Leave it to MJF to steal the attention in AEW. Will Ospreay is coming off a great world title defense over Kyle Fletcher, and it was MJF who left Ospreay lying in pain as the show closed. AEW Full Gear (Nov. 14, 2026) also featured Mercedes Moné skinning by to keep her championship, Adam Copeland eating a tough loss, insanity in Anarchy in the Arena, lots of blood in Texas Death, three title changes, and more from Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Let’s break down the five hours of Full
Gear PPV action from top to bottom. Get full play-by-play by Claire Elizabeth.
AEW World Championship: Will Ospreay (c) defeated Kyle Fletcher to retain the title. The first half of the match didn’t hit for me. I don’t know if it was the total PPV time of five hours or the length of this match specifically. The main event was 40 minutes, and they could have easily shaved off 15 minutes. There was a lot of posturing and attempts at mind games to start the match. Urgency didn’t start cooking until Ospreay executed a Styles Clash off the apron down to the floor.
The back half of the match rocked. Ospreay showed his killer instinct in full force. He brutalized Fletcher’s ribs. Fletcher showed his toughness by not letting the Hidden Blade keep him down for the three-count. His hubris got the better of him though. Fletcher ripped off the turnbuckle pad for the idea of an avalanche brainbuster. Fletcher shoved the referee, and that allowed Ospreay precious seconds to recover for an escape. He ping-ponged Fletcher’s head into the exposed steel with Hidden Blades.
Ospreay unloaded a barrage of kicks to the bloody Fletcher. There were so many ruthless kicks that it became funny. Insert that Simpsons meme of Fletcher being dead from the beating. Ospreay’s attitude perfectly fit the final promo from the go-home episode. The best part of the match came when Fletcher seethed with hatred for Ospreay. One criticism I have of AEW is how some wrestlers will make a show of accepting defeat when they could use that energy to fight back instead. Fletcher did exactly that, except it was a trick to counter the Hidden Blade into a back slide. If AEW had the stones to crown Fletcher champion, that would have been the spot for a huge reaction from the crowd. I watched with bated breath as the referee made his count, and Ospreay kicked out.
The match continued with the AEW style of kicking out of finishers, and the crowd ate it up. I thought it came across a bit rich at times. In the end, Ospreay delivered one more Hidden Blade and closed with the Tiger Driver to win.
In terms of character, that was a great performance from Ospreay as a killer. I want to see that version of Ospreay every time. He claimed that he was on another level than Fletcher, and he went out to prove it on this night. Ospreay kicked Fletcher’s ass in the final quarter. In storyline, Fletcher is not on Ospreay’s level. As a performer, Fletcher showed that he is one of the best in AEW. I could swear that I heard a smattering of boos popping up toward Ospreay down the stretch. I think the support is there for Fletcher to achieve bigger things in AEW. If he had won the world title here, I believe that the crowd reaction would have been favorable, even though he is the villain.
MJF rained on Ospreay’s parade. Ever since Andrade traded in the clipboard for the glass case, I thought that the glass case would look good being smashed over someone’s head. The PPV felt like it took forever to wrap up after Ospreay’s victory. It was a very slow celebration. The camera showed Andrade in the background with the case. The slow pace felt like something was afoot. It didn’t come from Andrade. Once the United Empire exited, a masked man attacked Ospreay with a foreign object. That man was MJF, and that object was the Triple B.
Despite the pace being a real slog, that was an interesting way to close the PPV. All attention turns toward MJF wondering what happens next in his feud with Ospreay.
Anarchy in the Arena: The Cut defeated Death Riders & Conglomeration. This match was pure chaos. It’s impossible to sum it up succinctly and give it proper justice for the purposes of this recap. During the pre-show, AEW aired a cool vignette of Orange Cassidy meeting Jon Moxley in the desert. Mox won’t apologize for his past. Cassidy replied that he didn’t ask him to. I was hoping the camera would pan high to show that the Death Riders shoveled out three holes in the dirt for the Conglomeration just in case.
Early highlights were Daniel Garcia dancing to ignite DMX’s, “Party Up,” to play on the speakers, Ace Austin bringing a spoon to a fork fight, the Phoenix Suns gorilla mascot spraying a fire extinguisher, Ace squatting the gorilla, the Dogs trying to convince Gabe Kidd to join The Cut, Kidd putting on the shirt as a trick to attack them, and so much more.
