For the fifth time in its history, AEW presented Full Gear, the 2024 event live from Newark, New Jersey's Prudential Center and headlined by a world championship clash between The Death Riders' Jon Moxley and No. 1 contender, Orange Cassidy.

Elsewhere on the card, Will Ospreay and former protege Kyle Fletcher wrote the latest chapter in their rivalry, Swerve Strickland sought to settle his differences with The Hurt Syndicate's Bobby Lashley, and Mercedes Moné defended her TBS title against Kris Statlander.

What went down, who emerged victoriously, and what did it mean for AEW's future?

Find out with this recap, including grades and analysis for each of the night's match-ups.

Match Card

The announced card for the November 23 card was:

• AEW World Championship Match: Orange Cassidy vs. Jon Moxley (c)
• TBS Championship Match: Kris Statlander vs. Mercedes Moné (c)
• AEW World Tag Team Championship 4-Way Match: Private Party (c) vs. The Acclaimed vs. The Outrunners vs. Kings of the Black Throne
• TNT Championship Match: Daniel Garcia vs. Jack Perry (c)
• AEW International Championship Match: Ricochet vs. Konosuke Takeshita (c)
• "Switchblade" Jay White vs. "Hangman" Adam Page
• Swerve Strickland vs. Bobby Lashley
• Roderick Strong vs. MJF
• Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher
• Champagne Championship Celebration featuring Mariah May and Mina Shirakawa

Full Gear Zero Hour

• Big Boom! AJ vs. QT Marshall
• Dante Martin vs. The Beast Mortos vs. Komander vs. Buddy Matthews
• Anna Jay vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Anna Jay vs. Deonna Purrazzo

The match between Anna Jay and Deonna Purrazzo took to the squared circle in front of a sparse audience just moments into the Zero Hour kickoff show. Still, the competitors made the most of the situation, delivering a solid match-up.

Jay overcame a shoulder injury, escaped the grasp of Purrazzo's Fujiwara Armbar, and rolled her up for the pinfall victory.

A quality match that deserved a better placement on the show given how much conversing and promo work followed.

Result

Jay pinned Purrazzo

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Most of the issues surrounding the AEW women's division can be summed up by the fact that this match took to the squared circle in an empty arena. The performers and the division have earned and deserve better than that.
• Valkyrie interfered, leveling Jay with a spear right in front of referee Mike Posey, and somehow that was not enough to garner a disqualification. Selective reffing.

Dante Martin vs. Komander vs. Buddy Matthews vs. The Beast Mortos

Take four undeniably talented wrestlers, give them some time to showcase their skills, and more times than not, they will deliver.

Such was the case Saturday when Buddy Matthews of The House of Black bested The Beast Mortos, Dante Martin, and Komander in the second match of the Zero Hour preshow.

Matthews fed off the fans' energy and downed Martin to score the victory.

On a night when The House of Black's Malakai Black and Brodie King will challenge for the tag team titles, this felt like the first victory in a big night for the haunting faction.

Result

Matthews defeated Martin, Mortos, and Komander

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• The pop for Mortos was indicative of the fan base's growing appreciation for his mix of speed, agility, and power.
• "Matthews" chants to start. It is about time that one of the most underrated, underappreciated wrestlers on the planet earns that reaction from fans.

Big Boom AJ vs. QT Marshall

With Big Justice at ringside, The Rizzler as the special timekeeper, and Paul Wight on commentary, The Costco Guys' Big Boom AJ defeated QT Marshall in the match that, arguably, had as much buzz and heat surrounding it as any on the card.

The match was a ton of fun, with Marshall working incredibly hard to put over his opponent's offense and give the fans something more than a celebrity showcase.

AJ inevitably went over after a big spear from his son, Big Justice, winning in front of family and friends, and The Costco Guys posed to close out the ordeal.

Result

Big Boom AJ defeated Marshall

Grade

C+, with the plus being for Marshall's efforts

Top Moments and Takeaways

• "Hey guys, The Rizzler is OVER!" Wight said on commentary as fans broke out into song, chanting, "Oh...we want The Rizzler." Social media, folks. 
• AJ's entrance was Undertaker levels of ungodly length.
• Marshall worked one of the best matches of his career here. He carried this and was hugely responsible for this being better than it had any right to be. 

