Most Likely Heel and Face Turns at 2021 AEW Full Gear

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Credit: All Elite Wrestling

AEW Full Gear 2021 is the first pay-per-view following the biggest show in All Elite Wrestling’s relatively short history: All Out.

While not every event can be as monumental as that September night, which included the return match of CM Punk and the debuts of Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole and Ruby Soho, this weekend’s PPV has a lot behind it.

There are plenty of interesting names on the free-agent market who could make a splash with AEW, but most would not make this show better. Instead, this feels like a night that will focus on those who have brought AEW to this point.

The matches on Saturday’s card are all potential showstealers, and the stories that have built to this point could change the company for months to come.

It is all down to the booking of the show. What major moves will AEW make to change the game? Could we see Eddie Kingston or Punk turn? Maybe we could see the collapse of Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle or MJF’s Pinnacle?

There is so much on the line, and a few possible turns stand out stronger than the rest as the start of something major for AEW heading into 2022.

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Eddie Kingston walked into AEW as a heel and won the fans over through sheer determination. He is hugely popular to the point that he can occasionally outshine some of the biggest stars in the business.

His match with CM Punk at Full Gear is a true test of what direction he will go. He could not defeat the unbeaten Bryan Danielson, but can he take down another man who walked in and took away his spotlight two months ago?

This is an intriguing match built on history that cannot be ignored. The Best in the World is staring down at a man who never had a chance to be as good as he should have been. Will Kingston snap or will he prove himself?

Whatever happens, it is going to be special. Jon Moxley was close to a heel turn before stepping away from wrestling recently. Kingston likely would have turned alongside his best friend.

With Mox out though, this switch is less likely than it was a few weeks ago.

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If Kingston is not the one to turn, could it be CM Punk? Since he arrived at AEW, The Best in the World has been riding a high. He returned to wrestling to compete, and he has found rejuvenation while facing some of the best young stars in AEW.

This feud is different, though. Punk snapped when Kingston called him out on AEW Rampage on Nov. 5. It was the most intense and angry he has been since he arrived.

While the path for Punk has not been clear, he has an idea of what he wants to do with this run, and he also knows where his strengths lie. He can be the popular heel or a dangerous tweener. He can twist that fan support until they turn against him to cheer the young stars of the company.

This might be the first step. After all the trash talk, the former WWE star needs to back up his claims. He needs to show he’s better than Kingston, which is not exactly the best goal fighting one of AEW’s most popular stars.

If Punk cheats or loses and lashes out, it could be the start of his second arc in AEW. It feels a bit early, but the stage has been set for a memorable turn in a stellar match.

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Wardlow’s name will be on this list ahead of every big show, as he has been hinting at a face turn for years.

It feels like the only thing holding him back from a title run is MJF, who refuses to respect him.

In the buildup to MJF vs. Darby Allin, Wardlow has been abandoned, beaten up and humiliated. He has to be losing his last nerve with The Salt of the Earth. It does not help that the heel and Shawn Spears are so close.

All it would take is for Wardlow to abandon MJF when it matters most. While the Pinnacle leader seemingly holds all the cards with the big man’s contract, no one can take this kind of abuse forever.

It would help protect MJF while reinforcing Darby Allin’s standing if The Salt of the Earth only lost because his ace in the hole left him. It sets up an exciting transition to a long-awaited rivalry that can make Wardlow a star.

The Pinnacle is already clearly falling apart given their distance from one another. This could be the final straw that takes that group down.

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Is there a more oddly positioned wrestler in AEW than Jake Hager?

Although a fine performer, the 39-year-old has never quite fit for the company. He was brought in as a friend of Chris Jericho and has been put in bigger positions than his performances have warranted.

Recently, though, he has rarely been on television. When he has been, he has been the fifth-best option in The Inner Circle. Everyone else has had a clear path forward without the stable.

It could be the perfect opportunity for the undefeated mixed martial artist to join the “winning team.” American Top Team is a dominant group in MMA, and Dan Lambert has often looked to branch out into wrestling.

Hager is the perfect mix given his MMA and wrestling history. Lambert can bring him into the fold and limit the other stars on his team who are not interested in working in AEW.

While Hager has been one of the primary supports to Jericho against American Top Team, The Inner Circle has lost repeatedly. It would be appropriate to reveal Hager has been working for Lambert the whole time or decided to simply pick the better side when it mattered.