Here are my final thoughts on the second night of All Elite Wrestling’s Fyter Fest 2020!
Kenny Omega and Adam Page (c) vs. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen) (with Matt Hardy) (AEW World Tag Team Championship)
Reactions: Fresh off their win at Fyter Fest Night 1, Private Party earned themselves a tag team championship on this evening. And even though they ultimately fell short, Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen managed to impress once again due to a valiant effort produced on their behalf. Both teams competed at a very fast pace and pulled off a bevy of believable near falls that almost made me think an upset was coming our way. The middle portion that saw a beautiful Shooting Star Press come into play and a rope-assisted Facebuster to the entrance mat come out of nowhere made this opening match gain even more traction. Private Party provided worthy foes for Kenny Omega and Adam Page, who once again showcased just how amazing they are as a championship duo. Kenny and Adam’s strong title run continues!
Rating: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
Lance Archer (with Jake Roberts) vs. Joey Janela (with Sonny Kiss)
Reactions: EVERYBODY DIES! “Bad Boy” Joey Janela did everything he could to knock Lance Archer off his perch, but it was all for naught. Even with the assistance of Sonny Kiss, Joey was unable to do enough damage to overcome his much larger opponent. Lance’s rebuilding phase continued here as he managed to look like the unstoppable force he’s always been. His assault on Joey looked as devastating as it should have been, while Joey’s comeback offense was spirited and fun to watch. Watching Joey get planted through a table on the outside was a cool way to bring this torture session to a definitive end. This was a pretty lively squash.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) vs. The Butcher and The Blade and Lucha Brothers (Pentagón Jr. and Rey Fénix) (8-Man Tag Team Match)
Reactions: WOW! My gut told me that this 8-man war would end up sealing the deal as one of the best matches of this second evening of AEW action. And thankfully, my instinct was completely well warranted. This was a bonafide MOTY contender thanks to all of the characteristics that make it stand tall – great action, amazing moments, proper in-ring storytelling, and the right winner(s).
I loved watching FTR and The Young Bucks grow from uneasy partners to a well-oiled machine as the match wore on – it was awesome witnessing them pull off each other’s signature moves with the other’s surprising assistance. The return of the Lucha Brothers is definitely part of the reason why this bout delivered in spades. Plus the underrated duo of The Butcher and The Blade did their part in adding to this wild match’s exciting pace. This multi-man clash not only produced some of the most exciting spots in all of wrestling in 2020, but it also did a swell job of continuing the build to the eventual meeting between FTR and The Young Bucks.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Nyla Rose vs. Kenzie Page and Kyllie King (Handicap Match)
Reactions: Nyla Rose came through and tore into two hapless women who never even had a chance. I always get a kick out of watching the “Native Beast” easily put someone on their back. Post-match, Nyla announced that she has a manager that’s ready to push her to championship glory for a second time. Who could that mystery person be perhaps? I’d love to see a fellow female wrestling talent step up to oversee Nyla’s path of destruction. Let it either be Jazz or Awesome Kong and you’ve got me fully invested in this new career turn for Miss Rose.
Rating: SQUASH!
Colt Cabana and The Dark Order (Brodie Lee and Stu Grayson) vs. SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, and Scorpio Sky) (6-Man Tag Team Match)
Reactions: Mr. Brodie Lee’s influence over Colt Cabana is seemingly paying dividends for the former loser. I’ve grown to appreciate what The Dark Order has done since bringing Brodie into the fold. Their work against SCU was a bit better than I expected it to be – the storytelling told throughout played up Cabana’s conflicted feelings about his new stablemates. The action itself started out a bit slow, but it turned into something worthwhile once Frankie Kazarian got the hot tag. The closing moments were full of multi-man madness and the continued winning ways of Cabana. This Dark Order storyline has me way more intrigued than I thought I’d be.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy
Reactions: Orange Cassidy knows how to get the crowd going. His match with PAC back at last year’s Revolution was proof of that and tonight’s grudge match against “Le Champion” provided even further proof. Much of this main event saw Chris Jericho brutalize the super chill wrestler – Orange took all types of brutality from Jericho and his Inner Circle cronies. But once Orange regained his strength and began doing damage to his heated foe, this match livened up a bit.
Orange mixed in his lazy kicks spot into a legit Superkick, which was a nice change of pace from his usual in-ring antics. Orange in comeback mode is pretty exciting, so it was fun watching him do a ton of damage to Jericho near this bout’s closing moments. That extra minute of TV time afforded this match the action-packed closing segment it needed. Jericho did a fine job of making his opponent look good in defeat once again. Fine work from both men here. Here’s hoping that Orange’s next feud gets him the big singles win he so desperately deserves.
Rating: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
Match of the Night
FTR and The Young Bucks vs. The Butcher and The Blade and Lucha Brothers!
Final Verdict
As a whole, AEW Fyter Fest 2020 provided two nights full of high octane action, strong promos, and entertaining storytelling. Night 2 easily provided the best match of the entire event with the 8-man mayhem provided by FTR, The Young Bucks, The Butcher and The Blade, and the Lucha Brothers. Nyla Rose’s announcement of an incoming manager and Tazz’s anointment of Brian Cage as the new FTW Champion were cool moments. And the rest of the matches put on by Night 2’s other participants ranged from above-average to good in their own right. With all of these combined elements, I’m of the opinion that Night 2 of Fyter Fest was a step above Night 1 and a bonafide evening full of wrestling action that’s worth a rewatch or two.
Final Score: 4 out of 5 Stars
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Check out our review for Night 1 of AEW Fyter Fest 2020 right here.