In a busy wrestling weekend, AEW stands out with a wrestling show filled with a variety of wrestling matches while continuing their masterful build of the young company’s brand.
AEW’s second show, Fyter Fest, just happened and the show delivered on a jam-packed night of wrestling with a little something for everyone.
Overall, I really enjoyed the show and here are my 10 takeaways from AEW’s Fyter Fest.
Pre-Show was entertaining
In addition to three highly entertaining matches, The Buy In for Fyter Fest had a funny narrative parodying the Fyre Festival documentary. The backstage promos showcased that AEW put in the effort to transfer their Being the Elite comedy to the PPV and this gave the viewer something fun between the matches.
Kenny Omega’s massive plans to put on an amazing show kept falling apart, including a booked band that ended up cancelling. The shot of a drum set, guitar and microphone not being used was a great highlight for the pre-show. It’s a fresh departure from drawn out analysis and overdone recaps.
The Librarian gimmick has me worried
When the Librarian gimmick was first making circles, i thought it would be so much fun to see. Then, I watched the Buy In for Fyter Fest. To say the very least, I’m worried.
Certain things I expected: the fact that the Librarian would shush people throughout the match. There was even a great submission move towards the end of the match that incorporated it that I thought was unique.
But I felt the shush gesture was a bit overused and it wasn’t used as effectively as it could have been. 95% of the shushes were directed to Allie, the opponent for Leva Bates, but there was so much noise to actually be shushed. I wanted Bates to shush the ref when they were giving her a 5-count in the turnbuckle, or Bates and Peter Avalon to shush the crowds when they were both getting booed.
The audience seemed to be divided on the gimmick, too, with some fans being extra vocal about it. Also, the relationship between Bates and Avalon seemed a bit confusing to me. I’m hoping it gets ironed out and I’m proven wrong in the future. For now, I’ll hold on to this round of betting.
Michael Nakazawa vs Alex Jebailey was ridiculous, but worked
For what apparently was a rematch between a wrestler and a non-wrestler, I was curious and skeptical of what this hardcore match would be like. Well, it was ridiculous and I kind of loved it.
Seeing non-wrestlers always makes me hesitate, but Jebaily did enough to make the match work and also took some bumps I wasn’t expecting him to do. The suplex he did on Nakazawa really scared me because the poor guy landed on his head, but he seemed fine so it wasn’t too much of a concern.
The match hit every beat a hardcore match needed, and the ridiculousness of the match just worked. Nakazawa is getting over a bottle of body oil, what is life? I do love that AEW is embracing the fact that wrestling can be fun and wacky.
I am concerned that this could lead to other non-wrestlers getting involved and that brings up horror stories of WCW.
Nyla Rose showed why she should be noticed
After seeing her at Double or Nothing, I felt any momentum she had was overshadowed by Awesome Kong. That changed at Fyter Fest when she really shined in a triple threat match vs Riho and Yuka Sakazaki.
Riho and Yuka working together during the match helped build up the story of Rose being a big threat and extremely powerful wrestler. Not only did Rose play the role of dominant heel woman perfectly, but she really showcased a diverse moveset and flashes of agility, which was highlighted when she went to the top rope. Even though she missed a Swanton, it was amazing seeing her pull off the dive and not just be a slow ground focused bruiser.
Though she will need more competitive matches, I’m excited to see what AEW does with “the Native Beast.”
Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus are all I ever wanted
Seeing Jungle Boy ride Luchasauras to the ring was my favorite moment of the night. These two wrestlers dedicated to their unique gimmicks gives a breath of fresh air, in addition to the two being talented (which we learned at Double or Nothing). I know there are so many potential tag teams to contend in AEW, but I want to see this amazing duo wrestle together forever. Love them.
Hangman Page is the real deal
One critique I heard from people about AEW is that Hangman Page being a part of the Elite was a cause of concern for the management pushing their own instead of other indie talent. Well, after watching him win the Casino Battle Royale in Double or Nothing and his win at Fyter Fest, I’m here to tell y’all that he is the future of AEW.
Page has it all:
- A great character
- Fitting Entrance Music
- In-ring ability and talent
- A diverse moveset
- A punishing finisher
I’m excited to see where he goes in the company. My hope is that he will be the first AEW champion, but, because of a little man named MJF, we may have to wait a while before seeing the Hangman hang that belt over his shoulder.
