Photo credit: allelitewrestling.com
Fight for the Fallen really lived up to expectations in my opinion. Daily’s Place in Jacksonville was a wonderful venue for this event, and the Jacksonville crowd was red hot. Every match felt fresh and all of the finishes made sense. It might not have been better than Double Or Nothing, but everyone involved maximized their minutes.
1. Brandi Rhodes and Awesome Kong
Wrestler/manager tandems are a lost art in today’s wrestling, and nobody really knows why. It seems like we are a generation removed from the days of wrestlers having managers that accompany their client to the ring.
I think that Brandi Rhodes is the perfect wrestler to have a manager. Her segments on the YouTube series really set the stage for her heel turn last night. I like that Brandi made us want to sympathize with her in the interview, but she also explained in an arrogant way that she will do anything it takes to win. She used Awesome Kong to help her get the victory over Allie.
Awesome Kong might be the first monster heel manager since Diesel managed Shawn Michaels back in the day. You could say that Kong was the first physically dominant women’s wrestler of the modern era. Fans know who she is because she was a legend in the TNA Knockouts division. Even though Kong could still have matches on her own here and there, I would love to see her and Rhodes work as a team for a few years because they can generate heat against the many talented babyfaces in the AEW women’s division.
2. Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus
Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy are excellent, plain and simple. They give off a Disney type of vibe, and fans love that they show their true personality. Jungle Boy has a good in ring style, but I am enamored with Austin Matelson, the dinosaur with his masters degree.
My brother Mitchell’s eyes lit up when he first saw the 6’5 monster with the green tongue at Double Or Nothing. The crowd in Jacksonville seemed to agree with us. We don’t know where the team is going from here, but we do know they are definitely going places.
3. Kenny Omega
After a few quiet months, I believe that Kenny Omega is finally back. Omega and the Elite have been in the ring for only a limited amount of time since they signed with AEW back in January, but it is safe to say that Omega has removed the ring rust.
His match with Cima at Fight for the Fallen was the best match on the card in my opinion, the two veterans not disappointing me or Jacksonville in their first ever match against each other. Cima has become an incredible utility player for AEW. He is 41, but he works like he is in his 20’s. The Meteora that he hit on Omega while Omega was flat on the stage looked nasty.
At the end of the day, Cima did what every losing wrestler should do in the match: he made Omega look amazing, but he did not lose his own momentum in the process. Both of these men thrive wrestling Japanese style matches.
Omega returned back to New Japan Pro Wrestling form and wrestled his best match in over a year. He’s still the top face in the world, so it would be smart if AEW continued to use him sparingly as he heads towards his major match with Jon Moxley.
4. The tag team matches
All of the tag team matches on the show were solid. The six man tag on the Buy In showed that AEW might have the strongest midcard roster since WWE in the Attitude Era. SCU(Christopher Daniels, Kazarian and Scorpio Sky) and the Lucha Bros made my head hurt with all of the high risk maneuvers. The Young Bucks and the Rhodes Brothers delivered in an unpredictable main event.
AEW has definitely proved that tag teams can main event and be top draws. I believe that the Young Bucks and Lucha Bros might already be two of the top tag teams of all time.
The tag team tournament on TNT can definitely build all the other talent in the division as well. The sky is the limit.
5. $150,000 raised for victims of gun violence
I felt truly moved by the donation of $150,000 from AEW. They claim that their was no profit made from the show, and I’m happy that they fulfilled their mission. Hopefully this show garners national attention, so that AEW can have more sponsors.
The future definitely looks bright for Tony Khan and company.