AEW Fyter Fest

AEW Fyter Fest is an annual professional wrestling event produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The event was established by the promotion in 2019 and is held during the summer; the first event was held in June but moved to July in 2020 and then August in 2023. Since 2020, Fyter Fest has been held as a multi-part television special. The name, slogan, and logo of the event are a parody of the fraudulent Fyre Festival.

AEW Fyter Fest
AEW Fyter Fest logo
Promotions	All Elite Wrestling
First event	2019

The inaugural 2019 event was held as a special event, while the 2020 and 2021 events were held as a two-part special of AEW's weekly television program, Wednesday Night Dynamite. In 2022, the event was expanded to being broadcast as a four-part special, encompassing the two-week broadcasts of Dynamite and Friday Night Rampage. It was then reduced to a three-part event in 2023, spanning AEW's three weekly shows of the week, including Saturday Night Collision.

The inaugural event was held in co-sponsorship with Community Effort Orlando (CEO) at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. It aired for free on B/R Live in North America and on pay-per-view (PPV) internationally. The second event was planned to air on PPV from the United Kingdom, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it took place at Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida, which began the event's annual broadcast as special episodes of the company's weekly television programs.

History

The inaugural Fyter Fest event took place on June 29, 2019, at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida in co-sponsorship between All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Community Effort Orlando (CEO). It was AEW's second-ever event and was held as part of CEO's fighting game event that year.^[1] This inaugural event aired for free on B/R Live in North America and on pay-per-view (PPV) internationally. The name, slogan, and logo were a parody of the fraudulent Fyre Festival.^[2][3] It was also the second wrestling event to be co-sponsored by CEO, after the previous year's New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) event, CEOxNJPW: When Worlds Collide.^[4] Both the NJPW and AEW events with CEO came as a result of Kenny Omega, a former prominent wrestler of NJPW who became a wrestler and Executive Vice President of AEW following the founding of the latter in January 2019.^[4][2]

A second event was held in 2020, though was produced by AEW alone. AEW had originally planned to host this second event at Wembley Arena in London, England, United Kingdom in June that year; it would have been the promotion's United Kingdom debut. However, the event was moved to Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in March that year. This second event was also originally to air on PPV but was changed to being a two-part special of AEW's weekly television program, Wednesday Night Dynamite; the first part aired live on July 1 while the second part was pre-recorded on July 2 and aired on tape delay on July 8.^[5][6]

The 2021 event was announced to also be held as a two-part special of Dynamite. With AEW's return to live touring during the pandemic, the two nights took place in two different Texas markets as the second event of AEW's "Welcome Back" tour. The first night was held on July 14, 2021, at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park in Cedar Park, Texas (Austin market) with the second night airing on July 21, 2021, from the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas (Dallas–Fort Worth market).^[7][8]

The 2022 event was expanded to be held as a four-part television special, encompassing the two-week broadcasts of Dynamite and Friday Night Rampage—AEW's secondary television program that began airing in August 2021. The July 13 episode of Dynamite was notable for a match between Jake Hager of the Jericho Appreciation Society and Claudio Castagnoli of the Blackpool Combat Club; both men previously wrestled for WWE as Jack Swagger and Cesaro, respectively, as a tag team named The Real Americans.^[9]

On August 11, 2023, AEW president Tony Khan announced that the fifth Fyter Fest would be held during the go-home week for that year's All In, moving the event to August.^[10] The 2023 event was reduced to a three-part event and encompassed the August 23 episode of Dynamite, the August 25 episode of Rampage, and the August 26 episode of Collision, the latter a third program that launched in June and airs on Saturdays.^[11][12][13]

Events

#	Event[14]	Date	City	Venue	Main Event	Ref.
1	Fyter Fest (2019)	June 29, 2019	Daytona Beach, Florida	Ocean Center	Jon Moxley vs. Joey Janela in a non-sanctioned match	[15]
2	Fyter Fest (2020)	Night 1: Dynamite – July 1, 2020	Jacksonville, Florida[a]	Daily's Place	Kenny Omega and "Hangman" Adam Page (c) vs. Best Friends (Trent and Chuck Taylor) for the AEW World Tag Team Championship	[16]
		Night 2: Dynamite – July 2, 2020 (aired July 8)			Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy[b]	[17]
3	Fyter Fest (2021)	Night 1: Dynamite – July 14, 2021	Cedar Park, Texas	H-E-B Center at Cedar Park	Darby Allin vs. Ethan Page in a Coffin match	[18]
		Night 2: Dynamite – July 21, 2021	Garland, Texas	Curtis Culwell Center	Jon Moxley (c) vs. Lance Archer in a Texas Death match for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship	[19]
4	Fyter Fest (2022)	Night 1: Dynamite – July 13, 2022	Savannah, Georgia	Enmarket Arena	The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (c) vs. Team Taz (Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs) vs. Swerve in Our Glory (Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland) in a Three-way tag team match for the AEW World Tag Team Championship	[20]
		Night 2: Rampage – July 13, 2022 (aired July 15)			The Lucha Brothers (Penta Oscuro and Rey Fénix) vs. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen)	[21]
		Night 3: Dynamite – July 20, 2022	Duluth, Georgia	Gas South Arena	Eddie Kingston vs. Chris Jericho in a Discovery Channel Shark Week Barbed Wire Everywhere Deathmatch The rest of the Jericho Appreciation Society were suspended outside the ring in a shark cage.	[22]
		Night 4: Rampage – July 20, 2022 (aired July 22)			Jay Lethal vs. Christopher Daniels	[23]
5	Fyter Fest (2023)	Night 1: Dynamite – August 23, 2023	Duluth, Georgia	Gas South Arena	Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis) (c) vs. The Hardys (Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy) for the ROH World Tag Team Championship	[24]
		Night 2: Rampage – August 19, 2023 (aired August 25)	Lexington, Kentucky	Rupp Arena	The Outcasts (Saraya and Toni Storm) vs. Hikaru Shida and Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D.	[13]
		Night 3: Collision – August 23, 2023 (aired August 26)	Duluth, Georgia	Gas South Arena	Darby Allin, Sting, Hook, and CM Punk vs. Mogul Embassy (Brian Cage and Swerve Strickland), Jay White, and Luchasaurus	[25]
(c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match

