AEW Trending in Right Direction, WWE Experiment That Must End, More Quick Takes

It was imperative that All Elite Wrestling hit a home run with its Full Gear pay-per-view in order to get back on track, and one can absolutely argue it did just that.

In addition to the obvious behind-the-scenes drama, the on-screen product has been lacking since September's All Out. So many notable names being absent until now has caused certain storylines to suffer, but AEW now has a chance to finish 2022 strong following Saturday's successful show.

Meanwhile, WWE will look to keep the hot momentum going with an eventful PPV weekend of its own come Survivor Series, though one of the biggest omissions from the card as of now is Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight.

Their feud has gotten off to a surprisingly pleasant start these past two weeks, and a bout between the two on Saturday night would be a perfect use of them both at this point in their respective runs on SmackDown.

This installment of Quick Takes will discuss Wyatt finding his first foe, WWE's failed experiment that must end, two AEW stars who could benefit from additional direction post-Full Gear, and more.

AEW Reclaims Lost Momentum with 3 New Champions and Cliffhanger Ending

Full Gear was not only an excellent event on the whole but also one of AEW's strongest shows of the year. In addition to the above-average matches, many of the booking decisions made sense and set up weeks' worth of compelling television.

Chief among them was MJF finally becoming AEW world champion with his victory over Jon Moxley. The moment was obviously overdue, but it was the fashion in which he won that makes Wednesday's Dynamite must-see.

MJF and William Regal have the potential to be a brilliant pairing, and this also begs the question of what becomes of Blackpool Combat Club from here on out.

Jamie Hayter toppling Toni Storm for the AEW Interim Women's World Championship was the second-biggest highlight of the best. Hayter has been organically over with the audience for many months and now has a belt to back up her popularity.

Samoa Joe stealing the AEW TNT Championship from Wardlow was also a fun surprise and a necessary one at that considering how forgettable the outgoing titleholder's reign turned out to be. Being put back in chase mode could prove to be the best thing for his stagnant character at the moment.

All of these tide-turning title changes add up to give viewers more of an incentive to get invested in the product again.

Bray Wyatt and LA Knight Are Perfect First Rivals for Each Other

Bray Wyatt and LA Knight have been two of the best things to hit SmackDown in recent months, and although the idea of the two colliding was always intriguing, no one expected to see them feuding this soon.

We're just two weeks into the program, and it's already proved to be engaging thanks to the terrific mic work from both men. It's had a different dynamic with Knight not acting scared of Wyatt's supernatural shenanigans, and Wyatt doing his best to not succumb to his demons.

Wyatt had been back on the blue brand for just over six weeks, and a formal feud was needed before his promos began to lose their luster. The story is easy enough to follow and the eventual match should be entertaining.

On paper, it seems strange to pair off two people who need wins at the moment, but Knight shouldn't lose much in defeat depending on how it's booked. He can be made to look competitive, and he will gain credibility by taking Wyatt to the limit.

Survivor Series may be too early to book this bout, but there isn't another big stage for it to happen on until Royal Rumble in late January. Unless this is saved as a SmackDown attraction, doing their initial encounter on Saturday would be a worthy addition to the card.

The Elite and Death Triangle Must Find Ways to Keep Best of 7 Series Interesting

The Elite made their long-awaited return to AEW after two months away at Full Gear and pushed Death Triangle to their limit for the AEW World Trios Championship.

All signs pointed to The Elite regaining their gold after having to vacate them in September, but it was for the best that Tony Khan resisted that urge and opted to keep the belts on Death Triangle a little while longer. Rey Fenix finally cheating to win was a nice touch as well.

It was announced at Full Gear that the two trios will take part in a Best of 7 Series for the titles leading into the new year. For as fun and as well-received as their match at Full Gear was, running it back another seven times in the next two months can be seen as overkill.

No explanation was given as to why the matches will be happening, either. They feel designed to kill television time and keep six men busy without doing an actual storyline with them outside of what we got on Saturday night.

It's about time the trios titles became more of a priority, and this should increase their value, but a Best of 3 or 5 Series may have been more suitable so there's less of a chance of the audience being burned out on the match by the end.

Jack Perry and Darby Allin Ready for Next Significant Step as Singles Stars

AEW has what feels like a surplus of promising babyfaces on its roster right now, but it would be booking malpractice for "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry and Darby Allin to not be two of the more prominently pushed stars coming out of Full Gear.

Perry had one of the best openers in AEW PPV history inside of a steel cage and emerged victorious. Later in the night, Allin and Sting beat Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett in tag team action to hopefully put that rivalry to rest.

Perry has improved immensely as a solo act in the last year and is ready for a run at championship gold, specifically the TNT title even if he doesn't win it. He'll have to settle his score with Christian Cage when he eventually returns from injury, but in the meantime, Perry should be stacking up televised wins on a regular basis.

As for Allin, he's contended for the TNT title enough times to a point where he's due for something more meaningful toward the top of the card. More heels need to be built up so they can work with the 29-year-old and get him to where he needs to be.

Far too often AEW gives someone a big win only to not feature them much in the weeks that follow. Perry and Allin should be exceptions because their victories at Full Gear will be for nothing if they immediately go back to treading water.

WWE's Mustafa Ali Experiment Isn't Working

Despite his best efforts, Mustafa Ali is simply not getting over with the WWE Universe as as much as he should be considering all the television time that's been dedicated to him lately.

The 36-year-old has found himself in the mix for the United States Championship for the past month, but Seth Rollins turning babyface ruined his chances of being embraced by crowds as a plucky underdog. The losses he endured to Austin Theory, Bobby Lashley and others prior to that point didn't help matters, either.

No matter how much heart he shows in his matches, it's difficult to take Ali seriously when he loses way more often than he wins. He is exceptionally talented, too, but the booking of his character and true lack of development has hurt him more than anything else.

WWE should have Ali finish out his story before pulling the plug on his push, but post-Survivor Series, a fresher face could benefit from having his spot. The Ali experiment has largely been a failure so far if the crowd reactions have been any indication.

While it's commendable that the company has given him multiple chances, it's quite clearly not working and pivoting to someone else after a few more weeks of silence might be the best course of action.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.