AEW Fyter Fest PPV Results And Review: Building Towards Omega Vs. Moxley
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Watching a wrestling promotion's "PPV" event for free was a wonderful experience. And with that, we're talking about All Elite Wrestling's Fyter Fest, which took place on Saturday, June 29. While it is over, you can still watch a replay on B/R Live. You can find full results for the event below, and while Fyter Fest wasn't a barnburner of a show, it was a ton of fun, showcasing many different wrestling styles. There was a little something for everyone.
All Elite Wrestling had a stellar showing with its first event, Double or Nothing, last month. And now, Fyter Fest is here, and we'll be covering and reviewing the event live. You can find out the winners and losers as it happens below, followed by our opinions of each match a few minutes later.
When is the last time a wrestling promotion streamed an event for its fans for free? Honestly, I couldn't tell you. However, today, you can watch AEW's second event, Fyter Fest, for free. Details for how to do so are below.
In order to stream the show, you'll have to head over to B/R Live. More than likely, you'll have to create an account there, but you won't have to put in credit card information and there will be no charges to watch the event. It's free AEW. What's not to love?
However, there is a bit of a downside to all this. B/R Live doesn't have many options for you to watch. Both iOS and Android devices have an app, and you can supposedly cast from your devices, but during Double or Nothing, that was not something I could do. The app would timeout or crash. The best course of action, on my end, was to connect my TV to my computer, using an HDMI cable, and use it as an extra monitor. Using this method resulted in zero streaming issues as well.
Below, you'll find the full match card for Fyter Fest. If there are any changes leading up to the event, you'll find updates below.
Match Card:
- SCU (Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky) vs. Best Friends vs. Private Party (Winners get first round bye for AEW Tag Team Championship Tournament) -- Buy-In Pre-Show
- Christopher Daniels vs. Cima
- Michael Nakazawa vs. Alex Jebailey (Hardcore match)
- Yuka Sakazaki vs. Riho vs. Nyla Rose
- Hangman Page vs. Jungle Boy vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. MJF
- Cody vs. Darby Allin
- Jon Moxley vs. Joey Janela
- The Young Bucks & Kenny Omega vs. The Lucha Bros & Laredo Kid
As stated earlier, you'll find live updates for each match below and a review of each match soon after from GameSpot's Wrestle Buddies Chris E. Hayner and Mat Elfring--who will be showing up a couple matches late this evening.
SCU (Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky) vs. Best Friends vs. Private Party
(Winners get first round bye in the AEW Tag Team Championship tournament)
Winner: Best Friends by pin at 15:56
Chris: Before getting to the match itself, I want to touch on the fact that AEW is airing its second "pay per view" for free, to continue getting the company out there. It's not the kind of stacked card that Double or Nothing was, but it's also much higher-quality on paper than practically any show WWE has offered over the last year--at least as far as the main roster goes.
For me, the most interesting part of this match is Private Party, who were getting their first AEW exposure on this show and made the most of it. When your tag division includes the Young Bucks, Luchas Bros., SCU, and the Best Friends, it's hard to bring something new and exciting to the table, but their offense is fresh, and they quickly won over myself and the live crowd.
I'd also like to note I find AEW referee shirts distracting. The stripes are so thick, and I'm not sure why it bothers me, but it does. Anyway, this was such a hot opening to the show, and the audience was with it every step of the way. Each team got chants are various points, with so many impressive moves thrown out all over the ring--and outside of it.
In the end, Best Friends got the well-deserved win. But SCU looked great and stars were born Private Party. I cannot wait to see Private Party face the Bucks at some point and I'm beyond excited to see how this tag division continued to develop.
The only real flaw for me was the Dark Order angle at the end, which essentially led to nothing for a tag team gimmick that I'm already not crazy about.
