AEW Fyter Fest 2019 Recap, Grades & Opinion

AEW Fyter Fest 2019 Recap – June 29, 2019

A.K.A. The One Where Joey Janela and Jon Moxley Attempted Murder Multiple Times Over

The second-ever All Elite Wrestling event is here! There are tons of exciting matchups on the card, with an unsanctioned match between hardcore stars Joey Janela and Jon Moxley being one of the biggest draws. Can AEW build on the success of Double or Nothing? What surprises are in store tonight? Let’s find out together!

Results:

Best Friends def. Private Party & So-Cal Uncensored
Allie def. Leva “The Librarian” Bates
Michael Nakazawa def. Jebailey in a hardcore match
CIMA def. Christopher Daniels
Riho def. Nyla Rose & Yuka Sakazaki
Adam Page def. Jungle Boy, Jimmy Havoc, & MJF
Cody vs Darby Allin goes to a time-limit draw
The Elite def. Lucha Bros. & Laredo Kid
Jon Moxley def. Joey Janela in an unsanctioned match

Match of the Night: Jon Moxley def. Joey Janela in an unsanctioned match

It was between this and the six-man tag for match of the night. This match sneaks past it with it’s pure brutality and storytelling within the match. Moxley’s first match in AEW was horrifying and a great re-introduction to those who only knew him as Ambrose in WWE. Janela also looked like a star for the way he took punishment and kept pushing through.

Jon Moxley spit out a thumbtack! #FyterFest pic.twitter.com/W9a3ECXq4o

— WrestlingINC.com (@WrestlingInc) June 30, 2019

There were thumbtack spots, barbed wire boards, and just a ton of brutality that both men endured. Yet there was story and clear motivation for both men. One of the best hardcore matches in recent memory.

Three Thoughts:

Not All Hot on the Pre-show

The pre-show had a really great triple threat tag match to kick it off. Once the main card started, it was hit after hit. However, the second half of the Buy-In was the choppiest part of the show by far. Leva Bates and Peter Avalon had a hard time getting their “librarian” gimmicks over. The crowd just was not feeling them.

It didn’t hit me until right now that they have a wrestler whose defining characteristic is being a cosplayer…at a video game tournament…and have her doing this awful Librarian gimmick. #FyterFest

— David Bixenspan (@davidbix) June 30, 2019

The last match of the pre-show was Jebailey versus Michael Nakazawa. While it was meant to be a comedy match, it definitely divided opinion online. I thought it was short and funny, but I can see some who prefer serious wrestling not liking a non-wrestler having a hardcore match on a company’s second-ever show.

A Show of Showcases:

AEW is firing on almost all cylinders. One of their strongest suits: giving talent time to shine who the wider audience may not know. Tonight, a ton of wrestlers shone in victory or defeat. Private Party was the story of the opening tag match, even with a loss. Riho got a surprising victory over Nyla Rose. MJF and Jungle Boy both looked great in the four-way match that Adam Page won. Darby Allin was resilient, but we will talk more about him later.

.@AEWrestling's Fyter Fest is already INSANE
and this is just the preshow 👀

Watch the full event FREE on #BRLive ➡️ https://t.co/fbe7Neb8V6 … pic.twitter.com/ScnrQtWzYe

— Bleacher Report Live (@brlive) June 29, 2019

Fans are coming to AEW to see guys like Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Cody, and Jon Moxley. After tonight, they could develop new favorites on the AEW roster. My two biggest shining stars: Private Party and Jungle Boy. For how young they all are, they held their own in some big matches.

A boy and his dinosaur @boy_myth_legend #luchasaurus #FyterFest pic.twitter.com/RUVddbIplI

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 30, 2019

The Chairshot

First things first: Darby Allin and Cody had an amazing time limit draw. It protected Cody’s record while also showing a wider audience what Allin can do. He managed to hold on until the very end and survived 20 grueling minutes with one of the top stars in the company. A great match overall.

https://twitter.com/GetDaTables/status/1145154262575566849

Now, the aftermath. Afterwards, Shawn Spears (formerly Tye Dillinger in WWE) came out and hit Cody with an unprotected headshot with a chair. Cody was busted open on the back of his head and it looked brutal. We know AEW is going to push the envelope, but this wasn’t the best call. With all we know about CTE and what concussions do to the brain, it just felt unsafe and dangerous. There are other ways AEW is changing up the wrestling product, (like the insane unsanctioned match that Moxley & Janela had) but the unprotected headshot should stay on the shelf.

12 staples and no concussion #AEW #FyterFest pic.twitter.com/zbYLl1jPF3

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 30, 2019

Grade: A-

There was really something for everyone at Fyter Fest. Hardcore matches that pushed the limit, solid technical wrestling, and great tag team work. The matches also set up the next few pay-per-views for AEW. Spears-Cody, Omega-Moxley, and MJF-the entire AEW fanbase look to be great feuds going forward. Cody/Allin, the six-man tag and the unsanctioned match were three great matches to close out the show. It started well, had some slow bits in the middle, but the final three matches truly brought it home.

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One More Thing:

There was a big disparity on the commentary table. Jim Ross at times felt lost or behind the action. Meanwhile Excalibur and Goldenboy were insightful and quick, adding lots to the action. AEW may want to have J.R. train the next generation of commentators and use Excalibur and Goldenboy as their main commentators.

– Evan Gomes is the Managing Editor of Pro Wrestling for Full Press Coverage. Like and follow on Follow @EvanGomes_ Follow @FPC_Wrestling and Facebook.

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