By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Fyter Fest Hits
Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy: A strong match with Jericho playing the taunting heel favorite to perfection, while Cassidy shined in the underdog position. Cassidy had some excellent near falls that left me wondering if Jericho was going to put him over clean. Ultimately, Jericho went over, but Cassidy clearly gained something by pushing the legend to his limit, and this definitely created the need for a rematch somewhere down the road.
Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. Private Party for the AEW Tag Titles: A fun spot-fest tag title match that opened the show on a high note. There was no reason to suspect a Private Party win given that the match was added as a replacement for the postponed AEW Championship match, but I actually enjoyed this more than last week’s Omega and Page vs. Best Friends main event.
FTR and The Young Bucks vs. Pentagon Jr., Rey Fenix, The Butcher, and The Blade: An even wilder spot-fest than the tag title opener. I haven’t been a fan of the Bucks losing as often as they have in AEW, but I didn’t mind it in this case, as it gave a big win to Pentagon and Fenix, and avoided the expected finish of Butcher or Blade taking the pin while also telling a story. On a side note, I’m looking forward to FTR vs. Pentagon Jr. and Fenix more than any tag team match in recent memory.
Nyla Rose vs. KyLynn King and Kenzie Page: A dominant return match with Rose destroying both opponents in a handicap match. The post match promo with Rose announcing that she’s hired a manager was intriguing and I like that they are making us wait to find out the identity of the mystery person. Hey, what’s Slick up to these day? Shut up, I can dream.
Brodie Lee, Colt Cabana, and Stu Grayson vs. Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, and Scorpio Sky: A solid match with the added hook of the Cabana injury. Lee’s recruitment of Cabana has been a fun story to see play out and it was a nice touch to have Lee allow Cabana take the pin. I was down on Lee’s impersonation of Vince McMahon because it took away from his actual cult leader persona, but that’s changed for the better in recent weeks.
AEW Fyter Fest Misses
Lance Archer vs. Joey Janela: I’m probably in the minority. I enjoyed most of the work in the match, but I just didn’t buy that it would take the monstrous Archer eleven minutes to beat Janela.
Big Swole suspended: Just to make sure I have this right, “kidnapping” is worthy of suspension in AEW, but grand theft auto of the FTR truck is apparently fine.
Taz names Brian Cage the FTW Champion: Yes, before UFC introduced its BMF Championship, Taz was the FTW Champion in ECW. The belt never did much for me back in the day and yet I actually found this to be a fun throwback. But the timing of the presentation is questionable at least in the moment, as this strikes me as something that could have been given to Cage following a disputed finish in his AEW Championship match with Jon Moxley as opposed to him receiving the belt prior to that match. Perhaps this will make more sense coming out of next week’s title match.
My prediction for Nyla Rose’s manager is Kia Stevens, returning to AEW in a non-wrestling role.
That’s an interesting choice. Kong has never been much of a promo person though, so I’m not sure she’d be a great choice for a manager. Once the initial shock and awe wears off of having her presence at ringside, where do you go with it? Rose may even be better on the mic than Kong, I don’t know?
I honestly have no idea who they’ll tab for the role. Vickie Guerrero would seem the logical choice, unless they’re going to shift someone from a wrestling role.
I enjoy seeing the FTW title return, but I think it makes it obvious Cage will lose next week. I hope I am wrong. I really think it’s time for Moxley to drop the title. I’m not exactly convinced a “new guy” should take the title, but Moxley’s time off and lack of title defenses overall isn’t doing much for the AEW World Title.
In fairness, you’re saying time off like it’s a vacation- and it’s not. Mox is quarantined because he was potentially exposed to COVID. This won’t be the last show rewritten for that reason.
Mox has been a great champ. I hope he retains.
Cage isn’t ready. He’s a beast inside the ropes, but he can’t cut a promo that fits his persona yet. That’s a problem for a World champ, even if Taz does most of the heavy lifting.
“On a side note, I’m looking forward to FTR vs. Pentagon Jr. and Fenix more than any tag team match in recent memory.”
If the result wasn’t such a foregone conclusion, I would agree. However, I still can’t wait to see what they come up with in the ring.