By Jake Barnett, ProWrestling.net Co-Senior Staffer (@barnettjake)
AEW Dynamite “Fyter Fest Night Two” (Episode 40)
Taped July 2, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place
Aired July 8, 2020 on TNT
[Hour One] The show kicked off the announce team of Excalibur, Jim Ross, and Tony Schiavone. Private Party made their entrance for the first match, and they were accompanied by Matt Hardy. Hangman Page was out next, followed by Kenny Omega.
1. Hangman Page and Kenny Omega vs. “Private Party” Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy (w/Matt Hard) for the AEW Tag Team Championship: Quen and Omega began the match, but things got out of control straight away. The Champs were in control early on, and the action spilled to the floor multiple times. Private Party got back into the match with a Double Spanish Fly on Hangman. Kassidy and Omega traded big shots, before both made tags out. Hangman powerbombed Kassidy onto Quen for a near fall of his own.
Private Party used their speed to keep Hangman from taking over the match. Kassidy landed an elbow on the apron that sent Omega out to the floor. Hangman tried for a buckshot lariat on the rampway, but Kassidy managed to block it and land a swinging DDT on the stage. Quen took to the top rope and landed a towering shooting star press, and Omega had to break up the tag. They set up for Gin and Juice on Hangman, but Omega broke it up with a V-Trigger. Hangman landed a powerbomb off the top rope on Quen. Omega and Page hit the Last Call on Kassidy for the win.
Kenny Omega and Hangman Page defeated Private Party at 11:32
The announce team ran down the card for the remainder of the show, including Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy, and up next is Lance Archer vs. Joey Janela…[c]
My Take: A well worked, yet predictable opener. Perhaps Hangman and Omega will end up involved in the big 8 man tag later involving FTR and The Bucks. I’m not sure where Private Party go from here, but they had a good showing. The Champions continue to put on matches that execute everything well, but still lack suspense.
Joey Janela made his entrance. Lance Archer followed, but he was carrying Sonny Kiss. He threw Kiss at Janela as he approached the ring.
2. Joey Janela (w/Sonny Kiss) vs. Lance Archer (w/Jake Roberts): Archer tossed Janela out to the floor and thrashed him around. He then tossed him back in the ring, but Janela hit the ropes and plowed into Archer with a baseball slide. Janela climbed to the top and dived on Archer on the floor. He then placed Archer on a table and grabbed a chair from ringside. He then went up top, but the referee pulled the chair away. Archer then hit the ropes and plowed into Archer full force, sending him into the ropes.
Archer then positioned Janela over the top rope and landed a lariat to the back of his head. Archer played to the crowd while he stomped away at Janela. After a moment, Janela showed some fire and landed some strikes, but he was shut down quickly by a heavy clubbing blow…[c]
Archer attacked Sonny Kiss and tossed Janela over the railing on the outside during the break. He tossed Janela with a vertical suplex as the show returned. Janela stunned Archer with a series of right hands, but struggled to knock him down with kicks and lariats. Archer eventually grabbed Janela by the throat and tossed him out to the apron. Archer set up Janela for his finisher, but he counted into a reverse DDT for a near fall.
Jake Roberts implored Archer to shut it down. Janela landed a Superkick followed by a knee strike. Jake Robers got up on the apron with his canvas bag, which allowed Janela and Kiss to land a back to back Flying Senton and 450 splash combo for a near fall. Archer managed to catch Janela on the top rope, and landed the Blackout through a table at ringside. He then tossed him back in the ring and covered for the win.
Lance Archer defeated Joey Janela at 11:17
After the match, they cut to a video package of Darby Allin doing some stunts with who I think was Travis Pastrana. He said he hadn’t forgotten about Brian Cage. In the arena, Taz made his entrance with Brian Cage. He was holding a black felt bag. Taz said they were supposed to have a match with Jon Moxley for the AEW Championship, but that was moved until next week. Taz said what was in the bag was the body of his life’s work. He then revealed the FTW Wrestling Championship.
