AEW Full Gear: Predicting the card fort the next PPV
Predicting the 2021 AEW Full Gear card
Coming off the heels of what will probably be the most successful AEW pay-per-view for the foreseeable future in All Out, Full Gear is only about two months away. It’s the shortest time period between PPVs for the company and with the new additions the promotion has made recently, the excitement for the show is at a fever pitch.
In this article, I’ll be taking a look at the potential card for the 2021 edition of Full Gear and predicting matches that I think will happen.
The Buy-In: Casino Battle Royale
Although the Casino Battle Royale usually makes its way onto the main card, I’m holding it back to the Buy-In for this PPV to make room for more women’s matches on the main show.
I’d make sure guys like Ricky Starks, Eddie Kingston, Ethan Page, Powerhouse Hobbs, PAC, and Orange Cassidy get their shine in this match. There’s a ton of potential winners, but I narrowed it down to three for the sake of these predictions.
I think with this Battle Royale, there won’t be a surprise for the Joker spot. The last two shows have had surprises in Lio Rush and Ruby Soho, so they’ll probably lay low for this show.
Winner: Ricky Starks, Ethan Page, or Sammy Guevara
Riho vs. Thunder Rosa vs. Serena Deeb vs. Big Swole – Women’s Championship Number One Contender’s match
All Out was the first AEW pay-per-view since 2020’s Double Or Nothing that saw two women’s matches on the main card, and I hope that Full Gear continues that trend. This match would be a fantastic opener and would get four of the most talented women in the company on the card in a meaningful way.
Reports call for the awaited Thunder Rosa-Britt Baker rematch to take place early in 2022, so I don’t see Rosa winning this match. I would give the win to Riho and build her up for a title match against Britt at special Dynamite in December, presumably Winter Is Coming if they use that branding again.
Winner: Riho
Lucha Bros vs. FTR – AEW World Tag Team Championship match
With the Young Bucks tag title reign coming to an end, it’s time for the Lucha Bros to shine. They’ve been a staple in AEW programming from day one and have dozens of classic matches with multiple teams, and I don’t expect that to stop now.
The team of Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero Miedo have only clashed with FTR once before, back on July 15th, 2020. I think this is a fresh and exciting matchup for the pay-per-view and given that FTR has only lost one match this year, it makes sense.
I expect the Lucha Bros to have a title defense or two before this show, but I also expect them to lose the titles here, but only if their opponents are FTR. FTR’s first reign was fun, but also quite short and I think they deserve another run on top.
FTR winning could also play a part in a bigger picture, which I’ll reveal later on in the predictions.
Winner: FTR
Darby Allin and Sting vs. Andrade and Chavo Guerrero/Ric Flair
Darby Allin and Sting have had two pay-per-view matches together so far, and they’ve been highlights of the show. Whether it’s beating up Team Taz in a dark warehouse or beating up Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky in front of the first full AEW crowd since the pandemic began, the duo has made some classic moments together.
A Darby and Andrade feud seems like a good direction to go in for both guys, but this could be a match to strictly get Ric Flair on PPV in a wrestling capacity.
Let me make this clear: Flair should only be in this match if it’s a cinematic affair, similar to the one that Darby and Sting had against Team Taz. I do NOT want to see a 72-year old Ric Flair in a full-body suit taking bumps.
It’s all a big IF. It’s not guaranteed that Flair is headed for AEW and if he isn’t, I’d be fine with seeing Chavo Guerrero in the match instead. Guerrero still wrestles occasionally and could contribute to a fun match still with Andrade/Allin covering most of the base.
With a Sting/Allin win, I could see them getting a tag team championship match shortly after this show.