AEW Full Gear 2023 results: Swerve Strickland tops Hangman Adam Page in bloody spectacle

Swerve vs. Hangman lived up to the hype in their incredibly violent Texas Death Match at AEW Full Gear.

The elaborate entrance of Swerve Strickland with extra dancers to accompany Prince Nana may quickly go for naught, as Hangman Adam Page shows how motivated he is by swiftly attacking Swerve outside the ring. Page goes under the ring for duct tape, but pauses to throw a chair in Strickland’s face.

After quickly taping Swerve’s hands together, Page uses a stapler to put several staples into Strickland’s pecs. He staples a piece of paper to Swerve’s left arm and follows with staples to the other arm and back.

If that wasn’t enough, Page staples a note to Strickland’s face, pulls it off and then drinks the blood for a second. Yes, really.

When Hangman goes for a barbed wire-wrapped chair, Swerve finally fights back … but he starts no-selling staples and turns it around and staples Page in the forehead. Strickland grins through a face full of blood and staples himself.

Page gets tossed into the barbed wire chair in one corner. Swerve takes some barbed wire and grinds it across Hangman’s face, then looks for more weapons underneath the ring. He finds a cinder block and places it on the edge of the ring as both men land strikes. They fight to the apron, where Swerve bites Page and hits a Death Valley Driver onto the cinder block.

Strickland hits a piledriver on top of the barricade, even as blood continues to cover almost every part of his face. Back in the ring, Page hits a couple of fallaway slams but doesn’t spring up as quickly as he usually does. Fortunately he has barbed wire close at hand, wrapping it around Strickland for a fallaway slam with the wire. Damn.

Page connects on a moonsault to the floor with the barbed wire chair, getting the fans to their feet again. But that same chair gets kicked into his face, and Swerve goes for a piledriver onto the chair. Page reverses it, and only Nana can save Strickland from the ref’s 10 count.

When Hangman looks for a DeadEye off the turnbuckle, Strickand is able to reverse it into a powerbomb, followed by a Swerve Stomp … all on the chair. Not quite satisfied, Strickland dumps glass shards onto his foe and hits a 450 splash, then the JBL Driver. Page somehow pulls himself up on the ropes before the 10 count.

Strickland clotheslines Page to the floor and grabs a chair while Nana gets out a board studded with barbed wire. The board is set across two chairs, but Swerve may regret it when he goes up top. A flipping powerslam sends Swerve through the board, and it’s followed by a powerbomb and DeadEye into the barbed wire.

Once again, Page wraps his foe in barbed wire and connects on a Buckshot. Nana pulls his boss out to the floor to save him, then does his dance to motivate him.

That gives Brian Cage a chance to run down and destroy Hangman with several power moves. Cage sets up a table on the floor, but Page is lying in wait with barbed wire wrapped around his fist. There’s a clothesline for him too.

Page finally has enough of Nana and gives him a DeadEye off the apron through the table, but that gives Strickland a chance to break the cinder block over his upper back. When it becomes clear Page isn’t going to stay down, Swerve wraps a metal chain around his neck and tries to choke him out.

Will this finally end it? Page tries his best but can’t beat the 10 count, and even in victory, Strickland slumps down beside his rival before crawling over him and stumbling to his feet.

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AEW Full Gear 2023 results: Toni Storm secures ‘Timeless’ title win

It took some suspension of disbelief, but Toni Storm was a champion again at AEW Full Gear 2023.

Can Toni Storm complete her “Hollywood Homecoming” with a title victory? She tears up what looks like a script after the opening bell, with the announcers joking about her going off book. Hikaru Shida doesn’t appear to find anything funny about her, nor does Mariah May, watching backstage, enjoy seeing her idol take tons of chops from the champ.

Storm fights back with a bulldog and winds up big time for a dramatic elbow strike. Toni covers but barely even gets a one count.

Headbutts make Shida reel a bit, which May likes a lot more. The challenger lays in some more strikes some but takes some coming back, including a big running knee.

In the corner, Shida drops down a series of forearm shots, then follows with a missile dropkick for two. Storm slams the champ back from the apron into the ring and covers for her own two count, then gets her shoe from Luther. When referee Aubrey Edwards takes that shoe, Storm gets another one that Luther has tucked into her waistband and connects for a close near fall.

Shida recovers to hit a counter Storm Zero, but she’s still feeling the effects of the shoe shot and both women are slow to rise. The champ just wears out the challenger with forearm shots and a Falcon Arrow, but Storm kicks out.

