0 of 6
Credit: AEW
The first Elite Wrestling Fyter Fest event in 2019 was a standard pay-per-event, but this year’s event has been changed to a two-night special that will cover this and next week’s Dynamite episode.
Management filled the first night with some major clashes that included most titles defended against top contenders.
Cody put the TNT Championship on the line against Jake Hager, Hikaru Shida defended the AEW Women’s World Championship against Penelope Ford and Kenny Omega and Adam Page’s team faced Best Friends with the belts at stake.
We also saw MJF and Wardlow fight Jurassic Express, and Private Party faced Santana and Ortiz in two games highlighting AEW’s tag team division.
Let’s take a look at everything that happened in this week’s Fyter Fest edition of AEW Dynamite.
1 of 6
Here is the lineup for the first night of Fyter Fest:
- MJF and Wardlow vs. Jurassic Express
- Private party against Santana and Ortiz
- Cody vs. Jake Hager (TNT Championship)
- Omega and Page vs. Best Friends (AEW Tag Team Championships)
- Hikaru Shida vs. Penelope Ford (AEW Women’s Championship)
2 of 6
MJF gave a promotion before the game with their usual wit. Jungle Boy started strong with a clothesline before MJF and Wardlow outplayed him to take control.
The arrogant MJF made a small show of mocking Luchasaurus before bringing Wardlow to launch Jungle Boy as a rag doll. They even avoided a human dinosaur tag using some classic heel tactics.
Luchasaurus finally managed to get into the ring and brought down the power plant with a flurry of kicks. MJF tagged as soon as he had a chance.
The two giants collided with a few power movements that put both men on the mat. Once Jungle Boy recovered, he eliminated his biggest rival with a few dives out of the ring. Luchasaurus did the same and pulled Wardlow out of the ring with a dive of his own.
Marko Stunt tried to get involved, but Wardlow ended up throwing him at the Jungle Boy. MJF tried to use his diamond ring as a weapon and ended up hitting Wardlow by mistake. This allowed Jurassic Express to take it out with a few moves to win.
Degree: yes
Analysis
As usual, MJF was on point with his mic work before the game. It’s so easy to hate him, and that’s what makes him one of the best heels in the company.
The work in the ring for both teams was good, but it was not up to the level we expected from AEW’s tag team division when it comes to accelerated excitement.
This fight had a more even pace, which really worked in his favor at certain points. He allowed small offensive explosions to have a greater impact.
This was a solid start because it was good but not so good that there was no room for improvement from everything that followed.
3 of 6
Referee Aubrey Edwards sent Kip Sabian out of the ring before the game started. As soon as the bell rang, Shida hit a running knee.
Ford tried to regain his composure, but she didn’t take the lead until they got the fight out of the ring. She threw the champion onto the barricade, but Shida came back and hit another knee running.
The challenger dodged another knee and hit the elbow from the back, followed by a German suplex for a close fall. We returned from a break to see Ford keeping Shida grounded in a camel clutch.
The champion broke free and applied a sleeping submission and a stretch before hitting a brutal backbreaker for another two count. He hit his trademark falcon arrow, but Ford countered the pin perfectly.
Both women almost achieved victory at various points. Sabian tried to interfere with a kendo stick, but Shida took it apart and used it to knock down her block. Ford kicked a couple of finalists before Shida hit one more knee in the face with the pin and victory.
Degree: A-
Analysis
Ford and Shida have quickly become two of the standout talents in the AEW women’s division, so it was great to see them fight for the title.
This was a competitive contest from start to finish. Both women took everything they had from their bag of tricks. Some of its unique counters were especially impressive.
This is easily the best Ford he has seen since coming to AEW, but Shida was the star here. They had a couple of sloppy moments, but those didn’t overshadow how many great moments they produced.
4 of 6
Cody was at an immediate disadvantage against the larger Hager. He quickly found himself on the mat after trying to speed toward him.
The TNT champion was knocked down with only one leg, but had to settle for a headlock when the big man refused to be knocked down. Both men managed to counter an ankle block presentation against each other.
Hager went after Arn Anderson, but Cody launched himself onto the top rope to cut it. Hager caught him in midair and slammed him against the mat to counter a disaster kick. This allowed him to have Anderson in his hands.
The champion tried to intervene, but the MMA fighter hit a suplex on the floor. Cody hit a beautiful top rope cutter when he started to gain some momentum.
Hager’s wife Catalina slapped Cody, but Goldust ran and matched the score by hitting Hager. This allowed The American Nightmare to take the lead. Hager went to submit, but Cody responded with a pin to retain the title.
Degree: yes
Analysis
Hager is a solid technical power, but we all knew Cody would have to do the heavy lifting when it comes to making this match exciting. He used a few high-flying movements more than usual.
They had good chemistry and had some impressive exchanges, but something about this match fell short compared to Cody’s other recent TNT title matches. It is difficult to say exactly what it was.
The ending was a little awkward, but it was different, and that’s always a good thing in professional wrestling.
5 of 6
Matt Hardy accompanied Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy to the ring for their match against Santana and Ortiz. Orange Cassidy was lounging by the bulletin board for some reason.
Kassidy and Santana started things for their teams. Santana gave him a free kick and laughed at Kassidy’s effort. This did not stop Private Party from using its high-flying dual team offensive feature to take control.
It didn’t take long for Ortiz to punish Kassidy in a submission to slow down a bit. After the commercial break, Private Party started to get some steam.
After a furious exchange of double-team moves, Quen was able to score victory for his team.
Degree: B +
Analysis
The first half of this match went exactly as one would expect. The private party was hot, but when we went to a commercial, the heels were in control.
Having no one else from The Inner Circle at ringside allowed Santana and Ortiz to shine on their own for once. Hardy was a passive presence who was there to provide support, so he was not distracted from the action.
This match provided the exciting kind of tag team action that AEW has become known for. Both duos were in top form and worked well with each other to create some interesting venues.
Private Party will be a huge contender for tag titles in no time if it continues to host performances like this.
6 of 6
Trent and Chuck Taylor showed up for their stylish title shot with Trent’s mom dropping them off in a minivan like they were teenagers who couldn’t drive a movie.
Taylor and Omega started the game with a quick exchange of counters and takedowns. It was a textbook opening for a tag match. Neither of them had a clear advantage. This prompted Page and Trent to tag and trade punches.
FTR finally came out on stage with some lawn chairs and a cooler to watch the last 10 minutes of the show when The Hangman and The Cleaner began to dominate.
We came back to see Best Friends making a comeback. Taylor made a great dive to eliminate Omega and isolate Page. Hangman defended himself and eliminated both men with a series of characteristic movements.
Trent responded to a moon jump from Omega, and Taylor followed with a spiky piledriver for a close count of two. They approached again with their finisher on Page, but Omega was there to break the pin. Hangman hit Buckshot Lariat for victory after a long trade.
The show ended with FTR offering a beer to the winners before arguing.
Degree: A-
Analysis
This was a great main event with four featured fighters. Shida and Ford should probably have been in the main event, but both bouts were worthy of the venue.
Winning the best friends would have been good, but the result of the match was not surprising. Whoever wins the eventual FTR vs. Young Bucks will likely be the team to win the belts next.
Ending the show with The Bucks and Omega arguing with Page and FTR was an interesting way to keep the story of tension between Omega and Hangman going.
.
