Yahoo News AEW Full Gear 2019: Matches and predictions
All Elite Wrestling is no longer a concept. It's a living, breathing wrestling company that's bold enough to go toe-to-toe with the WWE.
AEW formed off the back of the successful one-off All In event, and the company now has a weekly TV show AEW Dynamite, airing on TNT in the US and ITV4 in the UK.
All In was followed by Double or Nothing, the first official AEW PPV. Then came Fyter Fest and Fight For the Fallen before all the stops were pulled out for All Out.
Next up is Full Gear, with some of the biggest matches so far for AEW.
AEW Full Gear 2019 takes place on Saturday, November 9 at 8pm ET/5pm PT (1am Sunday, November 10 in the UK) at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.
A one-hour Buy-In pre-show would start at 7pm ET/4pm PT (Midnight in the UK).
What's the full match card and predictions for AEW Full Gear?
AEW World Heavyweight Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs Cody
Since becoming the inaugural AEW World Champion at All Out, Chris Jericho has ruled over the AEW landscape with his newly-formed faction, The Inner Circle. But at Full Gear, he faces his biggest competition yet, as the highly-motivated Cody looks to dethrone Le Champion.
This is a feud that has been brewing before AEW even launched its weekly television show on TNT/ITV. Jericho felt unappreciated by the AEW brass from the moment he signed his contract, and as an Executive Vice President, Cody became the main target of The Painmaker's derision.
In recent weeks, Jericho has poked fun at the Rhodes family, adding an intensely personal edge to the upcoming title bout. Tensions boiled over on Dynamite in October when The American Nightmare invaded Jericho's VIP suite and brawled with the champion all over The Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh. Jericho then sought his revenge by having his Inner Circle henchman, Jake Hager, ambush Cody's brother Dustin in the parking lot.
While a significant part of this rivalry revolves around Cody winning his first major world's title, we don't see Jericho's reign coming to an end this soon. Given the shady tactics used to retain against the young upstart Darby Allin a few weeks ago, we expect similar shenanigans from Jericho's Inner Circle cohorts at Full Gear.
There is also the added wrinkle of the three "judges", who will be on hand to determine the winner should the match exceed the 60-minute time-limit. It's an intriguing, old school concept, but we don't think it will come into play in this particular match.
UPDATE 07/11/19: There is now another stipulation added to this match after this week's Dynamite. If Cody loses, he's vowed never to challenge for the AEW World Championship again. That certainly makes the result harder to predict.
Despite this announcement—and the added stakes—we still see Jericho walking out of Baltimore with the title in hand. This is wrestling; Cody can easily change his mind later down the line... especially during a heel turn.
PREDICTION: Chris Jericho
Jon Moxley vs Kenny Omega [Unsanctioned Lights Out Match]
In a match that has been months in the making, Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega finally get to battle it out one-on-one in what promises to be a heated and violent clash of styles.
Moxley was sidelined with an elbow injury back in August, which led to his scheduled match with The Best Bout Machine at All Out being called off. The delay, however, has only increased the hostilities between two men looking to position themselves at the top of the card.
Omega mocked his opponent's injury, referring to him as "damaged goods", but on the debut episode of Dynamite, Moxley showed he could still hang when he attacked Omega mid-match and drove him face-first through a glass coffee table.
These brutal attacks awoke something dark within The Cleaner, who has recently been getting in touch with his hardcore-side. Whether it's slamming Joey Janela through tables or brandishing a barbed-wire-wrapped sweeping brush, Omega is ready to prove he can get just as ultra-violent as the maniacal Moxley.
Due to how bloodthirsty the feud has become, AEW CEO, Tony Khan, recently announced the bout will be an unsanctioned "lights out" match and will therefore not count towards either competitor's win/loss record. This decision irked Moxley, who has promised to beat Omega within an inch of his life.
This is a difficult match to call when you're dealing with two of the biggest stars in the company. Storyline-wise, it makes more sense for Omega to take the loss, thereby continuing his descent into insanity, while giving Moxley a legitimate gripe with the AEW execs who are trying to sully his win record.
PREDICTION: Jon Moxley
The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) vs Proud-and-Powerful (Santana and Ortiz)
The high-flying Matt and Nick Jackson prepare to square off with the diabolical Santana and Ortiz in what is a certified tag team dream match and potential show-stealer.