After Storm moves away, Shida misses a meteora, looking like she landed hard, and gets caught in an ankle lock. Storm tries hitting Shida with her own shoe and gets clocked in the face, so Shida gets her kendo stick … but is prevented from using it by Luther, who takes the wrath of the champ instead.

Meanwhile, Storm tucks what looks like a small frying pan into her shorts before nearly getting rolled up for three. She recovers for a deadlift German suplex before hitting a hip attack aided by the pan to win it.

May comes out to present Storm with flowers, cheering for her as she becomes the new champ. In black and white, of course.

AEW Full Gear 2023 results: Orange Cassidy unleashes his inner animal on Jon Moxley

See how Orange Cassidy dug down deep to defeat Jon Moxley at AEW Full Gear 2023.

Hook comes out to the ring in support of his friend, Orange Cassidy. Wheeler Yuta walks out beside his Blackpool Combat Club teammate, Jon Moxley.

Mox isn’t waiting for Cassidy to do any of his theatrics, going right at the champ and beating him out to the floor and then over behind the announce table. Cassidy gets dropped on the barricade as well and takes a stiff forearm before they return to the ring.

Cassidy takes a bunch of stomps while in the corner and takes a spinning slam that leads to a near fall. Up on the top turnbuckle, Moxley rakes the back and bites his foe on the face, but it doesn’t stop Orange from doing exactly the same thing in response.

A crazy series of headbutts busts Moxley open, but he tries to shake it off after a superplex. Cassidy hits two different types of DDTs, but a fired up challenger kicks out at one.

Mox takes a series of kicks, but Cassidy flips him off and they battle on, with Moxley getting the next near fall. Moxley uncovers one of the top turnbuckles, but if you guessed he’d be the one to take a bump there, you’re right.

Cassidy connects on three Orange Punches in a row only to see Moxley kick out. He hits another three Orange Punches, then the Beach Break, and damn if that wasn’t a hard earned title defense.

Hook and Trent Beretta celebrate in the ring, but Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta come to carry Moxley out and get into it a bit with them.

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AEW Full Gear 2023 results: MJF, Swerve, Julia Hart big winners in Inglewood

A dramatic journey to the main event and an incredible Texas Death match were highlights from Full Gear.

In pro wrestling, it’s common to talk about someone as champ and another wrestler chasing them. When the main event of AEW Full Gear 2023 hits the Kia Forum tonight, it will be a rare case of one man filling both roles.

MJF is in the midst of an impressive AEW World Championship reign, but he hasn’t actually had his beloved Triple B title belt for some time. That’s because Jay White took physical possession of the championship and simply refused to give it back — and not for MJF’s lack of trying.

One expects that he’ll have to relinquish it if MJF emerges victorious in Inglewood. And considering White is the biggest underdog on the card at places that traffic in betting lines and such, there’s not a whole lot of belief that he’ll get the job done.

Other challengers seem to have better odds. The consensus seems to be that “Timeless” Toni Storm has a good shot at dethroning AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida, especially since Full Gear is being billed as Toni’s “Hollywood Homecoming.” Kris Statlander may be in a precarious situation as well, considering she’s going to be defending her TBS Championship against both Julia Hart and Skye Blue.

Amidst all of that, the most anticipated match of the night may be the Texas Death match between Swerve Strickland and Hangman Adam Page, the latest showdown in a program that has become very personal.

We’re looking forward to the whole Full Gear card, so here we go.

AEW Full Gear 2023 results from Inglewood:

(click on any match or segment with a link for full details)

  • The broadcast begins with a replay of the end of Zero Hour, where MJF was taken away in an ambulance, making his status for the main event seem uncertain
  • Adam Copeland, Darby Allin and Sting def. Christian Cage, Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne by pinfall in a match that involved Ric Flair taking a low blow and Cage accidentally hitting Luchasaurus with his tile belt and then running out on the match
  • Allin reminds the fans that this could be Sting’s last match ever in California and asks for more applause for the Icon, who returns to the ring to soak it all in
  • Tony Schiavone and Bryce Remsburg call out Jay White and Schiavone is about to say that White will get the world championship by default, but Adam Cole, on crutches, says he will defend it in MJF’s place
  • Orange Cassidy def. Jon Moxley by pinfall to retain the AEW International Championship
  • “Timeless” Toni Storm def. Hikaru Shida by pinfall to become the new AEW Women’s World Champion
  • Eddie Kingston tells Renee Paquette that he wants to up his game, putting both of his titles on the line in the Continental Classic, so the winner will grab both those belts plus the Classic trophy
  • Big Bill and Ricky Starks def. Kings of the Black Throne, FTR and La Facción Ingobernable (Rush and Dralístico) in a Ladder match to retain the AEW World Tag Team championship
  • Julia Hart def. Kris Statlander and Skye Blue by pinning Blue to become the new AEW TBS Champion
  • The AEW blockbuster signing is revealed … and it’s Will Ospreay, who says he’s going to “finish up” with NJPW before joining on “the road to Revolution”
  • Swerve Strickland def. Hangman Adam Page by 10 count in a Texas Death match
  • Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega def. The Young Bucks by pinfall, earning an AEW World Tag Team Championship shot any time they choose
  • MJF def. Jay White by pinfall to retain the AEW World Championship

