By Jake Barnett, ProWrestling.net Co-Senior Staffer (@barnettjake)
AEW Dynamite “Fyter Fest Night Two” (Episode 95)
Garland, Texas at the Curtis Culwell Center
Aired live July 21, 2021 on TNT
[Hour One] The Dynamite intro aired, and Chris Jericho made his entrance to open the show. Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, and Excalibur joined on commentary. The crowd sang along to Judas. The Pinnacle’s music hit, and Shawn Spears entered with a chair, and was accompanied by Tully Blanchard. MJF’s music then hit and he joined in on commentary.
1. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Spears (w/Tully Blanchard): Jericho disarmed Spears early on and sent him into the corner. He landed some kicks, and then picked up the chair. Referee Aubrey Edwards took it away from him and placed it in the corner. Spears fired back with some chops, but Jericho cut him off with a clothesline and sent him to the floor into the barricade. He then chopped spears on the floor, and tossed him into the barricade opposite the hard camera.
Jericho grabbed a ringside camera and showed a first person perspective of Spears. The crowd chanted for Jericho, and he got back in the ring. Jericho knocked Spears off the apron, and then gloated a bit. Spears pulled a chair from under the ring and threw it into Jericho’s head as he attempted a springboard dropkick. Jericho got his hands up. Spears pounced on Jericho and landed some strikes from a mounted position.
Spears picked up Jericho, who landed an enzuigri. MJF insisted Jericho had cheated on commentary. He then went up top, but Spears met him up there and tossed him back into the ring. Spears then dragged Jericho over to the post and wrapped his bad arm around it. He then struck the bad arm with his chair. Spears pressed the advantage, but Jericho turned things around with a clothesline and a top rope dropkick.
In the corner, Jericho placed Spears on the top rope and landed some mounted punches. He then landed a huracanrana from the top rope. Jericho gloated, and that gave Spears time to get up and land some punches. He then wedged the chair into the corner. Jericho replied with some chops, and hit the ropes. Spears popped him up and landed a sit0out powerbomb for a two count. Spears then grabbed another chair and smashed it across Jericho’s back.
Spears taunted and teased another chair shot, but Jericho tripped him up and applied the Walls of Jericho. Tully jumped up on the apron while Spears tapped out. He then grabbed the nearby chair, but couldn’t make use of it immediately. Sammy Guevara ran down and cleared Tully from ringside, but never hit him. Tully whiffed on a few punches. In the ring, Spears used the chair to get out of the hold and landed his C4 Death Valley Driver for a near fall.
Aubrey Edwards checked on Jericho while Spears placed his chair on the top turnbuckle. He picked up Jericho for another C4, but Jericho slipped out and sent Spears into the chair he had previously set up in the corner. He then hit the Judas Effect and got the pin.
Chris Jericho defeated Shawn Spears at 10:47
MJF got on the mic immediately after the match to congratulate Jericho, and was angry that Sammy got involved. He said since Jericho doesn’t like the rules, next week would be in a no disqualification match with a man who has no respect for the rules. He said his next opponent has stabbed a man in the jugular, and robbed a bank with no mask. MJF then brought out Nick Gage, who will be Jericho’s next labor. The announce team ran down the rest of tonight’s card. Frankie Kazarian is up against Doc Gallows next…[c]
My Take: Nick Gage in a No DQ match is an announcement that will make a lot of hardcore fans really happy. How many people outside the wrestling bubble will know what they are getting into is pretty small. I’m not sure how much of the hardware store based ultraviolence we’re going to get on TNT, but it is what Gage is known for. As for the match, it was a good opener, but I think I expected a bit more chair involvement than what was there. Leave it to Spears to get the ultimate advantage for his character and have it backfire on him.
We got a backstage Miro promo, where he said everyone would get a chance to talk to the Redeemer, and he would forgive them all. He teased his next title defense for Dynamite’s return to Jacksonville, and questioned who could beat him.
2. Doc Gallows (w/Karl Anderson) vs. Frankie Kazarian: The match started hot with Kazarian rushing in and landing some quick strikes. He then landed a top rope dropkick, but was quickly shutdown with a big boot. Gallows then roughed him up with strikes and tossed him over the ropes in the corner. He then kept the ref tied up so Anderson could land a heavy shot on the floor…[c]
Gallows controlled the action during the break. Kazarian broke a hold by pulling at Gallows’ beard. Kazarian then landed a big lariat, followed by a backdrop suplex and a springboard leg drop for a two count. Gallows occupied the ref again so Anderson could get involved. Kazarian took him out, but Gallows then landed a choke lift sit out powerbomb for the win.
