SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
LECLAIR’S AEW FULL GEAR 2024 REPORT
NOVEMBER 23, 2024
NEWARK, NJ AT PRUDENTIAL CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON TRILLER.TV, PPV, & MORE
Announcers: Excalibur & Tony Schiavone & Nigel McGuinness
-“It’s Saturday, you know what that means!” Excalibur shouted over fireworks and a sweeping shot of the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. He welcomed Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness.
Several teams were already in the ring. Excalibur said they’re kicking the action off with the AEW World Tag Team title match. Private Party made their entrance, surrounded by bottle service girls.
Excalibur threw to Justin Roberts, situated in the ring. He announced the four teams competing. Only The Acclaimed received a somewhat negative reaction.
(1) PRIVATE PARTY (c) vs. THE ACCLAIMED vs. THE OUTRUNNERS vs. KINGS OF THE BLACK THRONE – 4-Way AEW World Team Championship match
All four teams stood in opposing corners as the bell rang. Malakai Black began the match with one half of the reigning tag team champions, Quen. Black and Quen traded some quick chain wrestling before reaching an early stalemate. Malakai went for The End, but Quen ducked it and landed on his feet. Black gave him a sly smirk. Black was tagged out by Anthony Bowens. They traded some quick words, then Bowens went to work. Quen managed to tag in Zay. Bowens maintained control, though, catching him with a Famous-er.
Truth Magnum tagged himself in on the back of Bowens. He and Turbo Floyd traded quick tags, working over Zay with a double body slam. Quen hit the ring to break up the double team. Black returned, too. Turbo clotheslined him over the top rope to the outside. Brody King took offense, stepping to Floyd. Turbo threw a punch, but Brody dropped him with a chop. King gave Turbo a number of chops, inviting him to hulk up. “That’s what Brody wants!” Schiavone exclaimed. Floyd hit the ropes, and King nearly took his head off with a massive clothesline. He tossed him to the outside and into the ring steps. King took Bowens down on his way back into the ring.
King delivered a Superplex to Bowens and Malakai followed up with a diving foot stop immediately. Black rolled to his feet, leapt the southwest turnbuckles and dove onto a cavalcade of wrestlers below as the match ticked toward 6:00. Kings of the Black Throne took on all comers in the ring, disposing of them with ease. The crowd gave them respectful applause as they looked around. The Outrunners and The Acclaimed decided to enter the ring together, double-teaming the Kings. Private Party joined the fold, working over King. The crowd booed. The group held Brody down while Bowens delivered Scissor Me Timbers off the middle rope. The Acclaimed then cleared the ring of the champions. Bowens offered a scissor to The Outrunners, but Max Caster cut it off. Quen returned and caught Bowens with a DDT off the middle rope. Caster dropped Turbo with a kick, then got taken down by Magnum. Private Party returned and dropped The Outrunners. They hit stereo 450s from opposing corners for tandem two counts.
The Outrunners recovered quickly, taking down the champions and sharing a turbo handshake in the center. Magnum tagged himself in, apparently legal. Zay slid free of a grip and caused the Outrunners to crack heads. King returned and cut off a returning Bowens with a spinning Sidewalk Slam just before 10:00. Bowens and Magnum were down in adjacent corners. Brody hit a cannonball Senton on Bowens, then went for one on Magnum. Caster cut it off. Max went for a cover, but Black broke it up. Caster gave Black a dropkick. A notable “f— you Caster” chant broke out. He tagged himself in off of Brody King. Bowens looked at him with some contempt. Billy Gunn emerged, leaping on the apron and trying to calm them down.
Caster realized that both he and Bowens were legal. Max dropped, asking Anthony to pin him. He did. Zay flipped onto both men, breaking it up. The announcers wondered what the result would have been. Bowens rolled Quen into a crucifix, but Caster had tagged in off his back. Bowens gave Quen the Arrival. Turbo blocked Caster from delivering the elbow drop. Zay and Quen caught Caster with the Gin and Juice for a cover and three count.