AEW Full Gear 2023 Zero Hour results: MJF wins with Samoa Joe but suffers afterward

The AEW Full Gear 2023 Zero Hour pre-show caused some serious drama for MJF.

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If MJF is going to leave Inglewood with both of his championships, it’s going to start on the Zero Hour pre-show.

The AEW World Champion has to defend that title on the main Full Gear card, but his work begins prior to that. He’s known he was going to face The Gunns for the ROH World Tag Team Championship for a little while, but with Adam Cole still recuperating from ankle surgery, what he didn’t know was who his partner was going to be.

That mystery got cleared up at the very end of Rampage on Friday night, when Samoa Joe saved him from an attack by Bullet Club Gold. MJF had resisted Joe’s offers of assistance until that point, but with time running out and no other options, he really had little choice.

It’s not the only title match on Zero Hour either. Eddie Kingston will put his ROH World Championship on the line in what’s become a chippy feud with Jay Lethal. Of course, the problem Kingston will face is all kinds of potential interference from Lethal’s friends … but maybe that visit he got from Ortiz last night will be a potential solution.

We’re jumping in now to see how it all goes down.

AEW Full Gear 2023 Zero Hour results from Inglewood:

  • Eddie Kingston def. Jay Lethal by pinfall to retain the ROH World Champion, thanks in part to assistance from Ortiz, who prevented Jeff Jarrett’s guitar from being brought into play and smashed it over Sonjay Dutt
  • Claudio Castagnoli def. Buddy Matthews by submission; after the match, Claudio offers a handshake, but Buddy shoves his way by it and heads back up the ramp
  • MJF and Samoa Joe def. The Gunns by submission to retain the ROH World Championship, with a surprise distraction provided by the arrival of Adam Cole, but The Gunns launch a vicious post-match attack on MJF’s left knee that Cole is helpless to stop

AEW Collision results 11/17/23: Final pieces fall in place for Full Gear

A special Friday episode of AEW Collision finalized some more stipulations and matches for Full Gear.

Saturday night may be alright for fighting, but when Full Gear takes up that night, AEW Collision has to try to prove that Friday is fine for fighting as well. It’s actually going to be a very full Friday, with Collision followed by Rampage and then an ROH taping.

But we care about Collision for now, where there will be several matches with potential Full Gear repercussions and another where someone will earn a TNT Championship shot … for later tonight on Rampage. We told you, there’s a lot of wrestling coming up.

With that in mind, let’s not waste any more time, we’re diving in.

AEW Collision results from Inglewood:

  • Tony Schiavone reluctantly holds the mic for Christian Cage, who claims Full Gear will be Sting’s last match ever and says he’s going to break Adam Copeland’s neck
  • Big Bill and Ricky Starks tell Lexy Nair that they’ve asked for and been granted the request to make the four-way tag team title match at Full Gear a Ladder match
  • Miro def. Daniel Garcia by submission, with Daddy Magic taking an accidental bump from Garcia after trying to stop Daniel from dancing during the match
  • Andrade El Idolo is happy to have CJ Perry as a manager, and they reveal that he’s entered into the Continental Classic
  • Kings of the Black Throne (Brody King and Malakai Black) def. The Boys by pinfall
  • A vignette promotes the three-way TBS Championship match at Full Gear
  • Trent Beretta def. Brian Cage. Komander and Penta El Zero Miedo to win a TNT Championship shot at Christian Cage later tonight on Rampage
  • Don Callis and Powerhouse Hobbs talk up what Hobbs did to Paul Wight and say that proves “anyone can get it”
  • Wardlow def. Evan Daniels by referee stoppage in a matter of about a minute
  • Dax Harwood vs. Rush ends in no contest as Starks and Big Bill attack both men during the match, eventually leading to all four teams from the Full Gear title match plus some others getting involved in a huge brawl that takes the efforts of many to break up
  • Nair talks to Action Andretti, who ends up the next “victim” for Roderick Strong
  • Buddy Matthews def. Wheeler Yuta by pinfall, but Claudio Castagnoli prevents Matthews from beating Yuta more after the bell and challenges Buddy to a match at Full Gear
  • Jon Moxley and Orange Cassidy offer their final thoughts before they collide again on Saturday night
  • Kris Statlander and Hikaru Shida def. Ruby Soho and Saraya by pinfall, thanks in part to Angelo Parker checking on Soho during the match and taking Saraya off her game
  • MJF sits down with Schiavone to discuss his two title matches at Full Gear, and he explains that he will retain the ROH Tag Team Championship because of the promise he made to Adam Cole while also promising to teach Jay White a lesson

