AEW Full Gear 2020 Preview & Predictions

AEW's second annual Full Gear Pay Per View event takes place tonight, November 7th at 8pm ET (Buy-In Preshow starts at 7pm ET) at Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida. The event streams on B/R Live for $49.99, traditional PPV, and FITE (for fans outside the US). There are eight scheduled matches on the card with one match scheduled for the Buy-In Preshow. The main event will be Eddie Kingston's second attempt challenging Jon Moxley for the AEW Championship with the dream match of FTR vs. The Young Bucks for the AEW Tag Team Championships and Kenny Omega vs. Hangman Page as the other big draws for the event. Below is a preview of each match on the card with predictions of the outcomes based upon recent booking. In the comments, please share which matches you're most looking forward to seeing and your predictions for the event.

AEW World Championship ("I Quit" Match)
Jon Moxley (c) vs. Eddie Kingston

The build to this match has been unbelievably good. Eddie Kingston & Jon Moxley have made believers out of every wrestling fan with a pair of ears that this match will be excellent. The last match between these two was a brutal brawl that ended with Moxley choking out Kingston to force a referee stoppage for the victory. Now Moxley has to get Kingston to verbally quit to keep his AEW World Championship belt. The emotion and drama surrounding this match have eclipsed the emotion and drama in the Adam Page/Kenny Omega match and that is a tremendous credit to Kingston and Moxley. The long-term plan has been to have Moxley feud with a heel Kenny Omega, but Kingston has been so great that it has made everyone pause. Kingston winning the AEW Championship would turn the wrestling world on its ear and bring great joy to this writer and many fans of Kingston's work. However, Moxley's work as champion is not to be overlooked. Moxley has carried the banner of AEW throughout COVID and continues to add credibility to the AEW Championship since winning it from Chris Jericho by having great matches, great promos, and great opponents without insulting the audience's intelligence. Moxley will get the win here, but he will be extremely vulnerable after the beating he's going to take from Kingston.

WINNER
Jon Moxley via submission

AEW Women's World Championship
Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Nyla Rose with Vickie Guerrero

Hikaru Shida has dispatched every challenger easily since winning the AEW Women's Championship off Nyla Rose back in May but AEW has failed to generate a quality heel for Shida to work against aside from the injured Britt Baker. Nyla Rose enlisted the services of Vickie Guerrero back in September to help take Rose back to the top of AEW's Women's division. Guerrero successfully got into Hikaru Shida's head this past week on Dynamite, causing Shida to attack Vickie. Guerrero will give Nyla Rose all the advantage she needs over Hikaru Shida to get the win and become the first-ever two-time AEW Women's Champion.

WINNER
Nyla Rose via pinfall

AEW TNT Championship
Cody (c) with Arn Anderson vs. Darby Allin

Coming out of the dog collar match with Brodie Lee, Cody seemed reinvigorated and ready to pick up where he left off before losing the TNT Championship. Cody flashed signs of a dark side before losing the TNT Championship to Brodie Lee but managed to stay in control during his two-match feud with Orange Cassidy. Darby Allin may bring out Cody's dark side again in this match. Allin has faced Cody three times now and has yet to notch a victory over the TNT Champ. Allin's training regimen and appearances on Dynamite this past month haven't quite connected for me, but it's hard to imagine Allin not getting a win here and still be able to be taken seriously. Allin's only singles losses in AEW have been to Moxley, Jericho, PAC, & Cody. Cody has the ability to take the loss here and help establish the future of AEW without losing any credibility as a top star. With Cody appearing on multiple Turner television projects over the coming year, it's hard to imagine Cody fully turning heel but he will find a bigger heel to deal with while Allin brings a fresh energy to the TNT Championship.

WINNER
Darby Allin via pinfall

AEW World Tag Team Championship
FTR (c) vs. The Young Bucks
If The Young Bucks lose, they will never challenge for the tag titles again. Tully Blanchard banned from ringside.

FTR and The Young Bucks started feuding on Twitter over three years ago while FTR was still employed by WWE. Full Gear will be the first time these two tag teams, who are arguably the two best tag teams in wrestling, will clash. What has complicated and tarnished this perfectly packaged dream match is the Young Bucks being recently positioned as heels against career-heels, FTR, in a heel vs. heel feud. AEW has walked that back a little recently and positioned the Bucks in more of a babyface role so that the teams can play to one another's strengths. It has also been reported that Matt Jackson is currently working through a knee injury that will likely hamper his performance at Full Gear.