7.5/10
"The Librarian" Leva Bates vs. Allie
Winner: Allie by pin at 8:49
Chris: I find the dueling librarians gimmick funny, though I honestly have no idea where it's going. This match was not announced previously, but it's one I welcome all the same, as it's the first singles match in AEW's women's division and it's between two rather talented wrestlers, one of which used to be known simply as Blue Pants.
The story of this match was Peter Avalon (the other librarian) distracting Leva from the outside, and I truly hope it eventually leads to an intergender match between the two. It also didn't capture the attention of the crowd the way the first bout did. I'm glad they're doing it on the pre-show, though. I also want to hug Excalibur for shouting out early-00s SoCal wrestling legend Super Dragon.
The quality of the match was petty good and got better toward the end. That said, it won't be one of the show's top matches, though a properly built rematch between the two could certainly deliver in a big way. Allie won with a superkick after yet another Avalon distraction, setting up further library wars.
6.5/10
Michael Nakazawa vs. Alex Jebailey
(Hardcore match)
Winner: Michael Nakazawa by pin at 9:02
Chris: Here's the thing: Mat and I love DDT Pro, where Michael Nakazawa comes from. As such, we have some serious expectations from Nakazawa in a hardcore match. We got a bit of it right off the bat with Nakawana piling up and Jebailey and the ref slipping and sliding around the ring, which is a lot of fun. There were also some fun weapons thrown into the mix, like a gaming fight stick, and the two taking the fight to an inflatable pool.
This was the right kind of silly for the pre-show and I love it. Were this one the main show I'd be disappointed, but as a kickoff sideshow attraction kind of match, I'm all for bodyslams into the pool and someone wielding a GameCube controller. Honestly, this was just dumb fun, and I'm glad we got to see it before the show properly kicked off. Good show, you two. Please come back soon.
7/10
Mat: What did I just walk into? I sit down, on the couch in my office, to see a GameCube controller being used as a weapon. Is this DDT Pro all over again? When will someone's ex-wife be used as a weapon? I may have missed more than half of this match, but I love Nakazawa now. He's exactly what I love about wrestling. I'm glad this was on the Pre-Show and not the main card. It worked so well here. This was just a really fun match. However, I've just been informed I missed Leva Bates, so I'm also a little bummed right now.
7.5/10
Christopher Daniels vs. Cima
Winner: Cima by pin at 9:39
Chris: Something interesting I noticed about this match is, at least early on, the crowd was far more disciplined than we expect from televised wrestling. They were much more in line with Japanese crowds and certain indy wrestling audiences, reacting to certain moves and sequences, rather than just being hyped throughout the match. Not having the other SCU members with Daniels certainly contributed to this vibe, and it's not an unwelcome one, at least for me. I can see those not accustomed to this wrestling style thinking the show isn't starting off hot, though.
The story told in this match was great, with these dudes seemingly throwing anything and everything they had at each other and playing up how it was tiring them both out. There were plenty of highlights, though my favorite came fairly early on when Daniels hit an Arabian Press moonsault across Cima's back and followed it up with a vicious STF.
Cima getting the win was the right call after SCU beat Strong Hearts at Double or Nothing. And bonus points go to the crowd, who got very involved by the end.
7/10
Mat: Two SCU matches on the same card. Thank you, AEW. Sure, this one is Daniels on his own, but I'm all about it. I was a little upset they revealed before the match started that Daniels was Curry Man. I refuse to believe they are the same person.
Anyway, what I'm really digging on here is the fact that it shows AEW is more than just an American showman-style of wrestling. While Daniels is an American wrestler, and Cima is part of the growing Chinese wrestling style, this felt like a Japanese match. It felt like I was watching a NJPW bout, with a dash of American showmanship thrown in. Everything concluded with Cima busting out some brutal-looking maneuvers and getting the win. It's nice to see OWE get a bit of a push here, since they lost at Double or Nothing, and Cima looks like he'll be the breakout star from that company. Real solid match.
