness checked in at ringside. Excalibur recapped the pre-show angle that saw Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn bash MJF’s left leg with a chair, followed by MJF being stretchered out while begging Adam Cole not to let them take his title away…

After the broadcast team ran through the pay-per-view lineup, a small choir performed on the stage as part of Christian Cage’s entrance with Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne. Comedian Dr. Ken Jeong was shown in the crowd while giving Cage the thumbs down. Ric Flair made his entrance. The babyface team entered to Adam Copeland’s theme and played to both(!) sides of the stage. Darby Allin greeted Steve O from Jackass at ringside. The crowd continued to sing Copeland’s entrance theme after it stopped playing. Copeland applauded the crowd…

1. Sting, Darby Allin, and Adam Copeland (w/Ric Flair) vs. Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, and Nick Wayne. Copeland wore face paint and the babyface trio wore black and white gear. Cage had a fatherly moment with Wayne in the heel corner. Allin got the better of Wayne to start and then tagged in Sting, who sent Wayne to the floor and followed. Sting ran Wayne into the barricade and then tossed him back inside the ring.

Wayne quickly tagged Cage into the match. Sting pointed at Copeland and then tagged him in. Copeland and Cage stared across the ring from one another and a “holy shit” chant broke out, but then Cage tagged in Luchasaurus to avoid facing Copeland. Allin ended up tagging back into the match.

Luchasaurus got the better of Allin and then picked him up and chokeslammed him aggressively over the top rope and onto the edge of the apron. Damn. Allin was isolated by the heel trio. Wayne tagged in and mocked Flair by looking at him while strutting. Allin showed signs of life by knocking Cage and Luchasaurus off the apron, but Wayne cut him off. Allin bit Wayne’s hand and then hit him with a sunset bomb.

Allin crawled toward his corner. Cage pulled Copeland off the apron and ran him into the barricade. Sting went after Cage, but Luchasaurus took Sting out. Cage tagged in and mocked Allin once he made it to his corner and his partners were down. Copeland got back on the apron and Allin finally tagged him. Copeland ran across the ring, but Cage tagged out and exited the ring before Copeland could get to him.

Copeland sent Luchasaurus to ringside and then threw Wayne at him. Allin performed a suicide dive onto Luchasaurus and Wayne. Sting dove over Flair and onto both heels on the floor. Copeland set up for a spear once Luchasaurus was back inside the ring, but Luchasurus grabbed him by the throat. Sting and Copeland teamed up for a double team move that resulted in a Scorpion Death Drop.

Sting and Copeland held up Wayne in suplex position and then Allin dove from the top rope onto Wayne. Luchasaurus recovered and tossed Allin into the corner and then clotheslined the back of Copeland’s neck. Cage jawed at Flair on the floor. Flair removed his jacket. Flair hit Cage with a couple of punches and chops. Cage poked Flair’s eye and then low-blowed him.

Cage brought the TNT Title belt into the ring while Luchasurus held Copeland. Cage tried to hit Copeland with the belt, but he broke free and Cage hit Luchasaurus instead. Copeland went after Cage, who exited the ring, hopped the barricade, and ran away from the ringside area. Sting hit Luchasaurus with a Stinger Splash. Copeland speared Luchasaurus and then Allin hit the Coffin Drop. Legal man Copeland covered Luchasaurus and scored the pin…

Sting, Darby Allin, and Adam Copeland defeated Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, and Nick Wayne in 15:10.

All four babyfaces celebrated afterward. Sting went to ringside and hugged his son. Allin took the mic and pumped up the crowd to make noise for Sting’s last match in Los Angeles. Sting was left alone in the ring while the fans cheered for him and chanted, “Thank you, Sting”…

Powell’s POV: I really liked this match and felt it was a good choice for the opening spot on the show. Cage escaping before Copeland could get his hands on him was a nice tough. I hope what we saw tonight is the extent of Flair’s physicality in AEW. Sting’s post match moment with the crowd was really nice.

Tony Schiavone stood on the stage and spoke with referee Bryce Remsburg. Schiavone called for Bullet Club Gold to come out. Jay White came out holding the AEW World Championship belt and claimed to be the champion. “Settle the hell down,” Schiavone said. “Jesus, I’ve got work to do here.” White told Schiavone to “tell them.”

Schiavone announced that MJF was injured and would not be able to defend the title. He said the match was cancelled and was about to declare White the new champion, but he was interrupted by Adam Cole’s entrance music.

Adam Cole came out on crutches with his left foot in a cast. Cole told White that there was not a shot in hell that White was leaving the Forum with MJF’s title. Cole said that if MJF couldn’t defend the championship, then he would defend the belt for him. Cole said one leg or not, the new main event would be White vs. Cole.

White laughed and said Cole must have hit his head or something. White recalled causing Cole’s head injury and said he would take him out for good while taking the AEW World Championship…

A video package spotlighted the AEW International Championship match and then entrances for the match took place. Orange Cassidy came out first, and then Jon Moxley made his usual entrance through the crowd and was accompanied by Wheeler Yuta…

2. Orange Cassidy (w/Hook) vs. Jon Moxley (w/Wheeler Yuta) for the AEW International Championship. Taz joined the broadcast team. Cassidy threw a forearm at Moxley, who absorbed it and then knocked Cassidy down with a forearm strike of his own. Moxley took Cassidy to ringside and tossed him onto the broadcast table before hitting him with right hands. Moxley picked up Cassidy and dumped him abdomen first on the barricade.

