7 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Fyter Fest 2021 Night 2

2. Nick F***ing Gage

Nick Gage
AEW

Chris Jericho's second labour? Nick F***cking Gage.

The God of Ultraviolence was introduced after the Spears match, with MJF hyping the crowd on Gage by calling him the "most criminal man to ever set foot in a wrestling ring." A guy who robbed a bank without a mask! Who else could it possibly be?

Emerging to Mikey Rukus' For Whom The Bell Tolls soundalike, Gage got a great pop from a crowd who clearly knew who he was. That's the power of Gage, though. His style might not be for everyone, but as Jon Moxley said on Dark Side of the Ring, Vince McMahon would kill for a roster of wrestlers with the kind of crowd connection Nick enjoys. Eternally, he is one of the most over people in any room he walks into.

Jericho announcing that he is bringing back his old Painmaker persona for the no DQ match is a fun touch, too, and you know the interactions between the gloriously mismatched Gage/MJF pairing are going to be a riot next week.

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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.