9 Match Star Ratings For AEW Fyter Fest

8. The Buy In: Leva Bates Vs. Allie

Moxley Stars 2
AEW

This Librarian business is unanimously unpopular - really, it just feels so small-time and niche that it is powerful enough to diminish AEW at large.

It's among the weakest Being The Elite material, and yet it is in the process of adaptation to a Buy In pre-show gimmick scarcely believable in how thick it all is. The funniest, most absurd BTE bits wouldn't land with a casual audience. So why broadcast the worst of it to anybody with an Internet connection as the first impression of this lauded new thing, styled pretty much as 'WWE, only far better'?

This is sub-WWE.

The match itself wasn't that bad - it was commendable even, given how Allie used her buoyant charisma to unglue a bemused crowd - but that storyline is a non-starter. Competing librarian (see?) Peter Avalon did a decent bit of shtick on the outside - he didn't trip Allie, he was "turning the page" in his book - but the finish was contrived, poorly-executed farce. The librarians strive for silence. Genius meta gimmick, or gigantic self-own?

You don't need to study a book to determine which.

Star Rating: *3/4

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!