Moxley pulled Cassidy back to ringside and brought him back inside the ring. Moxley put the boots to Cassidy and then stood on him in the corner. Moxley had Cassidy on the ropes and hit him with headbutts. Cassidy came back with a series of headbutts. Moxley bled from the forehead and was superplexed by Cassidy, who followed up with a diving DDT from the ropes. Cassidy performed another DDT and went for the cover, but Moxley kicked out immediately.

Cassidy threw kicks at Moxley, who no-sold them. Moxley got back to his feet. Cassidy flipped him off. Moxley ended up at ringside and was hit by a suicide dive that left him lying on the broadcast table. The crowd chanted “one more time.” Cassidy punched Moxley, returned to the ring, and hit Moxley with another suicide dive.

Back inside the ring, Moxley took a Stundog Millionaire and then threw a series of punches at Cassidy. Moments later, Cassidy caught Moxley with Hook’s Redrum finisher. Moxley escaped the hold and the top turnbuckle pad was removed. Moxley came back with a big piledriver for a near fall. There were dueling chants of “Let’s Go Moxley” and “Freshly Squeezed.”

Moxley taunted Cassidy by throwing light kicks at him. Cassidy put his hands in his pockets. Moxley charged Cassidy, who moved, causing Moxley to slam his head on the exposed turnbuckle. Cassidy dropkicked Moxley to send him into the exposed turnbuckle again.

Moxley got to his feet and stumbled. Cassidy hit Moxley with three Orange Punches and the third one took him off his feet for a second. Cassidy rolled Moxley into a pin for a two count. Cassidy hit Moxley with three more Orange Punches and followed up with Beach Break and got the clean pin…

Orange Cassidy defeated Jon Moxley in 12:05 to retain the AEW International Championship.

After the match, Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli checked on Moxley. Trent Beretta joined Hook in congratulating Cassidy. Yuta intentionally bumped into Hook while the production crew turned to a fan painting of Cassidy.

Powell’s POV: A good match, but not nearly as epic as their previous encounter. I’m happy they kept the belt on Cassidy rather than continue the game of hot potato that was caused by Moxley being concussed during a match with Rey Fenix.

Excalibur announced that Tony Khan(!) just confirmed that the main event will be Adam Cole vs. Jay White due to MJF’s injury…

A video package aired to announce Mark Briscoe as an entrant in the Continental Classic tournament, which starts Wednesday on AEW Dynamite…

Dasha took over ring announcing duties and introduced Toni Storm, who was accompanied to the ring by Luther. Hikaru Shida’s entrance followed…

3. Hikaru Shida vs. Toni Storm (w/Luther) for the AEW Women’s Championship. Luther had a butler’s tray with various objects under the ropes in Storm’s corner. Storm pulled out a script, but then tore it in half. Mariah May was shown watching on a backstage monitor. Shida and Storm traded forearm strikes to start the match. Storm’s chest was red from her Rampage match with Emi Sakura. Shida went to work on Storm’s chest with chops. Storm eventually fired back with chops of her own.

A short time later, Storm got a shoe from Luther and held it up. As she approached Shida, referee Aubrey Edwards took the shoe away. As Edwards was clearing the shoe from the ring, Storm pulled out another one and hit Shida with it, which led to a two count. Shida came back and hit Storm with her own Storm Zero move, but she was too weary to make the cover.

Shida hit a falcon arrow a short time later for a near fall. Shida went up top and went for a meteora. Shida rolled through when Storm avoided her. Shida came up selling a leg injury. Storm put Shida in an ankle lock. Shida reached the ropes. Storm removed Shida’s shoe and tried to hit her with it, but Shida stuffed it. Shida hit Storm and Shida’s shoe went flying into the crowd.

Storm ended up at ringside. Shida grabbed her kendo stick and was going to hit Storm, but Luther stopped her. Shida beat the hell out of Luther with the kendo stick. Back in the ring, Shida went for a Katana, but Storm blocked it and rolled her into a pin, but Shida reversed it for a near fall.

Storm blocked a knee strike. Storm executed a deadlift suplex. Storm placed the butler’s tray in her tights and then hit Shida with a hip attack in the corner. Storm covered Shida and got the three count…

Toni Storm defeated Hikaru Shida in 10:25 to win the AEW Women’s Championship.

After the match, the screen turned black and white. Mariah May came out with flowers and presented them to Storm, who celebrated her victory…

Powell’s POV: The Storm character is the hottest thing going in the AEW women’s division. I don’t know that she needs the title, but I’m also not complaining that she won it for the third time.

Renee Paquette interviewed Eddie Kingston on the backstage interview set and asked him what was next. Kingston said she knew what was next and mentioned the tournament. Kingston said he would put the ROH Championship and the New Japan Strong Openweight Championship on the line in every match he has in the tournament. He said the tournament winner would become a Triple Crown champion because they would also be the Continental Champion…

Powell’s POV: Wait, so they are introducing another title belt? I’m excited about the tournament, but the last thing this company needs is another hour of weekly television. And the second to last thing this company needs is another title belt.

Entrances for the ladder match took place. Rush and Dralistico came out with Rush’s son, Preston Vance, and Jose…

4. Ricky Starks and Big Bill vs. Rush and Dralistico (w/Preston Vance, Jose) vs. Malakai Black and Brody King vs. “FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler in a four-way ladder match for the AEW Tag Team Titles.