AEW Dynamite: Fyter Fest Night 1 - July 14, 2021
by Samoa Rowe
Live from a sold out H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas. Our hosts are Jim Ross, Tony Shiavone, and Excalibur.
IWGP United States Championship:
Jon Moxley © (with Eddie Kingston vs. Karl Anderson (with Doc Gallows)
Eddie immediately attacks Gallows with a pipe, and they disappear into the crowd. Karl catches Mox with a boot and the crowd gives them a loud “Moxley” chant. They can barely contain their glee while exchanging forearm smashes. Moxley takes the fight to ringside and sends Anderson into the rails. Anderson reverses a suplex onto the ramp, and soon boots Moxley off of the apron. The fans play along and boo Anderson when he hits a spinebuster for 2. Moxley rakes the back and desperately nails a superplex. Both guys go for clotheslines and hit the canvas. Anderson escapes a sleeper and stumbles while hitting a messy piledriver for 2. Anderson's cutter also gets 2, the Paradigm Shift is blocked, and Anderson hits a Gun Stun. Moxley recovers in the ropes, but Anderson hits an F5 for a great nearfall. Moxley blocks a top rope Gun Stun, and finishes with the Paradigm Shift at 9:37! Nonstop action throughout, they fed off the molten hot crowd, ***.Winner and still IWGP U.S. Champion: Jon Moxley
Jake Roberts and Lance Archer chat backstage. Archer hasn't forgotten that Moxley won the IWGP U.S. title from him over a year ago in Japan, and wants another Texas Death Match since they'll actually be in Texas.
Backstage interview with Andrade El Idolo. He wants Alex Abrahantes to tell Death Triangle that he's looking for them.
FTW Championship:
Brian Cage © vs. Ricky Starks (with Hook and Powerhouse Hobbs)
In an interesting twist, the fans cheer Starks and give Cage a mixed reaction. They lock up and Cage nearly botches a neckbreaker. Press slam by Cage, and yes, the fans don't seem to like him. Cage hits a jackhammer slam for 2. Starks targets the arm and hits a missile dropkick. The fans chant “Ricky” while they cut to picture-in-picture. They return with Starks still in the driver's seat after almost winning with a crucifix bomb. Starks blocks a whip by sliding through the ring ropes and hits a clothesline at ringside. Cage violently breaks a rear naked choke and nails an enziguri, and then a powerslam, but Ricky gets the ropes! Cage blocks a DDT, hits a superkick, Starks kicks out! Starks counters with a sitout powerbomb for only 2! Starks thinks about using the FTW title as a weapon, but Hobbs takes it away. Cage capitalizes with an F5, but STARKS KICKS OUT! Hobbs smashes the FTW into Cage and Starks finishes with a spear at 9:24 to a big pop! Well, after 16 months in Daily's Place, we were bound to be surprised by some fan reactions when they returned to the road, so it will be interesting to see what creative plans will change. Good match too, ***½.Winner and NEW FTW Champion: Ricky Starks
Cody Rhodes grabs a headset and rants and raves about Malakai Black attacking Arn Anderson. He grabs a mic and marches to the ring to a MIXED reaction to call out Black. Malakai appears on the big screen and tells a story about a horse that needed to put down, and that reminds him of Cody. The lights go out and Black appears in the ring! This might sound like a bucket of cliches (and you wouldn't be wrong) but the fans eat this up as they get pulled apart from a brawl.
Tully Blanchard finds himself alone with Santana and Ortiz, who consider beating him with a crowbar, but they respect their elders.
Tony Shiavone hosts Hangman Adam Page in the ring, and you'll be shocked to hear that the fans simply love him to pieces. Page cuts a fiery promo about needing to be champion and is about to challenge Kenny Omega when he's interrupted by Don Callis and The Elite. They don't think Hangman is "the guy" and dismiss him. Matt Jackson enters the ring and mocks Hangman for abandoning them for a bunch of losers. He thinks Hangman will be the next great wrestling tragedy, and Page blasts him in the face. Kenny Omega attempts an ambush, but the Dark Order arrive to back up Hangman. The fans reward them with an “AEW” chant. Page demands a match, so Omega offers him an elimination tag match. Page accepts, on the condition that if he and Dark Order wins, they all get title shots. Omega agrees, but only if Hangman forfeits his #1 contender status if he loses. The fans drown Omega out with a “Cowboy sh!t” chant. It's very WWE-like to have an interview segment set up an otherwise unscheduled match, but I suppose we can forgive AEW for playing this card once in almost 2 years.
Alex Marvez interviews Chris Jericho backstage. Jericho reminds MJF that Hercules wins in the end, and that's what will happen when he has to run his gauntlet. Jericho can't wait to ruin MJF's life, but he gets ambushed with a chair to the throat by Shawn Spears. MJF reveals that Jericho's first trial will be against Spears, in a match where chairs are legal for Spears only.
