AEW Fyter Fest aired live from the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Preshow Results:
- Best Friends def. Private Party, and SCU in a Triple Threat Match. Best Friends earned a match at WWE All Out.
- Allie def. Leva Bates
- Michael Nakazawa def. Alex Jebailey in a Hardcore Match
Here are 6 takeaways from the show:
CIMA Outlasted Christopher Daniels
Christopher Daniels squared off against CIMA to start the main show. CIMA connected with a shoulder tackle but Daniels battled right back with an Arm Drag. CIMA knocked Daniels out of the ring and Dropkicked him into the barricade.
Daniels connected with a Northern Lights Suplex onto the floor outside the ring. Back in the ring, Daniels planted CIMA with a Suplex and followed it up with a Moonsault. Daniels applied a Crossface in the middle of the ring but CIMA was able to reach the bottom rope to break the hold.
CIMA caught Daniels on the top turnbuckle and slammed him to the mat for a two count. Daniels hit a Blue Thunder Bomb and then Angels Wings for another two count. CIMA hit Daniels with an Enziguri and followed it up with a Powerbomb. CIMA connected with the Perfect Driver but Daniels kicked out at two. CIMA climbed to the top rope and hit Meteora for the pinfall victory. CIMA will face Kenny Omega in two weeks at AEEW Fight for the Fallen.
CIMA and Daniels needed to put on a good match to get the crowd back because the last two matches of the Preshow were brutal. Thankfully, they did and I’m looking for CIMA versus Omega in a couple of weeks.
Riho Picked Up A Win
Riho faced Nyla Rose and Yuka tonight at Fyter Fest. Rose dominated early and planted them both with a Suplex. Yuka hit Rose with a Hurricanrana and Nyla tumbled to the outside. Yuka then hit Riho and Nyla with a spingboard Crossbody.
Back in the ring, Yuka climbed to the top rope and connected with a Dropkick on Riho for a two count. Riho hit Yuka with a Double Stomp and then kneed Nyla in the face. Riho followed that up with a 619 and then another Double Stomp off the top rope.
Yuka leveled Riho with a Clothesline and went for the cover but Nyla broke it up. Yuka tried to Clothesline Nyla but Rose caught her and slammed her to the mat for a two count. Nyla planted Yuka with a Suplex and then hit Riho with a Splash in the corner.
Rose hung up Riho on the top rope and hit Riho with a knee to the face as the crowd chanted “holy sh*t!”. Nyla went for a Senton off the top rope but Riho got out of the way at the last second. Riho went for a Crossbody but Rose caught her. Nyla then caught Yuka as well but both countered into a roll-up for a two count.
Yuka went for a Splash but Riho got her knees up. Rose planted Yuka with a German Suplex and then a massive Powerbomb but Riho broke up the cover. Nyla Rose planted Riho with the Death Valley Driver but Riho was able to kick out at the last moment. Riho rolled up Rose to win the match and Nyla attacked her from behind. Yuka and Riho Dropkicked Rose out of the ring and then Riho shoved Yuka to the canvas.
Hangman Page Continued His Momentum
MJF came down to the ring and cut an absolutely incredible promo that insulted the crowd. MJF stated that he used to love video games but then he lost his virginity. He added that he is going to win tonight because he is better than everyone in the crowd and they know it. MJF, Jungle Boy, Jimmy Havoc, and Hangman Adam Page battled in a Fatal 4-Way match.
Jungle Boy hit Page with a Hurricanrana that sent him flying out of the ring. Hangman got back into the ring and planted Jungle Boy with a Fallaway Slam. MJF sent everyone to the outside and made it seem like he was going to flip onto everyone but opted to give the crowd the finger instead. Jungle Boy flipped onto everyone outside the ring in an awesome sequence.
Jimmy Havoc perched Jungle Boy on the top rope and set up for a Superplex. Hangman Powerbombed Havoc at the same time and Jungle Boy wound up landing on MJF. Adam Page Powerbombed Jungle Boy and went for the cover but MJF put Jungle Boy’s foot on the bottom rope.
MJF went for a Sharpshooter but Page reversed it. MJF screamed in pain but was able to reach the bottom rope to break the hold. Jimmy Havoc launched Jungle Boy onto Luchasaurus outside the ring. Havoc then hit MJF with Double Stomp for a two count. Adam Page booted MJF out of the ring and then planted Havoc with Dead Eye for the pinfall victory.
