AEW Fight for the Fallen Review

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Matches:
0a. Avalon vs Kiss **
0b.Shoko, Bea vs Baker, Riho **3/4
1. MJF, Spears, Guevara vs Darby, Havoc, Janela ***1/2
2.Brandi vs Allie **
3.Dark Order vs A Boy & His Dinosaur vs Gueros del Cielo ***1/2
4.Page vs Kip ***
5.SCU vs Lucha Bros ***1/2
6.Omega vs CIMA ****
7.The Brotherhood vs The Young Bucks ***1/2

Thoughts:
I didn't get to see this as quickly as I wanted due to the technical difficulties I ran into on B/R. I saw several different types of issues others complained about during the show. I'll just say that I hope it's a fluke as most of this stuff had been non-existent on the first two.

The preshow was ok, but I voiced my opinion on Twitter recently that they are misusing the Buy In and I stand by that. Apparently, JR does, too. The first match there was decent but nothing major. The Librarian gimmick is getting the wrong kind of heat. Worth noting, especially after living there recently, that the "reading sucks" chant was very fitting for Florida. Kiss' cheerleader intro was decent.

The second match on the buy in was pretty decent and a decent intro for Shoko and Bea to AEW. I'm happy they didn't book the Japanese talent together randomly here like WWE does. The politics of having TJP and STARDOM champs teaming up must be interesting. Baker apparently suffered a concussion early on which makes her attempting to tag out in the wrong corner no longer funny. This was rough around the corners and iffy subtitles began randomly showing up near the end of the match which sucked. I thought they were going the limit before that flash pin.

We close the Buy In with a good promo from Kip, calling out the way Page has been booked so far.

I really like the open arena setting here and the overall intimacy and atmosphere.

The main card opener was pretty good stuff, using time well to set down a lot of seeds for various feuds and plots. Spears might be the biggest heel right now while Darby is perhaps the most over guy that isn't in the Elite. The fact that Spears pinned him was smart, also tying into Cody being unable to put him away. I'm glad they only mentioned the recent incident involving Janela by calling a certain someone scum of the earth instead of giving the trash a true platform. His Cornette shoutout was great.

I didn't care much for the Brandi match. It was largely decent, but I don't really want this kind of thing in AEW. Just so much bullshit and cheap heat antics. They set up a tag match as well as Kong versus Kong after, so that should be good at least.

Up next, the three way turned out pretty well. The right team won in my opinion and everyone looked pretty good. The Marko Stunt stuff didn't take much away either. All three teams will be major names in the tag division, which is beyond stacked.

Now, the next match seems polarizing. I get people think Page should have squashed Kip. That said, AEW made a statement that they aren't going to bury someone like that. NJPW largely does the same, as do most of the best promotions. People need to realize that AEW isn't WWE. The match was good and they are building up Page in a way that I appreciate. The match ended with less than a minute left, by the way. My only real issue is it felt like it lagged a tad at times. Not much, but enough.

Jericho's attack after was well done like most Y2J run-in moments are, leaving Adam Page busted open. The, "thank you, Jericho" chants showcase that Jericho is still too over due to his history to be considered anything but a fan favorite, even as a heel. It's 2019, though. Heels tend to be more over, especially ones like Jericho.

SCU and the Lucha Brothers put in for a very good contest. I loved Katie keeping it clean and the pop when she caught Penta's glove after failing the first time was pretty fun. This was just a very fun outing, plain and simple. The challenge for a ladder match from Penta and Fenix to the Bucks for All Out was a good cap here.

We are three AEW shows in and the fans largely still fail with CIMA's taunt.

I found CIMA versus Omega to be a fantastic match that lived up to my own hype nicely enough. I didn't mind the spamming of the meteora like most seem to have. Both looked great and the right man won. I hope we get a rematch soon.

Jericho's live mic segment was perfect and the entire thing actually got Page over a bit. I really hope they're putting the belt on Chris for the TNT debut and keeping it on him for a while. Keep giving him a live mic!

The main event was a very good, old school versus new school kind of match. It lost the crowd in parts but kept getting them back. It was a long show. Cody taking the fall is interesting.

The post-match promo was cut short with the show running low on time but it all largely worked out.

I'm surprised they didn't run a graphic or something telling people how to donate, but I love that they did give away a large amount of cash to such a good cause.

In all, this was another good AEW outing. Are there issues? Yup. That said, it felt like a good representation of the style they want and I had a good time watching. We, as wrestling fans, are so spoiled these days. Take a look at the amount of matches and the amount of promotions listed here. Not every show needs to be perfect. Yes, New Japan is still the king but AEW is carving out their niche and I'm more than happy with what we've been given so far, especially since the last two shows were free.

Check this one out when you get the chance if you plan on following AEW closely. Just watch the matches rated ***1/2+ if you aren't.

Overall Rating: 70/100%