See also

• List of AEW pay-per-view events
• List of All Elite Wrestling special events
• List of AEW Dynamite special episodes
• List of AEW Rampage special episodes

Notes

1. Originally scheduled to take place at Wembley Arena in London, England, United Kingdom, but the event was moved due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also originally to air on pay-per-view, but was changed to a two-part Dynamite special episode.
2. Originally scheduled to be Jon Moxley (c) vs. Brian Cage for the AEW World Championship, the match was rescheduled to Fight for the Fallen due to possible exposure to COVID-19 from Moxley's wife, Renee Young.

References

1. Treese, Tyler (June 10, 2019). "All Elite Wrestling Fyter Fest To Air Live On B/R Live For Free". mandatory.com. WrestleZone. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
2. "Fyter Fest". CEO Gaming. April 11, 2019. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
3. "Being the Elite (BTE) - "Pissant" Ep.146". Being The Elite. April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
4. "June 29 in Florida, wrestling and video games combine for a match made in heaven! It's CEO x NJPW: When Worlds Collide!". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. June 26, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
5. McCarthy, Alex (May 24, 2020). "EXCLUSIVE: AEW owner Tony Khan reveals Fyter Fest was set to take place in London in June before coronavirus pandemic". TalkSport. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
6. "AEW Officially Announces Main Event at Fyter Fest 2020". CBR.com. 24 May 2020.
7. 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.
8. Casey, Connor (June 11, 2021). "AEW Announces Welcome Back Tour for AEW Dynamite's July Episodes". ComicBook. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
9. "Triple Threat Tag Team Title Match, Claudio Castagnoli, & More Set for 7/13 AEW Dynamite".
10. Tessier, Colin (August 11, 2023). "Tony Khan Announces AEW Fyter Fest 2023 For AEW All In Go-Home Week". Fightful. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
11. Boone, Matt (August 18, 2023). "AEW Dynamite: Fyter Fest Updated Lineup For Next Wednesday". PWMania. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
12. Rose, Bryan (August 19, 2023). "All star eight-man tag match advertised for AEW Collision Fyter Fest". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
13. Murphy, Don (August 25, 2023). "AEW Rampage results (8/25): Murphy's review of Hikaru Shida and Britt Baker vs. Toni Storm and Saraya, Orange Cassidy vs. Aaron Solo for the AEW International Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
14. "All Elite Wrestling Event Results". All Elite Wrestling. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
15. Powell, Jason (June 29, 2019). "6/29 AEW Fyter Fest results: Powell's live review of Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks vs. Pentagon Jr., Fenix, and Laredo Kid, Jon Moxley vs. Joey Janela in an unsanctioned match, Cody vs. Darby Allin, Cima vs. Christopher Daniels". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
16. Barnett, Jake (July 1, 2020). "7/1 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of Fyter Fest night one with Cody vs. Jake Hager for the TNT Championship, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. Best Friends for the AEW Tag Titles, Hikaru Shida vs. Penelope Ford for the AEW Women's Championship, Private Party vs. Santana and Ortiz". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
17. Barnett, Jake (July 8, 2020). "7/8 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of Fyter Fest night two with Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. Private Party for the AEW Tag Titles, Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy, FTR and The Young Bucks vs. Pentagon Jr., Rey Fenix, The Butcher, and The Blade, Lance Archer vs. Joey Janela". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
18. 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.
19. 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.
20. Powell, Jason (July 13, 2022). "7/13 AEW Dynamite results: Powell's live review of Jon Moxley vs. Kenosuke Takeshita in an eliminator match, Wardlow vs. Orange Cassidy for the TNT Title, The Young Bucks vs. Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland vs. Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs for the AEW Tag Titles, Claudi Castagnoli vs. Jake Hager, Serena Deeb vs. Anna Jay". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
21. McGuire, Colin (July 15, 2022). "7/15 AEW Rampage results: McGuire's review of Hangman Page, Jon Silver, and Alex Reynolds vs. Malakai Black, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews, Private Party vs. Penta Oscuro and Rey Fenix, Kris Statlander and Athena in action, Gunn Club address their run on The Acclaimed". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
22. Powell, Jason (July 20, 2022). "7/20 AEW Dynamite results: Powell's live review of Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Kingston in a Barbed Wire Everywhere match, Christian Cage and Luchasaurus vs. The Varsity Blondes, Darby Allin vs. Brody King, Jon Moxley and Wheeler Yuta vs. Best Friends, Athena and Willow Nightingale vs. Jade Cargill and Kiera Hogan". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
23. Sanders, Lee (July 22, 2022). "Sanders' AEW Rampage Review 7.22.22". 411Mania. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
24. Powell, Jason (August 23, 2023). "AEW Dynamite results (8/23): Powell's live review of Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks vs. Juice Robinson and The Gunns, Jon Moxley vs. Rey Fenix, Renee Paquette's interviews with MJF and Adam Cole". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
25. Moore, John (August 26, 2023). "AEW Collision results (8/26): Moore's live review of CM Punk, Sting, Darby Allin, and a partner vs. Jay White, Swerve Strickland, Luchasaurus, and Brian Cage, the final push for AEW All In". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 26, 2023.

External links

• All Elite Wrestling Official website