Review: AEW Fight For The Fallen

After two straight events from the great state of Texas, AEW Dynamite emanated from the Queen City of Charlotte, NC this week for a special Fight for the Fallen edition of the weekly program. Some major matches with big implications had already been announced coming into the night, so it was bound to be a consequential episode on the road to AEW’s next big pay-per-view, All Out. Which wrestlers put in standout performances, which matches or moments lived up to the hype, and what were the biggest takeaways, positive or negative, from Fight for the Fallen?

Best Match of the Night

Jurassic Express and Christian Cage vs. the Hardy Family Office (Private Party and Angelico) was a fun trios match with a satisfying conclusion, but with all due respect to the matches in between, this show was clearly bookended by the two biggest matches of the night. Quality-wise, it would be impossible not to give the edge to the opening 10-man tag match between The Elite and Dark Order. Adam Page put his AEW Title match on the line, hoping to earn a future tag title shot for the Dark Order, but even if you forgot or were unaware of what was at stake, this was still a heck of a match from start to finish. All ten performers were on their game in this one, from Evil Uno busting out every big move he could think to steal, to Stu Grayson wiping out everyone (but most of all himself as seven men somehow all failed to catch him) with a sick dive to the outside, to the major players living up to their usual lofty standards of performance. There was plenty of team synergy, with the Dark Order wiping out the opposition with an impressive simultaneous quadruple suplex, Alex Reynolds and John Silver delivering a breathtaking double-team sequence on Karl Anderson, and of course the Young Bucks with plenty of superkicks to go around. Unsurprisingly, it came down to Adam Page going one-on-three with Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, and despite a valiant attempt including kicking out of a V-Trigger, double superkick, snapdragon suplex, and triple superkick combo, the numbers game ultimately proved too much for AEW’s resident cowboy, as the Belt Collector finished him off with two more V-Triggers and a One-Wing Angel. Page remains one of the most over performers in AEW, and the disappointment of losing this match means his eventual triumph over Omega, likely becoming the first wrestler in AEW to ever kick out of a One-Wing Angel in the process, will be even sweeter to behold. Until then, there are bound to be plenty more twists and turns to the narrative, and this match will stand as a major high point in that unfolding storyline.

Best Moment of the Night

This was a very moment-heavy show, so picking a favorite is a tall task and there will probably be lots of disagreement depending on your tastes. The sheer absurdity of seeing Nick Gage in AEW, carving up the forehead of “Painmaker” Chris Jericho with a pizza cutter, was certainly a surreal moment that will not likely be forgotten by anyone who witnessed it. Santana and Ortiz combining on the Three Amigos and a frog splash was a nice nod to the stupid internet controversy over the weekend about Eddie Guerrero being a “B+ player.” It would take a lot for me to pick a best moment in the best match of the night (hey, I only get two chances to highlight the best of AEW each week – I’d rather spread the wealth around a bit) but I will say the “corporate synergy” of The Elite‘s Space Jam-inspired entrance was some inspired cheesy heel greatness. My pick for best moment, however, was a relatively small one, albeit one that is absolutely guaranteed to get the internet talking. Coming on the heels of the announcement that AEW Rampage will be venturing to Chicago, IL on August 20th for a special First Dance at the United Center, Darby Allin stated that AEW is a proving ground for anyone who thinks they’re “the best in the world” in a clear nod to a certain *Chick Magnet who is heavily rumored to be making his return to the wrestling business right around that time. Obviously, if AEW doesn’t manage to bring the Voice of the Voiceless into the fold, this moment will probably go down as one of the dumbest instances of promising more than you can deliver, but assuming Tony Khan has enough money and goodwill to pull off the biggest free agent signing in all of professional wrestling, this was a choice bit of red meat waved in front of the starving dog that is the internet wrestling community. Even those who don’t obsessively check the dirt sheets on a weekly (if not hourly) basis surely picked up what Allin was putting down, and AEW surely recognizes the potential to draw in an even larger audience of lapsed fans with moments like this.

*I’m talking about CM Punk. Who is from Chicago. Just in case you didn’t put 2 and 2 together there.

