AEW Fight for the Fallen: Results, Grades, and Analysis
The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) vs. The Rhodes Brothers (Cody & Dustin Rhodes)
The hype video before this match had Tony Schiavone, Jake Roberts, and others talking about how important and big this match is. This was an absolutely fantastic hype video.
Nick Jackson started the match with Cody. Cody offered a handshake, and Nick Jackson accepted, despite not taking these two as serious as they should in the build to the match. After an exchange of holds, Cody offered another handshake, but Nick kicked his hand away.
Nick and Cody tried to get the better of each other, but were unable to as The Rhodes brothers hit some great double team offence that saw Nick and Matt reeling.
They managed to dump Matt to the outside and focused on Nick. Matt came flying in out of nowhere and hit a flying cross body and the Bucks took over from here.The Bucks hit stereo tope’s and then mocked both Cody and Dustin in the ring pretending to cry as they hugged. The Bucks got booed for this, and rightfully so with their heelish tactics.
Dustin decided he had enough of this and punched Matt right in the mouth. Nick grabbed Dustin’s ankle and then hit a slingshot face buster before hitting a moonsault off the apron on Cody.
The Bucks then started to get the heat on Dustin here and work over him in the opposing corner. Dustin tried to power through using his size to get to his brother, but every single time the Bucks would drag him back. Nick Jackson spit on Cody and Cody tried to get in the ring.When Dustin almost made the tag, they knocked Cody off the apron. Dustin managed to back drop both Bucks but Cody wasn’t in the corner. Dustin hit a spinebuster on Matt but Nick pulled Cody off the apron again. Nick pretended to be Cody and Dustin hit a big right hand to drop him. Dustin went to the top rope and hit a twisting flying body press and made the hot tag to Cody!
Cody ran wild, climbed to the top rope, and hit a moonsault press and then launched himself over the top rope into Matt Jackson on the entrance ramp! That was fantastic. Cody took off his weight belt and started whipping Matt Jackson with it. Cody put Matt onto the top rope and went for an reverse suplex off the top. Matt Jackson kicked out at 2.
Cody went for Din’s Fire but Matt rolled through. As Matt ran at Cody, Cody dodged and Matt crashed right into the ring post. Dustin grabbed Matt’s arm and smashed it into the post. Cody decided to spit at Nick Jackson for revenge earlier. Dustin and Cody went to work over Matt’s arm with strikes and armbars trying to injure it further.
Cody and Dustin started getting the heat on Matt Jackson here, which is a very interesting structure for the match as both teams got heat segments. I think this can work with these guys, but can’t be something that is done all the time. Matt, after hitting a spear, made the tag, and Nick Jackson went wild, hitting series of superkicks and fast paced offence on both Cody and Dustin.The Buck’s locked on stereo sharpshooters, but Matt Jackson had a hard time locking in on due to his shoulder. Cody and Dustin both fought out, and then they locked on stereo figure four leglocks!
Cody and Dustin hit stereo uppercuts, and then all 4 men hit lariats that saw them all crash to the mat. Dustin hit two big powerslams on the Bucks and sent them to the floor. Dustin hit his Liger style cannonball off the apron onto Matt Jackson while Cody ran up the ropes and hit a dive onto Nick Jackson! Wow!
Back in the ring, the Bucks somehow setup for the Meltzer Driver, but Cody ran up the ropes as Nick went for the springboard and kicked him right in the head. Cody hit the Disaster Kick on Matt and then hit an assisted Cross Rhodes, but Nick Jackson hit a senton bomb to break up the pinfall.
Dustin and Matt exchanged strikes, with Dustin getting the better of it. Dusting started punching Matt’s shoulder, and then Nick and Cody punched each other while Dustin and Matt punched each other. The referee got bumped and Cody and Dustin hit stereo powerslams, which was incredible.Dustin and Cody then hit stereo Shattered Dreams and Stereo Final Cut’s, but the Bucks kicked out.
The Bucks rolled outside and Cody went for a springboard body press to the outside, but the Bucks hit double superkicks that drove Cody to the floor. The Bucks entered the ring and Dustin was left alone.He hit his own version of Dusty’s punch combo, went for an uppercut, but Nick superkicked him and Matt flew off the top with a flying elbow, but Dustin kicked out.
Dustin managed to hit a Code Red on Matt Jackson, but Matt kicked out. Cody got tagged in, hit a superkick on Matt, went for Cross Rhodes, but Nick superkicked him.The Bucks then looked at Cody and decided to superkick him in the back of the head. They had to think about it, but they did it because they knew he was weakened there due to the chair shot last month. Dustin broke up the pinfall, and then helped drag Cody up to his feet.
The Bucks hit two uppercuts, but the Rhodes’ hit two superkicks! The Bucks then hit two superkicks and Nick hit the Cross Rhodes on Cody. Cody kicked out. Nick ran up the ropes and took out Dustin! The Bucks then hit the Meltzer Driver and scored the pinfall over Cody. Dustin came back in and laid over his brother, hugging him. Awesome match.Result: The Young Bucks
Rating: ***** (5 stars out of 5)
This was an incredible tag match that showed us that Dustin not only has a ton left to give, but that the Young Bucks are, without question, the best tag team in the world. It was paced very well, and everything in the match made sense and picked up intensity as it built.
Everyone walked out looking like they were in an absolute war, and with one mistake it could have gone the other way.