2021 AEW Full Gear results, recap, grades: 'Hangman' Adam Page wins world title to end incredible show

AEW delivered another fantastic pay-per-view effort on Saturday night

On Saturday night, All Elite Wrestling delivered one of the best events in the young history of the promotion when Full Gear took place at Target Center in Minneapolis. In the main event, "Hangman" Adam Page finally reached the mountaintop, winning the AEW world championship after a fantastic match with friend-turned-rival Kenny Omega.

The main event was just one of many great matches littering the card. AEW had high expectations to live up to after the previous pay-per-view, All Out, was heralded by many as one of the best pay-per-view events of the past several decades, if not all of wrestling history. Incredibly, the show managed to meet those expectations, delivering great action from the opening match through Page's triumphant moment in the main event.

In the night's other championship matches, the titles did not change hands, with Tay Conti failing to defeat Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. in their women's championship clash and Lucha Brothers retaining the tag titles in a war with FTR.

CBS Sports was with you the whole way through the event, providing updates and highlights as the action went down in the live blog below.

2021 AEW Full Gear results, grades

Hikaru Shida & Thunder Rosa vs. Jamie Hayter & Nyla Rose: This match took place on The Buy-In pre-show. Rose dominated early before some Shida and Rosa teamwork allowed the face team to get going. Hayter tried to get things back on track, but it took Rose pulling down the top rope and sending Shida spilling to the floor for their team to regain control of the match. Shida was isolated by Rose and Hayter, taking a prolonged beating while Rosa desperately waited for a tag. That tag did eventually come, allowing Rosa to clean house. The action continued to swing, with Vickie Guerrero getting involved by attacking Shida, before Shida was able to score a jackknife pin on Rose to get the win. The match went far longer than needed and never really hit that next gear to become more than average. Hikaru Shida & Thunder Rosa def. Jamie Hayter & Nyla Rose via pinfall. Grade: C+

MJF vs. Darby Allin: MJF tried to back up his talk that his technical wrestling would be the difference, but Allin was able to go hold-for-hold through the early going. MJF finally got the upper hand by sucker-punching Allin as the referee was trying to separate the two men. MJF eventually started to try and wear down Allin with a series of backbreakers, though one of the drops caused MJF to clutch at his own knee. The match continued, with MJF biting Allin's face before trying for a superplex, though Allin escaped with a bite of his own and hit a flip-over stunner off the top rope. MJF went back to more backbreakers, continuing to injure his own knee before countering an Allin code red into a big powerbomb. The action continued to swing back and forth before Allin locked MJF in a figure-four. After breaking the hold, MJF hit a tombstone piledriver on the ring apron, another big move that again left MJF grabbing at his knee. Allin would eventually hit a Coffin Drop from the top rope onto MJF on the floor. Allin tried to hit the move again with MJF back in the ring, but MJF got his knees up, again causing himself pain. Sting prevented interference from Wardlow and Shawn Spears. MJF then grabbed Allin's skateboard, brought it into the ring and dared Allin to hit him with it for the disqualification. Allin handed the board to the referee and MJF slipped on his diamond ring to knock Allin out with the referee's back turned. MJF then used a headlock takeover on the unconscious Allin to score the pin, following through on his promise to win with the most basic wrestling hold. Worlds better than expectations here, with both men delivering a great performance in a thriller. MJF def. Darby Allin via pinfall. Grade: A-

AEW Tag Team Championship -- Lucha Brothers vs. FTR: Both teams began to brawl before the bell and the hard-hitting continued when the match officially began, with Dax and Penta exchanging heavy shots. Fenix showed off with his standard wild moves before FTR was able to slow things down and trap him in their corner. After a big run by the Lucha Brothers, including stereo superkicks for a near fall, FTR managed to take back over after tying Penta's mask to the bottom rope to leave him vulnerable. A Penta hot tag was called off by the referee when FTR distracted him from seeing it, but Penta was able to fight back and make the tag a brief moment later. As things broke down into confusion during a series of near falls, Fenix was kicked out of a pin and into Cash, who was holding the AAA tag title belt. Still, Fenix managed to kick out at two and fight back until FTR nearly scored the win with an assisted back suplex. Dax drew huge heat by mocking the old Eddie Guerrero hip shake before trying for the Three Amigos trip of snap suplexes, but Penta fought back and executed the move himself before Fenix hit a frog splash for a near fall, a segment that was a tribute to Guerrero, who died 16 years ago to the day. Wild near falls continued until FTR ducked under the ring and put on the lucha masks they wore when they beat Lucha Brothers for the AAA titles. FTR tried a switch-a-roo of legal men, but Cash ended up eating the pin after an assisted piledriver as Lucha Brothers retained. Another great match as the show started out red hot. A few points were lost for the convoluted, overthought ending. Lucha Brothers def. FTR to retain the AEW Tag Team Championship. Grade: B+