Worst Match/Moment of the Night

Only a few candidates for “worst” again this week. (How many times can I say that in a row before I start getting accused of being biased? Let me know in the comments, I guess. I don’t really care.) Nick Jackson trying and absolutely failing to dunk a basketball while delivering the IndyTaker is a moment that will 100% be showing up in the next edition of BotchaMania. (Hi Maffew! Love your work!) The fact that he then dunked and stared right down the camera while saying “That’s what was supposed to happen” definitely got a chuckle out of me and redeemed the moment a bit in my eyes. Hiroshi Tanahashi calling his shot to be the next contender for the IWGP United States Championship was a huge moment…only for it to later be revealed that his match against Lance Archer will take place in NJPW instead of AEW. Womp womp. I know AEW’s partnership with companies like NJPW and Impact Wrestling means big matches sometimes have to happen on their shows instead of Dynamite, but you can’t put the Ace of NJPW on AEW television without getting my hopes up to actually see him wrestle on AEW television. My pick for worst moment of the night, however, may be somewhat controversial. After one of the most brutally violent TV matches since ECW went under, MJF announcing that the next Labour of Jericho will be a match against Juventud Guerrera was a huge letdown. Now, before any old-school WCW fanboys take me to task for being less than excited to see one of the stalwarts of the cruiserweight division, I will just say that I am absolutely stoked for the Juice to make his return to TNT wrestling. I was a huge fan of WCW back in the day, and guys like Juvi, Rey Mysterio, Ultimo Dragon, and Billy Kidman were among the biggest reasons I tuned in to Nitro each week. However, as I somewhat suspected when it was first announced, this week’s no rules match is going to cast a long shadow over the other challenges that Jericho will have to face, and the stipulation that Jericho must win with a move off the top rope rings somewhat hollow after a match that saw the Painmaker hit a top-rope hurricanrana through a pane of glass on the King of the Deathmatch. Worst of all, Guerrera didn’t even make an appearance to set up the match or anything – at least Nick Gage made his stunning first appearance at Fyter Fest Night 2 to pop the crowd and build anticipation rather than just showing up this week. Instead of letting the visual of Jericho bleeding buckets after a possibly pyrrhic victory speak for itself to close out the show, Fight for the Fallen ended on a fairly flat note with MJF making his announcement, working the crowd a bit, and fading to black. Not terrible, but it’s hard not to feel like these Labours of Jericho are somewhat random rather than a series of progressively difficult challenges that will wear down Le Champion before he has a chance to get his hands on his smarmy, scarf-wearing nemesis.

Stray Thoughts

• Did anyone else expect to see Pac vs. Andrade El Idolo after that backstage confrontation in which Chavo Guerrero implied he intentionally messed with Penta and Rey Fenix’s transportation to keep them away from the arena? Otherwise, what was the point, other than giving Chavo an opportunity to hilariously explain what a limo (“it’s a long car people ride in”) is? Or was that just meant to imply that Andrade is trying to recruit the Lucha Brothers and drive a wedge between them and Pac?
• All the best to Cash Wheeler. Not sure of the nature/extent of his injury, but the finish to the match was definitely adjusted on the fly due to whatever happened with his arm on the outside. Hopefully it’s nothing major because FTR is one of the best tag teams going in AEW, and it would be great to see the full extent of what they can deliver against Santana and Ortiz rather than this somewhat abbreviated encounter.
• Always good to see King Haku mixing it up with wrestlers of this younger generation. Hikuleo is an intriguing young talent, and his association with one of the toughest wrestlers of all time can only benefit him going forward, not to mention being a member of Bullet Club.
• Malakai Black had his most heelish moment yet when he hit a Black Mass on Fuego Del Sol. HOW DARE YOU SIR. The man just got his first win in AEW, now this. Unbelievable.
• Thunder Rosa is an exciting signing for AEW. As someone who hasn’t seen a lot of her work but has heard nothing but good things, I definitely look forward to seeing more of what she brings to the table.
• Jon Moxley claiming he no longer wants to fight Tanahashi and apparently issuing an open challenge to any New Japan wrestler who wants to step up can only mean good things. I know this might be asking too much but…Moxley vs. Okada at All Out?

And that’s it for our Fight for the Fallen review. Another quality show with a truly unforgettable main event and lots of interesting developments along the way. What did you make of this week’s Dynamite? Let us know in the comments and be sure to give us a follow on Twitter @FilmIronic. See you all next week!