AEW Fight for the Fallen: Results and recap

All Elite Wrestling proved they have something for every wrestling fan at its latest show, Fight for the Fallen.

On Saturday, July 13, All Elite Wrestling held its third event of the year, Fight for the Fallen at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. The event raised $150,000 for the greater Jacksonville Victim’s Assistance Advisory Council while at the same time putting on a showcase of what AEW is all about and what to expect once weekly television begins on TNT in October.

Here’s what happened at Fight for the Fallen

Sonny Kiss def. Peter Avalon (Buy-In Pre-Show)

Peter Avalon was accompanied by Leva Bates and the two Librarians have proven to be successful heel characters, turning the AEW crowd against reading (and silence). The two attempted to cut a promo pre-match, but they were interrupted by Sonny Kiss.

Kiss came to the ring with elaborate choreography and accompanied by the Jacksonville Jaguars cheerleaders and the Jaguars’ mascot, Jaxon DeVille. The whole match was essentially a showcase for Kiss, who showed off his signature moves before ultimately winning the match with a Split Legdrop from the top rope.

Shoko Nakajima and Bea Priestley def. Britt Baker and Riho (Buy-In Pre-Show)

Two more lesser-known members of the AEW roster — Bea Priestley and Shoko Nakajima — picked up a win in women’s tag team action on Saturday. Najakima got the pin on Riho and the match as a whole seemed to set up a one-on-one rivalry between Priestley and Britt Baker in the future.

Shawn Spears, MJF and Sammy Guevara def. Joey Janela, Darby Allin and Jimmy Havoc

The biggest storyline heading into this six-man tag match was the old “can they coexist?” question, given that Shawn Spears attacked Cody at Double or Nothing with a chair shot that required 12 staples, while his partner, MJF, is doing his best to become Cody’s best friend.

But while the tensions between the two were apparent — that match is coming, no doubt — the real story of the match was Darby Allin’s ribs, which he injured in said match against Cody in May. As such, the heel squad made sure to neutralize Joey Janela and Jimmy Havoc enough to capitalize on Allin’s injury, and Spears ultimately got the pin on him via a Falcon Arrow followed up by a Death Valley Driver.

Brandi Rhodes def. Allie

Perhaps to repay the favor at Double or Nothing, or perhaps because we have a bona fide alliance forming, Awesome Kong accompanied Brandi Rhodes to the ring for her match against Allie.

Rhodes’ ring rust was the focus of the match — she hadn’t been in the ring since 2018 — and thus Allie frequently had the upper hand and the apparent win. But Kong’s frequent referee distractions were Allie’s ultimate undoing, as Brandi picked up the win with a Bionic Spear.

Post-match, the legendary Aja Kong came to the ring and she and Awesome Kong had an epic stare down. The two seem to be on a collision course, which could result in a dream match at All Out.

Dark Order def. Jack Evans and Angelico, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus

AEW wants to make tag team wrestling a centerpiece of the promotion and all three of the teams featured in this match will be major parts of it. Dark Order is the unquestioned top heel team in the company, and their win — via Fatality on Jungle Boy — solidified that status. The real star of the match, though, was Luchasaurus, who proved that a man of his stature can really move; that “lucha” in his name is not just clever wordplay but the nature of his skill set.

With the win, the Dark Order will face the Best Friends at All Out, with the winners getting a first-round bye in the AEW Tag Team Championship tournament, something that’s likely to take place once television kicks off in the fall.

Hangman Adam Page def. Kip Sabian

Given that Adam Page will face Chris Jericho at All Out, with the winner being named the inaugural AEW Champion, it was no surprise that Page picked up the win over Kip Sabian. The main story is that Page’s left knee is sub-100 percent, something that Jericho will likely exploit next month.

This match also provided some of the more suspenseful moments of the night, with Page getting the win with only 57 seconds left in the match’s 20-minute time limit. With Sabian taking a co-No. 1 contender for AEW’s top gold to the brink, expect him to be positioned in the main event scene moving forward.

Post-match, one of the Dark Order’s masked “Creepers” made his way to the ring to attack Page. The Creeper removed his mask and, naturally, it was Jericho. We’ll hear more from him later.

Lucha Bros def. SCU (Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky)

Another tag team feature had the Lucha Bros. take on two thirds of SCU, Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky. This match was mainly a way to remind the AEW fanbase that the Lucha Bros. are still here despite not being mixed up in all that Dark Order-Best Friends-tag title adjacent storyline.

The Luchas picked up the win and then challenged The Young Bucks to a ladder match; that’s another one to expect at All Out.

Kenny Omega def. CIMA

Though every match at Fight for the Fallen was good to very good, giving us an above-average all around card, Kenny Omega taking on CIMA was easily the show’s very best. This was a physical, methodical and brutal match that felt more like watching NJPW than modern, American-style pro wrestling.

And that brings us to what seemed to be the point of Fight for the Fallen: Showcasing that AEW can do, and is inherently about, showcasing all styles of pro wrestling and meshing them together. From American indie style, to lucha libre, to joshi, to mainstream, to strong style and everything in between, AEW might as well stand for “All Everything Wrestling.” The goal is something for everyone, and if weekly AEW television is going to be similar to Fight for the Fallen, there will be very little boredom. A Whitman’s Sampler of pro wrestling, if you will.

Despite CIMA hitting increasingly high-stakes Meteoras, including one to the back of Omega’s head followed by one to the front of it, Omega finally pulled out the One Winged Angel and put CIMA away.

Jericho unscripted

Following CIMA-Omega, Chris Jericho reemerged to cut an unscripted promo on Adam Page (and the entire AEW roster). Essentially, Jericho established that he has to defeat Page at All Out and win the AEW Championship, because if he doesn’t he’s worried that will mark the beginning of the end of his career. He wouldn’t know where to go from there.

After repeating, “I have to beat the Hangman,” about 10 times, Page appears and attacks Jericho. The stakes of the Page-Jericho match were already high, given gold is on the line, but now with Jericho throwing his legacy and career into the mix the in-ring story these two will tell will have a heightened level of emotion.

The Young Bucks def. Cody and Dustin Rhodes

The main event of Fight for the Fallen was about old vs. new school and mutual respect, with The Young Bucks, Nick and Matt Jackson, facing off against The Brotherhood of Cody and Dustin Rhodes.

The veterans tried to control the pace of the match, keeping things slow and grounded in order to throw the fast, high-flying Bucks off their usual games. But after the Bucks threw a superkick party, the momentum shifted in their favor. Ultimately, The Young Bucks earned the win with a Meltzer Driver. The four men then put each other over, with the Bucks saying that their insults against the Rhodes brothers was done only “in the spirit of competition” and calling Cody and Dustin “one of the best tag teams [they’ve] been in the ring with.

Ultimately, Fight for the Fallen was a successful show with no one particular match sticking out as the weak link. AEW did what it set out to do: Show off its varied and deep roster, emphasize tag team wrestling and build storylines not just for All Out but also for their October television debut. AEW remains the wrestling promotion that has something for everyone.

What were your thoughts on Fight for the Fallen? Which match stood out the most? Let us know in the comments below.