13 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Fyter Fest 2019

Janela vs. Moxley, The Elite vs. Lucha Bros/Laredo Kid, and more!

Jon Moxley
AEW/CEO/Tomas Tischio

No matter what caliber of show AEW Fyter Fest turned out to be, the critical response was always going to be interesting.

Double Or Nothing was an out-of-the-park home run of an event that built great hope for the nascent promotion while lumbering All Elite with boatloads of excessive hype. This meant that whatever happened next almost had to hit the same level, or those who weren't as invested in AEW's maiden PPV voyage as most critics would've been made ever warier of the company's long-term prospects.

Understandable, but troublesome, as Fyter Fest was never designed to hit Double Or Nothing's lofty heights. This was, from day one, marketed as a B-tier show; a Backlash or Stomping Grounds, not a SummerSlam or Survivor Series. Expectations should have fallen somewhere between "good" and "great," not "great" and "best of the year," despite the abundance of fun-looking matches on this loose Fyre Festival parody show.

Regardless, Fyter Fest was a success. Highlighted, as expected, by Jon Moxley vs. Joey Janela and The Elite vs. Laredo Kid and the Lucha Brothers, it was another night of deep varied action from wrestling's cool new promotion. More than that: it was another step in the right direction, despite a handful of Buy In pre-show concerns.

Let's dive into it.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.