Jon Moxley still awaiting the right challenger

Insight and analysis on AEW’s Full Gear pay-per-view, a look at Cody Rhodes-Kevin Owens, the returns of Paul Heyman and CM Punk, and UFC China results

Jon Moxley/AEW

Follow Undisputed on Instagram & Facebook

The Sunday Notes is available to all premium subscribers.

Jon Moxley defeats Orange Cassidy in Full Gear main event

Jon Moxley retained the AEW world title last night, defeating Orange Cassidy in the main event.

The match was physical and bloody. Even though it was extremely unlikely that Cassidy would win, there was still a phenomenal moment when he went for the pin fall after knocking out Moxley with a briefcase. Moxley executed the sequence flawlessly, kicking out just before the referee counted to three–and becoming a worthy rival to Roman Reigns for being the absolute best at kicking out in the last moment possible.

Orange Cassidy and Jon Moxley/AEW

Outside interference played a factor throughout the match, as well as during the finish. Wheeler Yuta cost Cassidy the match, setting up the victory for Moxley–and that is when the show took a whole new direction.

After getting the win, Moxley and Yuta attacked Cassidy. That led to Hangman Page coming to the ring, and he sent Yuta flying before staring down Moxley. With Moxley distracted, Christian Cage snuck up from behind and hit his Killswitch. Before Christian could sign his contract, which is good for a title shot at any time, “Switchblade” Jay White arrived and hit a Bladerunner on Christian.

Moxley and his Death Riders then escaped, leaving the building. But they didn’t leave in their truck, as a car smashed into it. Darby Allin was revealed to be the one driving after Mox and his crew got away.

That chaos reinforced the obvious: the field is open.

There isn’t one babyface who can challenge Moxley and serve as a legitimate threat to win the title. Kenny Omega could be that person, but he did not make his AEW return at Full Gear. Adam Copeland could also fulfill that role whenever he returns, except AEW owner Tony Khan appears focused on establishing a new star in that role.

Right now, that spot remains wide open.

Moxley has only been champ for a month, and he is going to need compelling opponents. Next up appears to be Darby Allin, but Moxley would benefit greatly if Omega and Copeland both make runs at the belt.

There is currently no one on the active roster who has the stature or momentum to dethrone Moxley, who is headed for a lengthy run as champ.

---

Full Gear results

Here are the results from last night’s AEW Full Gear pay-per-view:

• AEW tag team champions Private Party defeated The Outrunners, Kings of the Black Throne’s Malakai Black and Brody King, and The Acclaimed in a four-way title match

• MJF defeated Roderick Strong by submission

• TBS champion Mercedes Mone defeated Kris Statlander

• “Switchblade” Jay White defeated “Hangman” Adam Page

• Kyle Fletcher defeated Will Ospreay

• Daniel Garcia defeated Jack Perry to become the new TNT champion

• TNT Champion Konosuke Takeshita defeated Ricochet

• Bobby Lashley defeated Swerve Strickland

• AEW world champion Jon Moxley defeated Orange Cassidy

Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher/AEW

And here are extra notes on the show:

1. As The Acclaimed near their split, it makes you wonder who will be better on their own. As good as Anthony Bowens can be as a singles babyface, Max Caster is a natural heel.

2. Adam Cole needs to break free from Kyle O’Reilly, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett. If Cole is going to be the top babyface (far from a certainty, but he has a fighting shot), he needs to do it on his own.

3. Mercedes Mone wrestled an outstanding match against Kris Statlander. The finish wasn’t spectacular, but it lends credence to the notion that Mone is barely hanging on against her opponents. And the crowd reaction is so strong against her, a wonderful sign as she is just beginning to put the fingerprints on her run as a heel champ.

   

   Mercedes Mone/AEW

4. MJF belongs in the world title picture, but that doesn’t work because another heel–Moxley–is champ. In retrospect, it would have been fascinating to run back MJF-Moxley with MJF as the babyface and Moxley as the heel.

   

   MJF was victorious at Full Gear/AEW

5. I can’t see it with Kyle Fletcher. Yes, he is very talented inside the ring, and could have had an outstanding run tagging with Mark Davis, but I just don’t picture him breaking into the upper-echelon in AEW.

6. Jack Perry is only 27, and he has his best years ahead of him. But his run as TNT champ, which ended last night when he was dethroned by Daniel Garcia, was a disappointment. It didn’t serve as a launchpad to the world title, and he appears, at least for now, best when he is beside the Young Bucks.

   

   Daniel Garcia is the new TNT champion/AEW

7. Ricochet needs to stay as far as possible from the International title, so it’s a positive that he lost the match against Takeshita. The focus moving forward for Ricochet should be having absurdly compelling matches… with a hint of a heel’s edge. Ricochet challenges Zack Sabre Jr. for New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Dynasty on January 5, and a run with that belt–especially as a heel–could elevate him to levels he never reached in WWE.

   

   Bobby Lashley made his AEW pay-per-view debut at Full Gear/AEW

8. Bobby Lashley will be world champ in AEW. It’s not a question of if it will happen, but rather when. He is also someone else who may be better cast as a babyface in the current villain-heavy landscape.

---

Is Kevin Owens going to upset Cody Rhodes’ title run?

Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens/WWE

Yes, I believe Cody Rhodes should hold on to the world title until WrestleMania 41. If Roman Reigns wins the Royal Rumble match, which he should, then you go all-out with Rhodes/Reigns III at WrestleMania.

But I don’t think that is going to happen.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is coming back, and there is no doubt he will be involved in the title picture. In fact, Johnson needed to be talked out of defeating Reigns for the belt at WrestleMania 40 earlier this year. That didn’t happen, and it would have been a preposterous decision.

But what if Kevin Owens defeats Rhodes for the belt before the end of the year?

That would make for an incredible moment during WWE’s return to NBC on Saturday Night’s Main Event next month, even bigger than anything that could happen later that evening on Saturday Night Live.