In spite of those drawbacks, this match will be absolutely amazing. FTR hasn't been as successful in connecting on AEW because they don't have great pure babyface tag teams to work against like they did in NXT with American Alpha and DIY. The Bucks should be those guys, but their storyline with The Elite has added shades of gray to their personas that are not helpful to their roles in AEW's tag division. FTR has run roughshod over AEW's tag division since debuting in May and at Full Gear the Bucks will be the first team to disrupt FTR's dominance. These two teams are stylistic opposites but they should mesh perfectly with FTR doing everything they can to prevent and disrupt the Young Bucks' aerial offense. Without Tully Blanchard at ringside, FTR will be more vulnerable than they have been in months and it just doesn't make sense to have the Young Bucks unable to challenge for the top championships in the company – especially with that restriction already placed on Cody. The Bucks will squeak out a win here and hopefully Matt Jackson can heal up for what will be a highly anticipated rematch.

WINNERS
The Young Bucks via pinfall

AEW World Championship #1 Contender Tournament Finals
Kenny Omega vs. Adam Page
Winner receives a future AEW World Title shot.

While AEW made mistakes in their build to the tag team championship match, the feud between Kenny Omega & Adam Page has been magnificent storytelling. Adam Page has been spiraling since his loss to Chris Jericho for the AEW Championship over a year ago and a loss in the #1 Contender's Tournament may send him to an even darker place. Page's friends in The Elite have been unable to give him the validation and attention that Page so desperately needs. Adam Page's quest for outside validation from his peers or achievements in wrestling has left him feeling deeply empty. This emptiness is something that Kenny Omega has been feeling since leaving his best friend and partner, Kota Ibushi, back in NJPW. Omega has managed this pain by leaning back into his "Cleaner" persona.

The match between these two may be the best bout of the night but neither man will leave Full Gear feeling good. Kenny Omega is determined to finally defeat Jon Moxley and his singular focus on the AEW Championship will lead him to victory over a tormented Adam Page. Page needs help to get to the top but the only way he'll be able to break through to challenge for the AEW Championship once again will be for him to stop seeking outside validation and gain the confidence he needs to focus on his goals. Omega's machine-like attitude will carry him back to the top, but it will run out eventually and Adam Page will need to work to be ready for when Omega is vulnerable.

WINNER
Kenny Omega via pinfall

The Elite Deletion
Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara

Bad luck on all sides has forced this feud to extend as long as it has but it should finally come to an end at The Hardy Compound and give both of these performers a fresh start as they enter 2021. Guevara has tremendous potential but hasn't been able keep the momentum he had going for him at the beginning of the year. Guevara losing to Hardy on Hardy's turf isn't a terrible thing if Guevara and Hardy can make some memorable moments together. Both of these guys can and will turn things around for themselves sooner than later.

WINNER
Matt Hardy via pinfall

Chris Jericho vs. MJF
If MJF wins, he can join Inner Circle.

Chris Jericho has continued his AEW mission of working with younger talent to a fellow heel in MJF. Heel vs. heel matches are rarely a good idea to book, but this feud has worked because both men need something from the other man beyond the usual championship belt. MJF hasn't achieved the success he's hoped to achieve – even with Wardlow helping him – and so MJF decided that he needs the support of a group like The Inner Circle to help him get there. Jericho needs to feel relevant without the AEW Championship and after losing to Orange Cassidy, Jericho is especially vulnerable. The build to this match will go on the career highlight reels for both men, who used their talents in a debate, a town hall, and the forever iconic "Le Dinner Debonair". As silly as Jericho can get, his matches are anything but. Expect Jericho to work snug with the young MJF as the two remind the wrestling fans that criticized the silliness of their buildup that both of these men are excellent professional wrestlers. MJF in the Inner Circle will change the dynamic of the once-dominant heel stable and leave Wardlow's destiny up in the air as well. All of this will give AEW Dynamite more interesting character dynamics to work with as they forge on through their second season of television. MJF will use some heel chicanery to defeat Jericho and impress him in the process.

WINNER
MJF via pinfall

Orange Cassidy vs. John Silver

John Silver has become one of the most popular wrestlers on Being The Elite and his work continues to stand out in the ring. Silver ruined Orange Cassidy's chance at the TNT Championship by interfering in Cassidy's lumberjack match against Cody a couple weeks ago. Cassidy is out for revenge... well, as much revenge as the chillest wrestler of all time really needs. At the end of the day, this match is between a guy who doesn't care and a guy who cares way too much. Cassidy's Taoism will overcome Silver's intensity. This match will be hilarious and an excellent showcase for two smaller wrestlers who work well with everybody.

WINNER
Orange Cassidy via pinfall

NWA Women's World Championship (The Buy In)
Serena Deeb (c) vs. Allysin Kay

Serena Deeb has been consistently making the most of her opportunities in AEW. Deeb has drawn vocal praise from Jim Ross on commentary and on his podcast in addition to drawing praise from Tony Khan himself. It's clear the Khan and the AEW family are very happy with Deeb and are excited about her ability to contribute to the growing women's division in AEW. Allysin Kay Tweeted last Monday that she is officially done with the NWA so it doesn't seem like she'll be winning their championship back. This match will be an opportunity for Kay to show AEW what they could have by adding her to the division, so expect a competitive match with Deeb holding on for the win.

WINNER
Serena Deeb via pinfall