The sixth annual AEW Full Gear event took place last night and had some of the best matches you’ll see in 2024.
The AEW Championship was on the line as Orange Cassidy challenged Jon Moxley for a chance at world title gold. Will Ospreay battled his former friend Kyle Fletcher while Bobby Lashley faced Swerve Strickland in his first PPV match since leaving the WWE.
The term “Full Gear” came from “Hangman” Adam Page so it is only right he gets in on the action. He faced “Switchblade” Jay White in a hotly anticipated rematch, as well as many other top quality matches at the event.
The show took place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. This page will detail Dave Meltzer’s Star Ratings for AEW Full Gear 2024, looking at every match on the card. We will also detail the Cagematch rating for the event, as well as our own ratings on Wrestling Throwback.
AEW Tag Team Championships: Private Party vs The Outrunners vs The Acclaimed vs The House of Black
The AEW Tag Team Championship match was a good way to open the show, giving a varied match that highlighted four very different teams.
The match was very good with some great character moments. This included The Accliamed once again teasing a break-up and attempting to pin each other in an unlikely end to the match.
However, the sloppiness took it down a star or two. The Outrunners were out of position on numerous occasions. Despite how fun their gimmick has been, it may have been too early for the youngest men alive to be in this type of match.
- Dave Meltzer’s Star Rating: Available 2.5 Stars
- Wrestling Classic Match Rating: 3 Stars
MJF vs Roderick Strong
MJF had a good match for his first match in two months as he defeated Roderick Strong at AEW Full Gear 2024.
The former AEW Champion has been busy filming Happy Gilmore 2, so has been laying out challenges to Roderick Strong and Adam Cole via satellite on Dynamite.
He put on a good show as the hated heel against a babyface Roderick Strong and ate numerous brutal-looking backbreakers throughout. It was a good match but was let down slightly by the abrupt ending.
- Dave Meltzer’s Star Rating: Available 3 Stars
- Cagematch Rating: 6.83
- Wrestling Classic Match Rating: 3.5 Stars
TBS Championship: Mercedes Mone vs Kris Statlander
The longest women’s match in AEW history may well turn out be among the best. We view this match from AEW Full Gear 2024 as almost a five-star bout.
Despite the clear weight advantage on Kris Statlander’s side, she played the perfect babyface to the “CEO”. Mercedes Mone mixed her brilliant wrestling skills with the occasional temper tantrum which got the crowd of Statlander’s side.
The ending was very creative and even Mone seemed shocked at retaining her belt. This defence could breathe life into her title reign, although both women would have walked out deserved winners after this performance.
I couldn’t tell you what this was missing. It was brilliantly paced, had some exciting and unique moves from both women and was built fantastically towards the end. However, it felt like it could have been ever so slightly better, so 4.5 stars is a good rating.
- Dave Meltzer’s Star Rating: Available 4.5 Stars
- Cagematch Rating: 8.49
- Wrestling Classic Match Rating: 4.5 Stars
“Hangman” Adam Page vs “Switchblade” Jay White
This felt like NJPW’s Jay White finally coming out in an AEW ring. He wrestled a brilliant match against “Hangman” Adam Page at Full Gear, counting him in simple, yet effective ways to stay on top of the former AEW Champion.
Despite both men being heels, the match worked. Hangman used his anger and strength to try and get one up on his rival. However, this just played in Switchblade’s hands, who countered every errant punch and punished Page for it.
Jay White managed to kick out of everything Adam Page gave him and pinned him with a brilliant counter into the Blade Runner, just as the Kiwi predicted in the weeks leading up to the match. He now has two PPV wins over Hangman in a row and could be a favourite for the Continental Classic.
- Dave Meltzer’s Star Rating: Available 4.25 Stars
- Cagematch Rating: 8.11
- Wrestling Classic Match Rating: 4 Stars
Will Ospreay vs Kyle Fletcher
Its a Will Ospreay match. Need I say more?
Obviously, I will but these absolute classics have almost become expected by the Englishman. This was no different as he faced his long-time friend Kyle Fletcher in one of the fastest-paced matches you’ll ever see.
Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher have incredible chemistry and can work counters at a speed most wrestlers could only dream of. This helped create a match in which you never knew what was coming next but were always impressed.
The bout saw a darker side of Will Ospreay as he faced his former friend, and this change in persona actually led him to defeat against Kyle Fletcher. To me, this was the first five-star match at AEW Full Gear 2024. Some of the moves the pair were doing were insane and deserve a Match of the Year nomination.
I have doubted Kyle Fletcher as a singles star at times, and while I am aware that Will Ospreay could make a broom look good, he impressed a lot at Full Gear 2024.
- Dave Meltzer’s Star Rating: Available 5.25 Stars
- Cagematch Rating: 9.20
- Wrestling Classic Match Rating: 5 Stars
TNT Championship: Jack Perry vs Daniel Garcia
Daniel Garcia winning the match was the right decision and the last stretch of the match was pretty exciting.
I just don’t “get” these two. Jack Perry is wrestling a deliberately unexciting style as the heel “Scapegoat”, but just because it makes sense doesn’t mean I enjoy it.
Meanwhile, I just don’t see what others see in Daniel Garcia. He’s perfectly fine and hopefully, a midcard title run will get something out of him. He’s not for me and neither was this match.
- Dave Meltzer’s Star Rating: Available 3.75 Stars
- Cagematch Rating: 7.46
- Wrestling Classic Match Rating: 2 Stars
AEW International Championship: Konosuke Takeshita vs Ricochet
This match was somewhat disappointing and was below the level that both men are capable of.
It was a rather slow affair. It didn’t really get going until the very end of the match and had some quite boring moments while waiting for it to kick on.
The end stretch of the match was very good but getting to it was a slog.
- Dave Meltzer’s Star Rating: Available 4.25 Stars
- Cagematch Rating: 7.36
- Wrestling Classic Match Rating: 2.5 Stars
Swerve Strickland vs Bobby Lashley
This match was exactly what it needed to be and immediately positioned Bobby Lashley as a huge threat in AEW.
He dominated Swerve Strickland for the majority of the match, with his size and strength being something the former AEW Champion could not contend with.
Even when Swerve managed to get on top, Lashley managed to shrug off all his offence and showed just how brutal he could be in the ring. The former WWE Champion ended his PPV debut by making his opponent pass out in the Hurt Lock before doing the same to Prince Nan in the aftermath.
- Dave Meltzer’s Star Rating: 3.75 Stars
- Cagematch Rating: 7.58
- Wrestling Classic Match Rating: 3.5 Stars
AEW Championship: Jon Moxley vs Orange Cassidy
Orange Cassidy was robbed in what was the best match of the Orange Cassidy vs Jon Moxley trilogy.
The AEW Championship was Cassidy’s to win and he had Moxley on the ropes, as he had done exactly a year prior at Full Gear. He showed an intensity rarely seen before and took huge amounts of damage from his opponent, yet kept on coming.
Wheeler Yuta’s interference cost Cassidy the AEW Championship at the end of a match that was another five-star classic from AEW Full Gear 2024.
- Dave Meltzer’s Star Rating: Available 4 Stars
- Cagematch Rating: 7.87
- Wrestling Classic Match Rating: 5 Stars
What do you think about Dave Meltzer’s star ratings for AEW Full Gear 2024? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.
