Need to know when and where to watch an upcoming pay per view? Need to know who’s fighting who? Need to know why you should care? Then, you’ve come to the right place!
“A Handy Guide” is a series on Dirt Sheet Radio where I run down an upcoming pay-per-view, and discuss the competitors and stories going into each match. For now, the focus is going to be on WWE and AEW, but if there’s interest, we may expand to companies like TNA, NJPW, and more. Additionally, I also give my picks for the SLEEPER HIT, the match that I think will over-deliver or be under-appreciated, and my MATCH OF THE NIGHT (self-explanatory).
Also, thank you to fellow DSR writer, Jenny Catlin, for their shoutout. You should also read their indie watch guides, you can find the latest one here.
Today’s edition is all about AEW Full Gear 2026 taking place this Saturday, November 14th, at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Full Gear is one of the company’s foundational pay-per-views, running annually since AEW’s inception in 2019. It has been the stage for iconic moments like MJF turning heel on Cody Rhodes, the crowning of the inaugural AEW National Champion, and Adam Page winning the AEW World Championship for the first time. This will be the eighth iteration of the event and the second AEW PPV to take place in Arizona. The last one was Double or Nothing 2025 in Glendale.
The PPV will air at 4pm PT/7pm ET on major cable and satellite providers in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. U.S. and Canadian viewers can stream the event on YouTube, Prime Video, and DAZN. Additionally, U.S. fans can also stream it on HBO Max or catch it at select Dave & Buster locations nationwide. International viewers can view the event on PPV.com or MyAEW.com.
This article does not cover any of the Buy-In (pre-show) matches, and as always the card is subject to change. But for now, these are the matches, and these are the stories:
Brawling Birds (Jamie Hayter/Alex Windsor) vs. Wrathlander (Harley Cameron/Kris Statlander):
Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
This was a match that should have happened at WrestleDream. At Grand Slam France, a three-way tag match took place to determine the new number one contender for the female fighters of the United Empire. Wrathlander defeated the Sisters of Sin (Julia Hart/Skye Blue) and the former champions, Divine Dominion (Megan Bayne/Lena Kross), to become the next challengers. However, Jamie Hayter was not medically cleared to compete for WrestleDream, so it was rescheduled for Full Gear. To be honest, the delay may have helped this match.
Harley Cameron and Kris Statlander are— or, at least, were— a relatively unproven tag team despite being friends for a while in AEW. They didn’t have too much momentum going into WrestleDream, and the tension between them and the Brawling Birds was lukewarm at best. However, because their match was postponed, it allowed them to compete as a team in Blood and Guts. In the final moments of the match, Harley Cameron solo’ed most of the opposing team and locked Julia Hart in a submission hold. Statlander worked together with the Brawling Birds to dispatch Skye Blue before she could interrupt the hold. Then, Statlander wrapped barbed wire around Hart’s face to get her to surrender.
This match did two very important things. One, it showed that Harley Cameron can lock in when the moment calls for it. Two, it put Wrathlander on equal footing with the tag champs, because not only were they on the winning side of the match, but they double-handedly secured the victory. If the challengers can show the same teamwork and tenacity they displayed in Blood and Guts, then the champions might be in trouble.
The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson/Nick Jackson) vs. Don Callis Family (Mark Davis/Jake Doyle): Men’s Tag Team Championship Match
The week after WrestleDream, Mark Davis and Jake Doyle beat the Young Bucks in a two-minute squash match. Admittedly, they were the fresher team since the Young Bucks were still nursing their wounds from their title match against Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight. Though that doesn’t change the fact that the long-tenured, well-oiled machine that is Matt and Nick Jackson couldn’t get a lick of offense in before they were staring up at the lights. Now, as a consequence, they have to face these men with their belts on the line.
Davis and Doyle are the biggest, beefiest bruisers in the Don Callis Family, which is saying a lot considering the faction also boasts Lance Archer, Brian Cage, and Wardlow. The last time they fought for the tag titles, it was against FTR and the match met an unfortunate end after Doyle went down with an injury. Now that they’re fully recovered, they’re looking to make an example of the Young Bucks. Aside from their tag team eliminator match, Davis and Doyle were also on the winning team of Blood and Guts where they got to brutalize the Young Bucks some more inside two rings and a steel cage. With all the momentum on their side, Davis and Doyle look to right some wrongs and bring the tag titles back to the family.