Miro vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament Finals): Both men showed off some "scouting," with Danielson trying to attack Miro's bad neck and Miro countering several of Danielson's standard early offensive moves. Miro overpowered Danielson early, hitting big suplexes and grounding Danielson with a side headlock to wear on the smaller man. Danielson tried to counter with some speed, hitting a series of dropkicks before Miro countered with a big Samoan drop. After more power offense from Miro, Danielson managed to fight back and lock in a kneebar/ankle lock combination, continuing to work to take away the power wrestler's base. With Miro reeling, Danielson went wild with knees and stomps to the head before going for the running knee, only to have Miro counter into a powerbomb. Miro tried to follow up with Game Over, eventually locking it in after Danielson tried to fight to prevent his arms from getting trapped. Miro briefly lost his footing, allowing Danielson to reach the ropes and break the hold. Miro dragged him back to the center of the cage and hit several stomps to the back before Daneilson countered another Game Over into a pin and then the LeBell Lock before Miro managed to fight free. Danielson locked in a triangle choke, but Miro clawed at the eyes to break the hold. Miro would dare Danielson to kick him in the ribs, repeatedly absorbing the shots before dropping Danielson with a return kick. Miro took Danielson to the top rope only for Danielson to hit a tornado DDT, driving Miro from the second rope into the canvas. Danielson locked in a guillotine choke and the match was waved off with Danielson scoring the win in another really good match with some brutal action. The finishing moment wasn't totally smooth but did play into the Miro story that his neck -- and DDTs -- are his weakness. Danielson is now the No. 1 contender for the world title. Bryan Danielson def. Miro via pinfall. Grade: B+

Christian Cage & Jurassic Express vs. Superkliq (Falls Count Anywhere): Adam Cole tried to hit Panama Sunrise almost immediately after the start of the match before Christian Cage countered and nearly hit his Killswitch. Jungle Boy avoided getting thrown through a table at ringside but minutes later had a trash can driven into his back as he made a dive to the outside. The trash can was then driven into members of both teams in alternating order before Luchasaurus nearly scored a pinfall and set up a chair at ringside which he and Jungle Boy drove Cole onto. Cole was busted open from the move and Christian was setting up for a Con-Chair-To before telling Jungle Boy to do it, only for the Young Bucks to break things up. Cole was the first man through a table, with Jungle Boy hitting a rana from the apron through the table. Matt Jackson then hit an elbow drop to put Luchasaurus through a table on the other side of the ring. Out in the crowd, Cage brawled with Nick Jackson and Brandon Cutler before hitting a crossbody from an upper level for a near fall. The action went back to ringside where Cole hit a wheelbarrow suplex to send Jungle Boy into the ring apron spine-first. The Bucks brought a bag of thumbtacks into the ring before shoving a handful into Jungle Boy's mouth. A ladder was brought into the ring and Luchasaurus was stuck in a one-on-three situation where he threw Cole onto the ladder but was attacked by both Bucks. The action spilled up the entrance ramp, eventually breaking down into Cole vs. Jungle Boy, with Cole hitting Panama Sunrise by jumping off the entrance set only for Luchasaurus to break the pin. After superkicks from Superkliq on everyone, Cole pulled out thumbtack-covered kneepads before hitting a BTE Trigger with the pads on Luchasaurus, but Jungle Boy broke the pin. Luchasaurus chokeslammed Cole off the ramp and then hit a shooting star press onto all three of his opponents. Jungle Boy then hit Nick Jackson with a Con-Chair-To to score the win. Another wild, entertaining match, though one that would have benefited from a bit of editing down to remove maybe five minutes of length. Cristian Cage & Jurassic Express def. Superkliq via pinfall. Grade: B+