MJF is going to be a huge star once AEW has its weekly television show. After a rough start, this show is back on track with the women’s Triple Threat and then this very solid Fatal 4-Way match.
Shawn Spears Attacked Cody After A Great Match With Darby Allin
Darby Allin battled Cody tonight and Brandi Rhodes was ringside for the match. Cody went for a Hip Toss but Allin countered and sent Cody to the canvas. Cody rolled out of the ring to regroup and took his time getting back into the ring.
Cody got pissed off and slapped Allen in the face. Cody launched Allin through the ropes and to the floor outside. He then did some pushups in the ring while he waited for Darby to return.
Allin slammed Cody’s wrist into the ring post but Cody leveled him with a Clothesline for a near fall. Cody lifted Allin up for a Suplex but Darby grabbed Cody’s injured hand. Allin unloaded punches and headbutts to Cody’s injured hand and then bent it back.
Darby connected with a Suicide Dive but Cody shrugged it off and slammed Allin into the steel steps. Cody hit a Suicide Dive of his own and rolled Allin back into the ring as it was announced that there are five minutes remaining in the match.
Allin climbed to the top rope but Cody clubbed him in the back. Cody connected with a reverse Superplex and both wrestlers fell to the canvas as the crowd chanted “AEW!”.
Darby bit Cody’s injured hand and knocked him to the canvas. Allin leaped off the top rope but Cody got out of the way and Allin landed back-first onto the ring apron. Cody booted Allin in the face and Darby fell into the bodybag he brought to the ring. Cody hit Allin with the Disaster Kick and went for the cover but Darby somehow kicked out at two with one minute remaining in the match.
Cody hit Allin with his belt a couple of times and was able to connect with the Cross Rhodes. Cody went for the cover but the time limit expired at two. Shawn Spears then rushed the ring and hit Cody on the top of the head with it.
I’m sure there will be some debate about wrestlers taking chair shots to the head after this one. I enjoyed because this entire match felt old school. A boot to the ribs and chair shot to the back would have been out of place by Spears here. I honestly knew hardly anything about Darby Allin before this match and now I can’t wait to see more of him. Allin is clearly an unbelievable athlete and showed just a glimpse of what he can do tonight. Cody deserves a ton of credit because he made Allin look like a megastar in twenty minutes. The pace of this match was perfect and I don’t have a bad thing to say about it.
The Elite Defeated Lucha Brothers & Laredo Kid In An Excellent Match
Lucha Brothers (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix) and Laredo Kid squared off against The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. All six wrestlers got in each other’s face during the beginning of the match and a brawl broke out. Lucha Brothers and Laredo Kid connected with a trio of Superkicks that sent everyone out of the ring.
Laredo Kid connected with a Michinoku Driver and then a Moonsault for a two count. Nick Jackson took out Laredo Kid and Fenix before tagging Matt into the match. Matt hit two Northern Lights Suplexes on Laredo Kid and then planted Lucha Brothers with a Northern Lights Suplex as well.
Kenny Omega tagged in and planted Laredo Kid with a Backbreaker for a two count. Laredo Kid went for a Crossbody off the top rope but Omega countered with a Dropkick. The Elite isolated Laredo Kid in the ring and Omega planted him with a German Suplex.
Pentagon Jr. hit Omega with a Backstabber that sent him out of the ring. Laredo Kick took out Nick Jackson with a Suicide Dive as Pentagon hit Matt with a Double Stomp for a near fall. Laredo Kid planted Omega with a Spanish Fly off the top rope and the crowd chanted “AEW!”.
A Superkick party broke out and The Elite knocked Lucha Brothers and Laredo Kid to the canvas. They followed that up with triple Powerbombs for a two count. Nick Jackson hit a ridiculous 450 Splash onto Fenix and Laredo Kid. Omega went for the cover but Pentagon kicked him in the head. Pentagon planted Nick Jackson with a Slingblade outside the ring as Omega hit Laredo Kid with the V-Trigger.
Fenix planted Omega with a Cutter and then got caught with a Neckbreaker from Nick Jackson. Omega hit Laredo Kid with the V-Trigger and then the Tiger Driver 98 for a new fall as it was announced that there are 10-minutes remaining in the match. Omega connected with the One Winged Angel on Laredo Kid for the pinfall victory.