No more unprotected chair shots
No. No, no, no. No more unprotected chair shots to the head.
I was going to write about the fact that the match should have ended in a win for Darby Allin instead of a draw, especially with such an emphasis on wins and losses mattering in AEW.
Then, Shawn Spears entered the ring. I was intrigued. Oh, a feud? This could be interesting.
No, it was terrifying. That chair shot did not have to happen like that.
Please, no. I don’t care that it was planned, or it was a blading job, and any excuse or defense that can come up from this. Unprotected chair shots are not okay. Please protect wrestlers.
Cody is a young man entering his wrestling prime. What did this gain? Nothing, except for unwanted press for a decision that could potentially lead to a completely avoidable, potentially life-long injury.
I hope this is the last time we see anything like this ever again. This is not Tommy Dreamer in ECW, this is 2019. AEW is supposed to be changing the wrestling universe. No need to go backwards.
The Elite vs the Lucha Brothers and Laredo Kid was the most entertaining Match of the Night
I love seeing The Elite together. In addition to being amazingly talented, they are hysterical and know how to work the crowd, especially with the Street Fighter references. The Lucha Bros and Laredo Kid brought their A game, and the six men put on an amazing match.
I don’t want to say too much because I can’t do it justice. If you only have time to see one match, make this the match you watch. .
It was nice seeing Kenny Omega getting a win because he is a phenomenal wrestler and in contention for the best in the world. But the fact that the Executive Vice Presidents of AEW have only one loss between the four of them on their shows is a bit worrisome for me.
Hopefully, it evens out closer to and during TV.
What a match between Jon Moxley and Joey Janela
Great in-ring debut for Moxley. I love seeing him finally in his creative element. You can see it with his character, entrance, attire, and attitude
Janela also put on a show and really turned up the heat to match Mox’s intensity. What came next was a great match that was littered with spots that kept you on your seat while making you cringe.
Here is a list of my favorite crazy spots from this match:
- Janela uses a prosthetic leg from the audience to hit Moxley.
- Moxley sets up a chair and sits in it. Janela eventually hits him into it and dives at him from the top rope. Moxley dodges, leading Janela to Swanton onto the seated chair.
- Moxley brings out a chair wrapped in barbed wire. Moxley hits Janela with it, earning lovely chants from the audience saying “You Sick F***.” Moxley bowed in acceptance, embracing his character. Afterwards, he was on the receiving end of a diving headscissors landing him on said chair.
- Janella and Moxley were on the outside apron above a set up table ringside. Janela pulled Moxley off the apron with a “Russian Leg Sweep,” sending the two of them into the outside table.
- Moxley returns the table favor with picking up Janela and running him into a table set up in the corner turnbuckle.
- The first Barbed Wire Board spot. The board is set up in the corner turnbuckle, and Janela has Moxley in a fireman carry. He throws Moxley into the board.
- Two tables are set up outside of the ring, and a ladder is set up in the ring. Moxley is laid out on the table, and Janela climbs to the top of the ladder. He proceeds to land an elbow drop on Moxley through the table.
- Second Barbed Wire Board Spot. Janela set up the board horizontally on the ring and the barricade outside. Moxley sends Janela into it with a Death valley bomb from inside the ring.
- Moxley brings in a bucket that has two bags of thumbtacks. He takes off the boots and socks of Janela. He hits Janela with an Atomic Drop on the tacks (I have never feared an atomic drop more in my life).
- The finish of the match is Moxley hitting his finishers, the Paradigm Shift (Lifted double hook DDT) on the tacks.
This is an amazing match. If you can stomach extreme wrestling moments, definitely watch the match.
Omega ambushing Moxley was a perfect end to the show
With the way Double or Nothing ended, it was not a good night for Kenny Omega. He lost the main event match against Jericho for a chance to compete for the championship. Then, Moxley’s debut took center stage, leading to Omega getting DDTed on top of a stack of casino chips.
When Moxley won his match against Janela at the end of the show, seeing Omega come out and give Moxley a taste of his own medicine was refreshing. Omega is a creative and innovative wrestler, which made watching him use weapons and the environment around him interesting as he punished Moxley over and over again. At one point, Omega hit Moxley with every musical instrument near the stage, tying into the pre-show. At least something went right for Omega.
This was a great way to carry over the story from Double or Nothing and continue building for their match at All Out in August.