Doc Gallows defeated Frankie Kazarian at 6:53
After the match, Gallows and Anderson hit a Magic Killer. Kenny Omega then made his entrance with Don Callis. Callis told the crowd to look at their World Champion Kenny Omega, and told them what went down in the ring is what happens when you mess with The Elite, The Good Brothers, and Kenny Omega.
Omega said “Welcome to my humble abode said the spider to the fly.” He then mocked him for calling himself the “Elite Hunter”, and said he had become the Elite Hunted. Callis said this was a sample of what they would do to Hangman Page next week, which prompted Page to make his entrance.
Callis told Page to take a look at the numbers, but he knows Cowboys ain’t too bright. Page attacked Gallows and Anderson, but got quickly knocked down. Dark Order made the save, and Page ended up landing a Buckshot Lariat on Anderson. Omega fled immediately and didn’t take part in the physicality.
Backstage, Brian Cage was interviewed by Dasha Gonzalez. Footage was shown of an announcement from earlier, where Ricky Starks would have an FTW Title Celebration for next week in Charlotte. Cage asked if they were still there, and Dasha said she didn’t think so. Cage said that celebration works out, because he likes parties.
In the arena, Wheeler Yuta made his entrance with Orange Cassidy. Darby Allin then made his entrance with Sting.
3. Wheeler Yuta (w/Orange Cassidy) vs. Darby Allin (w/Sting): Wheeler grabbed an early advantage by focusing on Darby’s ribs. He tossed him hard into the corner, and dropped his ribs on the ropes. Yuta landed a suplex and bridged into a pin, but only got two. They both ended up on the top rope, and Darby landed a superplex and held onto his bad ribs. Orange Cassidy had a brief staredown with Sting, and they traded light kicks for laughs. Sting did a light pound on his chest as well.
In the ring, they traded rapid pinning combinations. Darby landed a counter stunner and a coffin drop for the win.
Darby Allin defeated Wheeler Yuta at 4:00
After the match, The Blade snuck around ringside and knocked out Orange Cassidy with brass knuckles. They are supposed to face off later. We then got a video package for the Texas Death match main event. Moxley and Archer both promised a violent victory. Britt Baker and Nyla Rose is next..[c]
My Take: The Elite segment was ok. Page is on his way to superstardom. If anything, he should be bailing out the Dark Order when the Elite single them out. Sting and Darby’s stuff was fun, and Moxley vs. Archer is going to be a blast to watch play out.
Nyla Rose made her entrance with Vickie Guerrero. She was followed by Britt Baker with Rebel. Justin Roberts made ring introductions.
4. Britt Baker (w/Rebel) vs. Nyla Rose (w/Vickie Guerrero) for the AEW Women’s Championship: Baker focused on keeping Nyla on the mat, and applied hammerlock on the ground. Nyla powered up to her feet, but Baker rolled her up for a two count. They went back and forth a bit, and Baker ended up draped over the top rope. Nyla went up top to land a diving knee, but Rebel pulled her out of the way…[c]
Nyla landed a slam, and a series of backbreakers. She then pulled Britt back up and threw her with a fallaway slam. Nyla then attempted a cannonball in the corner, but Britt avoided it and pulled her down with a sling blade. Baker pulled Rose into a back slide, and there was a crowd reaction around the kick out because it didn’t look convincing.
[Hour Two] Baker put her glove on and looked at the camera, and that allowed Nyla to recover. Rose avoided the Lockjaw and landed a Death Valley Driver. Nyla then landed her diving knee drop, and covered for a near fall. She then went for a Beast Bomb, but Baker countered into a neckbreaker. She followed up with two superkicks for a near fall. Rose avoided a lariat from Baker and landed a uranage for a near fall.
They botched a crucifix bomb, and the crowd went silent. Baker then landed a series of curb stomps, but only got a near fall. Rose dropped Baker with a forearm shot and both women were down. There was some outside interference, and Baker attempted to frame Nyla for a belt shot. Vickie kept the ref distracted so Nyla threw the title back.
The ref got upset with Baker, but didn’t DQ her. Nyla hit a Beast Bomb, but only got a near fall. Baker managed to apply the Lockjaw, and got the tap out victory.
