By Drew Ortman – @DrewOrtman
Some say the third times a charm, but in All Elite Wrestling’s case, the third is just the next in a series of fantastic shows representing this upstart’s exciting infancy. AEW’s Fight for the Fallen once again delivered a series of matches where the worst was good and the best was great. This young promotion has not only proven that they can design and execute major big show extravaganzas, but that they can also put together fantastic second-tier events that glue together the puzzle pieces for the big shows while still keeping fans on the edge of their seats. Fight for the Fallen was a success by these terms giving us entertaining matches and intriguing stories while leaving the biggest of payoffs for August’s All Out.
It should also be noted that the company did a really good job with their focus on the reason for the event, awareness and support for victims of gun violence. In past interviews, AEW President, Tony Kahn has emphasized how important this subject matter is not only to him but his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. $150,000 plus was donated to the Victim Assistance Advisory Council at the end of the show. Cody also stated at the post-show media scrum that no profit was made from the show on AEW’s part as it was all going towards the cause.
The location for this event is also interesting to say the least. Daily’s Place in Jacksonville is an amphitheater developed by Tony Kahn’s father, Shad Khan. Being an amphitheater designed for concerts, some interesting design came into play making it work as a wrestling venue. From the open air top to the rampway, I found the setup to look real good and really different which is always a fresh feeling for wrestling fans. Also cool they used some of the elements from previous shows to keep some of their look cohesive.
On commentary for the show we are back to I guess what you could call the original AEW broadcast team, Jim Ross, Excalibur and Alex Marvez. Let’s get to the action!
—The Buy In: Pre-Show Highlights—
AEW has gained a quick reputation of having less than desirable pre-shows before their most incredible events. This pre-show wasn’t bad by any means, but it was more or less just there. The first match was all about Sonny Kiss being a superstar. His dancing entrance with the Jacksonville Jaguar cheerleaders was far more memorable than the match with Sonny scoring a quick win over Peter Avalon. Kiss got the crowd fairly hyped while “The Librarians” duo of Avalon and Leva Bates maintained their role as AEW’s most hated gimmick.
The second match on the pre-show was decent, but all the action was overshadowed by a concussion and a bad hot tag. The match pitting the star of AEW’s women’s division, Britt Baker teaming with Joshi star Riho against Shoko Nakajima and the debuting Bea Priestley seemed like it would be Priestley’s night to shine with a solid crowd reaction. Baker suffered a concussion early in the match which seemed to be the possible cause of her going to the wrong corner for the match’s big hot tag. This seemed to overshadow any of the action or result of the match on social media as the botch became the star of the match. Nakajima scored the win for her team after a hurricanrana on Riho.
—Main Card—
MJF, Sammy Guevara and Shawn Spears vs. Darby Allin, Jimmy Havoc and Joey Janela
The was a great six man tag that started off fairly standard, but the tension between team members on both sides kept the match entertaining throughout. Normally I would see a show kick off like this being a mid-card showcase, but looking at the talent in this, AEW has already shown that any of these guys could travel in and out of the upper card, main event scene. Spears received strong heel reaction from the crowd as soon as he hit the ring. You could see the tension between him and Cody Rhodes buddy, MJF right out the gates with MJF mocking the perfect ten hand gesture followed by flipping off Spears.
On the other side of the ring, Darby Allin seemed to have some trouble of his own getting along with his partners and lots of blind tagging going on. Joey Janela has a few nice spots throughout, but his claim to fame on this night will be after hitting Sammy Guevara with a death valley driver on the floor, Janela turned to the camera flipping it two birds and saying “fuck you, Cornette”. Definitely a hot spot for social media.
As far as the action goes, the unexpected star of this match by leaps and bounds was Sammy Guevara. Not only was he the standout star with his match stealing offense, but it seemed every time there was a great spot or big crowd reaction, Guevara was a part of it bumping everywhere. He gets the MVP award for this match and this was Guevara’s best night thus far in AEW.
Shawn Spears gets the win for his team with a death valley driver on Darby Allin. At the post-show media scrum, I heard something very interesting from Tony Kahn. While a few of the guys involved in this match have stories in progress leading to a match, he mentioned that he really liked having these six man tags as it sets up so many different possible matches for when television starts and with that, they now have these great clips of all these guys in action to help with a video package or build. This may seem small, but it shows the smart way they are going at this always being ready for the next step.