He said no wrestling promotion has ever recognized it, but the man holding it is the baddest SOB in wrestling. He said Brian Cage would not go into his AEW World Championship Match uncrowned, because he is the FTW Champion. He looked at the camera and told Moxley he was done, and asked who was better than Brian Cage…[c]
My Take: Archer and Janela were a lot of fun. Both guys worked hard, and they delivered a very physical match without many mistakes that told the story of Janela’s fearlessness being his biggest asset and perhaps his downfall. Taz cut another very strong promo, but I question the relevance of the FTW Championship in 2020. I’m 36, and I remember the story around it fairly well, but is that true for most of the AEW audience? I guess we’ll see.
Butcher and Blade, along with the Lucha Bros, made their entrance in FTR’s classic truck that they stole a few weeks back. They were followed by FTR, and then the Young Bucks.
3. “The Young Bucks” Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson and “FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler vs. “Lucha Bros” Pentagon Jr. and Fenix and The Butcher & The Blade: Pentagon and Nick Jackson started the match. They brawled briefly before Nick tagged Dax Harwood, who entered and continued the abuse. Quick tags commenced between the members of FTR, who continued to isolate Pentagon Jr. After avoiding a splash in the corner, Pentagon landed a loud slap to Dax’s chest, and then tagged Rey Fenix. Fenix entered and ran through a rapid fire aerial sequence that ended with a plancha. He made a cover on Dax for a one count.
Cash tagged in and shut down Fenix’s flying offense, but was tagged against his will by Matt Jackson as he approached his corner. The Bucks then went on an offensive streak by double teaming both Butcher and The Blade with double dropkicks. Butcher landed a powerbomb on Matt Jackson, which turned things around. There was some combinations that involved all four members of the heel team, but there was some confusion about who was the legal man and they couldn’t make a timely cover.
Nick Jackson landed a top rope head scissors and then the match broke down, with everyone ending up in the ring for a moment…[c]
[Hour Two] Things settled down as the Butcher and Blade worked over Cash Wheeler as everyone else made it back to their corners. Fenix and Penta joined in and continued to isolate Cash on their side of the ring. Cash made a tag to reluctant Matt Jackson, who entered the match and cleaned the house. He landed a standing sliced bread on Fenix, and then splashed Penta and Butcher on the floor. Matt worked over Fenix briefly, who scrambled for a tag to The Blade.
The Bucks and FTR continued to work together, with Nick Jackson joining Dax Hardwood in a Goodnight Express and a Spike Piledriver onto Butcher. Pentagon broke up the pinfall on the piledriver. There was then a Power and Glory style Suplex and Splash combination that involved all four men on Butcher, but Fenix prevented a pin. Nick Jackson and Pentagon ended up the legal men. They brawled back and forth, and Matt ended up on the apron. Fenix used Pentagon as a step to do a Destroyer out to the floor. There was then an errant superkick from The Bucks on the outside that took FTR out of the match. Pentagon and Fenix landed an assisted package piledriver on Matt Jackson for the win.
The Lucha Bros and Butcher & Blade defeated FTR and The Young Bucks at 16:27
After the match, Penta and Fenix celebrated while The Bucks and FTR shook hands.
My Take: An absolute bonkers spectacle of a match, with FTR and The Bucks getting along before coming up short due to a mistaken superkick. The Lucha Bros continue to stand out as being one of the most innovative tag teams in wrestling, with Fenix being absolutely out of his mind from an athletic standpoint. I’m surprised this wasn’t the main event, as it’s difficult to imagine Jericho and Cassidy topping it.
Outside, Big Swole walked up to the building and was told that she was denied access to the building. She was handed a letter that said she was suspended after a complaint from Britt Baker for kidnapping and harassment. In the building, Nyla Rose made her entrance. Both Hikaru Shida and Penelope Ford were at ringside. Two Women were in the ring already for the match.
4. Nyla Rose vs. Kenzie Page and KiLynn King in a handicap match: Rose tossed around Kenzie Page to start the match, who was forced to make a desperate tag to King. Kylin jumped on Rose’s back, but was backed into the corner quickly. Page took a run at Rose, but she moved and Page collided with King in the corner. Nyla landed a spear on King, and then Powerbombed Page onto King for the win.
