AEW Fight for the Fallen 2019: 5 Mistakes made at the show

AEW is still working out some kinks as they prep for their TV debut this fall.
AEW is still working out some kinks as they prep for their TV debut this fall.

For the most part, All Elite Wrestling's Fight for the Fallen was a pretty straight-forward wrestling show. It started with the match between Sonny Kiss and Peter Avalon and ended with a check being presented to the VAAC (Victims Assistance Advisory Council) by the members of AEW and Jaguars' owner Shad Khan.

Some of the matches had the expected outcomes - the Lucha Brothers beat SCU and Adam Page topped Kip Sabian. Consistency is a good thing to have in wrestling as it can be relied upon, but too much of the same thing can sometimes water things down.

While most of the matches delivered in one way or another, there were a few things that appeared in too many of the matches on the card. AEW has already set itself apart from how WWE does business, but they still need to fine tune both the in-ring product and how to use varied booking tactics.

There were no matches that stood out for being bad, but there were some things that AEW could have done much better at Fight for the Fallen. Here are five mistakes made by AEW at its last show before All Out.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article belong to the writer and doesn't necessarily represent Sportskeeda's stand.


#5 Inconsistent commentary during Page/Sabian match

C'mon, JR. You know that spitting is bad regardless of who it comes from.
C'mon, JR. You know that spitting is bad regardless of who it comes from.

This "mistake" is more of a nitpick from me. One of the things that can really help or hurt a match is the commentary. Byron Saxton and Corey Graves always arguing takes away from SmackDown matches while the same can be said between Graves and Renee Young during RAW. That's more of Graves being an arrogant heel commentator.

Since Jim Ross is a legend of the sport, he gets more slack than some of the newer commentators like Alex Marvez. Of the three commentators for AEW, Excalibur is far and away the best. Ross is still a legend, but he was a huge ally of Stone Cold Steve Austin, otherwise known as the biggest anti-hero in the sport.

During the match between Page and Sabian, there was a point where Page spit on Sabian. He initiated an act that is usually seen as a huge sign of disrespect. None of the commentators made a big deal of it.

But a few minutes later, once Sabian had the upper hand, he returned the favor by spitting back onto Page. Right after he did so, Ross called the act "unsavory". Was it not the same when Page did it, or is it not so because he is the handpicked golden boy?

All I am saying is that neither man was clearly the face or the heel, but they both did the same gross thing.

Only one man got some what blasted for it on commentary. Be consistent when you call the match, especially if you aren't ascribing to the heel/face commentator dynamic.

#4 Too many of the same moves used across most matches

The Young Bucks are known for their 'Superkick Party', but the entire roster used the move at Fight for the Fallen.
The Young Bucks are known for their 'Superkick Party', but the entire roster used the move at Fight for the Fallen.

When you are set to watch a Young Bucks' match, you know to expect some crazy spots, fluid movements between moves and a plethora of Superkicks.

They provided all of those things in their main-event match with Cody and Dustin Rhodes at Fight for the Fallen, but the problem was that almost every other match on the card also did.

From the tag team match between SCU and the Lucha Brothers to the women's tag team match to the triple threat tag team match, all three bouts saw wrestlers use suicide dives, Superkicks and double stomps.

I understand that there are basic moves that almost everyone in the business uses, but if you want your product to stand out and "be its own thing", then you need to switch up some of the matches and moves used in those matches.

If you let everyone do the same moves, then there is little difference in the bouts and thus a lack of creativity.

The Elite and most of the members of the roster have shown themselves to be some of the most creative performers in the world. But when you rely on the same things in the same nine or ten matches on a PPV, then the lack of variation can be somewhat boring.

#3 Darby Allin takes the pin in the six-man tag team match

One of the hottest prospects has yet to win a match in AEW.
One of the hottest prospects has yet to win a match in AEW.

Perhaps it is being done deliberately or perhaps not, but in the six-man tag team match at FFTF, Darby Allin was pinned by Shawn Spears. It might have been done to further their war of words after Allin claimed that Spears overshadowed his AEW debut.

But if it isn't being done of purpose, then AEW has cost one of the hotter prospects in the business some much-needed momentum going forward.

Allin received probably the loudest ovation during the match but got in little offense. Being able to take punishment is part of his gimmick, but through two matches so far, he hasn't been allowed to showcase a lot of offense.

If the faces were going to lose, then it would have been a better option to have Jimmy Havoc or Joey Janela take the pin.

Janela's match with Jon Moxley has been called unsanctioned and thus doesn't count regarding the records in AEW. Havoc, albeit having also already lost a match, can recover from losses due to his years and credibility in the business.

Regardless of who he faces at All Out, Allin needs to not only win but be showcased much better. It's apparent that they want him to be one of the stars of the future, but his start in the company has been lacking in a proper build.

#2 Too many matches with outside interference

Brandi Rhodes can give half of her win over Allie to Awesome Kong.
Brandi Rhodes can give half of her win over Allie to Awesome Kong.

Another go-to that AEW utilized throughout FFTF was the use of outside interference. If someone accompanied a wrestler to the ring and was present during the match, chances are that they stuck their noses into the matches.

It started out with the first match of the night but it wasn't a big deal. Leva Bates simply got on the ring apron to distract Sonny Kiss, but he ended up winning anyways. Peter Avalon wanted her to interfere more earlier in the match, but she just picked Kiss up and threw him back into the ring.

Christopher Daniels and Marko Stunt both interjected themselves into their respective matches and did so right in front of the referee's eyes. They appeared shocked when they got tossed out.

And the most blatant but acceptable outside interference was how Awesome Kong help led to Brandi Rhodes beating Allie. While Brandi's win is okay since Kong interfered, that's four matches that used the same trope. That's also almost half of the matches on the same card.

Once again, AEW needs to use some varied tactics to cause matches to stand out from each other. Just as WWE gets criticized for using roll-ups and "X has pinned the champion" multiple times in the same night, AEW needs to try and use alternatives to make their matches stand apart from each other.

#1 No Jon Moxley presence

Even if he couldn't appear at the show, they could have used a pre-recorded promo to allow Moxley to have a presence on the show.
Even if he couldn't appear at the show, they could have used a pre-recorded promo to allow Moxley to have a presence on the show.

I know that he was busy in Japan with New Japan's G1 Climax Tournament action, but a huge glaring omission from FFTF was a lack of presence in any form of Jon Moxley. He's already helped to make the promotion exciting and "must-see", but not having him in Jacksonville hurt the build of the match at All Out.

Instead of getting in the ring or showing up, AEW could have aired a brief promo from the former Dean Ambrose. We could have heard him talk about what he plans to do to Omega after the attack at Fyter Fest. Or he could have blasted Omega in other ways. A simple, pre-taped promo could have at least let us remember of Moxley's looming presence rather than having a commentator mention him during a match.

Another way he could have been used was by a pre-taped segment backstage. If AEW wanted to continue the promotion of the match between Omega and Moxley at All Out, then they could have either pre-recorded another attack or had Moxley "creeping" around backstage as if he's stalking Omega.

It's something that they could have done with their own time before he went back to Japan. Although we know that the time lapses are different and some segments aren't live when WWE uses this tactic, it at least keeps the wrestlers on the minds of the fans.

It also provides something different in the show and it could have been done between matches instead of having the commentators talk on camera every time between bouts.

People are aware that Moxley is going to be at All Out, but that is literally a month and a half away. Other than doing things on social media where some people might miss out, AEW missed out on having Moxley appear to wreak havoc in some way on their last broadcast before All Out.

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