Don’t count out the brothers, though. With rest and some much-needed perspective, the Young Bucks look to right their own wrongs. For years, they have constantly proved why they are one of the best, most resilient tag teams in the world, especially when a championship is on the line. Davis and Doyle will have to damn near kill them in order to rip the titles out of their hands.
Adam Copeland vs. Kazuchika Okada: International Championship Match
Talk about a match that used to only be possible in WWE 2K. When Adam Copeland announced he was retiring in 2027, he was immediately accosted and ambushed by the Don Callis Family. Because god forbid Don Callis let anyone but himself get any attention on this show. Among the attackers was the International Champion, Kazuchika Okada, a man whose arrogance can never let him respect anyone else’s legend but his own. The Rainmaker has continuously set his sights on the Rated R Superstar. When they competed in Clockwork Carnage, Okada went out of his way to target and antagonize Copeland. After WrestleDream, Okada interfered in a tag match with Copeland and Ospreay to cost them victory. At Blood and Guts, Okada tried to use a thumbtack-covered sleeve to do non-consensual acupuncture on Copeland’s head.
With the end on the horizon, Cope’s been grappling more with his own proverbial mortality to respond too much to Okada’s constant jabs. He surrendered for his team at Blood and Guts to prolong their careers and stop them from taking years off their own lives. This coming from the same man who speared Mick Foley through a flaming table at Wrestlemania 22.
The Rainmaker is looking to expose this supposed weakness in Cope and maybe get an easy PPV payday. However, I still believe the same man who speared men through flaming tables (and also speared Okada through a table at Blood and Guts) resides in Adam Copeland. If you poke a bear, don’t be surprised when it tries to bite your head off. Look for Cope to turn back the clock on the former ace of New Japan, and maybe get a measure of revenge by snatching more gold away from the Don Callis Family.
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Ilja Dragunov: National Championship Match
Nearly ten months since he made his AEW debut and became the TNT Champion, Tommaso Ciampa is a champion once again. It’s been a long time coming for Ciampa, who feuded with Okada and Jericho before setting his sights on the National Championship. He lost his initial bout against Andrade el Idolo for the title (though he blames crooked refereeing for that), but promised in a promo on Dynamite that he would not stop his quest for gold. And we love a man with a plan, am I right, ladies? Anyway, in that same promo, he was interrupted by the man he faces this Saturday for his newfound gold: Ilja Dragunov.
With the help of a metronome and one of the sickest tracks from Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3, Ilja Dragunov made his long-awaited AEW debut at WrestleDream. Much like Ciampa, Ilja wasn’t doing much of note at the end of his WWE tenure, and now that he’s been set free, he is reinvigorated and ready to show the world what Unbesiegbar really means (translator note: unbesiegbar means “invincible”). He put on a banger of a main event match against Speedball Mike Bailey, followed that up with an impressive win against The Beast Mortos, and itched for a fight with Ciampa before he even became National Champion.
This won’t be the first time these two fight for a title. Nearly one year ago, the roles were reversed, and Ciampa was challenging Dragunov for WWE’s United States Championship. Now, however, we are getting revitalized versions of both wrestlers and with way less restrictions. This will be stiff, this will be brutal, and this is my SLEEPER HIT of the night.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (Hangman Page, Brody King, Bandido) vs. Swerve Strickland and The New Level (Kofi/Austin Creed): Texas Deathmatch for the Trios Championship
It should be over. Swerve and The New Level took the titles from Hangman and Brodido at All In. Then, they won the rematch at All Out. Then, they lost a definitive two out of three falls match at WrestleDream to drop the titles back to Hangman and Brodido. They’ve said what they needed to say to each other, they’ve earned each other’s respects, and now they should go their separate ways to fight new challengers. It should be over…except Swerve won’t let it be.
Since re-inserting himself into Hangman’s business, Swerve has gone to a dark place and is trying to take everyone within reach into the abyss with him. When they lost the titles at WrestleDream, Swerve was irate and refused to give up his belt with honor to Hangman and Brodido. Then, he called for one more match for the Trios titles, but not before invoking the two words that would bring the darkness out of Hangman: “Texas Death”. With better judgment, Hangman refused the stipulation to protect not just his tag partners, but also Swerve’s. This wouldn’t be the end either.
Swerve Strickland took matters into his own hands, brutalizing Bandido and taking his mask, all in a bid to enrage Brody King and Hangman. At the same time, he’s trying to convince Austin Creed and Kofi that this is what it means to be on a “New Level”. If they want to succeed in AEW, if they want to be the undisputed best trio in the entire company, they need a killer edge to do what needs to be done. All signs point to Kofi and Creed believing in their partner.