Cody Rhodes & Pac vs. Malakai Black & Andrade El Idolo: Cody and Pac argued over who would start the match, tagging themselves in before the action finally got going. Similarly, Black and Andrade had their own share of unwanted blind tags. Still, Black and Andrade functioned better as a team early on and that let them get an early advantage on Pac before Cody tagged himself in and went on a short run. Pac tagged himself back in and Black dropped Cody with a kick before Pac took Black and Andrade out of the ring and hit a springboard moonsault on both men. Pac was mostly left in an extended two-on-one situation that included a big Andrade DDT onto the ring apron as Cody watched on from the floor. Cody did eventually take a hot tag and came in to take the fight to both Black and Andrade, ultimately hitting a reverse superplex on Andrade for a near fall. Cody reversed an Andrade figure-four into one of his own and Pac tagged himself in, hitting a 450 splash onto Andrade for a two count after Andrade grabbed the bottom rope. Pac then tried to hit a dive on Black, but Black pulled Cody into the way and then nearly pinned Pac with a German suplex. Andrade tagged in but was caught by a flurry of offense including a poisonrana and a Black Arrow to score the win. This wasn't up to the standards of the rest of the show but that was somewhat by design, with two teams that, in storyline, barely could function as a unit making for some messy action. Cody Rhodes & Pac def. Malakai Black & Andrade El Idolo via pinfall. Grade: B-

CM Punk vs. Eddie Kingston: Kingston hit a spinning backfist before the match started, dropping Punk hard. Punk responded with a middle finger and the match was off and running, with Kingston firing in headbutts before Punk came back with a series of knees in the corner until Kingston hit an exploder suplex. Punk laid in some kicks to the chest as Kingston waived him on, so Kingston poked Punk in the eye. Punk was busted open early as the match continued to be a brawl more than a standard wrestling match. Punk then hit a series of John Cena's moves, seeming to set up for Cena's Five-Knuckle Shuffle only to exchange middle fingers with Kingston and land a series of punches instead. Punk tried to slow the match into more of a standard wrestling flow and avoid any further straight-up fighting with Kingston, but Kingston came roaring back with punches and clubbing shots to Punk's back before hitting a superplex. Kingston taunted that he was going to hit Punk's own move but turned around and Punk was the one to hit the Go To Sleep. Kingston missed the backfist and Punk started driving elbows into Kingston's head as the crowd booed. A confused Punk looked out to the crowd as he hit knees in the clinch and another Go To Sleep for the win. Punk tried to shake Kingston's hand after the match but Kingston refused and walked out of the ring. A wonderfully told story in the ring that backed up the great story told ahead of the match. These two men beat the hell out of each other. CM Punk def. Eddie Kingston via pinfall. Grade: A

The Inner Circle vs. Ethan Page, Scorpio Sky, Junior dos Santos, Andrei Arlovski & Dan Lambert (Minneapolis Street Fight): Sky did the early heavy-lifting for his team, taking offense from Sammy Guevara, Santana, Ortiz and Jake Hager before Arlovski tagged in and put Hager down with a Samoan drop. Dos Santos also got some moves in, hitting Chris Jericho with a powerslam and a delayed suplex before a standing moonsault. Lambert asked to be tagged in, thinking Jericho was ready to be pinned. This eventually led to a brawl between all 10 men that spilled to the outside where there were trash cans full of weapons -- all of which were items invented in or popularized in Minnesota. The action remained wild, with nearly every imaginable weapon coming into play as groups paired off. As Jericho took out Sky and Page in the ring, Lambert pulled Jericho out of the ring before running away. Guevara scored a near fall with a massive swanton on Sky. Guevara hit another one moments later, the second from a giant ladder through a table at ringside. Page was put in the iron claw by Minnesota wrestling legend, 81-year-old Baron Von Raschke, who was seated ringside. Lambert posed in the ring, celebrating before Jericho snuck in behind him, wearing Lambert out with a kendo stick and hitting a frog splash after paying tribute to Eddie Guerrero, a running theme through the night. Jericho scored the win with the move. A difficult match to grade, given it was built around chaos and hiding that one side only had two actual wrestlers. Still, a pretty great showing from dos Santos. It wasn't "good" but it certainly was entertaining and that's something. The Inner Circle def. Ethan Page, Scorpio Sky, Junior dos Santos, Andrei Arlovski & Dan Lambert via pinfall. Grade: B-

Jay Lethal made his AEW debut. Lethal confirmed that he is now "All Elite" and answered Sammy Guevara's open challenge for the TNT championship, suggesting the match for Wednesday night on Dynamite. Guevara returned to the entrance ramp to accept the challenge.

