Booking Decisions That Must Be Made at AEW Full Gear PPV

All Elite Wrestling presents Full Gear live on pay-per-view via B/R Live on Saturday, and while the company has done a fantastic job of using Dynamite to build rivalries and matches, it faces its first test to pay off all of that in suitable fashion while also building toward its future.

The card, headlined by Cody vs. Chris Jericho for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship, is stacked and features some red-hot matches. The outcomes of those contests, and how they are booked, are of the utmost importance because they will dictate the direction storytelling goes in the ensuing weeks.

What outcomes and finishes, shocking betrayals and storyline advancements must be made based on the handful of matches already announced?

Find out with this early look at the stories and their implications.

For weeks, we have been not-so-subtly reminded that MJF and Cody are best friends.

The entitled, scarf-wearing heel has repeatedly come to The American Nightmare's aid in his battles with Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle, seemingly setting aside his own selfishness to aid his buddy.

But has he?

Where was MJF when Cody was beaten down and left lying in a heap in Washington? Why did he wait until Cody made his way to the backstage area to come to the aid of Dustin Rhodes, who was beaten down and injured by Jake Hager and Sammy Guevara on Wednesday's Dynamite?

The arrogant, self-absorbed young star has teased attacking Cody with a chair before, both at All Out and on the October 9 episode of Dynamite.

Full Gear is the perfect time to have MJF finally betray his friend, set up a hugely heated rivalry between the two that will lead to a pay-per-view showdown further down the line and ensure Jericho successfully retains the AEW heavyweight title in the main event of Saturday's spectacular.

Booking that betrayal would instantly elevate MJF to the top tier of AEW competitors, put him in a position to star alongside the biggest stars in the company and give fans an emotionally intense feud they can invest in.

Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Santana, Ortiz and Sammy Guevara have dominated in AEW. Dubbed the Inner Circle by the world champion, the faction has beaten down anyone who gets in their path, including top contender Cody and his brother, "The Natural" Dustin Rhodes.

At Full Gear, Jericho is set to defend against Cody while Santana and Ortiz will battle The Young Bucks in a high-profile tag match. In both instances, it is imperative that the Inner Circle's dominance continues, building them into a seemingly unbeatable force.

Why?

First, factions are awesome. The Four Horsemen and Evolution are two examples of factions that not only set up a united front for babyfaces to try to topple, but they also helped tie together multiple segments of the show and give meaning to matches from the opener through to the main event.

A win for Jericho further strengthens his braggadocious heel persona and allows him to tighten his stranglehold on the world title. A victory for Santana and Ortiz sets them up in tag team title contention, which would allow the Inner Circle to further establish themselves by acquiring more gold.

It makes sense and follows in the footsteps of other successful factions in wrestling history. AEW prides itself on starting a wrestling revolution but has also taken from the past to provide red-hot angles on its TV product. This is another instance when the company would be wise to take from its predecessors to continue building momentum.

During "Hangman" Adam Page's match with Sammy Guevara on Wednesday's episode of Dynamite, commentator Excalibur put over the changes in personality and attitude Page had undertaken since his high-profile losses to Chris Jericho at All Out and to Pac on October 2.

Page showed cracks of frustration setting in as he battled Guevara, and though he eventually scored the hard-fought victory, the story remained the aggression and frustration that had seemingly engulfed him.

At Full Gear, he battles Pac in a rematch of their Dynamite debut bout, and Page's descent into frustration and desperation must continue via defeat in the high-profile contest.

A white-bread babyface whose character was largely underwritten entering All Out, he has the potential to be the face of AEW for many years to come.

He needs character development and motivation for fans to sink their teeth into, though, because Jim Ross' continued insistence that he is a young athlete who's gonna be the man for years to come is the same rhetoric that turned fans against a certain Rocky Maivia when it became clear management was hell-bent on shoving the third-generation star down their throats.

That development can come in the form of Page losing to Pac and taking his frustration out on an unsuspecting ally or fellow babyface. Does it need to result in a full-blown heel turn? Not necessarily—at least right away.

What does need to happen is Page and the creative team must demonstrate that the frustration sparked by his loss to Jericho in August at All Out has created in him a monster ready to lash out against anyone that crosses him.

Even if that is a proven ally in The Elite.