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The Best Matches From AEW Full Gear 2025

This trio is definitely deserving of praise!
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Best Matches From AEW Full Gear

Hey everyone! Todd here! Jen is sadly out once again, but fear not, I watched AEW Full Gear in full last night and it was…once again…another incredible AEW PPV. The entire card was stacked from top to bottom, and every match delivered, even if you didn’t see certain outcomes coming! So, with that being said, the question has to be, “What Were The Best Matches From AEW Full Gear?” Well, I picked out three that stood out above the pack, so allow me to break them all down for you!

…can you guess where I’m going to start based on that stacked card?

There really wasn’t a dud the whole night, but there was one match that I wish the crowd had given more love to, so allow me to start off with…

One could easily argue that out of all the matches on the card…this one had the most pressure going into it. After all, Kris Statlander and Mercedes Mone had already done two PPV clashes within the last year, and even though things were a bit different, due to Big Stat Daddy now having the women’s world title, the question was, “Could they pull off another classic women’s bout?”

Yes. Obviously. And they did!

What I loved from the outset was that the two were going full speed at one another right from the bell ringing. There was no “feeling out process,” it was just them trying to beat each other. Then, we got the new wrinkle in the match via Statlander having to do all she could with one arm while Mone was fixated on making her suffer through it!

There were incredible counters…

There was Mercedes Mone doing 14 suplexes in a row to “honor the belts she had and would soon have” if she won…

And in the end, only one could be “More Than A Woman,” and I’m SO HAPPY that it was Kris Statlander. She’s been crushing it as champ, and I look forward to seeing what she does next.

The only thing “bad” about the match was that the crowd wasn’t into it as much as they should’ve been and didn’t give them a “This Is Awesome” chant, even though they absolutely deserved it. The match was so good, they even did a callback to a previous match when it was Stat beating the 10-count, but this time doing it with Mercedes.

The ladies crushed it, and now…we can witness the fall of “Ultimo Mone,” because no amount of belts can help her get the one she really wants. My prediction? She loses the TBS title at World’s End next month.

And with that “score being settled,” let’s move on to another incredible match:

Oh yeah. This one held my “Match of the Night” moniker for a bit until my final entry, but even still, Brodido vs. FTR absolutely delivered, and was easily a “Tag Team Match Of The Year” contender.

The tale of Brodido is one we should praise, as this team came out of nowhere, worked seamlessly from the start, helped get Bandido even MORE OVER (and into the “Wrestler of the Year” category even further…), and their tag matches have been spectacular. Yes, we had already seen them face FTR before, but this was much more intense.

The back and forth between the two teams is what made it amazing. Like many matches at AEW Full Gear, this one was 50/50 on who might pull it off, and they absolutely ran with that. They had big spots and moments on all sides, and just when you thought you knew something expected would happen, they did things like this…

There were plenty of near falls in the matchup! It had me on the edge of my seat because I was hoping for Brodido to continue their reign, but every time FTR failed to hit the Shatter Machine, I figured when they finally did hit it…it would be over. And yet…

I loved that they played up the “Bandido! NEVER STOP FIGHTING!” mantra that Brody has been using over the last several weeks, as it really added extra fire and story to the duo. Sure enough, Brodido didn’t stop fighting, even taking a top rope spiked piledriver and kicking out one last time before FTR put the beloved duo down for good.

Another key reason I wanted this on my “Best Matches From AEW Full Gear” list is because of how it made me FEEL. Did I want FTR to win? No. But I know that this third reign of theirs will likely be their best, given that they’ll push hard to keep the “allure” of the belts going after all that Brodido has done for the division in the last few months. The tag division is on fire right now, and I’m excited to see what happens next.

Plus, that means that Bandido is possibly free to be in the Continental Classic…which a LOT of AEW fans would love to see!

And now…for my “Match of the Night,” I give you…

THAT’S RIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THIS IS MY “MATCH OF THE NIGHT,” BECAUSE THE WORD OF THE DAY…IS PERSERVERNCE, AS IN, THE ABILITY TO PERSERVE THROUGH THE PAIN AND UNCERTAINTY TO OVERCOME CHALLENGES AND ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS! *menagerie of grunts and biting gestures toward the camera*

…how was that? Did I do a good Mark Briscoe impersonation?

Anyway, it’s always funny when a duo comes along that just “clicks” instantly in the ring, allowing them to have all manner of great matches. I know a LOT of people online were “over” this rivalry and wanted this match to be the end of things. Then, with the stipulation of Briscoe joining the Don Callis Family if he lost, people wondered if AEW would actually pull the trigger on that…or whether they’d give Mark the TNT title and let Fletcher further cement himself in another part of the men’s ranks.

…all I knew was…the match was gonna cook…and it did. In fact, it did right from the entrances…

For those who don’t know, the Briscoes were originally kept off television by Warner Bros Discover due to a “past sin” of theirs, and TK fought hard to try and get them onto AEW, but never got the ability to do so until the unfortunate passing of Jay Briscoe. So to hear Mark talk about his brother, and then his new family in The Conglomeration, was very heartfelt, and how it was his faith that was carrying him through the days.

…and then he started beating the crap out of Kyle Fletcher!

…and Kyle started beating the crap out of Mark Briscoe!

…and the most questionable ladders in existence were used to do serious damage to one another…

The fact that this match happened after the BLOOD FEST that was Kyle O’Reilly vs. Jon Moxley…and yet they were able to crank things up to a whole other level was fun to watch. They had all kinds of spots, including this table spot that I particularly enjoyed:

…and the table and ladder spot that people will be talking about for a while…

Oh, and this clear attempt at attempted murder…

This was yet another epic back-and-forth, and just like the Brodido/FTR match, not only got a “This is Awesome” chant, but a “Fight Forever!” chant, and these two definitely could if they wanted!

Yet, in the end, Mark Briscoe was able to pull off the huge win and become the TNT champion, ensuring that his legacy and name will forever be associated with BOTH Ring of Honor and All Elite Wrestling. Your brother would be proud, Mark. Now go be the best champion you can be!

…oh, and Orange Cassidy has a gift for you:

And that wraps things up for the Best Matches From AEW Full Gear! What were YOUR favorite matches of the night? Who do you want to see announced for the Continental Classic? How stacked do you think things will be for World’s End next month? Let me know in the comments below!

 

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A self-proclaimed Nintendo fanboy, born, bred, and Mushroom fed! He’s owned every Nintendo handheld and every console since the SNES. He's got a degree in video game development, is a published comic book writer and an author of several novels!

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