Britt Baker defeated Nyla Rose at 12:11 to retain the AEW Women’s Championship
After the match, we saw a press conference between FTR and Santana and Ortiz. FTR said they had respect for them as wrestlers, and for the fact that they both came up from poverty. Ortiz called them a stepping stool on the way to Tag Team Gold. Santana showed some examples of his hardships growing up. Dax said the only things he cares about are God, Family, and Professional Wrestling, and they would show up and beat their ass next week. They started to scuffle but it was cut off. Andrade is next…[c]
My Take: A mostly solid outing from Nyla and Baker. There were a few mistakes throughout and dampened their momentum, but they managed to pull it back together for the most part. There are some holds and strikes that Baker still doesn’t land in a convincing fashion, that she should probably trim out of her repertoire for the time being. The press conference between FTR and Satana & Ortiz was fine for that format, but it didn’t really make me any more excited about their match.
Tony Schiavone was in the ring, and he brought out Andrade El Idolo. Andrade asked for tranquilo. He then said he has a surprise for everyone. Andrade’s assistant said something to Schiavone, who then introduced Andrade’s Executive Consultant Chavo Guererro Jr. He walked to the ring and thanked everyone for remembering, and put over Dallas. Chavo said he heard this was the place to be, and said it was a great time to be a wrestling fan with AEW around. Chavo said with all due respect, he doesn’t see anyone with as much talent as Andrade.
Death Triangle members Pac, Penta El Zero Miedo, and Rey Fenix interrupted and made their entrance. Pac had a microphone and addressed Andrade. He said he doesn’t know who he thinks he is, but last week he heard their name in his mouth. Pac said he wanted to let it be known that Death Triangle hides from no one. Andrade thanked Pac for coming, and appealed to Penta and Fenix to join him.
Andrade called himself an elite athlete, and spoke a bit in Spanish. Chavo addressed Pac in English, and took a dig at him for not speaking more than one language. He said their waists weren’t shiny enough, but they should be. He questioned why they would work for Pac, and said they work for him now. Pac responded by saying that they are a family and a brotherhood. Fenix said they were the real faces of the Latinos. Penta asked why they should work for him when he isn’t even on their level.
Death Triangle approached the ring, and Andrade and Chavo made their escape (I think the refs were quite late to keep them apart, so there was some awkward standing around.)
Footage aired of Jurassic Express saving Christian last week. Christian and Jurassic Express challenged Angelico and Private Party to a match for next week… Orange Cassidy and The Blade are next…[c]
My Take: I’m guessing AEW realized Vickie was the wrong manager for Andrade, but they still wanted an English speaker to help with his promos. Chavo is still a legacy talent and will fill the role nicely. I’m guessing Andrade will have to show Death Triangle he is on their level, and perhaps displace Pac in the process.
QT Marshall was interviewed by Alex Marvez in the backstage area. He said he would apologize to Tony Schiavone next week in Charlotte.
The Blade made his entrance in the arena with The Bunny. Orange Cassidy’s music hit, but he didn’t immediately make an entrance. Cassidy snuck up on Blade when he was asking for a forfeit, and took him down with a strike.
5. Orange Cassidy vs. The Blade (w/The Bunny): The Blade escaped to ringside, and jumped Cassidy when he pursued him. Cassidy landed some strikes. They ran the ropes, and Blade sold a knee injury in the corner. The referee backed Cassidy down in the corner, and then The Blade attacked with a running kick. Cassidy adjusted and landed a Stundog Millionaire. He then went up top, but The Blade met him there with strikes. He then powerbombed Cassidy onto the top rope, and he spilled to the floor…[c]
The Blade controlled the action during the break, and Cassidy turned the tide with a high cross body off the top as the show returned. He then landed a DDT and covered for a two count. The Bunny tried to jump on the apron, but Kris Statlander appeared to even things out. The Blade went to ringside, and Cassidy dove at him, but he pulled Statlander in the win. Cassidy then shoved The Blade into The Bunny.
Back in the ring, Cassidy went for a DDT, but The Blade reversed into a vertical suplex. He then landed a Tombstone and covered, but Cassidy kicked out. The Blade went for a Doctor Bomb, but Cassidy avoided it. He couldn’t land the Beach Break initially, but eventually pulled it off. The Blade kicked out at 2.9. The Bunny went for another distraction and tossed The Blade his brass knucks. Cassidy landed The Orange Punch instead and got the win.