The real excitement erupted when 20 extra wrestlers joined the fight. Maybe it wasn’t 20, but it was enough to lose count. The Cut were going to brand iron Roderick Strong. Marina Shafir ran in to save her husband. I wanted to see a public kiss to pop the crowd, but The Cut got in the way. Wheeler Yuta and Orange Cassidy almost reconciled. Shane Taylor Promotions ran in to help the heels, because they also hate the Death Riders. Mercedes Moné delivered a low blow to Moxley. Willow Nightingale pounced Mercedes. The lights went out, and CMLL’s Kemalito was the big reveal to help his Death Riders mates. He paid the price in pain. The Infantry recreated the iconic lucha libre meme to dropkick Kemalito crashing hard onto the floor. Shane Taylor landed a flying splash on him too.
Claudio Castagnoli arrived as a surprise to save the day with giant swings. One swing was to Austin Gunn wearing a trashcan. Claudio helped Kemalito get the last laugh by pressing him over the ropes onto the STP pile below.
The finish came down to Switchblade besting Moxley. Mox ejected the Gunns from the ring, then White slithered in from behind for the Blade Runner to win.
If the goal was for Anarchy to be a spectacle, then A+. The fight was preposterously entertaining with all the run-ins. Kemalito was the surprise of the night. Sorry, Creed Brothers. If the goal was to establish The Cut, this probably didn’t achieve that. There was so much extra activity that the the result didn’t matter in the end. For example, I just remembered that the Dogs powerbombed Kidd through a burning table. Imagine forgetting that spot because there was so much other stuff that happened.
AEW Women’s World Championship: Mercedes Moné (c) defeated Marina Shafir to retain the title. This may have been the first time Shafir wore actual gear to wrestle. She looked like a superhero with M on her chest. Mercedes surprisingly excelled in mat work with submissions early. Shafir executed judo throws to gain control. This turned into a big showcase for Shafir. She played the Death Riders’ hits banging her head into the turnbuckles like Gabe Kidd, doing Daniel Garcia’s dance, and Claudio Castagnoli’s giant swing.
Shafir hit a version of the 619 turning into an awesome headscissors driver. Mercedes tapped out to Mother’s Milk on the floor.
In the ring, Shafir slapped on PAC’s Brutalizer. Mercedes was able to reverse position for a roll-up. She put her foot on the ropes for leverage, but I’m not sure it mattered. The count was already coming down to 3 at that point.
Shafir stepped up strong in what is probably the biggest match of her AEW career. Mercedes was a great opponent to play off of. The match proved to be a breakout of Shafir’s hard work over the years. She has hit a higher level with the Death Riders. In my opinion, this match turned into a sleeper hit on the card. The longer it went, the more they demanded my full attention.
AEW National Championship: Ilja Dragunov defeated Tommaso Ciampa (c) to win the title. Darn good wrestling match. One problem though. The ring story was a similar recipe to Okada versus Copeland in the opener. It felt like I was watching the same outline, except with a different finishing sequence. Ciampa worked the arm to prevent the D Bomb. Dragunov worked the knee to prevent the running knee. Dragunov landed the D Bomb off the apron down the floor, much like Okada’s Impaler DDT.
The final act was an explosion of fisticuffs. Dragunov got the upper hand for a powerbomb and the D Bomb for victory.
The brand of violence that Dragunov and Ciampa bring to the ring is fireworks. They showed how it’s done without bleeding and weapons. The last stand of throwing blows was electric. That’s the type of action that makes people jump out of their seats to stand on their feet. As for Dragunov’s quick rise to champion, it feels manufactured. If AEW had more time, I would have preferred Ciampa beating Andrade as it’s own story, then follow it with the Dragunov story. Telling both at the same time gives a sense of unnecessary foreshadowing.
The Continental Classic starts Wednesday on Dynamite. Ciampa wants in. He is desperate to prove that he is not a fluke as champion. His TNT title reign lasted 11 days. His national title reign lasted 7 days.
AEW Women’s World Tag team Championship: Wrathlander defeated Brawling Birds (c) to win the titles. Wow. I did not see this result coming. The Birds laid lumber on the challengers. Harley Cameron had the wherewithal to turn the tide in a pivotal moment. Kris Statlander was victim of a clothesline sandwich. Time for Two Birds, One Stone. However, Harley pulled Jamie Hayter out of the ring when she ran the ropes. StatDaddy muscled up to counter Alex Windsor into the Saturday Night Fever piledriver for victory.