7/10
Yuka Sakazaki vs. Riho vs. Nyla Rose
Winner: Riho pins Rose at 13:02
Chris: Yuka Sakazaki is winning me over for the same reason Kylie Rae did. I love happiness. No, seriously. They're so joyful. I'm still convinced Nyla is going to break her, though. Riho too, for that matter.
I've realized AEW loves the zooming in from the back of the arena camera shot in its production. While I don't blame them, because it looks great, it's used so often and so randomly that it is starting to lose some of that cool. While that's not a critique of this match, it was used here while nothing was happening in the ring, so there was nothing to zoom into, a move I found odd.
As for the story here, it's similar to Nyla's match as Double or Nothing where the smaller women worked to keep Rose and Awesome Kong on the outside while they westled their match. I understand why, as Nyla is a believable monster of a talent that should just bulldoze these two. But I was so happy when they finally worked her back into the match and she did some bumping for the two smaller women before throwing her brute force around. Simply sidelining Nyla isn't a good enough use of her talent and after Double or Nothing, I felt like we were missing out on what she was truly capable of.
As with Daniel vs. Cima, I also have to commend the blend of styles in this match. Nyla, against all odds, mixed in with the Japanese style of wrestling well and even had her own top rope highspot. But let's talk about that ending. I don't agree with it. That's the second show in a row where Nyla has come up short and he even ate the pin in this one.
The finish was well-orchestrated, but building up Nyla is a beast should be a priority right now. At least, that's how I view it.
6.5/10
Mat: I think I picked Riho to win, but Yuka is my favorite out of this group. When those two shook hands before the match, it made me the happiest, like when the Best Friends hug. Also, AEW hates putting any filler between matches, so I'm scrambling to write this and get the next match ready on-site.
I like the blend of the smaller Japanese style, with lots of quickness and unbelievable moves, alongside Nyla Rose, who is a beast. I do feel there were a few times where these styles clashed and Nyla couldn't keep up with Riho and Yuka though. Nyla needs to be in the ring with Awesome Kong. I'm dying for that match. Anyway, with a match like this, I'm looking for a specific moment, and that's when the two smaller wrestlers take on the behemoth. We got that, it was satisfying, and it's almost the backbone of the match. Riho and Yuka team up against Nyla, then fight each other. That's great in-ring storytelling.
I love, love, love the finish here. It took me completely by surprise, as I didn't see Riho getting Nyla with the roll-up. Yes, that's two losses in a row for Nyla, and I'm not exceptionally keen on that, but I do love that AEW is really highlighting the Japanese women here.
6.5/10
Hangman Page vs. Jungle Boy vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. MJF
Winner: Page pins Havoc at 10:49.
Chris: I love MJF. We don't even need a match, just let him mock the audience for 15 minutes. While this match is all about getting Page and MJF to mix things up in the ring, I like the additional components quite a bit--especially Jungle Boy. Jungle Boy is still fairly new to the scene, but he's so talented and with his own pet wrestling dinosaur, he's clearly destined for greatness.
The Tower of Doom crashing down onto MJF was a fantastic spot that looked downright painful, but was so good. It also marked the moment the intensity from everyone got turned up a notch. Well, everyone but MJF who trash talked Page from the outside, continuing to be one of the best pesky heels in the business.
All in all, this match was a lot of fun, even without Page finally getting is hands on MJF. This is a feud that can be drawn out past the first AEW title match--which Page should win. This wasn't the spotfest I expect from of the later matches on the show to be, but what a fun match to watch. All four men gave it their all and this bout made me excited to see more of them in the future.
7.5/10
Mat: MJF is my favorite working-heel in wrestling. He's amazing on the mic, and I loved him tearing into the crowd. He reminds me of a young Chris Jericho with his mic skills, but better. Also, Jungle Boy came out on Luchasaurus's shoulders. I'm already having a blast with this match, and it's just the entrances. I do kinda want to talk about MJF for the entire review, but there's more people here, like Luchasaurus… ok, I'll stop.