Brandi Rhodes w/ Awesome Kong vs. Ali
This was a decent match that did its job as far as storytelling goes, but was really weird if you look at the build and match as a whole. The pre-match hype video package was very well done. It showed an emotional Brandi Rhodes talking about her past in wrestling and not knowing if she was good enough and in response Ali being the one to conquer all those fears. Very well done and gave you a little bit of what to expect from these two when they got to the ring. Brandi Rhodes came out for this match with her new “enforcer” of sorts, Awesome Kong. Brandi went full heel in this match with Kong helping her out the entire time. The way they executed this was actually really well done and took your mind away from the less than stellar in-ring skills. The only problem was it really contradicted what they were trying to do with the video package. Is this a big deal? No, but something they may want to pay closer attention to in the future. Two really great puzzle pieces that don’t fit together.
One move that stood out to me in this match was Brandi pulled off a jumping snap suplex after jumping from the second rope. My description probably has you confused, but it is worth going back and checking out. Brandi picks up the win after a “bionic spear” which is apparently more devastating due to the metal plate Brandi received after her last injury. Brandi and Kong begin to beat up Ali post-match, but this ends quickly as Aja Kong comes out to go face to face with Awesome Kong. Maybe a Kong vs. Kong match for All Out? Knowing the limited mobility, I am thinking maybe more like Brandi and Kong vs. Ali and Kong. Regardless, this was a nice setup for the next match.
The Dark Order (Stu Grayson & Evil Uno) vs. Jack Evans & Angélico vs. Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus
First pin or submission and the winning team gets a shot at a first round by in the AEW Tag Team Championship Tournament. The big story coming out of this match is that Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus are more than anyone else on this show and may be one of the most over acts in all of AEW. I thought all three of these teams did a really good job in this match, but the crowd could care less about the other teams and went bananas for everything the boy and his dinosaur did.
Jack Evans and Angélico were impressive as always and kept the action moving. I thought the Dark Order of Stu Grayson and Evil Uno did a great job in this match, but the crowd still doesn’t seem to care too much about them. Whether is was the way they debuted or just being so unknown to most, they are just not connecting in the way you can tell AEW is pushing hard for them to.
Marko Stunt also made an appearance in support of Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus. Stunt also got a far bigger reaction than the other two teams in the match. Marko gave an awesome hurricanrana off the top to Jack Evans and was immediately ejected by the referee.
One of the better parts of the match ended up being the final two team spots by The Dark Order to wrap up the match. The first being a combo of Uno with a senton on Luchasaurus in the corner immediately followed by a 450 by Greyson off the top on Jungle Boy. The Dark Order wrapped up the match with their team finisher, The Fatality. A fun match that grew on me as it went and as great as Evans and Angélico are, I now really want to see A Boy and His Dinosaur vs. The Dark Order two on two in the future.
“Hangman” Adam Page vs. Kip Sabian
This match had zero hype for me personally heading in. I get it, Page needs to be on the show as the number one contender and need to pick up a win before heading to face Jericho for the championship at All Out. Sabian gave a backstage interview earlier in the night that was simple, but really gave the match a needed dose of importance and hype. To sum it up, Sabian said after he beats Page tonight and Page goes on to beat Jericho, that makes Sabian the automatic number one contender. The way he expressed this really gave it a good feel and made me intrigued in something I cared little about before. Sabian going in with a “point to prove”.
This was a really good match showcasing both men, but especially Sabian as he gained much of the offense with Page selling his previously injured knee. I like that Page still had the knee story to play off of as without it and being the number one contender, he should have pretty much run over Sabian otherwise. The slower pace of this match was also a nice slow breath after the last spotfest match.
The social media gif moment of this match was when Sabian was leaning against a rail on the outside and a fan got in his face. Sabian just let him got for a second and then turned to give the shocked fan a kiss on the lips. The big shocking spot of the match was Page picking up Sabian mid right and launching him powerbomb style over the top and onto the wooden ramp.
Lots of back and forth near falls in the end that finished up with Page hitting the Deadeye and getting the victory at 19:03 of the 20: 00-minute time limit match obviously playing off the time limit draw of Cody and Darby at Fyter Fest. So many story parallels between those two matches. This match not only made Kip Sabin look like a million bucks, but also gave Page some added star power heading into All Out.
After the match, one of the Dark Order’s creepers hit the ring behind Page. It was so obvious that this was Jericho by the half-assed costume that the crowd didn’t react much. After a Code Breaker and removing the mask, it was a very lethargic pop. Page ended up with a busted open upper eye after Jericho hit him with the Judas Effect. It was still good to add to the heat for their match at All Out.
The Lucha Bros. (Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix) vs. SCU (Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky)
Both of these teams got big reactions from a crowd that was obviously starting to wear out a little more than normal due to the 100-degree heat in Jacksonville. Christopher Daniels joined his SCU teammates to the ring decked out in SCU Jacksonville Jaguar gear, but he was ejected a little way into the match. Both teams got their fair share of the offense with SCU being entertaining as they always are and the Lucha Bros continuously defying gravity giving the tired crowd motivation to still give the “oooo’s” and “ahhhh’s”.
