11 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Fyter Fest 2021 Night 1

by Michael Sidgwick

1. The Best Coffin Match EVER?!

Darby Allin Ethan Page AEW Dynamite Fyter Fest Coffin Match
AEW.com

More fun than the terrifying prospect it was billed as, it was very, very fun.

Contrary to the genre norm, in which large men are rolled around to the effect of total and utter tedium, not one single pop or pang of anxiety was wasted. Scorpio Sky snuck in the coffin, but Sting generated a monster pop with the save and ran through his unbelievably ageless crowd-pleasing routine.

Engineering a tumultuous, dramatic atmosphere, Ethan Page caught Darby Allin's psychotic balcony dive and rag-dolled him against the frame of an exit way. Back in the ring, the dangerous premise of their rivalry was expressed with an evolved, TV-friendly bent; Page removed the hook from the turnbuckle, tethered it to Darby's chain, and yanked him down to the canvas. This looked brutal, and like it sucked to take, but it was perfectly safe.

Of course, Darby did take an Ego's Edge on the steel steps, which wasn't as safe, but the stakes necessitated something wild. Otherwise, this high-quality sprint presented the illusion of danger with an impressive working magic.

It all ended - as so many episodes of Dynamite somehow do - on an iconic note. After Darby closed the lid and won the match, he ascended the top turnbuckle and executed a literal Coffin Drop. At this rate, the Dynamite intro could last for the full duration of the show, the highlights are so frequent. This was a cracking episode.

Gauging by the sheer noise, to use a word from AEW's lexicon, it was undeniable.

Advertisement
In this post: 
Darby Allin
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!