Orange Cassidy defeated The Blade at 8:37
After the match, Cassidy grabbed the knucks. He then landed another Orange Punch. Cassidy then shoved them in his pocket. Backstage, Chris Jericho was asked about his no rules match with Nick Gage. Jericho said if MJF was going to bring in the most violent and demented man in pro wrestling, he would bring the most violent and demented version of Chris Jericho, the Pain Maker.
The announce team ran down next week’s card, including a new live event announcement from Tony Khan. Malakai Black vs. Cody Rhodes will happen on August 4th. We then got a video package for their rivalry.
It was announced that the winner of Moxley and Archer will take on Hikuleo (son of Haku) next week…[c]
My Take: A solid match from The Blade and Orange Cassidy, but I don’t think anybody bought the idea of The Blade winning this match or this feud. The Painmaker is a nice touch from Jericho. We’ll have to see how extreme they go with the match. I assume everybody will be bleeding at the very least.
Justin Roberts made ring announcements for the main event. Jon Moxley made his entrance through the crowd, followed by Lance Archer. He was accompanied by Jake Roberts and carried a couple of Kendo Sticks. Moxley jumped him immediately as he got to the ring.
6. Jon Moxley vs. Lance Archer (w/Jake Roberts) in a Texas Death Match for the IWGP US Championship: It was a huge brawl immediately. Archer landed a pounce and sent Moxley to the outside. He then splashed him on the floor and smashed him with a kendo stick. Moxley avoided a lariat and tackled Archer into the barricade. They then brawled into the crowd and had a walking brawl. Archer picked up a fan near the ring and tossed him at Jon Moxley. He then sent Moxley back into the ring.
That didn’t last long as things went back outside almost immediately. Archer pulled up the floor mats, and tried to slam Moxley there, but he reversed into a DDT. The ref started the count, but Archer got to his feet at 7. Archer came up bleeding. Moxley had a fork, and stabbed Archer in the forehead with it. They seem to be paying homage to Bruiser Brody and Abdullah the Butcher’s feud in World Class…[c]
Moxley wrapped a chair around Archer’s knee, and jumped off the top onto the chair. Moxley asked for a count, and Archer used the ropes to get to his feet. After Archer got up, Moxley picked up a trash can lid, which Archer punched into his face. Moxley traded punches, and then bit Archer on the forehead. Archer landed a lariat, but Moxley fired back with a German Suplex. He couldn’t follow up, however, because Archer got right to his feet and landed a shot with a trash can.
Archer set up a series of chairs to slam Moxley through. He slipped out, though, and landed a low blow. Moxley turned the chairs inward, and Archer immediately chokeslammed him into the chairs. Moxley got to his feet and landed a big lariat, and a paradigm shift. The ref counted, but Archer quickly sprung to his feet. Moxley then repeatedly stabbed him with a fork.
Moxley setup barbed wire board on top of tables at ringside. He set up for a Paradigm Shift through the tables, but Archer stabbed him with a fork repeatedly, and chokeslammed Moxley through the barbed wire. Moxley couldn’t answer the 10 count.
Lance Archer defeated Jon Moxley at 13:09 to win the IWGP US Championship
After the match, Hikuleo entered the ring and confronted Archer. They will face each other next week for the IWGP US Championship.
My Take: A very brutal match for basic cable. If you’re into this kind of violence, I guess it bodes well for what Jericho and Gage will be able to get away with next week. It was a bit surprising to see Moxley take the clean loss, but Archer needed a big win after coming up short numerous times throughout the last year in AEW. It’s possible he loses to Hikuleo in order to get the title back over in Japan, but this was a big signature win for Archer regardless. This was another solid show from AEW, but perhaps one step backwards from last week. That said, the crowd was with them the entire time and lifted up some of the less impressive matches and segments.
This wasn’t as good as last week’s show. Cassidy and The Blade was far too long for such a foregone conclusion, and the Women’s title match was sloppy. The segment with Death Triangle and Andrade was all over the place, but I am already looking forward to PAC vs. Andrade.
I enjoyed the show. I can agree the OC vs Blade match was too long, as it wasn’t all that exciting of a feud to start. Personally, I’m not all that excited about The Blade. There hasn’t been a reason. I just wish someone would explain why Matt Hardy has a stable full of tag teams. All that said, I enjoyed the main event and loved how the live crowd was into Lance Archer. The crowd even celebrated after their boy Moxley lost, which was a bit of a shocker. I didn’t expect much from the Andrade segment. I think they should drop the mic work/promos from the non-English speaking guys and keep it in the ring. That’s just me!