WWE Extreme Rules vs. Fight For The Fallen

What did you think of AEW Fyter Fest?

John Corrigan: It was decent. I enjoyed Cody vs. Darby Allin, the women’s triple threat, the fatal four way and Joey Janela’s penchant for pain.

Juan Bautista: It was a solid show. It kept AEW rolling and did its job effectively.

Chad Gelfand: I thought the show was good, not quite as good as Double Or Nothing, but still good. The main event of Jon Moxley vs. Joey Janela was brutal, violent and everything I wanted it to be. What AEW needs to work on is its pre-shows because outside of the three-way tag match with Private Party – who had a breakout performance – everything on the pre-show was either mediocre or bad. You want your pre-show to be exciting from start to finish, enticing viewers to stick around and watch the main show and Fyter Fest did not deliver in that aspect.

David Gibb: The preshow was so bad I won’t be watching the next one. The first half of the main card was really good, but I was turned off by some of the bumps in the Allin-Cody match and never really got fully back into the show after that.

Neal Wagner: Fyter Fest was a good show. Not up to par with Double Or Nothing, but I don’t think anyone expected it to be. It was a show to create stars like Darby Allin and Shawn Spears and continue storylines like MJF and Hangman Page and the upcoming Omega-Moxley match. The show served its purpose and was good overall.

Steven Jackson: Fyter Fest was a very fun show. But there were some issues which I hope are ironed out going forward. I also really don’t want AEW to turn into another DGUSA where the first two shows were so good that they’ll constantly be chasing themselves.

Jack Goodwillie: It was a mixed bag, but more than anything a learning moment for Tony Khan and AEW. The pre-show was an absolute mess, Cody took as stiff a chair shot as you’ll see nowadays, and the Young Bucks laughed it off after the show. In spite of all that, there was plenty of good. I can definitely see the star qualities in Darby Allin. Jon Moxley, the company’s MVP so far, had a fun match with Joey Janela that probably brought a smile to the faces of a lot of fans.

Which match are you most looking forward to at Fight For The Fallen?

Corrigan: Rhodes Boys vs. Young Bucks. It’s the only match with any significant story behind it.

Bautista: Kenny Omega vs. Cima. I’m intrigued how Omega’s character will progress. The face\heel sides of the locker room are starting to be made clear after Double or Nothing and the ongoing storyline with Jon Moxley. Will we begin to see a different or quite possibly familiar side of Omega if he returns to “The Cleaner” persona?

Gelfand: Rhodes Brothers vs. Young Bucks. Everything the Rhodes Brothers do is so compelling, whether they’re facing off against each other or teaming together. Throw in one of the best tag teams in the world in the Young Bucks and we could be witnessing a potential match of the year candidate.

Gibb: Omega and CIMA looks like a good one on paper, but I’m honestly not super into the card as advertised right now. Come get me when Page and Jericho have their title match.

Wagner: Hands down, the tag team main event between Cody and Dustin against the Young Bucks. I really want to see another unbelievable performance from Dustin and we already know how good chemistry the Bucks and Cody have. This could be a match of the year candidate when it’s over.

Jackson: Adam Page vs. Kip Sabian. I’m a huge fan of both men and they both have an opportunity to shine on a grand stage. They are the future of wrestling!

Goodwillie: Definitely Cody and Dustin vs. The Young Bucks. You know that match is going to get a lot of time, and there’s plenty of room for creativity. Other than that, this is a very small show, and I’m not going into it with my expectations TOO high, although I would expect some sort of hot angle to take place, likely including Chris Jericho.

Which match are you most looking forward to at Extreme Rules?

Corrigan: Prince Puma vs. AJ Styles, especially now that the latter has returned to his devilish ways.

Bautista: Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley. It will be a good, old fashioned fight to the death – not literally, but you get the point. This is possibly one of three matches where the loser can’t be hurt by a loss because the performance will have a longer lasting impression.

Gelfand: Samoa Joe vs. Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship. The segment last week where Kofi flipped Joe the bird was fantastic and these two should mesh well since Samoa Joe thrives when competing against smaller, athletic wrestlers.

Gibb: Kofi vs. Joe should be an excellent, hard-hitting match.

Wagner: The tag match between Roman and Undertaker vs. Shane and McIntrye should be good, but I fear that it’s only a two-man show and will turn into a singles match between Drew and Roman. We have seen that a couple times already. Shane is good for a few crazy stunts in the match, while Undertaker will add a different dynamic to it all.

