Projecting the Most Likely Heel and Face Turns at AEW Full Gear 2022

All Elite Wrestling is at an interesting crossroads.

After a tumultuous end to All Out in September, the company has attempted to regroup. The product has not been at its best, but the build to Full Gear 2022 on Saturday has set the stage for an interesting night of statements.

Jon Moxley vs. MJF is an exciting main event with everything on the line. Will AEW crown its young star as the future of the business, or will the focus stay on Mox as the loyal veteran? Will William Regal play a role?

Toni Storm will face Jamie Hayter in a battle of former friends looking to prove themselves at the highest level. Who will come out as the top woman in the promotion?

Swerve Strickland and PAC remain bad guys with good friends while fighting to hold onto championship gold. What will they do to be champions? Would they turn on their friends if they fail?

Questions like this define this card, with plenty of opportunities for major story moments. The following are the most likely heel and face turns to come out of this weekend's pay-per-view.

Face: Jamie Hayter and/or Heel: Toni Storm

Jamie Hayter is the most popular woman in AEW right now, but she isn't technically a babyface.

There are many reasons for this, but more than anything, she is a talented AEW original who has made her way up the ladder through hard work.

Toni Storm may be the second-most popular woman in the company, but she is still going to struggle to get cheered at Full Gear in a match with Hayter.

If AEW wishes to embrace the crowd atmosphere so that fans don't turn against its champion, Storm could well turn heel in this match to counteract the slow face turn of Hayter.

Since Britt Baker will be busy with Saraya at the PPV, this is a great time to reshape the women's division.

It's unlikely Storm will lose, but if Hayter does more fully embrace her face turn, she will be made as a star. The next time she challenges for a title, there will be no hesitation in crowning her.

Heel: Swerve Strickland

As MJF continues to inch closer to turning face, a question has been posed by many fans: Who will become AEW's top heel?

There are obvious answers such as Chris Jericho or Christian Cage, but there are also intriguing dark-horse candidates.

No one has stood out more on the undercard in recent months than Swerve Strickland. He never quite got a chance to put it all together in WWE before his departure with Hit Row.

We have seen the 32-year-old's creative mind at play since the moment he arrived in AEW, though. His story with Keith Lee has built over months, selling an arrogance that his friend is barely willing to put up with.

At this point, Swerve is almost a full heel already, but there is one man he has yet to betray. If he and Lee lose to The Acclaimed on Saturday, though, this could be the catalyst for pulling both men apart.

Swerve vs. Lee is a feud that can define AEW for months to come. While the tag team division will miss them, these are two men who can add needed depth at the top of the company going forward.

Face: Luchasaurus

Since AEW Road Rager in June, Luchasaurus has turned heel, face, then heel again in a series of twists in the rivalry between himself, "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry and Christian Cage.

However, there is still a brief glimmer of hope that Perry can pull his friend back into the light.

The two will brutalize each other again in a steel cage match, but this could all be seen as Christian's fault. Captain Charisma has somehow controlled Luchasaurus in a way we don't quite understand.

This match can be the catalyst to solving the mystery and bringing Luchasaurus back. It's all a matter of where AEW wants Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus to be in the long term.

Perry is one of the company's best young stars and ready to rise up the ranks. He could even challenge MJF for the AEW World Championship in 2023. He can do that on his own or with his best friend back at his side.

Heel: PAC

PAC is in a similar position to Swerve Strickland as he could already be called a heel, except when it comes to his partners. Both Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero M see The Bastard as their best friend.

He has attempted to turn them to the dark side without success, but the miscommunications have not cost Death Triangle the AEW Trios Championship just yet.

That could change at Full Gear. With the impending return of Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, who will likely go after the titles they never lost, Death Triangle could quickly fall apart after losing the gold.

Fenix and Penta are committed to a role as top babyfaces in the AEW tag team division, while PAC is on his own path and likely to challenge other top stars soon. He could be a dangerous rival for Wardlow and the TNT Championship.

The time is right to fully embrace what The Bastard can do as a heel. He has always been better in that role.

It will be a shame to see Death Triangle disband, but the group can always reform down the line.

Face: MJF or Heel: William Regal

What will Maxwell Jacob Friedman do to become AEW world champion? He already nearly walked out on the company and came back when he could guarantee he would become No. 1 contender without any major effort.

However, something has seemingly changed in MJF. William Regal has pushed him to be his best self. The promo battle between the two recently on Dynamite was the best of the year but left more questions than answers.

At this time, The Salt of the Earth is still a heel, but he says he wants to do things the right way. He has refused the help of Stokely Hathaway and The Firm, even getting himself powerbombed through a table.

If MJF did embrace the role of top babyface, the fans would welcome him. However, AEW has frequently teased face turns before without delivering. This could be another one of those situations.

The Salt of the Earth has only one shot. He can prove himself or take every short cut to get what he wants. If he does remain a villain, he could find an interesting ally in Regal.

No matter how long he is in wrestling, Regal will always be a villain at heart, and Blackpool Combat Club do not need him to be successful. The stage is set for a dramatic end to Full Gear regardless of what happens.