Night 1 of Fyter Fest aired live from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. It was announced that the AEW Championship match between Jon Moxley ( and Brian Cage was postponed to AEW Fight for the Fallen on July 15th. Kenny Omega & Hangman Page defended their AEW Tag Team Championships against Best Friends in the main event. Taz took an epic shot at WWE’s COVID-19 testing and said AEW doesn’t run a “sloppy shop” in a promo tonight.
Fyter Fest (Night 1) Results
- Jurassic Express def. MJF & Wardlow
- Hikaru Shida def. Penelope Ford to retain the AEW Women’s Championship
- Cody def. Jake Hager to retain the TNT Championship
- Private Party def. Santana & Ortiz to earn a shot at the tag titles next week
- Hangman Page & Kenny Omega def. Best Friends to retain the AEW Tag Team Championships
Here are 5 takeaways from Night 1 of Fyter Fest:
Jurassic Express Picked Up A Win
MJF and Wardlow came down to the ring to begin Fyter Fest. Maxwell complained about having to face Jungle Boy again and figured that he would have more fun at home counting his daddy’s money. MJF said he was confused why this match was even happening and then realized it is happening because it is happening because they are in a ratings war. MJF added that AEW expects to get a win because they are leading off with him. Wardlow and MJF faced Luchasaurus & Jungle Boy in a tag team match.
Match Recap: Jungle Boy leveled MJF with a Clothesline but MJF knocked him out of the ring. Wardlow launched Jungle Boy into the ring post and rolled him back inside. MJF and Wardlow took turns beating MJF down before Luchasaurus tagged in. Luchasaurus booted Wardlow in the side of the head and knocked him to the canvas. Wardlow got back and traded punches with Luchasaurus in the middle of the ring.
Luchasaurus connected with another kick to Wardlow’s face and followed it up with a slam. Jungle Boy tagged in and Clothesline MJF to the outside. Jungle Boy hit two Suicide Dives and followed it up with a flip onto MJF before the action returned to the ring. Luchasaurus then hit Wardlow with a massive Senton as an AEW chant broke out.
Back in the ring, Jungle Boy hit MJF with a Cutter but Wardlow broke up the cover. Wardlow set up for the F10 but Jungle Boy countered into a Hurricanrana. Wardlow immediately hopped up and leveled Jungle Boy with a Clothesline. Jungle Boy planted MJF with a Destroyer as Marko Stunt tried to hit Wardlow with a Crossbody. He caught him and sent Marko flying onto Jungle Boy outside the ring.
MJF hit Luchasaurus with a low blow and rolled him up but he kicked out at two. Wardlow hit Luchasaurus with a Senton off the top rope but Luchasaurus kicked out once again. MJF put on the Dynamite Diamond Ring but accidentally hit Wardlow. Jungle Boy sent MJF out of the ring and planted Wardlow with a DDT. Luchasaurus then hit Wardlow with a Shooting Star Press for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: Fyter Fest started off with an excellent tag team match that once again showed how ridiculously well MJF and Jungle Boy work together. I’m looking forward to watching many more matches between those two in the years to come.
Hikaru Shida Retained In A Great Match With Penelope Ford
Hikaru Shida defended the AEW Women’s Championship against Penelope Ford tonight at Fyter Fest. Kip Sabian wanted to be ringside but referee Aubrey Edwards immediately kicked him out. Sabian took Shida’s kendo stick backstage with him.
Match Recap: Shida dominated the action early and hit Ford with a knee to the face. Penelope rolled out of the ring and Hikaru hit her with a Dropkick through the ropes. Back in the ring, Ford battled back and bounced Shida’s face off the top turnbuckle several times. Penelope hit a running kick (Helluva Kick) and went for the cover but Shida kicked out at two.
When Fyter Fest returned, Penelope Ford was in control and had Shida in a Headlock. Hikaru broke free but Ford planted her with a reverse DDT for a near fall. Ford went for a Stunner but Shida countered into a Sleeper Hold. Shida hit a Backbreaker and went for the cover but Ford kicked out at two. Shida went for the Falcon Arrow but Ford countered into a roll-up for a near fall. Ford followed it up with a Stunner for a near fall. Penelope got out of the ring and grabbed the title. Referee Aubrey Edwards stopped her as Kip Sabian rushed the ring. Shida took the kendo stick out of his hand and hit him over the head with it. Penelope capitalized on the distraction and hit another Stunner for a two count. Penelope climbed to the top rope and went for a Moonsault but Shida got out of the way. Shida hit a knee to the face and followed it up with a Falcon Arrow but Penelope kicked out at two. Hikaru then hit Ford with a running knee to the face for the pinfall victory. Hikaru Shida is still the AEW Women’s Champion.
Opinion: Penelope Ford has been making a name for herself on recent episodes of Dynamite and she put on a great match with Hikaru Shida tonight. AEW has been criticized for not putting enough emphasis on their women’s division and hopefully it continues to get better over time. Ford and Shida delivered a great title match tonight and this performance should help Penelope become a bigger star.
Hager Punched The Referee In The Face After Losing To Cody
Cody defended the TNT Championship against Jake Hager tonight at Fyter Fest. Catalina accompanied Hager to the ring.