WINNERS: Private Partyu in 13:22 to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championships
(LeClair’s Analysis: Fine opener, though it devolved into the typical AEW tag team fodder where there’s absolutely no order, no one really seems to know who the legal man is, and the referee does nothing about it. Each team got a solid opportunity to showcase themselves. The crowd seemed most invested in Black and King, though everyone other than Max Caster seemed like a fan favorite. Private Party’s run, thus far, hasn’t brought any change to the AEW Tag Team division, but it is a good sign that they’ve been able to credibly re-establish themselves and come off like a championship caliber team.)
-Excalibur tossed to Lexy Nair, standing by backstage with Orange Cassidy. She asked about his line of thinking heading into the main event. Cassidy said the Death Riders sent a message on Wednesday, and tonight, AEW sends a message back. He said it already started tonight with Private Party. “AEW means everything to them, just like it means everything to me.” He said Jon couldn’t understand that, because he never needed AEW. “Orange Cassidy doesn’t exist without AEW,” he said. He repeated the line about taking the title from Moxley’s briefcase and putting it in his backpack.
-After a video package from Roderick Strong vs. MJF, the latter headed to the ring to a star reaction. A massive “Thank Me Later” banner dropped from the rafters as he posed in the ring. Roderick Strong followed, entering alone. Excalibur noted that this could have been a three-way match had Adam Cole completed his requirement of winning three consecutive matches.
(2) MJF vs. RODERICK STRONG
MJF rolled out of the ring as soon as the bell rang. He asked for a microphone. “Nobody asked you, you disgusting poors!” he told the crowd as they booed him. He said the crowd likes Roderick Strong because they’re just like him – white trash. He said he’s making millions shooting movies while “your mom is shooting your daddy.” MJF cracked a smile and posed. Strong left the ring and attacked him. Max tried to escape up the ramp, but Strong caught him to him and tossed him into the barricade. Roddy went for a chop, but MJF ducked. Strong’s forearm connected with the ring post.
Max stretched the fingers of Roderick across the ring post. then gave him a side-life Powerbomb onto the edge of the ring. Max pretended to file his nails, then tossed Strong back in the ring. He stepped on Strong’s hand and called him a bum. He told the crowd to shut up. Friedman looked for a Suplex, but Strong blocked it and fired off a few chops. MJF shrugged them off and twisted Strong’s wrist. He sat atop the southwest turnbuckles, pretending to look at his watch. “It’s too easy,” he said. Max grabbed a wrist lock and wrestled Roddy to the mat as the match approached 4:00.
Strong fought to his feet. Max countered the first Backbreaker attempt, but got caught by the second, a Half-Nelson. The crowd began a dueling chant. Strong caught MJF with two big dropkicks, then a spinning back elbow. He hoisted Max onto his shoulders and dumped him into the northwest corner. After a lifting knee strike, he hit an Olympic Slam and covered for a two count. Roddy hooked MJF for a Suplex, but Max twisted the arm to the mat again to break free. Strong rolled to the apron. MJF set up for the Heatseeker, but Roddy threw him off and then side-stepped him to the floor. Roddy dove through the middle rope onto Max, then gave him a back drop onto the edge of the barricade.
“Nobody’s safe at ringside,” McGuinness said as Strong rolled Max back in the ring. He sized him up from the corner, then hit a running knee. Max retreated to the corner. Roddy charged, but MJF lifted him in the air and caught him on the comedown with a back heel kick. Max set up for a Panama Sunrise, but Strong pulled him down and covered for a two count. McGuinness wondered if Strong may have broken fingers. Max leapt to the middle rope and jumped onto Strong’s outstretched arm. He gave him a spike DDT and covered for a near fall just after 9:00. Max spit on Roddy. Strong shot to his feet and began chopping Max furiously. Friedman stopped it with a thumb to the eye. He hit the ropes, but Roddy cut him off with a dropkick. He turned Max over into the Texas Cloverleaf.