With the Lucha Bros having their recent history with the Young Bucks and SCU being the high profile veterans that they are, this match almost felt more live and “event” like the Bucks/Rhodes match rather than just another match in the tag team division.
In the end, Pentagon hit a package piledriver on Scorpio Sky followed by a stomp from the top by Fenix for the Bros to pick up the win. After the match, The Lucha Bros. beat up SCU with a ladder and they cut a promo on the ladder saying they want a match with The Young Bucks at All Out. Bucks vs. The Bros in a ladder match definitely could keep this feud going with intrigue for a little while longer.
Kenny Omega vs. Cima
For me, I think this was match of the night. Going in with two talents like Kenny Omega and Cima, I expected “yeah, this is going to be a good match”, but in the build for the event, it seemed to get overshadowed by the other matches on the card and Kenny’s feud and upcoming match with Jon Moxley.
These two did exactly what this show needed in this spot. A really nicely paced match that had a long, slow, feeling out period in the beginning with a methodical back and forth. As the match went on, there would be a few big bursts of offense, and then more, and by the time it hit the climax, these two were unleashed back and forth that had me on the edge of my seat.
Cima has a move called the Meteora which is a double knee that he can hit from anywhere; off the top, running on the ground, in the corner, anywhere. He must have hit Omega with it a thousand times it seemed. In the end there was lots of quick back and forth with finisher teases, but Kenny was able to hit from behind V-Trigger of sorts followed by a Tiger Driver ‘98 (which JR says “a tiger driver 98 or any other year did not get it done”) and finished it up with a One-Winged Angel to pick up the victory. This was a fantastic match and by far Omega’s best match yet in AEW. For me, this takes match of the night.
Cody & Dustin Rhodes vs. The Young Bucks
“They are not made up wrestling brothers” – JR
Great crowd reaction for the very tired and hot crowd for both teams. It wasn’t until they were in the ring, this was Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks, business partners and the EVPs who gave this whole thing life, in the main event together of an AEW show. Things like that are the memories we will remember years from now.
A very solid back and forth that a majority of the time lent to a more methodical, slower paced match with the likes of Cody and Dustin’s match at Double or Nothing and less like an expected, fast-paced Young Bucks match with spots everywhere. Both teams received large chunks of offensive time in the middle of the match. The working over of Matt Jackson’s arm was the story of the match and it is not often you see that happen these days and it is told so intriguingly. At the post-show media scrum, Cody mentions they were using an “old Minnesota Wrecking Crew pick a body part and attack it style” when working over Matt Jackson’s arm for much of the match.
Late in the match, the tagging aspect pretty much broke down and we got a lot of the big spots like double shattered dreams with the referees back turned and double sharpshooters in the middle. The crowd was with these teams every step of the way and this match showed hands down how a tag team main event is supposed to be.
In the end, Matt Jackson hit a Crossroads on Cody for a near fall followed by a Meltzer Driver on Dustin for the Bucks to pick up the victory. After the match, Matt has the mic and says all the fun they were making during the build was in the spirit of competition. He also talks about always hearing the myth and legend of the Rhodes brothers around the world and says they are one of the best teams they have ever been in the ring with.
The end of the show ended up being a little awkward as they didn’t seem to know how the timing was for the show and if they were still on the air. They presented a big check for $150,000 to the charity, Cody gave his now expected “will you follow us” speech and Kenny did his closing goodbye with a boing instead of a bang due to the events subject matter. This closing was okay, but it really came off as organized, which if anything on the show is going to be, it might as well be this.
—Wrap Up—
AEW had a great opportunity with these last two shows, Fyter Fest and Fight for the Fallen. They are unique as being placed between two huge shows in Double or Nothing and the upcoming All Out. Not only that but they are AEW’s first attempt at putting on a couple “B” level shows. On top of that, they are at the beginning of building stories for upcoming pay per views and their weekly television show that starts in October. It says a lot about the company on how they handle the big, blockbuster events, but it almost says more for how they handle these smaller ones too.
I feel Fight for the Fallen was an overall good show with solid in-ring action, storyline progression and a few awesome moments to make the night memorable. The undercard was action packed and did have too many low moments even with it being a 4 plus hour show. The show length and heat seemed to affect the live crowd a little more towards the end, but nothing that seems to derail the show at all. It was also refreshing to see a main event tag team match come off feeling like a real main event with the big match feel. Overall I think this was a positive score for the promotion and a good stop on their path to the huge things happening this fall.