Despite getting knocked out of the Tag Team Championship tournament in the first round, in what many considered an upset, the Young Bucks are still considered the top of the tag team food-chain in AEW based on reputation alone.
That notoriety makes the Bucks a prime target for those looking to make a quick statement, which is precisely what Proud-and-Powerful did back at All Out when they blindsided the brothers Jackson.
Having since aligned themselves with the Inner Circle, Santana and Ortiz have been purveyors of chaos in AEW. Chris Jericho referred to them as "street fighter back alley brutes", and they've certainly lived up to that moniker with their sneak attacks on the Bucks, not to mention their ruthless assault of the legendary Rock 'n' Roll Express.
We're expecting this one to be a fast-paced tag team classic with lots of high spots and jaw-dropping manoeuvers.
As for who will come out on top? While the Bucks will be looking for a measure of retribution, this is Proud-and-Powerful's first-ever PPV match in AEW, so it's hard to look past the barbaric pitbulls.
PREDICTION: Proud-and-Powerful
Hangman Adam Page vs PAC
A fired-up Adam Page is looking to right a wrong when he gets his rematch against the deplorable PAC on Sunday night.
The beef between the Hangman and The Bastard goes all the way back to the Double or Nothing PPV in May, where a highly-anticipated match between the two athletes was cancelled due to scheduling conflicts and mysterious backstage politics.
It was the debut episode of Dynamite when the pair finally got their hands on each other, but the match did not end cleanly.
After a hard-fought, back-and-forth encounter, PAC nailed Page with a cheap low-blow while the referee's vision was obstructed, allowing the sneaky Geordie to pick up the victory.
The always miserable PAC has been sticking his nose in everyone's business as of late, leading to conflicts with the likes of Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley. Meanwhile, Page has been on somewhat of a journey of self-discovery as he tries to get back to his winning ways.
After scoring a pinfall over PAC in a tag team match a few weeks ago, the Hangman laid down the challenge for Full Gear, a one-on-one rematch with The Bastard.
There's no doubt this will be a slobberknocker of a match, but it's yet another one that could go either way.
We're slightly leaning towards PAC here just because there is more mileage in the story of Hangman doubting himself. And it also allows PAC to step up into a proper feud with Jon Moxley, who he went to a time-limit draw with on Dynamite a few weeks ago.
PREDICTION: PAC
AEW Women's World Championship: Riho (c) vs Emi Sakura
It's safe to say that AEW's women's division is still finding its feet, but in just a few short weeks, Riho has become a breakout star and one of the most popular performers on the roster.
The Joshi standout knocked off the imposing Nyla Rose on the debut episode of Dynamite to become the first-ever AEW Women's World Champion, and since then, has successfully defended the title against the up and coming Doctor Britt Baker.
Riho is now looking for a new challenger for Full Gear, and she's found that in her former mentor, the legendary Emi Sakura.
Sakura, a 24-year veteran of the wrestling industry, is a charismatic performer who has won championships all over Japan. In 2006, she even founded her own promotion, Ice Ribbon, a company where Riho has been a multiple-time champion.
It's a shame that we haven't seen a story play out on TV between these two highly-talented athletes, especially as "student versus trainer" writes itself.
That said, given their combined experience and the number of times they've wrestled each other in the past, this could be a surprise show-stealer on the night.
The result seems obvious, Riho only recently won the title, while Sakura has not yet had the screen-time to establish her character. This should be a comfortable defence for the current champ.
PREDICTION: Riho
Britt Baker vs Bea Priestly (Buy-In Match)
A women's match that does have an accompanying storyline is the tense feud between the dangerous dentist Britt Baker and the hyper-aggressive Bea Priestley.
It's one of those rivalries that blurs the line between fiction and reality. Baker suffered a real-life concussion at the hands of Priestley during a tag team match back at Fight for the Fallen—a vicious kick to the head that knocked the doctor loopy.
Baker got some momentary payback when she eliminated Priestley from the Casino Battle Royale at All Out, though it was short-lived, as an irate Priestley then caused an outside distraction, which cost Baker the victory.
At Full Gear, these two bitter enemies finally meet one-on-one, and it promises to be a savage showdown, especially with Baker recently threatening to "rip Priestley's f**king jaw off" with her devastating submission, the Lockjaw.
Baker appears to be the favourite going in, having performed more regularly on Dynamite, where she's picked up a couple of wins. But with the recent addition of Jamie Hayter (Priestley's Stardom tag team partner) to the women's division, could we see some interference to give Priestley the edge?