Fun match. The Birds have an enjoyable brawling style. Wrathlander wrestled scrappy. Those two styles meshed well. When two popular babyface teams duke it out, the result is happy no matter who wins. I am surprised that the Birds’ reign was short. Wrathlander will be easy to root for going forward.
For a bit of more fun, enjoy the rambling Wrathlander intro vignette.
AEW World Trios Championship: Swerve Strickland & New Level defeated Hangman Page & Brodido (c) in Texas Death to win the titles. For perspective on this match review, I don’t like Texas Death. This had stapler fights, drinking blood, and plenty of barbed wire spots. I don’t enjoy watching that type of extreme violence in professional wrestling. Sometimes, a really good story within the match will hook my interest to tolerate matches of this nature. This was not one of them. The story was not interesting. The focus was primarily on violence. I fully understand if that is your cup of tea and you loved this one.
That’s not to say there was no story at all. One of the questions was how far New Level would go in Texas Death. Kofi and Austin Creed fully embraced the violence. They went to a new level, as they said they would. Hangman and Swerve renewed their rivalry. There was a key moment when Hangman could have bashed Swerve’s head in with a chair, but the cowboy hesitated. He didn’t want to go back to that darkness.
The finish came down to Swerve versus Hangman. The way to win was by triple knockout or surrender. The other four men were down and out on the floor from all the brawling. Hangman hammered buckshot lariats back and forth. On the third buckshot, Swerve blocked it with a chair shot. With all three champions down, the referee started counting to ten. Hangman was almost up, then Swerve put back down with the House Call to win.
My favorite parts of this match were when it got goofy. AEW aired an intro vignette of the Good, the Bad, and the Guapo in a Western town brawl.
Creed pulled out the Francesca trombone wrapped in barbed wire. Later, Creed used the Nintendo Power Glove to hit an exploding Shoryuken on King.
AEW World Tag Team Championship: Young Bucks (c) defeated Mark Davis & Jake Doyle to retain the titles. Speed versus power. The brutes mauled the Bucks early, much like the squash match that earned them this title shot. The Bucks weathered the storm to rally with athletic offense. The challengers regained control for a legit near fall that made me believe new champions could be crowned. Doyle powerbombed Nick Jackson onto the timekeeper table, and Davis hit a piledriver finisher on Matt Jackson. If AEW wanted to book an upset, that would have been the sequence to do it. Matt kicked out, and the match rolled on. In the end, the Bucks’ quickness came to their advantage. Doyle lifted Matt for a powerbomb. Nick returned to the contest for a flying save, and Matt rolled up Doyle for the win. Nick landed a dive outside onto Davis to preserve the pin.
This match was a heck of a lot of fun. Davis and Doyle have a knack for tenderizing opponents, and they were unleashed on the Bucks. Doyle had a cool spot catching superkicks to counter for a double pwoerbomb. Davis had a similar move for a double piledriver. The legends rallied as underdogs, in terms of physicality, to escape with the win through intelligent team work. I don’t want to say David versus Goliath, but it was in that vein. Davis and Doyle are firmly established as tag team championship material moving forward.
Creed Brothers! After the Bucks won, the Motor City Machine Guns arrived to the ring as the next challengers. Respect was exchanged. Next came the surprise of the Kasper Brothers to pound the Bucks and MCMG. FTR crashed the party to tease a babyface turn. Nope. They joined the Kaspers to beat up the babyfaces. This appearance was a neat surprise to bolster depth in the tag team division. There was an amusing callback to NXT when Stokely Hathaway hugged the Kaspers. Big Stoke managed them in the Diamond Mine faction.
AEW International Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Adam Copeland to retain the title. Even though the match felt a little long, it was excellent in story building. Cope attacked the left arm in an effort to weaken the Rainmaker lariat. Okada targeted Cope’s surgically repaired neck with DDTs. Both men had answers to avoid finishers. The Rainmaker and the spear were attempted several times throughout, but neither could connect until the end. The finish came when Cope sized up a spear. Don Callis tripped him, which garnered the attention of the referee. Cope charged forward, and Okada blocked the impact with the title belt. Cope collided headfirst into the gold. He was pretty much knocked out there. Okada made sure of it with an Impaler DDT off the apron down to the exposed concrete floor.