Now, everyone involved has a personal stake in this match. For Bandido, this is about regaining the honor that Swerve took from him. For Brody, this is for sticking up for his brothers and getting revenge. For Kofi and Creed, this is about proving they are a different beast than the neutered, caged animals they were at the end of their WWE tenure. For Hangman, this is about exorcising his demons and finally moving on. For Swerve, this is about control.
Mercedes Mone vs. Marina Shafir:
Women’s World Championship Match
A week after WrestleDream, Marina Shafir stood up to Mercedes Mone and said four words: “Don't be a pussy.” And, well, the champ took that personally. She didn’t survive Willow Nightingale, a broken nose, and Thekla just to have her championship mettle questioned. Mercedes retaliated in the ring and on the mic, questioning if Marina was even relevant enough for a championship match before laying her out with the belt. Not only that, but she also allied with The Cut during Jericho’s cruise to take out Jon Moxley and the Death Riders.
Mercedes is offended by Marina’s audacity. This is her first shot at the women’s championship, and yet she carries herself like this is her fiftieth. The confidence, however, is not misplaced. Since joining the Death Riders at their inception, Shafir has improved immensely. Under the tutelage of men like Moxley, PAC, and Claudio Castagnoli, she has embraced her role as their enforcer/problem solver with ease and has gotten much more comfortable in the ring and on the mic. She’s frequently involved himself in the men’s matches, showing she’s unafraid of taking on a size or strength disadvantage. She shows even less fear against the other women in AEW, bringing them down to the mat with speed and precision.
All that being said, though, Mercedes still has the experience factor and will look for any and all ways to retain her championship at Full Gear. She has more championship matches in her career than Marina’s had singles matches. Mercedes shouldn’t underestimate Marina, but Marina shouldn’t underestimate Mercedes either.
Kyle Fletcher vs. Will Ospreay—
Men’s World Championship Match
Is this match happening too soon? Some might say yes. Will Ospreay is only three months and three defenses into his world championship reign, though admittedly those defenses were all noteworthy main events in their own right. A match against his former United Empire compatriot, his former brother, should be saved for at least the six month mark. However, Fletcher doesn’t want to wait for the six month mark. Hell, he barely wants to wait until Full Gear.
At WrestleDream 2024, Fletcher betrayed Ospreay with a screwdriver to the back of the head and a Tiger Driver ‘91. Ospreay, once a member of the Don Callis Family, shed that skin and Fletcher walked in his footsteps and picked up those pieces. Since then (and long before), he has harbored this hatred for Ospreay and has been desperately trying to claw out of his shadow. For the most part, he’s done just that. He shaved his head, ditched the Ospreay-like tights for hot pink trunks, and— oh yeah— has also become a multi-time singles champion and golden boy of the Don Callis Family. However, he’s yet to define himself as the main-event star he believes himself to be, and he’s had to watch men like Darby Allin, MJF, and Ospreay become just that. The Protostar has decided it’s his time to be the star of AEW, and to do so at the expense of Ospreay would be the icing on the cake.
Fletcher has had Ospreay’s number over the past few weeks. He defeated the world champ in a tag team match and followed that up a couple of weeks later by captaining the Don Callis Family to a victory in Blood and Guts over Ospreay’s team. With all the momentum on his side, all Fletcher needs to do is catch Ospreay off guard one more time, and he can exorcise the demons he set upon himself nearly three years ago. Maybe if it was anyone but Ospreay, I’d give Fletcher the edge, but the Aerial Assassin is on his own quest to prove that he belongs in the same legendary conversation with guys like Omega and Hangman, and he’ll be damned if his former protege gets in the way of that.
Ospreay is the perfect foil to Fletcher’s meteoric rise; Fletcher is the consequence of Ospreay’s sins. Together, they will produce the MATCH OF THE NIGHT and write what is sure to be the next, explosive chapter of their historic rivalry.
Anarchy in the Arena
Ladies and gentlemen, shit’s about to hit the fan. Anarchy in the Arena is the most self-explanatory match stipulation since the Judy Bagwell on a Forklift match. Two teams fight all around the arena, and with no disqualifications, no countouts, and no limits, there’s guaranteed to be anarchy. This match is one of AEW’s ways to get a ton of people on a PPV card, and it's often used to blow off or invigorate major faction feuds. It's a brutal, bloody affair that's hard to watch— mostly because the action goes all around the arena, and AEW only has so many cameras.