Nyla Rose defeated KiLynn King and Kenzie Page at 2:11 in a handicap match.
After the match, Nyla grabbed a microphone. She said everyone was wondering what she has to say. She said she firmly believed actions speak louder than words, and that her actions tonight spoke for themselves. She said she looks in the back and sees all these great wrestlers with managers, so she took it upon herself to hire a manager. Nyla said she wasn’t ready to disclose who it was, but all of the wrestlers with managers in AEW are champions. And her manager would ensure that one day soon, she would reclaim the AEW Women’s Championship.
Elsewhere, Colt Cabana was shown being worked on by AEW staff. He had a gigantic bruise on his entire left side. The trainer said he’s in a lot of pain, but should still be able to wrestle if he chooses to. Brodie Lee walked up and told him he’d be fine, and if he joins the Dark Order, they could protect him from things like this. Lee told him to get up and get ready for their match, and Colt said “Ok Mr. Brodie”. The Dark Order made their entrance with Colt after the video…[c]
My Take: I’m sure there will be lots of speculation about who Nyla’s manager will be. My vote goes to Jake Roberts, just because Rose and Archer is an interesting start to a stable. Colt Cabana being sucked into the Dark Order is happening without much resistance from him so far.
SCU made their entrance, and Colt walked over to talk to them, but Lee pulled him back to their corner.
5. Brodie Lee, Stu Grayson, and Colt Cabana vs. “SCU” Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, and Scorpio Sky: Stu Grayson started the match with Daniels. The other members of Dark Order had an ominous presence from the stage. Daniels tagged in Kazarian, and they worked on cutting off Grayson in the SCU Corner. Sky tagged in and landed a double clothesline on Grayson with Kazarian, and covered for a two count.
Grayson landed a kick and tagged to Cabana, who entered and struggled with his sore left side. Grayson offered an assist with a kick as Sky hit the ropes. Kazarian objected to the referee, which allowed Lee to enter the match and land a big boot on Sky. Cabana covered for a two count, and tagged in Lee..[c]
We got some rapid tags from the Dark Order and Cabana as they worked over Sky in their half of the ring. We saw a combo involving all three men, with Cabana landing a hip attack, Lee landing a Michinoku Driver, and Grayson landing a splash from the top for a near fall. Sky landed a hanging neckbreaker to get back in the match, and both Lee and Kazarian tagged into the match. Kazarian landed a swinging DDT on Lee for a one count. Grayson offered a distraction, and Lee landed a kick to Kazarian’s gut.
The match broke down a bit here, with Grayson and Lee getting outnumbered by SCU. Daniels landed a suicide dive on Lee out on the floor, and then a Uranage on Grayson in the ring. He landed a moonsault, but Colt broke up the tag. Daniels argued with Cabana, and got blindsided by a discus lariat from Lee. Cabana tagged in and covered Daniels for the win.
The Dark Order and Colt Cabana defeated SCU at 11:27
After the match, JR mentioned next week’s fight for the fallen theme. The Lucha Bros will face FTR, The Elite will face Jurassic Express, Cody will defend the TNT Title, and Moxley will defend his title against Brian Cage. Nearby, Big Swole snuck up on Britt Baker. Swole rolled up a piece of paper or a towel and threw it at Reba, who reacted violently and managed to slap Britt Baker in the nose. Baker acted like someone shot her in the face…[c]
My Take: I can’t say I’m very intrigued by Colt Cabana’s performance thus far in his cult induction. He seems more aloof than anything? Britt Baker continues to be a ridiculous character. Hopefully they rein it in a little bit when she gets back in the ring.
Orange Cassidy made his entrance first. Chuck and Trent joined him on the ramp, but not to the ring. Chris Jericho made his entrance with Santana and Ortiz, who carried bottles of Orange Juice.
6. Chris Jericho (w/Santana, Ortiz) vs. Orange Cassidy: They had a standoff mid ring, and Cassidy put his hands in his pockets. He then landed a headbutt, and Jericho scrambled to the outside. Cassidy splashed him there, but things quickly turned around when Jericho quickly applied the Walls of Jericho. Cassidy screamed in pain and reached for the ropes, and got a rope break. Santana used his sock full of baseballs and thrashed Cassidy across the back.