If you are a fan of tag team wrestling, you will love this match. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and it was amazing to watch how great these teams worked together. A tag tournament to crowd the first champs is going to be a major part of the beginning of AEW’s TV show. I simply cannot wait for that.
Kenny Omega Got Revenge On Jon Moxley
Jon Moxley battled Joey Janela in an Unsanctioned Match to close out the show. Moxley got a huge reaction from the crowd as he made his way down to the ring. Moxley hit Janela with a few chops to start things off but Joey quickly fought back and sent Jon to the outside.
Moxley and Janela fought through the crowd and traded chops before making their way back to the ringside area. A fan handed Janela his prosthetic leg and hit Moxley with it. Jon was already busted open and sent Joey into the steel steps. Moxley brought a chair into the ring and Body Slammed Janela on top of it.
Janela tried to flip onto Moxley but Jon got out of the way and Joey crashed onto the chair. Moxley pulled out a chair wrapped in barbed wire from under the ring and brought it inside. Jon set up on Janela and stomped on it as the crowd chanted “you sick f*ck!”.
Moxley took a bow on the apron as Janela got back up. Joey hit Moxley with a Hurricanrana and Jon landed on the barbed wire. Joey then hit Moxley with the chair across the back and went for the cover but Jon kicked out at two. Blood streamed down Moxley’s back as he stumbled to his feet.
Joey set up a table in the corner but wound up hitting a Russian Leg Sweep off the apron and through a table outside the ring. Back in the ring, Moxley lifted Janela up and sprinted across the ring to drive him through the table. Moxley set up a couple tables outside the ring and Janela gave him the finger. Jon called him a mother f*cker punched him the face.
Moxley brought a barbed wire board into the ring and set it up in the corner. Janela lifted Moxley up onto his shoulders and slammed Jon through the barbed wire board. Moxley battled back with a Clothesline but turned around into a Clothesline that sent him to the apron.
Janela brought out a ladder from under the ring and set it up in the ring. Moxley dragged Janela back outside but Janela bounced Jon’s face off the steps several times. Joey set up Moxley on the tables and connected with an Elbow Drop off the ladder for a two count.
Joey set up another barbed wire board from the barricade to the apron and got back into the ring. Moxley hit Janela with a DDT and then delivered a Death Valley Bomb that sent Joey onto the barbed wire. Moxley unloaded a flurry of knees to Janela’s face and brought thumbtacks into the ring.
Moxley took off Joey’s shoes and socks as the crowd once again chanted “you sick f*ck!”. Jon sent Janela flying onto the thumbtacks and then slammed his feet on top of them. Joey flipped Moxley the bird once again and Moxley brought out more thumbtacks. Jon poured them all over the ring and planted Janela with the Paradigm Shift (formerly Dirty Deeds) for the pinfall victory.
The crowd chanted “AEW!” as Moxley hobbled to his feet. After the match, Kenny Omega ran down the entrance ramp and hit Moxley with the V-Trigger. Kenny hit a Piledriver on Moxley onto a table and followed it up with a Double Stomp. Omega hit Moxley with a microphone stand a couple of times and bounced his head off a drum kit.
Omega struck Moxley in the back with a guitar before heading backstage. Omega came back down with a trash can and beat the hell out of Jon with it. Kenny planted Moxley with the Paradigm Shift on the trash can and posed on the entrance ramp to close the show. Moxley was shown laughing on the ramp as Fyter Fest went off the air.
Jon Moxley is a hell of a lot more entertaining than Dean Ambrose. I enjoyed every second of this match and enjoyed the vast majority of this show. What went down in the main event tonight will be far more extreme than what happens at WWE Extreme Rules in a couple of weeks. Moxley and Janela put on a great match to close the show, but Moxley versus Omega has the potential to be special.
The only real criticism I have right now has to do with production. The entrance themes sounded muffled throughout the show and the camera missed a couple of spots again. While WWE’s production value might be superior right now, I’ll take AEW’s style of filming a match all day. I’ve been sick of every WWE match looking like the Bourne Supremacy with zoom-ins at each impact for a long time. If you are an adult that loves professional wrestling but has grown tired of the WWE product, you need to be watching AEW.