Anarchy in the Arena has played host to many iconic moments such as Swerve Strickland getting his tongue stapled, Darby Allin setting Jungle Jack Perry on fire, and constant fighting over the arena’s AUX cord (it’s a thing). It's not just violence for the sake of violence, though, everyone that enters Anarchy in the Arena does so with a score to settle. This time, the score to settle revolves around four of AEW’s major factions.
For more than two years, the Death Riders have been a dominant stable, making very many enemies and very few allies. The only ones they could ever call for aid were The Dogs: Clark Connors, Dave Finlay, and Gabe Kidd who, until recently, weren’t even on the AEW roster. Kidd would eventually align himself more with the Death Riders, which he would later come to regret. PAC’s untimely passing, as tragic as it was, also humanized the group. No longer were they a group of sadistic killers, they were now a family mourning the loss of their brother. But while there were some in AEW willing to let the past be the past with the Death Riders, there were others who refused to let go.
After WrestleDream, Jon Moxley faced The Conglomeration’s Roderick Strong in an eliminator match for his Continental Championship. Strong lost the match but earned Moxley’s respect, which didn’t sit well with Connors and Finlay. They ambushed Strong afterwards and, when Moxley tried to intervene, decided to violently end their partnership with the Death Riders. A brawl ensued between The Dogs and Death Riders. The Conglomeration also got involved to help out Strong, and Jay White from the Bang Bang Gang also got involved. The Bang Bang Gang still had lingering beef with The Dogs…or so we thought. As the dust was settling, Jay White hit Orange Cassidy with a Blade Runner and unveiled that this was all a set up.
During Collision, The Bang Bang Gang and The Dogs (minus Gabe Kidd) stood side-by-side in the ring, with Jay White explaining that their alliance was built on respect and, most importantly, convenience. The two sides went to war with each other and found common ground in their hatred for Jon Moxley and the Death Riders. They refuse to forgive and certainly won’t forget the atrocities the group committed when Moxley was the world champion. The Bang Bang Gang and The Dogs were no more, and in their place was The Last Outfit! Then, the Internet clowned them for the name, and they quickly changed it to The Cut.
Moxley and the Death Riders have tried to bring the fight to The Cut, but for the first time, they find themselves outnumbered. Especially after Jay White hit Claudio Castagnoli with a Blade Runner on the concrete to take him out indefinitely. With his numbers dwindling, Moxley begrudgingly turned to The Conglomeration for aid. There are debts to pay by Jay White and The Cut, and Moxley appealed to his long-time rivals by giving them the chance to collect on those debts.
The battle lines are now drawn. On one side, you have The Cut, a lethal faction consisting of Jay White, David Finlay, Clark Connors, Austin and Colten Gunn, Juice Robinson, and Ace Austin. On the other side, you have the unholy union of The Death Riders (Jon Moxley, Gabe Kidd, Daniel Garcia, and Wheeler Yuta) and the Conglomeration (Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O’Reilly). This will be a deeply personal fight and highly unpredictable fight. All these men are capable of doing awful, terrible things, and they’re going to have to do even awfuler and terribler things to make it out of Anarchy in the Arena. Yes, this is how I’m coping with the AO3 outage.
Other Things To
Look Out For
- The Motor City Machine Guns won a Best of Five series against FTR to become the new number one contenders for the men’s tag team championships. Expect them to be watching the tag championship match very closely.
- The Continental Classic starts next Wednesday, the 18th. It’s going to be an exciting month of wrestling, but we don’t know what the blocks look like yet. Maybe they get announced this Saturday?
- The logo for Full Gear was changed to honor the passing of PAC. If you look closely, you can see homages to The Bastard all around the graphic.
- Back in October, Queen Aminata defeated Persephone to become the new TBS Championship. It was a long time coming for a woman who has shown up time and time again for the company. On the preshow, Queen Aminata is set to defend her belt against Persephone and Maya World, the last two holders of the TBS Championship.
- After losing the National Championship, Andrade has made it clear that he’s setting his sights on the World Championship. Specifically, he is looking to become the first Latino Men’s World Champion in AEW. He still holds the world championship contract he won at the Casino Battle Royale. Look for him to be watching Fletcher and Ospreay’s match with great interest.
Jhuvin P. is a writer for CBC/DSR. He has previous experience as a ghostwriter, has published several short stories, and is perpetually working on a novel. In addition to writing, he is also a comedian based out of Colorado Springs. He posts clips of his stand-up along with his other goofy antics on TikTok and Instagram.