AEW Dynamite - Fyter Fest: August 23, 2023
by Doc Allen
In memory of Terry Funk.
Live from Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia. WrestleTix estimates attendance at 5,195.
The Elite (Kenny Omega, Nick Jackson, and Matt Jackson) vs. Bullet Club Gold (Juice Robinson, Austin Gunn, and Colten Gunn)
The Elite meet BCG on the ramp for a brawl. Nick wastes little time hitting a tope onto the Gunns. Juice tries to use a chair, the ref disarms him, so Juice clocks the ref. The match is thrown out, but they keep fighting anyway. Superkicks to Juice, but the Gunns ambush the Jacksons. 3:10 to Yuma on Nick, Matt fights back with superkicks. Jay White interferes with a uranage on Matt. Jay slips away from Kenny, leaving the Gunns behind to eat Snap Dragons. V-Trigger on White, but Konosuke Takeshita ambushes with a lariat. AEW Tag Team Champions FTR show up to neutralize BCG. Takeshita and Omega are left behind to duke it out. Takeshita runs away from a One Winged Angel. He points at the ALL IN sign, so you know he means business. No rating, but a hot opening segment. You can get away with these kinds of no contests when you hardly ever do them.Renee Paquette sits down to chat with AEW World Champion MJF. He's getting aroused at the thought of 80,000 people chanting his name. If the London fans treat him like Winston Churchill, he'll buy each and every one of them a pint. MJF admits that he's feeling the pressure of main eventing the biggest show in wrestling history, and puts over all the legends who paved the road for him to be here. Renee asks about his friendship with Adam Cole, which has evolved quite a bit this summer. MJF isn't used to having a real friend, he's been vulnerable for the first time in his life, but sometimes brothers have to fight and then hug it out.
Jon Moxley vs. Rey Fenix (with Alex Abrahantes)
Slugfest to start, which favors Moxley. Fenix outmaneuvers Mox to hit a dropkick and tope. Fenix hits a second tope, but Moxley retaliates by tearing at his mask. Curb stomp onto the padding! Fenix misses a tightrope walk kick, Mox blasts a King Kong lariat for 2. Back from commercials, Moxley delivers a mean piledriver for a nearfall. Moxley repeatedly stomps the face and turns his back, allowing Fenix to hit a desperation superkick. Fenix tries a rolling cutter, Moxley counters into a bulldog choke, Fenix slips out and hits a cutter for 2! Frog splash by Fenix, but Mox kicks out! Fans chant “this is awesome!” Mox blocks a fireman's carry with mean elbow shots, Fenix counters Death Rider with a roll-up. Fenix goes for a springboard move, and they butt heads for a breather. They brawl up to their feet. They battle on the top rope until Moxley nails an avalanche Death Rider! FENIX KICKS OUT! An irate Mox applies a rear naked choke and scores the submission at 13:36! Really good clash of styles here, I still don't agree with Moxley playing heel, but he shined tonight, ***½.Winner: Jon Moxley
The Blackpool Combat Club gather to attack Fenix, and are joined by Santana and Ortiz. Rey's friends arrive to send the BCC packing, but the damage has been done and he gets stretchered out. Eddie Kingston is beside himself.
Back from commercials, Fenix is loaded into an ambulance. Renee Paquette tries to interview Eddie, but he has no interest in talking to Jon Moxley's wife.
Earlier today, Renee Paquette has a much friendlier chat with Sammy Guevara. 2point0 and Daniel Garcia interrupt to grill Sammy for still kinda having Chris Jericho's back.
Tony Shiavone hosts the official contract signing between Will Ospreay (with Don Callis) and Chris Jericho (with Sammy Guevara) for ALL IN. First, Don explains that he'd rather make more money helping Ospreay end Jericho's career. Ospreay makes the case that wrestling Jericho at Wembley Stadium will change his life and help support his family. His contract is up in six months and someone is going to pay him millions of dollars, because he's better than Punk, Danielson, and Jericho. Will enthusiastically signs the contract, because it's rocket fuel for his future. Jericho takes credit for Will's recent success, because it was him who called him 5 years ago to talk him into toning his ring style down before he ended up in a wheelchair. Jericho says that ALL IN is the biggest show of his career, including any Wrestlemania, so he's going to prove his haters wrong by beating Ospreay. Tempers flare, and we get the obligatory pull apart brawl. This was a total "Shut up and take my money!" segment.
Renee Paquette sits down to chat with Adam Cole. He feels secure about his friendship with MJF. Renee brings up the Roderick Strong situation and the friction it's caused. Cole loses his temper and storms out. That seems out of character for Cole, something is up.
