Part 1 of AEW Dynamite: Fyter Fest kicks off with one of two championship matches, as Wardlow retains the TNT Championship against Orange Cassidy. For what it’s worth, a good match. Did Cassidy have any chance of dethroning Wardlow? Hell no. But he put up one damn good fight. Best Friends comedically are ejected from ringside after some botched interference. Later on, Wardlow seemed to sniff out another distraction in Danhausen who got too frightened to curse Wardlow who kindly spared his life. Wardlow wins after a powerbomb, but shows some respect to Freshly Squeezed post-match.
I like these face v. face matches. They can be fun.
I also wonder why the TNT Championship is defended more on TBS while the TBS championship… well, nevermind.
Recap of PAC retaining the All-Atlantic Championship against “Shooter” Shota Umino at a RevPro event.
Chris Jericho cuts a scathing promo in response to Eddie Kingston challenging to a barbed-wire match next week. Jericho promises blood and pain, to be brought by none other than “The Painmaker” persona.
Eddie Kingston responds with a backstage promo with an angry Ruby Soho and Ortiz. Kingston doesn’t care which version of Jericho he gets, as long as it’s one who bleeds the color red.
Jon Moxley defeats Konoske Takeshita in a Championship Eliminator match. This could main event a PPV and I hope one day it does. Takeshita getting busted open and fighting through it looked awesome. I thought I was watching an NJPW style match on Dynamite and enjoyed every moment of it. Takeshita will be a future main event star, whether in AEW, New Japan, or wherever he ends up. Mox transitioned from strong wrestling to brawl and fighting tactics to get the win following the bulldog choke. Takeshita dished out just as much punishment as Mox delivered.
Back-to-back matches with Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley have made it perfectly clear Takeshita will be main eventing soon enough.
I like the move to have “eliminator” matches rather than straight up championship defenses. This way, there is a believable chance an underdog team could conceivably win to earn said title bout. I was disappointed when the Young Bucks defeated Shingo and Yoshi-Hashi, because that was a match where the NJPW wrestlers could have believably won, and then lose in the actual title match. That would have been a great short story to tell. Had Konoske Takeshita defeated Mox, the live crowd would have lost their minds. I would have lost my mind. The predictably toxic wrestling twitter would have lost its collective mind and quite possibly gone quiet for a whole five minutes.
Luchasaurus defeated Griff Garrison
Because he looks like Jungle Boy. Ok. The real showcase was Christian cutting another vile promo, this time taking shots at Brian Pillman, in front of Brian Pillman Jr.
While these promos are getting the intended reaction, I fear this will become predictable and the novelty will wear off quickly if not used in smaller doses.
Claudio Castignoli defeated Jake Hager
I love Claudio’s entrance theme. I do. I also love how the live crowd brings back the “We the People” chant. Beautiful. Different from their time in WWE, as Claudio rampaged like a maniac regardless of how much Hager tried to stop him. Hager became winded, as the onslaught of uppercut after uppercut wore the big man down, enabling Castignoli to spike with the Ricola Bomb for the pinfall victory.
Even interference by the formerly known 2-point-0 could not stop inevitable fate.
Also, William Regal on commentary is always brilliant.
Backstage: Hook is asked if a title chase is in the near future. We did not get an answer.
Recap of Miyu Yamashita defeating Thunder Rosa was shown. Very impressive stuff.
Serena Deeb defeated Ana Jay
Solid match. Jay has certainly developed well in AEW over the past few years, so going move-for-move with one of the best women in the world is impressive. More than one believable moment where Ana Jay could get the upset victory, but not tonight. One Serenity Lock caused Jay to tap out, in front of her family no less. Sadness.
Mercedes Martinez rushed down to make the save, adding fuel to the upcoming ROH Women’s Championship match at Death before Dishonor.
Backstage: More problems with Jade Cargill and The Baddies. Valiantly, Stokely Hathaway tries to calm them down, but for some reason Cargill and Keira Hogan just don’t like Leila Grey being in the group.
Jade might be improving in the ring, but the “cut the s***” line is so damned dull and worn to shreds already, much like her previous catchphrases. Maybe it’s time Cargill doesn’t have to rely on catchphrasing to get the character over anymore?
Fyter Fest Week 1 MAIN EVENT: Triple Threat AEW World Tag Team Championship Match:
Swerve in Our Glory (Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland) vs. Team Taz (Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs) vs. The Young Bucks ©
This is what you kids on the internet call “a banger.” I think I got it right. Most of the match was non-stop action, with some slower paced moments where either the Bucks or a member of Team Taz dominated.
The action with Swerve, Starks, and both Jacksons were astounding. Strickland might be the quickest out of them all. Fantastic spot with a double rope walk, resulting in both Starks and Nick Jackson getting crotched over the ropes. Matt Jackson goes bonkers, Northern Light-suplexing everyone… Until he tried with Keith Lee and Powerhouse Hobbs. That… did not go well. Lee in the ring looked like a demolition derby until it was a Hoss fight with Hobbs.
Another amazing spot – Matt and Nick go for their staple over the ropes and legs dive, but Lee CATCHES NICK MID-FLIP, powerboming him into Matt.
Action continues to quicken and become more intense, as Lee continues rampaging until the Bucks start a Superkick Party which doesn’t get off the ground until Ricky Starks joins in for a triple superkick which levels the big dude. A triple posedown with Starks and Bucks result in… Starks eating Superkick party cake. Hobbs enters to eat superkicks and collides with the referee. With the ref down, the championship belts come into play, and one falls into the hands of Swerve. Live crowd intensifies wondering if this is “the moment” and Strickland gets close to Lee, only to shake it off, dropping the belt. Was it in refusal to cheat, or changing his mind from a heel turn? Who knows? But he gets a punch in the “yam-bag” for his nobel act.
Hobbs powers up and goes Spinebusting crazy on everyone. A botched interference by Brandon Cutler allows Lee to pull of a Bucks’ shoe, clobber them with it, and then things go nuts. Bodies hitting the arena floor, Lee on the ring apron and Swerve leaps off the corner, and then off Lee’s body with a moonsault! Are you kidding me! With everyone on the floor, Lee smirks to the camera, runs the ropes, and then CLEARS OVER THE TOP WITH A FLIP ONTO EVERYONE! This is MADNESS! Starks makes it into the ring, but Swerve goes up to the stop, crushing with the Swerve Double Stomp and 1 – 2 – 3! WE’VE GOT NEW CHAMPIONS! NEW AEW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS!!
This was an outcome NO ONE expected. NO ONE. If anyone predicted this, they are LIARS. Everyone is thinking Young Bucks retain in order to face off with FTR for all the marbles. But NO SIR. NO!
In one of the best main event outcomes on Dynamite, we have the most unexpected title change in AEW history. KEITH LEE and SWERVE STRICKLAND are your Brand Spankin’ NEW AEW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it over and over again. You want great tag team wrestling? HERE. IT. IS.