Nigel noted that Strong couldn’t fully clasp his hands together because of injury to the fingers. As a result, Max powered out of the hold. Max gave him a quick forearm, then went for a Suplex. Roddy landed on his feet and threw a hard elbow. Excalibur said fatigue is becoming an issue for both men. Strong managed to hoist MJF up and deliver End of Heartache. He covered, but Max got a foot on the bottom rope at two. Max used the ropes to steady himself as Roddy began to charge. Max wisely slipped to the floor, necessitating a retrieval. Back in the the ring, the two traded small package roll ups for two counts. Roddy kicked MJF in the back, then hit a Gutbuster and Sick Kick. Roddy couldn’t cover, but he managed to deliver a Brainbuster.
Both men were down in the center. Strong managed to drape an arm over MJF. At the two count, Max rolled over and grabbed the outstretched arm. He applied Salt of the Earth and Strong tapped immediately.
WINNER: MJF in 13:41
The announces said that Strong must have a serious injury to his hand that caused him to tap out so quickly. MJF grabbed a chair from ringside and closed it over Strong’s arm. He stomped on it. Excalibur said that Roddy’s forearm could be shattered. Adam Cole’s music hit. He rushed to the ring with Kyle O’Reilly, Mike Bennett and Matt Taven in tow. MJF rushed out of the ring and escaped through the crowd.
Cole went to check on Strong. O’Reilly shoved him to the mat. “Go fight MJF! Go get him!” he told Cole. O’Reilly retrieved Strong and left the ring. Cole looked on, bewildered.
-Excalibur turned focus to the TBS Championship match and threw to a video package.
Kris Statlander headed to the ring first. Excalibur noted that she was the second ever TBS Champion. Mercedes Mone entered alone. Tony Schiavone noted that Kamille has to watch from the back, due to her multiple failures in preventing Statlander from becoming Mone’s challenger. Justin Roberts delivered Championship introductions.
(3) MERCEDES MONE (c) vs. KRIS STATLANDER – TBS Championship match
Excalibur called Kris Statlander the “defeater of the undefeated.” Schiavone noted her winning streak. The champion started on the offensive, working Statlander in the southwest corner and then tossing her to the mat for mounted punches. Mercedes Mone threw her hands out, soaking in a chorus of boos from the crowd before she wiped her hands dramatically. Statlander recovered quickly and transitioned a stalling Suplex attempt into a press slam. She hit a flipping Senton, then standing Moonsault for a cover and quick two count.
The champion rolled to the floor to regroup. Statlander gave her respite for a moment, but then rolled outside. Mone outsmarted her, sliding in the ring quickly. The two jostled on the apron. Mone climbed Statlander’s mid-section and gave her a Hurricanrana off the apron to the floor. Mone slid back inside, looking for a count-out. Referee Aubrey Edwards reached a count of five before Kris grabbed Mercedes’ feet from the floor. Mone took her down again and asked for another count, this time counting along dramatically with Edwards.
Mercedes caught Statlander with a basement dropkick to the outside, then tossed her into the steel steps. She delivered running knees, driving Kris’ head into the steps. Kris answered Edwards’ count at three, but was immediately swarmed by the champion. Mercedes covered for a two count just after 4:00. He gave Statlander a running Meteora for a double leg hook and two count. Mone worked Kris into the southeast corner and punched her repeatedly. Kris managed to duck out and whip Mercedes to the opposing corner. Mone leapt to the middle rope and delivered a Meteora. She covered, but grabbed hold of the bottom rope. Aubrey caught her and broke it up.
Statlander used Mone’s anger with the official to build some momentum with some punches. She looked for a Powerbomb, but Mercedes flipped all the way through it and brought Statlander’s body down on her knee. She followed up with a Sunset Bomb into the corner, then double knees. She covered for another two count at 6:15. Mone grew enraged. She mounted Statlander and grabbed a rear chin lock. Mone transitioned to a straight-jacket hold. Kris worked to her feet and backed Mone into the corner. Mercedes tried for a Tornado DDT, but Statlander tossed her away, finally creating separation. Mone leapt at Kris for another Meteora, but Kris caught her knees. She tossed her violently back into the southeast corner.