Match Recap: Hager controlled the match early and beat Cody down in the corner of the ring. Cody battled back and knocked Jake out of the ring. Cody hit him with a Crossbody and brought Jake back into the ring. Cody went for another Crossbody but Jake caught him. Cody escaped and locked in the Figure Four in the middle of the ring. Jake attacked Arn Anderson and sent him into the barricade. Hager then planted Cody with a German Suplex on the floor outside the ring as Fyter Fest went to a break.
When Fyter Fest returned, Hager was in control and brought Cody out of the ring. Jake was about to slam Cody into the ring post but Arn got in the way. Cody sent Hager into the ring post and rolled him back into the ring. Cody leaped off the top rope and hit Jake with a Cutter and followed it up with a Powerslam for a two count.
Jake battled back with a Hager Bomb for a near fall. Cody planted Hager with a reverse DDT and went for the cover but Hager kicked out at two. Hager applied an Ankle Lock but Cody fought through the pain and grabbed the bottom rope to break the hold. Catalina slapped Cody in the face as Dustin Rhodes in the face. Hager locked in a choke but Cody countered into a pin for the victory. Hager thought he won the match and punched the referee in the face.
Opinion: Every Cody match takes me back a couple of decades and I love it. His matches are physical and almost always involve some kind of shenanigans like what we saw at the end of this match tonight. I’m assuming Hager is going to be “suspended” due to his actions after the match.
Private Party Earned A Shot At The AEW Tag Titles At Night 2 Of Fyter Fest
Private Party (w/ Matt Hardy) faced Santana & Ortiz tonight on Fyter Fest. Orange Cassidy came down to the announce table and sat near Chris Jericho to piss him off.
Match Recap: Private Party controlled the action early as Quen hit a Moonsault off the middle rope but Santana kicked out at two. Ortiz tagged in and planted Kassidy with a DDT. Private Party battled back during the commercial break and took control of the match. When Fyter Fest returned, Ortiz and Quen were battling in the ring.
Santana tagged in and hit Marq with a chop to the chest. Isiah tagged in and launched Ortiz out of the ring. Kassidy hit Santana with several shots to the face and followed it up with a spinning dive onto Ortiz and Santana outside the ring. Back in the ring, Kassidy hit Ortiz with a Swanton Bomb for a near fall.
Ortiz Powerbombed Quen and Santana followed it up with a Cannonball in the corner of the ring. Santana sent Kassidy into the barricade and brought the madball into the ring. Matt Hardy ripped it away as Kassidy hit Ortiz with a Slingblade. Private Party then planted Santana with Gin & Juice for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Jericho launched a drink at Orange Cassidy and tried to attack him but was held back.
Omega & Hangman Retained The AEW Tag Team Championships
Kenny Omega and Hangman Page defended their AEW Tag Team Championships against Best Friends in the main event of Night 1 of Fyter Fest. Trent’s mom drove Best Friends to Daily’s Place.
Match Recap: Omega and Chuck started the match off by trading shots in the ring. Trent and Hangman tagged in and Trent connected with a Belly to Back Suplex. Chuck tagged in and planted Hangman with a Suplex for a two count. Hangman battled back with a Suplex of his own and tagged Omega in. Kenny sent Chuck to the outside and hit Trent with a Backbreaker for a two count.
Omega sent Trent to the canvas and tagged in Page. Hangman connected with a Shooting Star Press and went for the cover but Trent kicked out at two. FTR showed up with a couple of lawn chairs and a cooler and took a seat next to the announce table. When Dynamite returned from a break, Trent leveled Hangman with a Clothesline as FTR enjoyed some beer on the stage.
Chuck flipped onto Omega and Page outside the ring and then beat Hangman down against the barricade. Trent hit Omega with a Suicide Dive and then Chuck sent Kenny flying onto Hangman. Back in the ring, Hangman planted Trent with a Fallaway Slam and followed it up with a massive Clothesline.
Omega tagged in and planted Trent with a Brainbuster for a two count. Omega went for a Moonsault but Trent got his knees up. Trent hit Omega with a knee to the face and tagged in Chuck. Taylor hit Omega with a Piledriver for another near fall. Omega battled back with a Snap Dragon Suplex. Trent tagged in and walked right into a Snap Dragon Suplex from Omega.
Hangman tagged in and hit Best Friends with a Splash in the corner. Chuck dragged Omega out of the ring and Best Friends hit Strong Zero on Hangman but Kenny broke up the cover at the last moment. Chuck planted Omega with the Awful Waffle that sent Kenny out of the ring. Hangman booted Chuck out of the ring and hit Trent with an elbow to the face.
Page went for a Powerbomb but Trent escaped. Trent rolled up Hangman for a near fall. Hangman battled back and connected with the Dead Eye for a two count. Page leveled Trent with the Buckshot Lariat for the pinfall victory. Page and Omega are still AEW Tag Team Champions and will defend the titles against Private Party next week at Night 2 of Fyter Fest.
After the match, FTR came down to the ring and offered Omega and Hangman a beer. The champions accepted and Hangman guzzled down the beer as Kenny poured it on the floor outside the ring. FTR got pissed off but Young Bucks rushed the ring and broke it up. The teams argued as Night 1 of Fyter Fest went off the air.
Opinion: Night 1 of Fyter Fest featured several great matches and I’m definitely looking forward to Night 2 next week. It sucks that the AEW Championship match was delayed a week but it was the right call with Moxley’s wife, Renee Young, testing positive for COVID-19. There are still several matches that should be great on next week’s show.