Kazuchika Okada retains the AEW International Championship
A match no one had on their pro wrestling bingo card until Adam Copeland came to AEW. It felt surreal to see these two across the ring from each other, and the live crowd gave them a standing ovation before the opening bell. Very different wrestling backgrounds, but both kept a really solid pace throughout the show. Okada often mocked Cope, which made the challenger even more frustrated. Late in the match, Okada resorted to tomfoolery, using the belt to knock out Cope, and would hit with an Impaler DDT on the concrete floor to guarantee the win. Okada taunted the fans with two feigned pin attempts, but finally hit the Rainmaker Lariat for the pinfall. After the match, Cope appeared flustered and full of doubt.
The Young Bucks retain the AEW World Tag Team Championships against David and Doyle
This is what tag team wrestling is about. Despite the Bucks’ advantage with high-flying antics, Davis and Doyle’s sheer brute strength constantly shut them down. That being said, the Bucks would often go from defensive to offensive by isolating one opponent at a time. Again, the complete physical dominance truly gave the appearance that the Jackson brothers were doomed. However, they managed to use their beefy stature against them with a rollup into a pinfall victory. It felt like watching a main event tag team match from the 80s and 90s. This was excellent. Probably one of the best Tag Team Championship matches this year.
After the match, The Motor City Machine Guns came out to congratulate the champs, obviously a reminder that they’re next in line after their victory over FTR. Just then, sirens blare out and out come the Kasper Brothers, formerly the Creed Brothers! They hit the ring and start mauling both the Bucks and MCMG. FTR arrives as well, and joins in attacking the Bucks and MCMG! Stokley celebrates with all four, who, if you recall, were aligned together in NXT in the Diamond Mine stable.
Is it just me, or does it seem tag team wrestling is going to be big for AEW in 2027?
Swerve Strickland and The New Level defeated “Hangman” Adam Page and Brodido to regain the AEW World Trios Championships in a Texas Death Match
As always, not for the faint of heart, and it’s either you enjoy wild and dangerous matches like this or you don’t. These are not for everyone. It started with the faces using skewers to stab the challengers in the head, and the violence got worse from there. Barbed wire, thumbtacks, and inevitably the dreaded staple guns. In a horrifyingly bizarre spot, Page and Swerve sat in chairs and traded shots with the staple guns. Halfway through, Brody King was covered head to toe in blood. A glass pane was shattered following a stomp through it. This was, by far, one of the bloodiest Texas Death Matches AEW has put on. Hangman and Swerve had a callback to their first encounter with the drinking-blood spot, which, like the first one, was a bit much. Swerve, Kofi, and Creed prevented the champions from responding to the ten-count, resulting in the ref calling the match and awarding the championships back.
This could have gone either way, but it makes for some very interesting future plans with Swerve and New Level unleashed.
Austin Creed donning an original Nintendo Powerglove, hitting an exploding Shoryuken on Brody King was absolutely amazing.
This was a bloody, wild affair, as expected, but the level it was taken to was unforeseen. Welcome to AEW Kofi and Creed!
Wrathlander (Kris Statlander and Harley Cameron) defeated The Brawling Birds to win the AEW Women’ s World Tag Team Championships
Back-to-back title change was certainly unexpected. The Brawling Birds had been built up strongly to defeat Divine Dominion at All In. The title change feels unexpected, which is a very good thing. Unpredictable results keep things fresh and fans attentive. Harley seems like the perfect tag team partner. She adds so much character to whomever she is with. The zany antics with a serious wrestler become a must-see. Her second reign as tag champion will hopefully be as entertaining as her first.
Ilja Dragunov defeated Tommaso Ciampa to win the AEW National Championship
Three title changes in a row? Definitely different. All exciting.
A perfect definition of professional wrestling. Two wrestlers who are no strangers to each other, both wrestle with the intensity their in-ring personas succeed at. It’s not only how physical they get; their facial expressions and body language do most of the storytelling. Both Dragunov and Ciampa displayed massive fighting spirit; the difference is that Ilja is more aggressive, while Ciampa is more methodical and often outsmarts opponents. Call it strong-style, call it stiff-style; this felt like a wrestling match in its purest form.
Dragunov winning is an interesting event. He’s the new “hot item” in the company, so a loss might be risky, but Ciampa has been built as world-class, so a loss shouldn’t have hurt. However, this leads to the bigger story. Ciampa has won and lost championships within weeks. Later in the show, he cuts a backstage promo, essentially losing his damn mind and demanding to be placed into the Continental Classic.
Psycho Killer indeed.
