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The spectacular success of Double or Nothing created high expectations. Though Fyter Fest was a comparatively smaller event, All Elite Wrestling still needed to prove that its maiden show wasn't a one-hit wonder. The hard work comes in producing consistent quality and to be a viable promotion. With weekly television a few months away, the upstart company needed to prove it was here to stay.
Despite a wobbly pre-show, AEW did just that. Once the main show got underway, no match failed to make at least a good impression. There wasn't anything of super brilliance at Double or Nothing, but each match was solid, and more importantly, there was no filler. All major storylines advanced, new ones were created, and no one looked bad even in defeat.
It was again, a refreshing contrast to the typical WWE formula. AEW isn't a one-hit wonder.
Let's take a look at each match in depth.
#9 Allie vs. Leva Bates
There's no getting around this. This was the sore thumb on the night and was a horrendous debut singles match for AEW's women's division. Leva Bates' librarian gimmick flopped at Double or Nothing and it flopped even worse last night. There was no heat to the promo, where Bates and her co-librarian, Peter Avalon told the crowd they needed to read more. This gimmick needs to be gotten rid of with all due speed.
Allie was far from impressive, either. The entire match felt disjointed as the two competitors showed zero chemistry with one another. The spots with Peter Avalon and the books felt very forced and the ending fell flat.
It was easily the worst match to take place under the AEW banner so far. Hopefully, Tony Khan and the Elite are parsing over what went wrong here and will make the necessary changes.
#8 Michael Nakazawa vs. Alex Jebailey
After the disaster that was Allie vs. Leva Bates, this wasn't the best way for Fyter Fest to get back onto a solid footing, with a non-wrestler in Alex Jebailey taking to the ring, but it surprised somewhat as the match continued.
Though it was puzzling to see Alex Jebailey in the ring, to begin with, he wasn't bad by the standards of a non-wrestler, taking some big bumps to sell the match. It turned into a fun little comedy match despite its technical badness and it ended in the right way with Michael Nakazawa going over.
It's nothing to go back and watch again, but stuff like this does have its place in professional wrestling.
#7 Adam Page vs. MJF vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Jungle Boy
This was a solid, if unspectacular, match in the middle of the card. Adam Page winning was no surprise and the right call, given his match with Jericho at All Out, though I'm not sure I see the big deal with him, to be honest. He doesn't scream "main event guy" to me from what I've seen of him so far.
Jungle Boy was the most over guy in the match, and despite his size, surprised with a lot of fun spots.
MJF stole the show with his promo beforehand. He's a guy that has main event star written all over him. It's going to be extremely entertaining watching him on television starting this fall.
#6 Cima vs. Christopher Daniels
This was a solid opening match for the main show between two highly respected veterans of the business. The momentum seesawed back and forth as each man put his moves in, but it was no surprise to see Cima going over in the end. He has a match with Kenny Omega at Fight for the Fallen just two weeks from now, after all.
Christopher Daniels, in the meantime, should be a big player in the tag team division with the rest of SCU, so he loses nothing here, just as Cima won't lose much when he inevitably falls to Omega on July 13th.
#5 Best Friends vs. SoCal Uncensored vs. Private Party
This was a good way to get things started on a pre-show which would, unfortunately, falter afterwards. The faltering of the rest of that first hour made this match stand out more. All three teams were solid here, as they battled for advantage in the upcoming tournament to determine the maiden AEW tag team champions.
Private Party was the team that stole the show here, as they got over with their fun spots and got to show off their charisma. Even in defeat, they gained. Now we want to see more of them.
Best Friends, however, continued their momentum from Double or Nothing and won again, giving them an opportunity for some advantages in the tournament.
#4 Riho vs. Yuka Sakazaki vs. Nyla Rose
Thankfully, this match made up for the trainwreck that was Allie vs. Leva Bates and put the AEW women's division back on firmer footing. Nyla Rose was wobbly as the match began, but Riho and Yuka Sakazaki carried the contest and made sure that it was never worse than good. Nyla got better as things went on, acting as the powerhouse against the two smaller competitors in the match.
There were some legitimately thrilling spots. Yuka Sakazaki is a gem. At Double or Nothing and again last night, she was the most over star in the match. She has the potential to be the best babyface in the division.
Riho's victory was the surprise of the night. I had assumed she was just there to take the pin from Nyla Rose, who AEW seemed to be building as a big monster. Either way, Nyla didn't look stupid in a shock defeat, and it showed that AEW is taking its Joshi stars seriously, which is a good call, given that they anchored the match.
#3 The Elite vs. The Lucha Brothers and Laredo Kid
Thankfully, this wasn't the overlong, psychologically incongruent spotfest we saw from the Bucks at Double or Nothing. This was a fun sprint where each guy got to show off his offence and sell as appropriate.
The homage to Street Fighter from the Elite was a nice touch and got the crowd amped up before the match began.
In the end, Kenny Omega got the victory for his team, which was predictable, but the right call. It was good to see the One Winged Angel again and it puts him in a good position heading into Fight for the Fallen. We weren't finished seeing Omega with the match, though.
#2 Jon Moxley vs. Joey Janela
This wasn't a technical masterpiece by any means, but it was never meant to be. This was a match built entirely on shock value, and in that regard, it did everything it needed to do.
Seeing Jon Moxley taking those bumps onto the barbed wire hearkened back to how he first made a name for himself before going to WWE. Joe Janela matched up with him well and the match kicked into high gear when Moxley brought out the thumbtacks. Moxley taking Janela's boots off and slamming his feet into the thumbtacks was particularly brutal and brought back some ghastly images from years gone by.
Moxley's victory was no surprise and it really put his character over. The crowd was unfortunately dead during the beatdown from Omega afterwards, but it was a nice preview of what's sure to be a show stealer at All Out.
#1 Cody vs. Darby Allin
Once again, Cody took home the match of the night trophy at an AEW show. First, he gave his 50-year-old brother the best match of his long career. Now he put a young up and comer on the map.
Darby Allin lived up to the hype the commentary team was giving him as the cockroach that refused to go away. He was a pest and sadistic at the same time as Cody repeatedly struggled with the upstart.
The body bag lying in the corner was a bit of an eyesore through most of the match but factored in a big way at the end as Cody put Allin in it and used it toward the finish.
That finish was a draw.
It was a great touch. Of all the AEW superstars' stocks, Allin's increased the most on the night. He should be fun to watch going forward.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