Jackson: Quickly looking at the card, the Cruiserweight Title match between Drew Gulak vs. Tony Nese sounds excellent on paper.

Goodwillie: You’ve got WWE’s “It Couple” going against two wrestlers who should be in developmental, a rekindling of one of the worst women’s feuds of all time, and I’m wondering if Aleister Black is going to bring a gun to the ring to meet his mystery opponent. That said, there’s actually some good, too, and while I’d normally say AJ vs. Ricochet is THE match to watch, I kind of want to see what happens with the Undertaker tag match. Wrong or right, there’s a ton of intrigue around the Deadman right now.

How do you feel about Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff being granted behind-the-scenes power in WWE?

Corrigan: It’s fun to talk about, but ultimately won’t mean anything as long as Vinnie Mac has final say.

Bautista: First of all, hell has once again frozen over. There will be a noticeable difference over time. Immediately, you begin to think how much power will they actually have considering advertisers and that Vince McMahon has the last word. Another thought is how effective is this decision because you’re going to the same well that can be possibly going dry. Why not try giving Jeff Jarrett a shot or a few of the guys they’ve hired in the previous months?

Gelfand: I’m interested to see if they still have the juice and the magic that they had during the Monday Night Wars. It’s been nearly 20 years since both were in charge of their own promotions and they’ll also be dealing with the constraints Vince McMahon puts them under, so I’m cautiously optimistic.

Gibb: I’m cautiously optimistic about the unwatchability of the shows declining, but also wary of the geniuses of 20 years ago being the geniuses of today.

Wagner: The additions of Bischoff and Heyman should be interesting as during their heydays in the ‘90s, they both had easily better storylines than anything WWE had at one time. They just didn’t know how to control the business management aspect of things or the financial end. With the business and finances out of their hands and storylines under their control, within Vince’s guidelines, they should hopefully revive a dying product.

Jackson: This is a question I’d love to talk about in-depth for a very long time. However, I’m conscience of typing too much and people becoming disengaged. What I will say is that it doesn’t surprise me Vince chose them to be at the helm, but I’m worried as to what might be in store.

Goodwillie: Sounds great on paper! Heyman’s ability to produce quality pro wrestling content speaks for itself and I’ve always believed Bischoff got a bad rap. He also strikes me as someone who has learned and grown from his mistakes, and there’s value in that. IF they’re allocated legitimate power (there’s very little precedent for that in WWE), it might be the shot in the arm the company needs to improve on screen. At worst, it has to be an upgrade on Vince McMahon as show-runner. Like him or not, you can’t deny that the age gap between McMahon and his audience is a major hindrance on the product.

Do you think Undertaker has done irreparable damage to his legacy by continuing to wrestle?

Corrigan: Absolutely. He has become the stereotypical old-timer who didn’t know when to hang it up.

Bautista: It has certainly done damage, but I compare it to Brett Favre’s last season. Even though there were signs he could play, the injuries caught up with him and he retired on the sidelines. If he had retired after his epic 2009 season, then it would’ve been different. The 2015 feud with Brock Lesnar gave Undertaker a newfound confidence, but now he doesn’t know when to stop.

Gelfand: He has. It makes me sad every time I see him wrestle. It clearly looks like a man competing at least five years after he should have retired. He’s Willie Mays on the Mets, Patrick Ewing on the Magic, hell Michael Jordan on the Wizards. We’re witnessing one of the all-time greats diminish their legacy with every subsequent match. However, most people will ultimately just remember the good times and highlights of Undertaker’s career.

Gibb: No, I think WWE has irreparably damaged the Undertaker’s legacy by having him continue to wrestle the wrong opponents.

Wagner: No, he is still performing at a good level. If asked back in 2014 when The Streak ended, then yes, but his matches the last few years haven’t been too bad. His last few in Saudi Arabia were hampered by bad injuries early in the match whether it was HHH or Goldberg, but Undertaker is in great shape and can still go. I really just want to see one more meaningful storyline and championship run for him.

Jackson: I do. The Undertaker needs to retire gracefully and call it a day. Undertaker has quickly become a WCW/TNA tribute act and a shadow of his former self. He is tainting his legacy and I’m really worried for his health. It’s time to call it a day and enjoy a well-deserved retirement.

Goodwillie: He has, but I also don’t think he’s going to hurt it much more by wrestling for another year or two. His legacy has gone as low as it can go, because he’s still The Undertaker at the end of the day. But while he could have retired in the very top-tier of all-time greats, the extended career has probably bumped him down to the second tier from the top.