Mercedes Mone retains the AEW Women’s Championship against Marina Shafir
This was another surprising outcome. Many expected the ruthless and dominant Shafir to win; the only possibility of a loss would have been interference. Yet, this was not the case. Shafir was clearly the dominant figure; Mone being on the run more often is something we haven’t seen since her arrival in AEW. She is usually the more arrogant and cocky wrestler, but this time she needed to display a more crafty, cerebral style to stay a step ahead or, most of the time, find a way to counter, reverse, or straight up escape. The pace was much slower to match Shafir’s more methodically paced style. While this benefited the challenger, it proved to be a flaw in the final moments as Mone countered the Brutalizer by using the ropes for leverage to get the pinfall.
A shocker of a finish. But this doesn’t diminish Shafir in any way. She dominated the match but was blind to Mone’s ability to manipulate her surroundings for the advantage. I imagine this will not be their last encounter.
The best moment came when Mone attempted slaps; Shafir raised both arms, right into the perfect position for her to do Daniel Garcia’s dance. This was followed by a number of moves from her fellow Death Riders, including Claudio’s Giant Swing.
The Cut defeats The Death Riders and the Conglomeration in Anarchy in the Arena
Loud music, chaos in and out of the ring, yep, AEW delivered what they promise in an Anarchy in the Arena match. Much like Texas Death, this is one of those matches you’ll either like or won’t. But this is one where you might give it a chance, since the focus isn’t on blood and extreme antics. First, “Wild Thing” blasted around the arena until the heels stopped it. However, Daniel Garcia got ready in dance mode; the music kicked up again with “Party Up” by DMX. During the match, Kidd was confronted by Finlay and Connors to rejoin them, even giving Kidd a shirt. Kidd reluctantly put on the shirt, but then without wasting much time, he clobbered his former partners with a chair. So much for that attempt. J
ust when one might think the match was running a bit cold, the arrival of Shane Taylor and the Infantry, Wheeler Yuta, and Marina Shafir suddenly kicked up the match, but then a WILD KEMALITO APPEARS!! This just went off the rails. Later on, when the heels seemed to have victory, an angry Claudio appears and goes on a wild tear, mauling everyone. Even lobbing Shane through a table. Claudio is simply not human. The match wound down; Mox seemed to have the win in hand until Mercedes Mone showed up and delivered a crushing low blow. She is fought off by a returning Willow Nightingale, but too little, too late. Jay White sneaks in and hits the Blade Runner for the win.
Just absolute bonkers. The result is the right call. The Cut needs the big win to establish their stable as a legit threat.
Main Event: AEW Men’s World Champion Will Ospreay defeated Kyle Fletcher
A lot can be said for this match. The start featured both wrestlers stalemating more than a few times, and at points throughout the match, the story was clear: They have faced each other before, they have teamed for a long time, and they know each other better than they know themselves. Showing their parallel paths before the match added to their ability to predict or counter each other. As the match continued, the wrestling became more aggressive and impactful. Fletcher was trying to hurt Ospreay, but this would later become the big flaw in Fletcher’s plan. Ospreay was suddenly the underdog, a position he would no longer tolerate as champion. Once Fletcher got too cocky, Ospreay turned the tide, and his whole in-ring presence changed.
Ospreay began to pick Fletcher apart. Dominating at times with strikes to the midsection and some extremely hard shots that appeared to be from the influence of Jon Moxley. The crowd could see it too, and they responded with mixed reactions. Ospreay appeared more overconfident and brash, and at times seemed to gloat. Fletcher was suddenly the massive underdog, becoming a bloody mess. Fletcher made a few comebacks, but the damage was done. Ospreay, taking the more methodical, systematic dissection of his opponent, was now overpowering his championship challenger. The closing moments saw some great stuff, Fletcher screaming and cursing at Ospreay how much he hates him, yet would not be pinned after multiple Hidden Blades and a Stormbreaker. It was only when Ospreay hit the Tiger Driver that Fletcher fail to kick out.
After the match, Ospreay bowed with respect to Fletcher. As everyone from both camps cleared the ring, a masked man suddenly struck. Revealing himself to be the returning Maxwell Jacob Friedman! He ran off as United Empire rushed back.
This was the Bret/Austin match for Ospreay and Fletcher. If you don’t believe it, find it online. The Phoenix crowd was heavily rooting for Fletcher while booing Ospreay, who took a more brash and violent approach. Fletcher, a rarity seen as the underdog, was cheered on.
Having both United Empire (US) and members of the DCF at ringside was cool. Adds to the big fight feel.
Full Gear 2026 was an excellent PPV. Three title changes in a row were certainly a surprise, and surprises is what keep fans engaged. The Texas Death Match and Anarchy in the Arena both delivered as advertised. Two matches that might not be everyone’s cup of tea in one PPV were certainly a risky move, but it appeared to pay off for both the short-term and what feels like long-term plans through the end of the year.