Tornado Tag:
Darby Allin and Nick Wayne vs. The Mogul Embassy (Swerve Strickland and AR Fox, with Prince Nana)
Wayne has revenge on his mind and takes it to Fox at the bell. Strickland sends Darby into the barricade and hits Wayne with a snap suplex from the buckles. Somersault senton to outside by Fox! Strickland slams Wayne onto the apron and stops to gloat. Wayne and Darby escape stereo brainbuster attempts and Wayne hits a double Wayne's World to outside, followed immediately by Darby's Coffin Drop! Back from commercials, the fight has spilled into the stands. The Embassy go out of their way to hurt Wayne in front of his front row mother. The Embassy hit stereo rolling drop-kicks. Wayne tries Wayne's World but eats a tandem neckbreaker, Darby saves the match. Darby gives Fox a stunner and sends himself and hits a devastating tope to Strickland. Fox ambushes Darby with a moonsault to outside, and Swerve hits a double stomp through a chair. The Embassy swarm Wayne, who kicks out of Fox's corkscrew brainbuster. Fox hits a driver but Wayne kicks out again. Wayne dodges Fox's 450 splash and traps him in a pin predicament while Darby stops Swerve from breaking it. Wayne scores the upset at 9:55! Wild stunt show and Wayne walks away from this looking like a tough underdog, ***½.Winners: Nick Wayne and Darby Allin
Strickland blames Fox for blowing yet another opportunity. Since Swerve can't trust Fox to beat an 18 year old kid, he can't trust him at Wembley Stadium. Prince Nana fires Fox from the Embassy, and unleashes a sneak attack by Brian Cage. Wayne and Darby return with STIIIIIIIING to send the Embassy packing. Darby extends an olive branch to Fox and they reconcile. Christian Cage (with TNT Champion Luchasaurus) show up alongside the Embassy. Christian brings up Wayne's dead father, Buddy Wayne, who couldn't have been very good because Christian has never heard of him. Christian suggests that Nick skip ALL IN so he doesn't have to see another coffin door close on someone he loves. Ew, he really went there. Fans chant “@sshole” at Christian. I'm a little confused about what all this means for ALL IN.
The real star of Dynamite, Renee Paquette, sits down with FTR and The Young Bucks. FTR dismiss the Bucks' gratitude for helping them earlier because they just want to make sure there's no excuses at ALL IN. The Bucks feel like their legacy is already established, so the pressure is on FTR to beat them. Dax Harwood makes it about feeding his family again, which annoys the Bucks. Matt thinks the Bucks will be remembered as the best tag team of all time, while FTR will be remembered as the guys who got their name from the Bucks' Youtube show.
Video promo hyping up the 4-way Women's match at ALL IN.
Ruby Soho (with Toni Storm) vs. Skye Blue
Ruby is in the hunt for a TBS title shot and attempts a cheap shot. Skye was ready and throws Ruby into the barricade. Ruby stomps her foot and slams her by the hair. Skye comes back with some well aimed kicks and a diving crossbody from the apron. Back from commercials, Blue seems poised for victory. Ruby kicks out of a diving crossbody but her Saito suplex is blocked. Neckbreaker by Blue leads to a series of pinfall attempts. Skyfall only gets 2. Ruby blocks Code Blue and stumbles into No Future. Destination Unknown finishes it at 7:54. Generally clunky outing that got eaten up by commercials, *½.Winner: Ruby Soho
Renee Paquette is backstage with eternally injured Roderick Strong and The Kingdom. Roddy predicts that ALL IN will reveal the Real Adam Cole and Real MJF.
They replay the video package of the House of Black throwing Billy Gunn's boots into the trash. The Acclaimed storm into the ring and call out the HoB. The lights go out and the House of Black arrive on cue and easily overwhelm The Acclaimed in a brawl. Brody King prepares a loaded punch when Daddy @ss Billy Gunn makes a dramatic return to single handedly menace 3 tough dudes out of the ring. Billy is coming out of retirement as the Bad @ss to fight The House of Black at ALL IN.
ROH Tag Team Championship:
Aussie Open © (Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher) vs. The Hardys (Matt and Jeff)
I honestly had no idea what the main event was until the Hardys made their entrance. I can kind of see why they might want to keep it secret. I mean, it's possible they mentioned it at the show's opening and I missed it, but I like to think that I pay pretty close attention. Anyways, Aussie Open attack before the bell, but the Hardys come right back with Poetry in Motion. The Hardys clear the ring to a nice pop. Back from commercials, Aussie Open have Jeff trapped in their corner. Jeff flattens them both with the Wisp of the WInd. Hot tag to Matt, who runs wild as best he can at this stage in his career. Matt hits a superplex to set up Jeff's swanton bomb. Aussie Open fight back with a powerbomb and tandem neckbreaker to pin Jeff at 8:04. Not much of a main event, this just existed to set up the post-match angle, **.Winners and still ROH Tag Team Champions: Aussie Open
Aussie Open take a moment to insult the fans and talk some trash about their ALL IN Zero Hour opponents, Adam Cole and MJF. There will be NO DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE and they'll still be champions, bay-bay! AEW World Champion MJF and Adam Cole march in united together. The staredown turns into a brawl, in which Aussie Open gain the upper hand! They try a double clothesline, but Cole breaks it up with a pump kick. Mark Davis runs away from the dreaded double clothesline. MJF saves Cole from Kyle Fletcher's ambush, and Cole nearly takes MJF down with a mistimed superkick. MJF hoists up the AEW title and brushes away Cole's handshake offer. MJF considers using the Dynamite diamond ring but instead gives Cole a big ol' hug. I was going to make a snide comment about how funny it was that they final segment on Dynamite's go-home show was setting up the preshow match, but they turned it around late and really poured on the intrigue for the World title match.
Final Thoughts: Shut up and take my money.
Sound Off!
Comment about this article on Da' Wrestling Boards!