Referee Aubrey Edwards reached a double count of six before the two competitors came to blows in the center. Statlander caught the champion with a snap Powerslam, then a hip check in the corner. She hit a running knee, then rolled Mone into a Chaos Theory German Suplex. Statlander covered, but Mone got a foot on the bottom rope at the last moment just before 9:30. Kris popped Mone onto her shoulders, but Mercedes countered it into a Crucifix Bomb. She immediately turned it into the Crossface. Statlander escaped, but Mone stayed on her back and delivered the Back Stabber for a cover and near fall.
Mone dragged her challenger to the southeast corner. She climbed the ropes and Statlander exploded to her feet. Mercedes saw it coming and delivered another Meteora. She hooked the legs tightly, but Kris popped out. Mone threw a tantrum. Statlander caught the champion with a Tilt-o-Whirl back breaker, than a lariat for a cover and two count. Kris hooked the champion up for a Fisherman Buster. Mone blocked it the first time, but Statlander stuck with it and connected with Staturday Night Fever for a cover and near fall just after 13:00.
Kris called out to the crowd. She lifted the champion into the air, but Mone countered into a Tornado DDT for a cover and near fall. Mone shook with rage as the crowd chanted “let’s go Stat!” Mone gave Statlander her version of the Three Amigos. She pounded her chest and smiled arrogantly. Mone climbed the southeast turnbuckles, looking for a frog splash. She dove, but Statlander picked her out of thin air. She gave her an F5 for a cover and very close near fall just before 15:00. Stat dragged Mone into position and climbed the northeast corner, She went for the 450, but Mone rolled out of the way. Kris immediately grabbed for her knee.
The champion immediately went for the knee, dropping a number of quick elbows onto it. Mone turned it awkwardly, then stomped on it. She climbed the same turnbuckles, then hit a Frog Splash onto the injured knee. Mone hooked the leg, but Stat still kicked out. The camera zoomed in on Mercedes’ face. This time, Mone looked poised. She challenged Kris to stand up. She delivered another Backstabber. She lifted Kris and gave her another, then the Mone Maker. Mone hooked the leg for another near fall just before 18:00.
“Do you hear me? I’m the CEO!” Mone told Statlander has she pulled her to her feet. She set up for the Mone Maker again, but Stat turned it over into a Backslide for a two count. Mone slipped free. Stat popped her up for an Electric Chair. She dead-lifted Mone into position for Saturday Night Fever, but Mone punched at the injured knee. Kris fell forward toward the ropes. Mone used the leverage to get into a cover for a surprise three count.
WINNER: Mercedes Mone in 19:24 to retain the TBS Championship
Tony Schiavone said that Kris Statlander fought a near perfect match, but injury got the best of her. Mone gave herself various words of affirmation and nicknames as she caught her breath on the floor, draped in her titles.
-Excalibur tossed to a video for Adam Page vs. Jay White.
Jay White entered first, accompanied to the ramp by Juice Robinson. Excalibur talked over various clips of the rivalry with Hangman. Adam Page entered over additional clips, specifically the recent involvement of Christian Cage.
(4) JAY WHITE vs. “HANGMAN” ADAM PAGE
Jay White and Adam Page locked up in the center. Page worked White toward the northeast corner, but White immediately grabbed a headlock and brought the action back to center. White worked Page into the adjacent corner and caught him with several quick chops, then a kick to the knee. Back in the center, Page overpowered White and tossed him to the outside. White grabbed at his knee when he landed. Page immediately slid to the outside and attacked it. He broke the referee’s count, then dragged Jay’s leg toward the corner and slammed the knee against the ring post.
Back in the ring, Page laid down on the ankle of Jay White, twisting and and driving his forearm into the boot repeatedly. McGuinness said that Hangman is methodical once he has an advantage. Page worked White into the northwest corner and tied his leg up in the ropes. Referee Paul Turner pulled Page away and Hangman tried to intimidate him. White came after Hangman, but Page slammed him and covered him for a one count at 3:40. Jay dragged himself back to the corner. Page stalked him, stepping on the ankle and using the ropes for torque. Page gave White a hard chop, then hoisted him onto the top turnbuckle. White pounded at Page’s back to free himself. He succeeded, then delivered a basement dropkick to the shin of Page.