Ronda Rousey makes surprise ROH debut

Has Ronda Rousey just jumped to the top of the candidate list for AEW’s new signing at Full Gear?

While the wrestling world waits to see who the mystery signing is that Tony Khan has teased for AEW Full Gear, a very well-known former WWE star snuck up and surprised everyone by showing up at the Ring of Honor taping in Inglewood.

As captured by Justin Ashton on X, Ronda Rousey made her ROH debut on Friday night.

Rousey was there to team with her friends Marina Shafir to take on ROH Women’s World Champion Athena and Billie Starkz. It’s expected that the match could air on the next episode of ROH on HonorClub, which will air on Thursday, Nov. 23.

Rousey’s appearance followed multiple reports earlier in the night that she was backstage for the AEW Collision/Rampage taping.

The fact that the ROH episode was taped for later broadcast adds credence to the idea that Rousey could be the big name signing Khan referred to during the week. That said, Khan would also know that word would get out about Rousey appearing on ROH, so he may still have someone else in his back pocket for Full Gear.

Rousey’s last WWE appearance was at SummerSlam in early August, where she lost to Shayna Baszler (also a close friend of hers) in an MMA Rules match. It was widely expected that she might leave the wrestling business altogether.

But her ROH debut puts a definite monkey wrench into things, and despite her sometimes divisive nature among pro wrestling fans, there’s bound to be plenty of interest to see if she has signed with AEW to appear on either that brand or ROH going forward.

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AEW Rampage results 11/17/23: MJF (finally) accepts Samoa Joe’s offer

While MJF was unsuccessful in reclaiming physical possession of his title, he at least found a partner for Full Gear.

What’s better than one wrestling show at the Kia Forum? How about several of them over a two-night span? Consider AEW Rampage the meat in your pro wrestling Forum sandwich.

Considering it’s the very last chance for any number of wrestlers to get in their last words or deeds ahead of Full Gear, there’s a better than average chance something will happen during this hour. Not to say that nothing usually happens during Rampage, but … you know what we mean.

Toni Storm taking on Emi Sakura as a “tune-up match” is something that should definitely overdeliver. Let’s see what this show holds for us.

AEW Rampage results from Inglewood:

  • Chris Jericho has joined the announcers to help call the action tonight
  • Christian Cage def. Trent Beretta by pinfall
  • A fired up Jericho has one last message for the Young Bucks, crediting them for being one of the best tag teams around but stating that they aren’t Kenny Omega and they damn sure aren’t Chris Jericho
  • “Timeless” Toni Storm def. Emi Sakura by pinfall
  • Renee Paquette is backstage with Jay Lethal (and company), who reveals to Eddie Kingston that they’ll be battling for Kingston’s ROH World Championship on Zero Hour; Eddie looks into Jay’s eyes and calls him a coward, leading to lots of yelling, then turns around and sees Ortiz standing there
  • Roderick Strong def. Action Andretti by pinfall, though a Spanish Fly spot during the match looked like both men were lucky to emerge uninjured
  • Switchblade Jay White says he knows MJF is the Devil as the masked man briefly appears on the monitor behind him and Paquette, but his boasting is interrupted by an enraged MJF, who is in turn attacked by Juice Robinson …
  • … but White opens a door to find that MJF has destroyed Juice and throws a large TV at Switchblade; they battle all the way to the ring, where MJF fights off The Gunns and gets his title belt back … but only for a second as the numbers game turns against him; though White still has the belt, Samoa Joe helps fight off Bullet Club Gold, and MJF accepts his handshake

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AEW Full Gear 2023 predictions: Will MJF regain the ‘Triple B’?

