MJF makes his way to the ring to team up with The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn. MJF is wearing ring gear in The Acclaimed's colour scheme for the match. Photo Credit: AEW
The final Pay-Per-View (PPV) of AEW’s “Big Four” for 2023 is almost here, as Full Gear is taking place on Sunday, November 19 (Saturday, November 18 local time.)
The Inner Sanctum is here to preview the five biggest talking points leading into the show, predicting how each match will eventuate.
A Texas Death match turned very personal
After facing each other at WrestleDream and continuing their ongoing feud, “Hangman” Adam Page and Swerve Strickland will face off in a Texas Death match at Full Gear.
Despite earning the victory in their first encounter, Strickland invaded his opponent’s home along with Prince Nana and it caused a heated confrontation on the November 15 episode of Dynamite between the two rivals.
While Page and Strickland were not allowed to come into contact with each other during that confrontation, the former AEW World Champion attacked Prince Nana and then ambushed his Full Gear opponent a day later at a Pro Wrestling Revolver event.
Will Page find a way to defeat Strickland, or will the Mogul Embassy member earn a second consecutive win?
Can Orange Cassidy defeat Jon Moxley?
Losing his AEW International Championship to Jon Moxley at All Out, Orange Cassidy never defeated Moxley to regain it.
The Blackpool Combat Club member lost the title to Rey Fenix in surprising fashion, who was then defeated by Cassidy.
After the current champion retained against Claudio Castagnoli, he was attacked by Moxley and it prompted a match between the two at Full Gear.
Cassidy has made it clear in the build that he MUST beat Moxley to feel like he deserves to be the champion he knows he is.
Moxley and Wheeler Yuta defeated Cassidy and Hook in a tag-team match on the November 15 edition of Dynamite, with the former AEW World Champion delivering a stern message to the current International Champion after the victory.
“Orange Cassidy, you are nothing,” Moxley said.
“You ain’t ever been nothing. This weekend at Full Gear, I’m going to put the world back on its axis. It’s time for a course correction.
“I’m going to grind you into dust and walk out International Champion, and there is not a damn thing you can do to stop me.”
For the benefit of those with flash photography…
After departing WWE, Adam Copeland made his AEW debut at WrestleDream by coming to the aid of Darby Allin and Sting when the two were being assaulted by Nick Wayne, Luchasaurus and Copeland’s long-time friend, Christian Cage.
The Rated-R Superstar told Cage on the Dynamite following WrestleDream that he wanted to reunite and while the TNT Champion seemed interested, he told Copeland to, “go f*** yourself.”
In a continuation of their rivalry, Cage proposed for a six-man tag team match between The Patriarchy (himself, Wayne and Luchasaurus) against Sting, Allin and a partner of their choosing, which was later revealed to be Copeland.
While the long-time tag team partners will be on opposing sides of the ring at Full Gear, it will be wonderful to see Cage and Copeland competing in a match together.
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Will MJF leave Full Gear with ANY championship gold?
After successfully defending the Ring of Honor (ROH) Tag Team Championships at WrestleDream in a handicap match due to Adam Cole’s injury, MJF will put his titles on the line alongside Samoa Joe against The Gunns.
On the November 17 episode of Rampage, it was revealed that the former ROH World Television Champion would be the one teaming with MJF against The Gunns.
MJF was being attacked by Jay White and The Gunns after Friedman had already taken out Juice Robinson, when Joe came to the ring to save the World Champion from the three-on-one attack.
Friedman then shook Samoa Joe’s hand and now must must give his temporary partner a title opportunity, should he be successful in his defence against Jay White.
In addition to the tag team match against The Gunns, MJF also has to defend his AEW World Championship against Switchblade.
White has been in possession of the title for a number of weeks after stealing it from MJF, and the leader of Bullet Club Gold will have a chance to properly claim the gold at Full Gear and call himself champion with a victory.
Unfortunately for MJF, it is not only the two championship defences he has to worry about.
Who is under the devil mask?
At the end of September, four masked figures and a fifth person wearing MJF’s signature devil mask attacked Jay White on Dynamite.
MJF denied being the person under the mask at WrestleDream, but whoever it is has been causing destruction in AEW ever since.
The Devil’s most recent assault involved attacking The Acclaimed and Billy Gun, in addition to other ambushes over recent weeks.
While it remains unclear who is under the mask, it looks more than likely they will be involved in some capacity during either or both of MJF’s matches at Full Gear and we may finally find out who “The Devil” really is.
Full AEW Full Gear Card
AEW World Championship: MJF (c) vs. Jay White
Prediction: Jay White
ROH Tag Team Championships: MJF & Samoa Joe (c) vs. The Gunns (Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn)
Prediction: MJF & Samoa Joe
Sting, Darby Allin & Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, & Nick Wayne
Prediction: Sting, Darby Allin & Adam Copeland
AEW Women’s Championship: Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Toni Storm
Prediction: Toni Storm
AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Jon Moxley
Prediction: Orange Cassidy
Texas Death match: Swerve Strickland vs. “Hangman” Adam Page
Prediction: “Hangman” Adam Page
The Golden Jets (Kenny Omega & Chris Jericho) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)
Prediction: The Golden Jets
AEW Tag Team Championships: Ricky Starks & Big Bill (c) vs. LFI (RUSH & Dralistico) vs. FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) vs. House of Black (Malakai Black & Brody King)
Prediction: Ricky Starks & Big Bill
AEW TBS Championship: Kris Statlander (c) vs. Julia Hart vs. Skye Blue
Prediction: Kris Statlander
ROH World Championship: Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Jay Lethal
Prediction: Eddie Kingston
Claudio Castagnoli vs Buddy Matthews
Prediction: Claudio Castagnoli
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