I spent a lot of time messaging Chris my favorite lines from MJF from the match, like "Jungle Jabroni"--when referring to Jungle Boy. Also, talking about how Hangman Page should be a huge star. Yes, we talk during every match, while writing this.
This wasn't a barnburner, but it was a great highlight reel for MJF and Jungle Boy, and I love how AEW is giving them the spotlight here. It's fun, and that's all I really wanted. Page winning was an obvious conclusion, even though I will always predict MJF to win every match he's in, and All Elite Wrestling is looking to really push Page as the face of the company, and I'm cool with that.
7/10
Cody vs. Darby Allin
Draw: 20 Minute Time Limit Expired
Chris: What I liked about this match early on was how Cody seemed sort of perplexed about how to handle Darby, who is incredibly quick and hard to keep up with. Every time Cody tried to slow him down of ground him, it blew up in his face. When it finally built to Cody losing his temper and slapping Allin across the face, it just worked for me.
Mat disagrees, but I loved it. And it made Cody's becoming a brute feel more earned as he figured out the best way to slow Darby down. That, of course, led to Darby fighting a bit dirtier to get the upper-hand. This back-and-forth shifting in the balance of power made this match exciting for me to track.
This was a star-making match for Darby, as his constant work on Cody's arm was very well-done and that missed coffin drop was utterly insane. He stuck with Cody, who continues to carry himself like a top star, every step of the way and it made for a very good match, perhaps my favorite of the night thus far. And that it went to a time was perfect.
However, I can't not address the post-match angle that saw Shawn Speas hit Cody in the head, full force, with a steel chair. It justed the back of Cody's head open and was a horrible choice made by all involved. There is no room in professional wrestling for this kind of garbage anymore and it erased my excitement about the match.
I truly hope Cody is okay but I want Tony Kahm, Cody, and the rest of AEW's inner-circle to seriously rethink their strategy if chair shots to the head are acceptable in AEW. I want to be an AW fan but this sort of thing is something I cannot support and that the commentators talked about how awful it was while constantly reairing the clip was a choice I don't like. I can't give this match a rating after that.
No rating/10
Mat: Unlike Chris, I was a bit bored with the "feeling out" process in the early moments of this match. I wanted something to happen, but it was a whole lot of Cody staring at Darby Allin because Allin is weird. Six minutes in, and what we have at least 5 minutes of is negative space. I understand it all from a story aspect, but I want the pace to be picked up a bit, especially after the insane Dustin/Cody match last month which had epic levels of in-ring storytelling.
Is Darby Allin ok? I'm worried about his back after falling off the top rope onto the edge of the apron. Alright, I shall say I was wrong about the match at this point, and this turned out to be great. I loved that it went to a time limit. I just love the fact there was a time limit. Sure, it had a slow start, but the match itself ended up being fantastic.
Ok, now let's talk about everything happening after the match, which could have been great, but was the worst. Shawn Spears came down and hit Cody in the head with a chair. Cody was bleeding and looked like he was in another world. Whether or not Cody is actually hurt, chair shots to the head should NOT be a part of wrestling anymore. We've learned so much about concussions and their long term effects, and AEW going back to talking about CTE testing was a bit disgusting. Let's think about the safety of the wrestlers, please.
No rating
The Young Bucks & Kenny Omega vs. The Lucha Bros & Laredo Kid
Winner: Kenny pins Laredo Kid at 20:28
Chris: I love the Street Fighter ring gear and entrance for The Elite, which was eaten up by an audience of gamers. And this match was exactly what you expected from these six. The pace was ridiculously fast, the jumps were high, and everything looked incredible. It's exactly what I needed after that last match.
In a bout like this, it's hard to pull out specific spots because everything is so impressive and fun to watch. That said, I'm a sucker for a V Trigger, so watching Kenny throw knees is always exciting. And I'll never say no to a Superkick Party. Hell, we even got a Hadouken Party in a moment that ignited the crowd.