We pick the likely winners of every AEW Full Gear match at the Kia Forum.

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AEW’s penultimate pay-per-view offering of 2023 isn’t necessarily the promotion’s best on paper, as going into the show, I thought Forbidden Door, All In and WrestleDream had better cards.

However, with some revelations expected in the form of the unveiling of the mysterious “Devil” and the unveiling of the promotion’s acquisition of one of the “world’s best wrestlers,” the show could be quite eventful.

But who walks out of The Kia Forum in Los Angeles a winner? Here are my predictions for Full Gear.

Who is the AEW mystery signing? We break down the most likely candidates

Is Tony Khan’s new mystery signing for AEW a former WWE talent, or a hot import from overseas?

We’ll admit it: Tony Khan got us again.

The CEO, GM and head of creative has fooled us a time or two before when teasing a big announcement. Some of them have turned out to be quite big and others not so much.

However, Khan used a different tactic this week, promoting a wrestler signing with AEW this weekend at Full Gear.

Khan doesn’t always show his cards on wrestler signings, as they sometimes just arrive unannounced. Adam Copeland was the most recent example, even though the larger pro wrestling industry wasn’t totally shocked when it happened.

The wording that Khan used is also worth noting: “a pro who is known + respected by virtually every AEW fan.” That suggests it’s someone very widely recognized, and thus rules out the likes of Giulia or Flip Gordon (who signed with CMLL anyway).

So who could it be? We’re always up for some speculation ahead of the reveal on Saturday night, so let’s go over the four most likely candidates in the approximate order of likelihood as we see it.

Image credit: New Japan Pro-Wrestling

Mercedes Moné

Why it could be her: If AEW was going to sign the artist formerly known as Sasha Banks, it didn’t make sense to do it until she was healed up from an injury suffered earlier this year. Mercedes Moné certainly fits the description that Khan used as a top wrestler and one who is universally known and respected. Among former WWE talents who are available, she’s arguably the biggest needle-mover out there.

Why it might not be her: Are we sure that Moné wants to tie herself down to any company, let alone AEW? Since leaving WWE, she seemed to revel in the freedom she had, which she’d likely give up by inking a deal with AEW. And the company’s booking of the women’s division isn’t exactly a strength.

Image credit: WWE.com

Goldberg

Why it could be him: Are there any wrestling fans who don’t know Goldberg? He’s certainly a recognizable name to anyone who’s even remotely dipped into pro wrestling over the last few decades, and even lapsed fans might perk up if they heard he was in AEW. He certainly hasn’t sounded like a guy who has embraced the idea of retirement, and he’s much more likely to get one more run in AEW than WWE at this point, especially since Khan has stated repeatedly they’ve talked in the past.

Why it might not be him: Khan might be overplaying his announcement if he’s suggesting Goldberg is “one of the world’s best wrestlers” when they already employ the likes of Bryan Danielson. Goldberg is also 56, and though he keeps himself in tremendous shape, it’s hard to imagine him coming in for a regular stint of any kind — and what feathers that might ruffle in the locker room if he receives a big push.

Will Ospreay

Why it could be him: One of the best wrestlers in the world? Check. Known and respected by every AEW fan? We’ll say yes since he’s appeared at Forbidden Door and on AEW TV more than once, though it’s pushing it a bit compared to Mercedes or Goldberg. Ospreay has softened his stance on not wanting to move to the U.S. and if AEW was going to lock him up, this would be the time.

Why it might not be him: Ospreay is said to be under contract until February of next year, so he might not be available to be signed right now (unless this is like a college recruit announcing their intentions ahead of time). He’s also said to be highly coveted by WWE and really appeared to enjoy working with Impact/TNA too, so there’s no guarantee that even if he decides to go across the pond that it’s going to be with AEW.

Image credit: WWE.com

Dolph Ziggler

Why it could be him: While he wouldn’t be able to use the Ziggler name in AEW, Nick Nemeth just finished two decades in WWE and is known to pretty much every wrestling fan. He’s also very well respected as an in-ring worker and a good locker room influence. So he fits all the criteria.

Why it might not be him: It’s been widely reported that Ziggler’s non-compete clause after his WWE release doesn’t expire until December, so this feels a bit too early. Also, as Dave Meltzer noted, he doesn’t quite reach the same level of widespread recognition as the other three names we’ve thrown out there, though Khan would almost certainly argue against that idea if it does turn out to be Dolph.