AEW: Santana & Ortiz Versus Young Bucks Will Steal the Show at Full Gear

In one corner, a pair of Executive Vice Presidents many in the wrestleverse–including themselves–consider to be the best tag-team in the world. In the other, a pair of rabid pit bulls from the Big Apple ready to face-off against the minds behind AEW’s tag division.

Whether you’re satisfied with the AEW Full Gear card or not, you have to be brimming with excitement over this monumental tilt between two of the best teams on the face of the earth.

Something has to be said about AEW’s ability to build up a match of this caliber using almost no promos whatsoever. What we’re getting next Saturday is another dream match for the ages.

Proud n’ Powerful

Just as the Lucha Bros. and The Young Bucks concluded their Escalera de la Muerte match at All Out, they were attacked by a pair of standouts from Impact Wrestling and arguably the hottest free agents on the market; Santana & Ortiz (2-0). 

For many fans, their move to All Elite Wrestling was unsurprising.

It seems safe to say they would’ve floundered in WWE’s developmental system for a few years followed by a relatively uneventful run on the main roster. Lost in a sea of talent doomed to wrestle a North Dakotan house show on a Saturday night.

Santana & Ortiz don’t really look like ‘Vince guys’ –or ‘Triple H guys for that matter–anyway.

Secondly, a tag team at their level would be foolish to pass up an opportunity to operate in one of the wrestling world’s best tag divisions, which is currently spearheaded by both incredible veteran talent and dynamic newcomers to the sport.

Couple that with the opportunity to face-off against the best tag team in the world, and the choice is an easy one to make.

While they weren’t penciled in as participants in the AEW Tag Team Tournament which concluded a week ago, and will result in new champions SCU defending against Lucha Bros and Private Party at Full Gear, it almost seems like Santana & Ortiz got the better end of the deal.

Sure, they missed out on potentially becoming AEW’s first tag-team champions but a high-profile match against two of the best in-ring performers of our generation is nothing to scoff at. Especially when the former LAX bring their own dynamic, fast-paced style to the squared circle.

Hungry wolves ready to devour a pair of young bucks. The story writes itself.

And yet, they’ve done tons to hype up the fans and make us care about this match without spending too much time yelling into a microphone. Run-ins, all-out brawls, surprise attacks, and the devastating dismantling of the Rock n’ Roll Express have made this match personal.

Los Young Bucks

On the flip side, a pair of high-flying, charismatic and innovative practitioners of the art of tandem offense. The Bucks (6-3) finally getting exposed to a national audience on this side of the world is almost surreal, but ultimately well-deserved.

After years in Japan and on the Independents, watching friends and family members discover this pair of tag-team wrestling geniuses is one of the most satisfying feelings. And it grows ever more satisfying with every thrilling moment–see the aforementioned Escalera de la Muerte for instance.

Matt & Nick Jackson have tons to be proud of in 2019. Having said that, they’ve had their own struggles in the ring similar to their Elite counterpart Kenny Omega.

No defeat was greater than their loss in the first round of AEW’s tag-team tournament against Private Party. While we’re not taking anything away from Marq Quen and Isaiah Kassidy, the Jacksons were heavy favorites in the tournament, and were slated to get to the finals.

What followed was a series of squabbles with Santana & Ortiz, and the rest is history.

You can almost feel like their title of ‘best in the world’ is up for grabs at Full Gear which will likely motivate them more than they have been all year.

And that’s great news for the fans.

Show Stealing Performances

None of these incredible professional wrestlers will standout as the most valuable player in this match. Every one of these individuals is ready to put on a masterful performance for the sake of proving that AEW’s tag team division is at the top of the wrestling world.

Here’s one piece of advice as you prepare to watch Saturday’s contest, don’t blink.

Not because of the possibility of a flash knockout, sadly none of these gentlemen have hand power akin to Mike Tyson.

Don’t blink because you might just miss something you’ve never seen before. If the Bucks have Jim Ross visibly baffled every week, what do you think they have in store for us heading into one of the most important pay-per-views in the company’s short history?

As far as Santana & Ortiz are concerned, we’ve only had a glimpse of the two in an AEW ring. However if their history in Impact Wrestling is any indication of their plans for Saturday, you better get ready for an absolutely frenetic pace and their own innovative brand of tandem wrestling.

Those of you unfamiliar with the former LAX, take a moment and enjoy the absolute barn burner they produced against the Lucha Bros earlier this year.

One thing is for sure, we’re in for one of the best matches of the year as both teams flip and kick to the tune of ‘fight for-ever’.