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

Ups...

11. Jon Moxley: Megastar Babyface

Jon Moxley
AEW

All most certainly isn't right with the world - this show is happening not because the pandemic is over, but because we all just really want it to be - but it felt that way when Jon Moxley made his entrance ahead of his IWGP US Title match opposite Karl Anderson.

He is a folk hero living in modern times and was received as a God in Cedar Park, who went banana for most of the match. It was let down very slightly and only at times by Anderson's attempts to tease the Gun Stun. The move isn't over because Anderson is no longer classed as a top-level in-ring talent, but this was his best performance in an age - so good that fans bought him as a threat deep in the game.

This, rather obviously, was worked as a New Japan style match: Anderson fought through Mox's biggest bombs with delayed-sell defiance where Mox rewarded that awesome, life-affirming reaction with whip-smart babyface work. Using Anderson's jealous drive against him, Mox in one great spot nailed him with a brutal German suplex off a penetration step. This was Mox at his best: expertly applying the story build to the action.

This was a very good, unvarnished scrap perfect to send a hot crowd into overdrive ahead of...

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!