White worked Page in the opposing corner with chops and jabs. Page countered an Irish Whip, then got caught with a back elbow. White hit a DDT out of the corner and covered for a two count. He immediately grabbed at his injured ankle. Switchblade waited for Page to stand in the corner, then charged him with a back elbow. Page shook it off and gave White a Fallaway Slam into the corner, but White’s ankle clipped the rope on the way down. A loud dueling chant drowned out of the announcers as the match crossed 6:45.
Hangman hoisted White onto the top turnbuckle and gave double middle fingers to the crowd, ending their dueling chant. He and White teetered on the very top. Page delivered an Avalanche Fallaway Slam for a cover and two count. Both men battled to their feet and worked toward the corner. White tripped up Hangman, rolled to the floor and wrapped Page’s knee around the ring post. With both men favoring a lower extremity, White limped back in the ring and worked Page onto the top turnbuckle. He delivered a huge Superplex for a cover and two count. Page and White rose slowly. White gained control with a chop block to the back of Page’s injured knee.
“Two men with only two good legs between them.” McGuinness said as both Page and White limped toward center, trading chops. They transitioned to lariats, then, a Flatliner by White. He followed up with a bridging German Suplex for a cover and two count. Both men rolled to their feet. Hangman caught White with a sit-out Powerbomb for a cover and two count of his own just before 11:30. Switchblade rolled out to the apron, Page followed. He set up for Deadeye, but White rolled free. Page caught him with a boot. He went for a back elbow, but White caught him and turned it into a Half Nelson Suplex on the apron. Page collapsed to the floor.
Switchblade gasped for air and reached for his ankle. He followed Page toward the ramp way and delivered another Half Nelson. White rolled back in the ring, but quickly realized he wasn’t content with a count out. He told Paul Turner to come along with him. White tried to a Kneebreaker on the ramp, but White’s ankle gave out. Page shoved him down the ramp and into the barricade. Turner admonished Page, trying to get him back in the ring. Hangman wedged Jay’s ankle between two crowd barricades and kicked at it. He applied an Ankle Lock on the outside. Turner continued to argue with him, but eventually returned to the ring to begin a double count out.
With Turner counting, Jay White crawled toward the ring, Ankle Lock still applied. He used the ring to stand up. Page ripped him back to the floor, then slid in the ring to steal the win. White still managed to break the count at the last moment. Hangman was in position for the Buckshot Lariat. He flipped in, but White caught him again. Page telegraphed and countered, tripping White back into the Ankle Lock. Switchblade rolled through it, careening Page to the apron again. Hangman caught him with a boot. He went for another, but White caught the leg and delivered a Dragon Screw into the ropes.
Both men struggled to their feet in the center, trading back elbows. Page missed wildly with a lariat and White caught him with a Uranagi for a cover and two count. He called for a Blade Runner, but Page pulled him into the Ankle Lock again instead. White reversed into an inverted Figure Four. Page was flat out, reaching desperately for the bottom rope. He eventually got it. Turner forced White to break the hold just before 18:00. White set up for a Half Nelson again, but Page stomped on his injured foot. He fell to the corner. White caught him with another Dragon Screw. Page shrugged it off and hit the Deadeye. White rose slowly. Hangman gave him a second Deadeye. He covered lackadaisically for a near fall. McGuinness said Page has a “near super-human pain tolerance.”
After a swift roll to the apron, Page set up for the Buckshot again. He flipped in, but White caught him for the Blade Runner. This time, Page was ready. He slipped through, but White hung on, turned him back around and hit the move for a cover and three count.
WINNER: Jay White in 19:54
Hangman Page sat up, looking unhinged. Schiavone wondered if it was more anger or shock. White posed on the ramp and turned to leave. Page left the ring and attacked White from behind. Christopher Daniels rushed from the back, referees in tow. Page punched him in the face and left. Excalibur said there could be suspensions and fines in his future.
-Excalibur turned to a video package for Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher.
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