The 2021 Fyter Fest was the third annual Fyter Fest professional wrestling event produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The event aired on TNT as a two-part series of television special episodes of AEW's weekly television program, Wednesday Night Dynamite. The two-week event was also the second event in AEW's "Welcome Back" tour, which celebrated AEW's resumption of live touring during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first night aired on July 14, 2021, and was held at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park in Cedar Park, Texas, while the second night was held on July 21, 2021, at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas.
| Fyter Fest | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuring various AEW wrestlers | |||
| Promotion | All Elite Wrestling | ||
| Date | Week 1: July 14, 2021 Week 2: July 21, 2021 | ||
| City | Cedar Park, Texas (July 14) Garland, Texas (July 21) | ||
| Venue | H-E-B Center at Cedar Park (July 14) Curtis Culwell Center (July 21) | ||
| Attendance | Night 1: 4,680[1] Night 2: 5,688[2] | ||
| Fyter Fest chronology | |||
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| AEW Dynamite special episodes chronology | |||
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Production
editBackground
editFyter Fest is a professional wrestling event held annually during the summer by All Elite Wrestling (AEW) since 2019; it was originally held in June before moving to July in 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that began effecting the industry in mid-March 2020, AEW held the majority of their programs from Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida;[3] these events were originally held without fans, but the company began running shows at 10–15% capacity in August, before eventually running full capacity shows in May 2021.[4] Also in May, AEW announced that they would be returning to live touring, beginning with a special episode of Dynamite titled Road Rager on July 7.[5] The third event in the Fyter Fest chronology, it was announced to be held as the second event of AEW's "Welcome Back" tour and like the 2020 event, it was scheduled as a two-part special of Dynamite. The first night was held on July 14 at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park in Cedar Park, Texas (Austin market) while the second night was held on July 21 at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas (Dallas–Fort Worth market).[6][7]
Storylines
editFyter Fest featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[8] Storylines were produced on AEW's weekly television program, Dynamite, the supplementary online streaming shows, Dark and Elevation, and The Young Bucks' YouTube series Being The Elite.
Reception
editTelevision ratings
editThe first night of Fyter Fest averaged 1,025,000 television viewers on TNT, with a 0.40 rating in AEW's key demographic.[9] The second night of Fyter Fest drew 1,148,000 viewers, and a 0.44 rating in the key demographic.[10]
Results
edit| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times[11] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jon Moxley (c) defeated Karl Anderson | Singles match for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship | 11:12 | ||
| 2 | Ricky Starks (with Hook and Powerhouse Hobbs) defeated Brian Cage (c) | Singles match for the FTW Championship | 9:52 | ||
| 3 | Christian Cage defeated Matt Hardy | Singles match | 13:07 | ||
| 4 | Sammy Guevara defeated Wheeler Yuta (with Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy) | Singles match | 4:33 | ||
| 5 | Yuka Sakazaki defeated Penelope Ford | Singles match | 6:45 | ||
| 6 | Darby Allin defeated Ethan Page | Coffin match | 15:22 | ||
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| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times[12] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Jericho defeated Shawn Spears (with Tully Blanchard) | Chairs match The stipulation only applied to Spears; Jericho had to wrestle under normal singles match rules. | 10:47 | ||
| 2 | Doc Gallows (with Karl Anderson) defeated Frankie Kazarian | Singles match | 6:53 | ||
| 3 | Darby Allin (with Sting) defeated Wheeler Yuta (with Orange Cassidy) | Singles match | 4:00 | ||
| 4 | Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (c) (with Rebel) defeated Nyla Rose (with Vickie Guerrero) by submission | Singles match for the AEW Women's World Championship | 12:11 | ||
| 5 | Orange Cassidy (with Kris Statlander) defeated The Blade (with The Bunny) | Singles match | 8:37 | ||
| 6 | Lance Archer (with Jake Roberts) defeated Jon Moxley (c) by knockout | Texas Death match for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Match could be won by knockout or submission. | 13:09 | ||
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Meltzer, Dave (July 16, 2021). "July 19, 2021 Observer Newsletter: Paul Orndorff passes away, Conor breaks leg at UFC 264". F4WOnline.com. Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (July 23, 2021). "July 26, 2021 Observer Newsletter: Daniel Bryan and CM Punk, Money in the Bank review". F4WOnline.com. Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ^ Mealey, Jason (March 13, 2020). "AEW moves show from Rochester to Jacksonville due to coronavirus". News4Jax.com. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Mike (May 5, 2021). "Double or Nothing 2021 PPV notes". PWInsider. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
- ^ Heydorn, Zack (May 10, 2021). "AEW announces a return to touring starting in July (w/ Heydorn's Analysis)". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ Nason, Josh (June 11, 2021). "AEW ANNOUNCES DATES FOR FYTER FEST, FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN, ROAD RAGER". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ Casey, Connor (June 11, 2021). "AEW Announces Welcome Back Tour for AEW Dynamite's July Episodes". ComicBook. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ Fontaine, Paul (July 15, 2021). "AEW DYNAMITE BACK OVER ONE MILLION VIEWERS FOR FYTER FEST NIGHT ONE". F4WOnline.com. Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ Fontaine, Paul (July 22, 2021). "AEW DYNAMITE DRAWS THIRD-BEST VIEWERSHIP IN SHOW HISTORY". F4WOnline.com. Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- ^ Barnett, Jake (July 14, 2021). "7/14 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of Fyter Fest Night One with Ethan Page vs. Darby Allin in a Coffin Match, Jon Moxley vs. Karl Anderson for the IWGP U.S. Title, Brian Cage vs. Ricky Starks for the FTW Title, Matt Hardy vs. Christian". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
- ^ Barnett, Jake (July 21, 2021). "7/21 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of Fyter Fest Night Two with Jon Moxley vs. Lance Archer in a Texas DeathMatch for the IWGP U.S. Championship, Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose for the AEW Women's Championship, Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Spears, Orange Cassidy vs. The Blade, Darby Allin vs. Wheeler Yuta". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 21, 2021.