Jericho used Cassidy’s gestures to mock him, and then chopped him hard in the corner. Cassidy used his speed to get a few quick pinning attempts for near falls. Cassidy avoided a superman punch, and Cassidy ended up on the floor. Jericho then landed a baseball slide and then winked at the camera…[c]
Jericho tossed Cassidy into the barricade, and then smashed a clipboard over the back of his head. Cassidy climbed back up on the apron, but Jericho just suplexed him back into the ring. He then used his elbow to grind on Cassidy’s face, and hit the ropes for a lariat. Jericho covered for a near fall. Cassidy continued to show brief signs of life, but Jericho quickly shut him down. The show returned from Picture in Picture with Jericho applying an abdominal stretch. He continued to grab the ropes, resulting if Aubrey Edwards kicking his hand away.
Cassidy pulled Jericho into a hip toss, but couldn’t sustain momentum. Jericho sent him out to the apron, and then hip checked him into the barricade on the floor. Jericho punched away at Cassidy’s stitches in his ear, which seemed to fire him up. He landed some strikes and then climbed up top for a flying head scissors. Cassidy put his hands in his pockets and landed some light strikes to Jericho’s legs, but then finished up with a full force superkick for a near fall.
Cassidy climbed up top, but Jericho met him there. He attempted a superplex, but Cassidy shoved him back to the mat. Cassidy landed his signature splash for another close near fall. Jericho attempted his slingshot dropkick out of the corner, but Cassidy moved and he ended up out on the floor. Cassidy dove onto Jericho, Santana, and Ortiz, and then threw Jericho back in the ring.
Cassidy went up dive and landed a diving DDT for another near fall. Cassidy then fired up for another Superman Punch, but Jericho caught him and turned it into a Walls of Jericho. Cassidy suffered and nearly tapped, but he turned it into an inside cradle for a near fall. He then landed a heavy punch on Jericho. Santana threw OJ in Cassidy’s face, and that brought out Trent and Chuck to clear them out.
Jericho used the distraction to hit Cassidy with his bat, and landed a Codebreaker, but Cassidy kicked out at 2.9. Cassidy fired back with a Michinoku Driver, but Jericho kicked out. Jericho picked up Cassidy for a suplex, but her reversed into a stunner. He then landed a swinging DDT for another near fall. Cassidy went for another Superman Punch, but Jericho caught him with the Judas Effect for the win.
Chris Jericho defeated Orange Cassidy at 18:00
Jericho sold the tough encounter as the show came to an end.
My Take: Cassidy and Jericho had a very good match. Cassidy’s character still doesn’t quite feel at home in big match scenarios, but he performed well here and created a lot of movement that paid dividends for the pace and feel of the match. I’m not certain where either guy goes from here, because I had assumed that whenever Jericho got a win would be the end of the program. I look forward to comparing this one to the NXT main event, because that one had even greater potential on paper from my perspective. Overall, this show was really missing the Moxley and Cage match, and I think it struggled at times to really feel like a big card. It was a solid TV episode, but didn’t feel like it deserved a PPV moniker.
“Lance Archer defeated Joey Janela at 11:17”
Everything wrong with AEW in a nutshell. Archer should beat that flabby, no talent hack in 3 minutes tops.
Did you watch all 11 minutes?
I forgive you for not seeing Britt Baker’s brilliance.
Britt Baker’s character is perfect right now. She’s fun to watch. Why do you hate fun, Jake?
She still isn’t much in the ring, but she’s morphed into her heel character as well as anyone in the business right now. The way she’s progressed over the past few months is phenomenal and hopefully she stops getting hurt. Baker vs Ford could be something big down the line if they both keep getting better.
“Taz cut another very strong promo, but I question the relevance of the FTW Championship in 2020.”
It wasn’t relevant in 1998 when it was in that indy garbage fed.
Was that another promotion you hated and watched every week?