Cope was dead weight for the rest of the match. Okada took his time to taunt by pulling Cope up on pinfalls. The Rainmaker connected to close the contest. As the camera focused on Copeland’s struggle to stand after the match, Okada returned for another Rainmaker to add insult to injury.
The crowd was hot for the PPV opener. Okada stole the thunder from Copeland with his character work. I laughed at his mischievous smile every time he suckered Cope into a predicament. The chess match of strategy was very entertaining with a cool flow of movement. Both men have rapid-fire finishers, so the idea that the Rainmaker or spear could connect at any time in these sequences kept me on the edge of my seat. Even the final Rainmaker was dramatic. Okada took so long that there was hope for Cope to snap out of his stupor and mount a rally, but it didn’t happen. Okada’s heeling at the end was a great way to build heat for Cope to get revenge. Coming into the match, I wasn’t emotionally invested. Coming out of the match, I want to see Cope kick Okada’s ass.
Later in the night, Mick Foley approached Copeland as an interviewer and friend. Foley is concerned about Cope and wanted to know what’s on his mind. Copeland felt that match would answer a lot of questions, and it did. Cope walked off without getting specific.
The Tailgate Brawl pre-show featured four bouts.
TBS Championship: Queen Aminata (c) defeated Persephone, Skye Blue, and Hyan to retain the title. Maya World was out due to travel issues. AEW replaced her with the two losers from Aminata’s last title defense on Dynamite. To make it even worse, Hyan ate the pin. I know ROH wrestlers lose 95% of the time in AEW, but come on. Show some foresight. Hyan is set to challenge Athena for the women’s world title at Final Battle. Her momentum is totally flushed now.
The match itself was solid with a frantic pace as a four-way. Britt Baker joined commentary, and her presence was convenient for when Persephone wanted to cheat. Baker handed over the title belt for Perse to clock Blue. Persephone hugged the title. Aminata came from behind to headbutt Baker then the same to Perse. Aminata pounded Hyan with a headbutt and a running kick to win.
Aminata looked strong as champion in this bout. Since Persephone wasn’t pinned, the feud with Aminata should rage on. Perse and Blue had several exchanges of fisticuffs. I’m curious if that leads to any fights between Persephone and the Triangle of Madness.
Big Boom AJ, QT Marshall, Matt Sydal, & Darius Martin defeated Rocky Romero, Trent Beretta, Josh Alexander, & Lance Archer. No Big Justice or The Rizzler in the house. Typical 8-man fun in the AEW style, but there were less shenanigans without the kids around. AJ kept his winning streak alive thanks to Sydal sparking the win. Romero gloated on the mat, so Sydal blindsided him with a knee. Powerbomb by AJ as Martin dove outside to take down the Callis Family. Sydal landed a shooting star press to pin Romero.
Kevin Knight, Wardlow, & El Clon defeated Jaden Monroe, RJ Wylde, & Jordan Cruz. Squash. Wardlow dished out powerbombs, and Knight landed the UFO splash for victory.
Jack Perry defeated Beast Mortos. Perry rallied for a piledriver and a running knee. Instead of the pin, Perry sent a message to Samoa Joe. Jungle Slob spit into the camera and called Joe an SOB. Perry stole Joe’s musclebuster to finish Mortos.
It’s a smart move for Perry to rack up wins when he’s not losing to former world champions so that he remains a threat on screen. I really hope Joe isn’t sacrificed to Perry. There is nothing babyface about Perry’s method in chasing Joe for the rematch. I want to root for Perry to overcome. However, spitting at the camera is a heel move. Perry deserves to be put to sleep in the Coquina Clutch.
Joe responded later in the event. Perry is a fool who didn’t learn his lesson. Joe will grant the rematch for Dynamite, and he will strangle him unconscious. I’m going to be angry if that’s not the finish.
Notes: Nick Wayne beat Chris Jericho (pyro). Twice (pyro).
Stud of the Show: Will Ospreay
Ospreay is on another level.
Match of the Night: Young Bucks vs. Mark Davis & Jake Doyle
In the words of Mark Briscoe, “Tag team wrestling. TAG TEAM WRESTLING!!!”
Grade: B
The PPV was too long at five hours and change. Take out Texas Death and trim the show to four hours, then I’d say it is an A level.
Share your thoughts about AEW Full Gear. Who stole the show? Which match was your favorite? Are they any results that you would flip the other way?
