AEW’s return to the road last week at Road Rager did not disappoint. It was a stacked card that lived up to the hype, and they look to continue the momentum tonight with Fyter Fest Night 1. The first night of Fyter Fest looks amazing, and the match card is highlighted by the company’s first ever coffin match. There have been four other matches announced including, two veterans squaring off in a singles match, a fan favourite returns to AEW, two members of Team Taz will settle their feud, and the IWGP US title will be on the line!
All this and so much more, and here is where we break it all down.
Darby Allin vs Ethan Page – Coffin Match
For those who have only seen this feud in AEW, it could seem that this has escalated pretty quickly, but Darby Allin and Ethan Page’s feud goes WAY back. If you haven’t done so already, go check out the matches these two had in Evolve, there absolutely crazy. In any case, tonight we’ll have the next instalment of this feud in one of the rarest matches in wrestling.
I think that Ethan Page’s time in AEW has been good, some people aren’t high on the team with Scorpio Sky, but I’m a big fan. I think the two complement each other well, and Page really helped Sky become a better heel. Darby has been on the rise since joining the AEW roster, and pairing him with Sting has taken his popularity to the next level.
When Ethan Page joined AEW, I wondered right away if he’d cross paths with Darby, and it looks like I got my answer. These two have great chemistry together in the ring, and I think this is going to be a great match. Something ridiculous happens whenever Page and Allin are in the same ring, and this time with the Coffin Match stipulation, nothing is off limits. I think that Darby gets the win here, and both men can move on to different feuds…for now.
Jon Moxley vs Karl Anderson – IWGP US Title Match
Karl Anderson is predominantly a tag team competitor, but over in Japan, he did have his moments as a singles wrestler as well. Anderson even has a singles win over Shinsuke Nakamura (the NJPW star, not the watered down version on Nakamura in WWE). Karl Anderson is an under-appreciated athlete, and he’ll have his chance to shine tonight, as he gets a shot for the IWGP US title.
Standing in Anderson’s way of the title will be the return champion, Jon Moxley. We haven’t seen Mox since Double or Nothing when the Young Bucks took him out. It has been over two months since Moxley has wrestled, and I can guarantee you he won’t be in a good mood. It was thought that Jon Moxley took time off to be with his wife and newborn child (which makes sense), but now it looks like Mox is ready to return to the ring, and continue the momentum he had going before he left.
With Mox being gone, it was up to Anderson to build the hype for this match, and he did just that. Anderson’s promo last week on Dynamite was very good, pointing out the fact that Kenny Omega was the first IWGP US champion, and that he is going to bring the title home to the Elite. The promo did a good job of hyping the match on such short notice, and because of Karl Anderson’s ties to NJPW, it’s got a lot of people looking forward to this match.
I can’t see Moxley losing in his return to AEW, but I do expect a good match, and for the live crowd to absolutely wild when Moxley makes his return.
Christian Cage vs Matt Hardy
These are two wrestlers who have a long history together. The rivalry between the Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian dates back well over 20 years, and all of four of those guys’ careers exploded after their matches together. With all that history together, when Christian Cage came to AEW, Matt Hardy though it’d be a good idea if Cage joined the HFO. We all know that Christian turned Hardy down, and eliminated him in the Casino Battle Royale, which has led to Matt being obsessed with attacking Christian. Weeks of sneak attacks has led us to the match we’re having tonight.
The really interesting part about this rivalry, is that in all the years these two have fought each other, they only had one televised singles match against one another. A match that Matt Hardy would win in six and a half minutes, on the December 1st episode of Raw…in 2003! A rematch that fans had to wait over 17 years for, but tonight on Dynamite, we get that match.
When looking at the HFO, Hardy has way more people in his corner than Cage, and that might factor into the finish in this match. I hope it doesn’t though, as this match deserves a clean, uninterrupted finish, and if that’s the case, I see Christian Cage picking up the win.
There is also two other matches announced for this episode. Ricky Starks takes on Brian Cage for the FTW championship, and we see the return of Yuka Sakazaki, as she takes on Penelope Ford. We will also here from Hangman Page, as he’s been in the mix with AEW champion Kenny Omega, in what is, in my opinion, the best story in all of wrestling right now.
All this and so much more can be seen on TNT (TSN in Canada) every Wednesday night at 8PM EST.
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