The Elite winning the match works in my book, and I'm glad the ending was a Kenny Omega showcase. The dude is going to be the biggest star in this company, and he already might be. Plus he's the reason Fyter Fest happened. This match was aces, top to bottom, and I would gladly watch these six go time after time. If only JR sounded less like an out of touch grandfather around all of the video game references.
8.5/10
Mat: Matt Jackson dressed as Ryu, Nick as Ken, and Kenny as Akuma. I love the Elite so much. Justin Roberts also intro'd the match by saying, "Round 1, Fight!" Perfect. What a huge tonal shift from what happened in the last match. Also, stylistically, there is a huge change here as well. Cody/Allin was slow paced, and this was big spot after big spot, which we all expected.
Sorry. I'm not writing a lot here because I'm really just sitting back and enjoying the madness that is the Young Bucks and Lucha Bros. Laredo Kid and Kenny Omega are the perfect addition to this rivalry for Fyter Fest. It's just non-stop fun. This is what I need in my life.
Who's legal? Who cares? This is real-life Looney Tunes. Don't believe me? The Elite hadouken'd Lucha Bros and Laredo Kid. I also like that JR has no clue what Street Fighter is. He's a fish out of water here. Anyway, this was a very satisfying match.
8/10
Jon Moxley vs. Joey Janela
(Non-sanctioned Match)
Winner: Moxley pins Janela at 20:01
Chris: It's time to come clean. I don't love hardcore matches. People making each other bleed isn't my kind of professional wrestling, though I understand it appeals to some. And that's fine, even if I'm convinced Joey Janela is going to kill himself every 30 seconds. I love that Moxley has "found himself" after WWE but wrestling on barbed wire isn't an upgrade from whatever he was doing in WWE. So I'm far more excited to see what he does against Kenny Omega at All Out than getting hardcoe with Janela here.
That said, both of these men clearly thought out their big spots, including the barbed wire chair sequence and the tables that fell victim to the match. That's also where the match starts falling apart for me, though. Janela jumping off a ladder from inside of the ring to put Mox through a table on the outside is an insane moment that should be a match-ender. Instead, it's just another disturbing sequence.
By the time the thumbtacks came out, this was a hard one for me. Don't get me wrong, this was a very good match and a crowd-pleaser. It made Janela look strong and Mox look like a top tier star. It's just not the type of wrestling I like to watch.
I enjoyed the post-match angle, though, which saw Kenny Omega get retribution against Mox by beating the tar out of him. My fear is this will lead to a hardcore match between the two, rather than a straight-up wrestling match. Hopefully that's not the case.
7/10
Mat: The Justin Roberts intro for this match is so dumb. It's unsanctioned. We get it. I don't know why this is the stipulation. Just make it a falls count anywhere or hardcore match. If it's unsanctioned, then why do they get entrances? There was also an official ref there and ring bell. This feels sanctioned, AEW.
As soon as Moxley pulled out the barb-wire wrapped chair, I knew we were heading into my least favorite type of wrestling: deathmatches. I don't want to see wrestlers getting cut up and beating each other with weapons. I like the wrestling aspect of wrestling. However, I will say that I do give AEW some respect for showcasing this style because All Elite Wrestling doesn't have a specific style. Throughout the night, we've seen numerous different types of styles, so there is something for everyone. However, the closer of this night is not for me.
There was a lot of madness happening in the ring. Lots of barbed wire, broken tables, etc. Joey putting that 10 foot tall ladder in the ring made me very uncomfortable, as a man who has one in order to clean his gutters. Watching Joey jump off that from the ring to ringside terrified me, but that's Joey's whole schtick.
Well, when the thumbtacks came out, I was done. This is not what I want in wrestling. This is not for me, and it is extremely hard to objectively rate a match like this, as I actively avoid the majority of stuff like this. That in no way means this was a bad match. In fact, it was a great match. It developed both these characters, showed how far they will go, and it really set up Moxley as a force to be reckoned with.
8/10