AEW Dynamite: Fyter Fest Review - August 23, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Elite (Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks) vs. Bullet Club Gold (Juice Robinson and The Gunns) Went to a No Contest

I can't say I'm disappointed that we didn't get this match and that it turned into a brawl instead before the bell rang. The Bucks aren't even facing anyone from Bullet Club Gold at All In, so it would have been pointless. The brawl made more sense as we got interaction between Omega, Konosuke Takeshita and Jay White as well as the Bucks and FTR, effectively furthering the feuds involved. AEW doesn't do this sort of stuff often, but I thought this worked.

Jon Moxley def. Rey Fenix

There were reports earlier in the week about Fenix not being able to make the trip to London for All In, which made it clear that this match was designed to write Fenix off the show. Sure enough, we got that injury angle afterward, but the matchup itself was given plenty of time and was a lot of fun. Chaos ensued afterward with everyone involved in Stadium Stampede on Sunday going at it, including the returning duo of Santana and Ortiz. It'll now be five-on-five with Santana, Ortiz and Blackpool Combat Club taking on Eddie Kingston, Penta El Zero Miedo, Orange Cassidy and Best Friends.

Chris Jericho and IWGP United Kingdom Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay's Contract Signing for All In Ended in a Brawl

I wasn't a fan of this match being made for All In, but they did a tremendous job of selling me on it with what they did here. I've never known Ospreay to be the best talker, but he cut a hell of a promo here talking about why he needs to win against Jericho. Even Jericho's mic work was strong, addressing online criticisms he's received and history they have that I wasn't unaware of. They spoke with intensity and the brawl closed out the segment on a high note. This was extremely well done.

Darby Allin and Nick Wayne def. Mogul Embassy (Swerve Strickland and AR Fox)

​This was a nice, well-wrestled match, but it was basically what we're getting at All In except with a Coffin stipulation and Sting replacing Wayne. Much like Moxley vs. Fenix, this existed to explain why Fox won't be at All In. I assume he can't travel, but did they really need to kick him out of Mogul Embassy after only a month? The entire post-match angle felt super rushed. Christian Cage will compete instead of Wayne, and I'm not complaining because he's terrific and is already feuding with Allin.

Ruby Soho def. Skye Blue

I honestly do not know what purpose this was supposed to serve days ahead of All In, a card neither of these women will be competing on. Obviously, they couldn't have had an episode with no presence from the women, but why not do pre-taped/backstage promos with each of the competitors in the AEW Women's World Championship four-way match instead? This was fine but didn't seem to accomplish anything. I'm also incredibly bored of seeing The Outcasts work with the same few women.

Billy Gunn Saved The Acclaimed From AEW World Trios Champions House of Black

It was obvious what the endgame of this angle was when Gunn's "retirement" kept being replayed on AEW TV and we finally got Gunn's return here. I just thought their third AEW World Trios Championship match would happen at All Out instead of All In, but that London crowd should go nuts for The Acclaimed. This was a simple segment and I liked Gunn ditching the "Daddy Ass" crap, if only for one night.

ROH World Tag Team Champions Aussie Open def. The Hardys

Given Jeff Hardy's record, there was absolutely zero chance The Hardys were going to take the titles here because Jeff can't travel to London. It was a quality contest, but this was more about giving Aussie Open a credible victory before they defend the titles against Adam Cole and MJF on the All In Zero Hour pre-show. They won clean, but it was Cole and MJF who stood tall to close the show. Normally, I wouldn't be in favor of ending Dynamite with an ROH World Tag Team Championship match, but this was logical and the crowd was into it.

Overall Show

In addition to everything discussed above, we got three pre-taped sit-down interviews: one with MJF, one with Cole, one with FTR, and another with the Bucks. Surprisingly, the one with FTR and the Bucks was the weakest of the three but still good. MJF and Cole talking to Renee Paquette about how much their match at All In means to them was excellent and again left me questioning what the endgame of this storyline is going to be. Those provided the best hype for Sunday along with the Jericho-Ospreay contract signing, which was way better than I thought it would be. That stuff sold me on All In (though I was already excited for it), and as chaotic as the rest of this episode turned out to be, it was still a successful go-home show on the whole.

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