PREDICTION: Bea Priestley
AEW Tag Team Championships: SCU (Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) vs Lucha Bros (Fenix & Pentagon Jr.) vs Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen)
After becoming the first-ever AEW Tag Team Champions last week, the unstoppable So Cal Uncensored prepare for their first title defence in Baltimore as they take on the Lucha Bros and Private Party in three-way action.
It was somewhat of a Cinderella story for Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky as they overcame several setbacks and obstacles on their road to the tag titles. But there is no time to take the foot off the pedal when it comes to AEW's incredible tag team division.
Despite a losing effort to SCU in the tag tournament final, Fenix and Pentagon Jr. still have one of the best win/loss records in the company, and they'll be looking to prove that last week's loss was a mere fluke.
Meanwhile, Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen earned their way into the title match on this week's Dynamite with a big victory over the Dark Order. As one of the fastest rising tag teams in all of wrestling, it would be unwise to underestimate the electrifying Private Party.
Expect this to be a fast-paced, jaw-dropping, don't-take-your-eyes-off-the-action kind of match. It's another potential match-of-the-night contender, and the momentum lies with the recently crowned champs.
PREDICTION: SCU
Shawn Spears (w/ Tully Blanchard) vs Joey Janela
Sometimes wrestling feuds are built around world championships. Sometimes rivalries are borne out of years worth of bad blood. And sometimes, conflict arises simply because of a cigarette.
Shawn Spears did not take kindly to Joey Janela disposing of a cigarette butt in Tully Blanchard's water bottle a few weeks back. And on this week's AEW Dark, the self-proclaimed "Chairman of AEW" took a pair of pliers to Janela's tongue as he forced a cigarette down his throat.
While Janela has been trying to move away from hardcore wrestling in recent weeks, the heinous attack from Spears has undoubtedly unleashed The Bad Boy's wild side once again.
This match could turn violent quickly, which is right in Janela's wheelhouse, but with the calculated Tully on the outside, we're expecting Spears to secure the victory.
PREDICTION: Shawn Spears
What date and start time is AEW Full Gear in the UK?
AEW Full Gear has a start time of 1am on Sunday, November 10.
A one-hour Buy-In pre-show starts at Midnight on Saturday, November 9 into Sunday, November 10.
What date and start time is AEW Full Gear in the US?
AEW Full Gear takes place on Saturday, November 9 with a start time of 8pm ET/4pm PT.
A one-hour Buy-In pre-show starts at 7pm ET/4pm PT.
How do I watch the AEW Full Gear Buy-In Pre-Show?
The one-hour AEW Full Gear Buy-In pre-show is available to stream for free on YouTube, FiteTV and ITV4.
How do I watch AEW Full Gear?
If you weren't one of the lucky ones to snatch up a ticket to be there in person at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, don't worry, there are plenty of options to watch the event live, including streaming and pay-per-view.
How do I live stream AEW Full Gear in the UK?
For fans in the United Kingdom, AEW Full Gear can be purchased for £14.95 via ITV Box Office, Virgin TV or FiteTV.
Sky customers can head to www.itvboxoffice.com to register your viewing card number and confirm payment. Then head to Sky Channel 493 to enjoy the event.
Virgin TV customers can purchase AEW Full Gear using your remote control. Simply select Home, select On Demand, then Live Events, select the Red Button, and then Purchase.
If you don't have Sky or Virgin, you can visit www.fite.tv, sign in, locate AEW Full Gear from the list of available events and then click on 'Buy'.
FiteTV can be streamed via the following platforms and devices:
Mobile Apps:
Connected devices:
Roku Devices
Apple TV – 4th Generation and up
Android TV
Chromecast
PlayStation 4 & Xbox One
Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Cube
Smart TVs by Samsung, LG, Sony, Sharp or Panasonic
How do I watch AEW Full Gear in the US?
AEW Full Gear is available to all fans located in United States via Bleacher Report Live. Visit AEWonBRLive.com.
Mobile Apps:
Connected devices:
Roku Express, Roku Premiere, Roku Stick, Roku Ultra
Apple TV – 4th Generation and up
Android TV
Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Cube
You can also purchase AEW Full Gear in the US via traditional pay-per-view carried by all major satellite providers.
What are your predictions for AEW Full Gear? Let us know at @digitalspywwe.
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