AEW Full Gear: Full match card preview and predictions

The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. Proud ‘n’ Powerful (Santana & Ortiz)

We’ve only seen Santana and Ortiz in tag team action one time since arriving in AEW, but they’ve been on a path of destruction since appearing at AEW All Out. The duo formerly known as LAX showed up after The Young Bucks and Lucha Brothers had squared off in a brutal ladder match and attacked both teams.

Their first match was alongside Chris Jericho on the debut episode of AEW Dynamite. Jericho, Santana, and Ortiz, who we later learned are collectively known (along with Jake Hager and Sammy Guevara) as The Inner Circle, picked up a big trios victory over The Elite (Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks).

Santana and Ortiz, known as Proud ‘n’ Powerful when competing as a tag team, later went on to challenge The Young Bucks after they were eliminated from the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament, which The Bucks accepted. Their attacks continued, taking out both The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express and later The Young Bucks in ambushes last week on AEW Dynamite. I’m picking Proud ‘n’ Powerful to take a huge win here, and likely be the next challengers for the AEW World Tag Team Titles.

Prediction: Proud ‘n’ Powerful

Non-Sanctioned Lights Out Match: Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega

I’m probably looking forward to this match more than any other one on the card, and that’s actually difficult for me to say because of how excited I am for Emi Sakura to challenge Riho. This isn’t going to be a wrestling match; it’s going to be a war.

We were initially expecting to see Jon Moxley take on Kenny Omega at AEW All Out, but a MRSA infection in his elbow meant he wasn’t medically cleared to compete. On the premiere of AEW Dynamite, Moxley came through the crowd and went right after Omega. The two brawled into a VIP area, and Moxley put Omega through a glass table with a Paradigm Shift.

Since that moment, things have continued to escalate with Moxley often wielding a barbed wire baseball bat while “The Cleaner” Kenny Omega has had a barbed wire broom. For as anxious as he’s been to start the violence, Moxley has also refused more than once to take advantage of a weakened Kenny Omega.

Moxley clearly wants to prove himself against the best of Kenny Omega, and he’ll finally get that chance this Saturday. Unfortunately, the match won’t be sanctioned and this won’t count for either man’s record. It’ll still be a treat for fans though, and while Omega will surely give a seven-star performance, I absolutely expect Moxley to take the win here.

Prediction: Jon Moxley