AEW World Tag Team Championship 4-Way

Private Party defended the AEW World Tag Team Championship against The Acclaimed, The Outrunners, and The Kings of the Black Throne to kick off the show.

Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy retained the gold in an action-packed opener that continued to highlight Turbo Floyd and Truth Magnum of The Outrunners, put over the ferocity of Malakai Black and Brody King, and furthered the issues between Anthony Bowens and Max Caster that will lead to the inevitable (and overdue) end of The Acclaimed.

The crowd was not as hot for everything as one would hope from the opening match, but they bought in by the end, making for a strong closing stretch for everyone except Caster, who never had the fans behind him.

Result

Private Party retained

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Black and King were played to the ring via live performance of their theme song in a cool moment.
• The crowd's love for The Outrunners, and their subsequent increase in television presence, has to be one of the best feel-good stories in wrestling in 2024. 
• The fans unloaded negative chants towards Caster while showing support for Bowens and the reactions from the competitors themselves only further planted seeds of dissension within The Acclaimed.

Roderick Strong vs. MJF

MJF bested Roderick Strong in a match between two of the more technically gifted wrestlers on the AEW roster.

The match was very good, with MJF following up his early match attack on Strong's hand with concentrated offense. Strong responded, targeting the back of his opponent and reminding the world why he was once affectionately known as The Messiah of the Backbreaker.

MJF earned the win with the Salt of the Earth armbar, tapping Strong out and adding a steel chair attack for good measure.

Adam Cole and the Undisputed Kingdom made the save, conveniently enough after MJF did most of his damage, and Kyle O'Reilly aggressively confronted his former friend and tag partner to close things out and continue their blossoming story.

This would have been a more effective opener.

Result

MJF submitted Strong

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• No amount of cheap heel heat completely turned the fans against MJF.
• It is becoming more difficult to connect with this version of MJF and the stories he has been involved in since the end of his world title reign. The in-ring work is still there but something is missing. 
• O'Reilly called Cole out for not going after MJF, echoing the sentiments of fans everywhere in response to babyfaces everywhere settling for staring their rivals down instead of doing anything about it.

TBS Championship Match: Kris Statlander vs. Mercedes Moné

Mercedes Moné and Kris Statlander had the best match to this point in the show, with The CEO narrowly escaping a physical battle with her title reign intact.

The champion repeatedly and relentlessly attacked Statlander's knee, working it over and keeping the injury fresh in fans' minds as it would play heavily into the finish. Still, despite the injury, she showed great resilience, frustrating Moné repeatedly as she kicked out of everything the champion threw at her.

Late, Statlander hoisted Moné for a Tombstone but an alert CEO pounded away at the knee and even bit the leg of her opponent, allowing her to send the challenger into the ropes before scoring an admittedly lethargic rollup victory.

A great showing for the AEW women's division, this was proof positive of what the roster is capable of when given time to go out and have a no-frills contest.

Result

Moné defeated Statlander to retain

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• If the crowd's reaction was any indication, the city of Boston may be the most hated heel on the entire show.
• Moné made her way to the ring without Kamille after ordering her to stay in catering while she showed her how to handle business.
• Statlander clutched her injured knee after a failed 450 splash, a nice touch.

"Switchblade" Jay White vs. "Hangman" Adam Page

"Switchblade" Jay White improved his record against "Hangman" Adam Page to five wins, countering an ankle lock from the former world champion into the Blade Runner for the pinfall victory.

The finish came at the end of a smartly wrestled match that saw Page attack White's ankle from the start and continuously work it over throughout the contest. White, conversely, targeted his opponent's knee.

Each wrestler overcame a hobbling injury to battle deep into the contest, culminating in a somewhat surprising outcome.

After the match, an enraged Page attacked White and added a hard right hand to Christopher Daniels as the commentary team questioned what the latest loss would mean for his psyche.

Result

White defeated Page

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• The lack of a clear-cut babyface resulted in a mixed reaction from the fans, with dueling chants for each competitor.
• The callbacks to earlier matches, such as White targeting Page's knee, which he injured in their previous encounter, added considerably to this match.
• It never felt like the crowd bought into or much cared about the story between Page and White.

Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher

If you had Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher stealing the show with one of the best matches of the year Saturday night, pat yourself on the back because The Aerial Assassin and Protostar did just that.

Fletcher absorbed everything Ospreay threw at him in an emotionally fueled grudge match to fight out of a Tiger Driver 96 attempt on the ring apron, counter it, and drive his mentor into the steel ring steps with a tombstone piledriver.

From there, the former half of Aussie Open fought through every last-gasp attempt at a comeback and delivered a brainbuster on the ring ropes for the biggest win of his career.

This was a career-defining victory and a performance that will launch him into the stratosphere in AEW. A phenomenal professional wrestling match that created a star of a 25-year-old future face of the company and further highlighted Ospreay's selflessness.

Result

Fletcher defeated Ospreay

Grade

A+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Ospreay wore gear inspired by The Punisher while Fletcher enjoyed the star-making entrance, complete with a crown and "Protostar" graphics. Both entrances elevated the importance of what was already one of the most anticipated matches on the card.
• The tone of any AEW show changes when The Aerial Assassin enters the arena. He is a legitimate star for the company. 
• Fletcher countered an OsCutter with a neckbreaker in a spot that brought the fans to life.

Champagne Celebration

Mina Shirakawa referred to AEW women's world champion Mariah May as the love of her life at the start of Saturday's Champagne Celebration. By the end, she stood over the fallen body of her former friend, screaming out of pure rage at the shocking betrayal she had endured moments earlier.

May grabbed the champagne bottle and swung it at Shirakawa, who ducked and kicked it out of her hand. The champion spit at her, causing her to spear May off the stage and through a table below.

And just like that, we know the direction May is heading in next as her title reign continues. A solid angle but one that could have been saved for Dynamite.

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• May is a star and it is time for her title reign to rediscover the momentum she had coming off the feud with Toni Storm.
• The image of Shirakawa bleeding from the mouth, possibly missing a tooth, and screaming in anger was powerful and unquestionably enhanced the segment. 

TNT Championship Match: Daniel Garcia vs. Jack Perry

Daniel Garcia paid of a long, arduous journey to his first non-ROH title in AEW, defeating "Scapegoat" Jack Perry Saturday night to win the TNT Championship.

It was an interestingly laid-out match in that Perry dominated early and often, just completely outclassing Garcia for the majority of the first half of the contest. When the challenger finally fired up and mounted his comeback, the crowd woke up and got into the action, supporting the Buffalo native's quest for gold.

After frustrating Perry with his resilience and ability to kick out of everything the champion dished out, Garcia fired up one last time, caught his opponent's leg, and applied a sharpshooter. He upped the torque, sat back, and forced the submission for the win.

This was a bit disappointing, if only because the layout early on greatly impacted the audience's investment in it. That the post-match celebration was cut short as the show threw to the next match, robbing Garcia of a meaningful celebration, did not help.

Result

Garcia defeated Perry to win the title

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• A message from Garcia's mom preceded his entrance, adding emotional gravity to the match and championship opportunity for her son.
• Perry powerbombed Garcia through the timekeeper's table and threw literal garbage on him, the proverbial insult to injury.
• Garcia teased using the TNT Championship on Perry, who manipulated him into the situation in the first place but thought better of it.

AEW International Championship Match: Ricochet vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Konosuke Takeshita successfully retained the AEW International Championship over Ricochet, winning a match that never lived up to its potential.

It was competitive, and there were some quality spots along the way, but it felt longer than it needed to be and did not necessarily play to the strengths of either man.

Late in the match, with both men exhausted, Takeshita delivered a powerdriver knee and added an avalanche falcon arrow for the pinfall victory.

Even a middle-of-the-road match between these two is still fairly strong, thanks to the talent involved, but coming out of Full Gear, we still anxiously await that show-stealing, Match of the Year candidate from Ricochet in AEW.

Result

Takeshita defeated Ricochet to retain

Grade

B-

Top Moments and Takeaways

• This was an unnecessarily long match that would have benefited from fewer minutes and a faster pace.
• The crowd never sounded like it was completely invested in this match, a theme throughout the show and likely reflective of the quality of the stories on this card.