Matt Hardy vs. Christian Cage
In another twist, Hardy gets cheered, Cage gets a mixed reaction. They lock up and tumble to ringside without letting go. Cage breaks free and drops Hardy's face onto the ring frame and then the barricade. Cage nails a top rope crossbody to ringside. Back to the ring, Cage hits a reverse DDT for 2. Hardy answers with a nasty DDT onto the ring steps. Neckbreaker by Hardy gets 2. Hardy catapults Cage's throat into the ropes and then hits a flying elbow drop. They cut to picture-in-picture. They return just in time for Cage's comeback. Flying uppercut by Cage gets 2. Christian blocks the Twist of Fate and maneuvers into a spear for a hot nearfall. Christian nails a Frog Splash, but Hardy kicks out! The fans chant "Hardy" while they fight for control in the buckles. Hardy nails a superplex and a slow cover gets 2. Hardy blocks the Killswitch with a blind low blow and hits a Twist of Fate, but CHRISTIAN KICKS OUT! Hardy applies the Leech submission at ringside, and leaves him there for an attempted countout win. Cage beast he count and nails the Killswitch to win at 12:59! They probably have to thank the fans in attendance, but they blew my expectations away, ***½.Winner: Christian Cage
Private Party considers an attack on Christian, but Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus slide in for backup. Cage celebrates on the dinosaur's shoulders.
Miro video package, highlighting his recent success after splitting with Kip Sabian. Now that he's the TNT Champion, he's become “God's favorite champion.”
Tony Shiavone hosts AEW Women's Champion Britt Baker in the ring. Tony is concerned about her well being after Nyla Rose put her through a table. Britt says she's been through worse and has emerged as the baddest b!tch on the block, and isn't afraid of Rose. She burns Vickie Guerrero for only being relevant due to her last name, and argues that Nyla is only relevant when she's the champion.
Jon Moxley talks to the camera about Lance Archer's challenge. He survived Archer in Japan, and knows that he'll never stop coming after him, but he's the only boogeyman in wrestling and embraces the Texas Death Match challenge.
Wheeler Yuta (with Orange Cassidy and Chuck Taylor) vs. Sammy Guevara
They wisely play highlights of Yuta winning matches on Dark, letting us know this isn't some random jobber. Blade and Bunny are watching from the front row. Guevara enters to a massive babyface reaction. They start with a fast paced exchange, Sammy hits a dropkick, and fakes a dive and poses on his side. Guevara nails a power slam, lands on his feet on a missed moonsault, and hits a standing SSP. Yuta blocks an overly telegraphed top rope SSP, and hits a springboard missile dropkick. German suplex by Yuta, and a big splash gets only 1! Sammy finds his second wind and hits a big back body drop. Enziguri by Sammy, and then a springboard cutter. GTH by Sammy finishes at 3:48! Really good short match, not a squash, **.Winner: Sammy Guevara
Earlier today, Tony Shiavone interviewed QT Marshall and The Factory. QT bullies Tony and pours his drink over his head.
Penelope Ford vs. Yuka Sakazaki
The fans chant "Yuka" at the opening bell. She hasn't wrestled on Dynamite since before the pandemic, but she's an immediate fan favorite, and cartwheels off the top rope to hit a dropkick. Yuka follows with a flying cannonball to ringside. Ford cuts Yuka off getting back into the ring and takes control just in time for picture-in-picture. They return just as Yuka begins teasing a comeback. She slips off of Ford's shoulders and hits a delayed suplex. She rolls Ford into some low offense for 2. Yuka hits a messy diving back elbow for another 2 count. Ford hits a pair of pump kicks for a good nearfall. Yuka hits a spinning facebuster, and then a Magic Girl Splash for the win at 7:25. Fine exhibition for Yuka, who immediately endears herself to the Dynamite audience, **¼. Winner: Yuka Sakazaki
Coffin Match:
Ethan Page vs. Darby Allin
The fans love Darby and are fully behind him as he takes it to Ethan at the bell. Darby has a steel plate on his back and hits an immediate Coffin Drop to a standing Ethan, followed by a Coffin Drop to ringside. Darby opens the coffin, but Scorpio Sky was hiding inside, and he throws Darby into the steps. Sting marches in to neutralize Sky. The camera misses Sting's attempted Stinger Splash that results in him hitting a wall. Meanwhile, Ethan messes with some buckles, but Darby throws him into the stands. Someone decides that now is a good time for picture-in-picture. Ethan dominates a brawl in the crowd throughout the break, and they return as they get back into the ring. Ethan drops Darby face first onto the ring steps, but blocks Darby's flying shoulder block. Ethan removes a turnbuckle, bizarrely chats with the buckle hook, and then smashes it through Darby. Allin takes the hook and stretches Ethan's mouth. He tosses Ethan into the coffin, but gets pulled in for a brawl. Darby bites the fingers but then gets back dropped out of the coffin. Ethan carries Darby up the steps, but Allin counters into a stunner. Allin signals a Coffin Drop, but Ethan cuts him off for an Ego's Edge onto the steps! Fans chant “This is awesome!” Ethan attempts a suplex into the coffin, but Darby attacks his face. Darby dropkicks his skateboard into Ethan's spine and shuts him into the coffin to win at 11:41! Wild main event full of cool stunts, ***¾.Winner: Darby Allin
Allin isn't satisfied and hits a sick Coffin Drop through the actual coffin!
Final Thoughts: This show makes it feel like the pandemic era never actually happened and was some kind of dream. That's a good thing. Thumbs up.
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