Here are my final thoughts on All Elite Wrestling’s Fight for the Fallen!
Sonny Kiss vs. Peter Avalon (with Leva Bates)
Reactions: Well at least Sonny Kiss’ entrance was cool. That’s really the most positive thing I can say about this Buy In bout. It was a pretty basic and by-the-numbers affair. Thankfully, Peter Avalon didn’t bore the crowd with too many of his and Leva Bates’ librarian antics. Looks like Kiss is being set up as one of AEW’s up and coming stars.
Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. and Riho vs. Bea Priestley and Shoko Nakajima
Reactions: This was clearly the better of the two Buy In matches. The two Japanese Joshi stars had plenty of charisma to go around and Bea Priestley got big reactions during her time in the ring. There was just far too many moments of miscommunication and awkward exchanges between everyone, however. Miss Baker especially looked off out there – her work was easily the weakest of them all. Even with those knocks on the match, it went longer than expected and featured some cool high spots. Everyone (except for Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D.) looked pretty good during this heated tag team encounter.
Rating: 2 & a Half out of 5 Stars
Darby Allen, Jimmy Havoc and Joey Janela vs. MJF, Sammy Guevara and Shawn Spears (Six-Man Tag Team Match)
Reactions: This was a pretty wild and raucous Six-Man opener. It featured some continued storytelling between MJF and Shawn Spears, plus a multitude of standout moments from everyone involved. Even though he was perceived as an afterthought beforehand, Sammy Guevara ended up pulling off the most jaw-dropping maneuvers of the match.
One team represented the ultimate risk-takers of AEW, while the other side was a representation of the company’s traditional superstars. The action came fast and the fluidity of it all gave the crowd plenty to cheer about. The interactions between MJF and Spears was equal parts hilarity and intensity. Based on the finish of this bout, it looks like Spears will soon find himself getting entangled in an in-ring war with MJF (and possibly Darby Allen!).
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Brandi Rhodes (with Awesome Kong) vs. Allie
Reactions: Yeesh. I had a feeling that this match was going to be one of the weaker ones on the entire card. And sadly, I was right. Brandi Rhodes and Allie are both pretty basic and a bit uncoordinated in the ring, which made this encounter between the two a lame watch. Awesome Kong’s last-minute showing gave me a reason to care about this bout, though. Brandi and Allie need to leave the wrestling to the Joshi contingent and the more talented stars of the women’s roster, honestly. As for the post-match proceedings, count me all the way in for Aja Kong vs. Awesome Kong.
Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
The Dark Order (Evil Uno and Stu Grayson) vs. Angélico and Jack Evans vs. Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus (with Marko Stunt) (Three-Way Tag Team Match; To Advance to All Out for an Opportunity at a First-Round Bye in the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament)
Reactions: Once again, the tag team scene in AEW stole the show. And judging by the crowd, the partnership between Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus is incredibly over! This matchup had it all – innovate tag team maneuvers, jaw-dropping top rope move exchanges, and a bevy of hot near-falls. The Dark Order made a fine debut here and showed just how much of a force they can be against anyone they’re pitted against.
Angélico and Jack Evans’ crowd popping moves were on full display here, too – they may have gotten destroyed during the earlier parts of the bout, but they came back strong near the closing moments. Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus were clearly the stars of the match and made a great case for a tag team title run in the future. I got a kick out of watching these three teams leave it all in the ring here.
Rating: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
Adam Page vs. Kip Sabian
Reactions: This match started off on a solid note and quickly built itself into a hard-hitting encounter. Adam Page provided more proof that he’s clearly ready to take on the role of the biggest star in AEW with his performance. And kudos to Kip Sabian for raising his stock in the company with the hard work he put in tonight.
Page was especially brutal as this match unfolded – the Moonsault he pulled off on the outside, the sick Powerbomb he landed by flinging Sabian to the entrance ramp, and that slick top rope neckbreaker of his were the most standout moments here. Sabian was definitely game for Page as he stood with him every step of the way. This was a surprisingly entertaining bout. Chris Jericho’s post-match assault on Page was a nice bonus moment that gave us a look at All Out’s World Championship bout.
Rating: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
SoCal Uncensored (Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky) (with Christopher Daniels) vs. Lucha Brothers (Pentagón Jr. and Rey Fenix)
Reactions: The Lucha Brothers are a hot act that continues to wow the crowd with their lovable personalities and amazing tag team maneuvers. Even after SCU brought the crowd to its feet, Pentagón Jr. and Rey Fenix quickly brought them over to their side soon after. The high spots came fast and often here – SCU and the Lucha Brothers tore into each other with their most impressive maneuvers.
I especially enjoyed watching Pentagón Jr. and Scorpio Sky get into a heated (and hilarious!) battle of catchphrases (shout out to the ref for catching that glove on her second try). There wasn’t a dull moment to speak of – both teams maintained an incredibly fast pace the whole way through. The fact that we can now look forward to a Ladder Match between the Lucha Brothers and the Young Bucks at All Out excites me to no end!
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Kenny Omega vs. CIMA
Reactions: Kenny Omega has earned the moniker “Best Bout Machine” due to matches such as this one. He and CIMA have been Japanese wrestling mainstay’s for a long time now, yet this is the very first time they’ve faced each other. Once the smoke cleared, it was readily apparent that this first-time matchup met my and everyone else’s expectations. CIMA was simply relentless here as he dished out several Meteora’s to Omega – the most vicious one of all came when he came flying off the audience platform right onto a prone Omega.
Omega responded in kind with some sick chops and some painful limb work meant to take away one of CIMA’s legs. The longer this match went on, the higher the stakes became. We got a “Strong Style” slapping contest, sick V-Trigger knee strikes, and crowd popping near falls. It looked as if CIMA had this match in the bag several times, but Omega ultimately prevailed. Omega’s three for three when it comes to quality bouts contested in AEW thus far.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) vs. Cody and Dustin Rhodes
Reactions: “The Brotherhood” worked like a well-oiled machine against the tag team wizardry of The Young Bucks. Once the brotherly love subsided and the sibling rivalry kicked in, this classic tag team match kicked into a higher gear. The first half of this match saw both teams rough it up and show off their best work. The second half saw Cody and Dustin Rhodes begin their extensive limb work on Matt Jackson and give this contest an old school feel.
Once the final portion came around, both teams tried to one-up each other by using the other team’s moves and getting even riskier with their offense as it came to an end. This match personified the old school vs. new school mentalities of tag team wrestling. And for that reason, it was the perfect amalgamation of everything that’s great about professional wrestling. Fine work from all four men here.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Match of the Night
Kenny Omega vs. CIMA!
Final Verdict
All Elite Wrestling’s Fight for the Fallen event started off on a rough note, but it quickly picked itself up and turned out a quality show. The last three matches of this event were what put it over the edge and gave it that final push towards greatness. While the women’s matches were a letdown and the ref’s disregard for disqualifications was a bit puzzling, the good certainly outweighed the bad. Fight for the Fallen’s unique atmosphere and smooth match flow must be commended. And now we wait to see if AEW can knock it out of the park again with All Out…
Final Score: 4 out of 5 Stars
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