Swerve Strickland vs. Bobby Lashley

"The All Mighty" Bobby Lashley enjoyed a successful first venture into the AEW ring, outlasting Swerve Strickland in a statement-making win.

Lashley dominated early on but Strickland, as he has numerous times in his run with the company, fought from underneath and took the fight to his opponent. The former world champion drove Lashley through the announce table and delivered a Swerve Stomp for a two-count.

Perhaps emboldened by his own resiliency, Lashley fended off his opponent, trapped him in the Hurt Lock, and scored a victory via referee stoppage. After the match, The Hurt Syndicate rolled Prince Nana into the ring, where Lashley applied another Hurt Lock to the dismay of the fans.

Result

Lashley defeated Strickland

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Swerve's entrance mask and gear featured a picture of him from last year's Full Gear, where he began his meteoric rise in AEW in one of the best matches of 2023 against Hangman Page.
• It was abundantly clear that, while they were not delivering awe-inspiring spots or an even above-average match, fans cared about both competitors and reacted accordingly. 
• Strickland delivered the Swerve Stomp off the ring steps and through the announce table.

AEW World Championship Match: Orange Cassidy vs. Jon Moxley

Jon Moxley retained the AEW World Championship in the main event of Saturday's pay-per-view, defeating Orange Cassidy in a bloody main event that was closer than expected thanks to some late chaos involving the Conglomeration and Willow Nightingale.

Cassidy started hot, rocking Moxley with three Orange Punches but the champion slowed his momentum and seized control of the match, beating the challenger into a crimson mask and controlling the pace.

Freshly Squeezed fought back late, capitalizing on his friends taking out Claudio Castagnoli, Pac, and Marina Shafir at ringside and looking like he might do the unthinkable by defeating Moxley.

One last bit of interference, from Wheeler Yuta on behalf of the champion, thwarted his championship dreams and Moxley retained.

After the match, The Death Riders attempted to poison Cassidy with cleaning solution before Hangman Page made the save. Christian Cage teased cashing in his title opportunity, Jay White stopped that from happening, and the heels rushed out of the arena, only to be nearly struck by Darby Allin, who wrecked his car into their pickup.

The heels commandeered another vehicle and escaped while a bloodied Allin vowed that things were not over in a chaotic close to the show.

This was meant to be a cliffhanger ending but all it did was take wrestlers who have already been interacting on a weekly basis and bring them together for a shmozz ending that essentially guaranteed more of the same coming out of the show rather than some major, must-see angle.

Result

Moxley retained over Cassidy

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Moxley bloodied Cassidy early on, putting the babyface on the defensive and embarking on the story of the match, which would command Freshly Squeezed fight from underneath like a proper babyface.
• Nightingale earned one of the biggest reactions of the night as she rushed the ring and speared Marina Shafir to the mat, negating her interference and giving Cassidy a glimmer of hope of winning the title.
• Speaking of which, the near-fall off the briefcase to the face of Moxley was great.

Overall Grade

There was a lot to like about Full Gear.

Ospreay and Fletcher tore the house down with one of the best matches of the year, Moné reminded everyone why she is in the GOAT tier with a banger of a match against Statlander, Strickland and Lashley had a fun brawl of a match, and Garcia had his much-deserved championship victory.

There was also enough not to like to prevent Full Gear from receiving the customary "A" or greater grade.

There was a distinct lack of investment from fans in several matches or moments on Saturday.

Whether it was the opening tag title match, a very good Page vs. White showdown, or Ricochet vs. Takeshita, the crowd did not react accordingly. The result was matches that featured perfectly acceptable wrestling but failed to reach the next level due to a lack of energy in the building.

There are several potential factors, but it can be boiled down to an unnecessarily long show and stories that did not earn that investment.

The in-ring was mostly strong, though, which will always earn a thumbs up, but the quality of stories across the board has to increase to get the overall product back to the level it was over a year ago.

And The Death Riders stuff may not be the way to do it, even if the crowd came alive for Cassidy's near win.

Grade: B+