AEW World Championship -- Kenny Omega (c) vs. "Hangman" Adam Page: Omega and Page opened by standing face-to-face and jawing at each other before backing off. After some broken-off collar and elbow ties, they exchanged chops before Page knocked Omega down with a shoulder block. Don Callis interfered early, grabbing Page's boot and allowing Omega to get the jump, then using the rope to choke Page as Omega distracted the referee. Omega used his speed to cut off several attempts from Page to get going offensively, eventually hitting a Terminator dive onto Page on the outside. Page got his feet up to counter an Omega moonsault and dropped Omega with a big boot seconds later. Omega rolled out of the ring after a fallaway slam from Page before Page hit a suicide dive before a moonsault from the top rope onto Omega outside the ring. Omega came back with a springboard Liger bomb as Page was standing on the top rope, sending Page crashing onto his head and neck. That set up Omega working over the neck with a series of snapdragon suplexes, including one on the ring apron. Page came storming back with a release German suplex but ran into a Tiger Driver '98 from Omega, which scored a two count. The big moves kept coming, with Page hitting an avalanche exploder from the top rope and then coming off the top of the ring post with a flying lariat to the floor that put Omega through a table.

Page was setting up for a Buckshot Lariat but Omega collapsed, finding a bit of luck to avoid the move. Page hit a rolling elbow instead and a pop-up powerbomb before going for the Buckshot Lariat again but Omega pulled the referee in the way. Callis tried to sneak in the ring to hit Page with the title belt but instead took a punch from Page. Omega grabbed the belt, trying to get in his own shot but Page ducked and hit Deadeye, managing just a two count after a second referee ran to the ring. Both men exchanged strikes before Omega hit two V-Triggers but Page caught a third and tried to come back with a flurry but Omega hit the knee anyway. Omega kicked Page in the face until Page defiantly roared back with a lariat. Omega countered a Buckshot Lariat with a V-Trigger but Page countered the One-Winged Angel into one of his own. The Young Bucks came to ringside but simply nodded at Page as he hit two Buckshot Lariats to score the pin and become AEW world champion. The title change was obvious coming in but it's still a wonderful moment and the completion of this stage of Page's career. That the match was fantastic certainly helped. Page and Omega absolutely killed it here. After the match, Dark Order came to the ring, celebrating with Page and sharing a hug. "Hangman" Adam Page def. Kenny Omega to win the AEW world championship. Grade: A

[Nov 13, 2021 at 11:59 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

AEW World Championship -- Kenny Omega (c) vs. "Hangman" Adam Page: Omega and Page opened by standing face-to-face and jawing at each other before backing off. After some broken off collar and elbow ties, they exchanged chops before Page knocked Omega down with a shoulder block. Don Callis interfered early, grabbing Page's boot and allowing Omega to get the jump, then using the rope to choke Page as Omega distracted the referee. Omega used his speed to cut off several attempts from Page to get going offensively, eventually hitting a Terminator dive onto Page on the outside. Page got his feet up to counter an Omega moonsault and dropped Omega with a big boot seconds later. Omega rolled out of the ring after a fallaway slam from Page before Page hit a suicide dive before a moonsault from the top rope onto Omega outside the ring. Omega came back with a springboard Liger bomb as Page was standing on the top rope, sending Page crashing onto his head and neck. That set up Omega working over the neck with a series of snapdragon suplexes, including one on the ring apron. Page came storming back with a release German suplex but ran into a Tiger Driver '98 from Omega, which scored a two count. The big moves kept coming, with Page hitting an avalanche exploder from the top rope and then coming off the top of the ring post with a flying lariat to the floor that put Omega through a table.

Page was setting up for a Buckshot Lariat but Omega collapsed, finding a bit of luck to avoid the move. Page hit a rolling elbow instead and a pop-up powerbomb before going for the Buckshot Lariat again but Omega pulled the referee in the way. Callis tried to sneak in the ring to hit Page with the title belt but instead took a punch from Page. Omega grabbed the belt, trying to get in his own shot but Page ducked and hit Deadeye, managing just a two count after a second referee ran to the ring. Both men exchanged strikes before Omega hit two V-Triggers but Page caught a third and tried to come back with a flurry but Omega hit the knee anyway. Omega kicked Page in the face until Page defiantly roared back with a lariat. Omega countered a Buckshot Lariat with a V-Trigger but Page countered the One-Winged Angel into one of his own. The Young Bucks came to ringside but simply nodded at Page as he hit two Buckshot Lariats to score the pin and become AEW world champion. The title change was obvious coming in but it's still a wonderful moment and the completion of this stage of Page's career. That the match was fantastic certainly helped. Page and Omega absolutely killed it here. After the match, Dark Order came to the ring, celebrating with Page and sharing a hug. "Hangman" Adam Page def. Kenny Omega to win the AEW world championship. Grade: A