On Saturday, July 13, 2019, streaming on B/R Live and Fite TV, from Daily’s Place Amphitheater, in Jacksonville, FL, presented by sponsor Farah & Farah, AEW ran its third event, FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN (the entire replay is available to stream free of charge on B/R Live—visit AEWonBRLIVE.com for full details). The play-by-play broadcast team for the main card was Jim Ross, Excalibur, and Alex Marvez.
The preshow BUY IN kicked off with a kiss, Sonny Kiss to be exact, who made a memorable entrance with the Jacksonville Jaguars cheerleading squad. After an impressive array of acrobatics, Kiss delivered a loss to “The Librarian,” Peter Avalon (accompanied by Leva Bates), sending them back to study their playbooks.
Your winner: Sonny Kiss
BUY IN concluded with Dr. Britt Baker and Riho battling Shoko Nakajima and Bea Priestley. This bout featured a small sampling of the stacked, diverse AEW women’s roster, as Priestley sported her STARDOM championship belt, and Nakajima carried along her own gold, the Joshi-Pro championship. Nakajima overwhelmed Riho, pinning her after a step-up Hurricarana. Even though the bell rang, Priestley and Baker slugged it out until they were pried apart.
Your winners: Bea Priestley & Shoko Nakajima
FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN’s main card started with Joey Janela, Darby Allin, and Jimmy Havoc teaming up to take on the decidedly dysfunctional team of “The Chairman” Shawn Spears, MJF, and Sammy Guevara. MJF and Spears were clearly not pleased with sharing the same side of the ring apron, since MJF is a protégé of Cody, who was stricken by a stiff chair shot by Spears at FYTER FEST just two weeks ago. The crowd was hot from the get-go, and all six wrestlers responded in kind, putting on definitive star making performances. It was difficult to keep up with the back-and-forth, but eventually Spears nailed a running Death Valley Driver to score the pin on Allin.
Your winners: Shawn Spears, MJF, & Sammy Guevara
It appears Brandi Rhodes was playing possum to a certain degree leading up to her match with Allie, because she brought along back-up with her tonight in the form of one Awesome Kong. The odds were heavily in Rhodes’ favor, with Kong proving to be an effective distraction against the always game Allie. Even though she gave it her all and then some, it was too much for Allie, who succumbed to Brandi’s Bionic Spear.
Your winner: Brandi Rhodes
Post match, Rhodes and Kong continued to double-team the downed Allie. The imposing All Japan Women’s legend Aja Kong, made a surprise appearance, coming to the aid of Allie. Aja Kong and Awesome Kong sized each other up until AEW officials stormed the ring to separate the two.
Daily’s Place was hot and humid but FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN continued to heat up and scorch the squared circle, with Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy (with Marko Stunt) versus the Dark Order versus Jack Evans and Angelico. The winning team tonight will move on to ALL OUT next month in Chicago to wrestle Best Friends for a Bye in the AEW Tag Team Title Tournament. The tag team division in AEW is off the charts, with the three hungry teams moving at a clipped pace in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it display of double-team strategies and highflying maneuvers. Once again the crowd was on its feet in awe (and appreciation) until Evil Uno of the Dark Order defeated Jungle Boy with Fatality.
Your winners: The Dark Order
Hangman Adam Page would have his work cut out for him against Kip Sabian, en route to his match against Chris Jericho at ALL OUT in August to determine the first ever AEW World Champion. If there had been any doubt, Page found out the hard way that this was anything but a tune-up match, with the more than capable Sabian wanting to seize the opportunity to etch his name firmly on the mind of AEW’s championship committee. Page, with his nagging knee injury, did himself no favors tonight in order to seal the deal on his quest for championship gold. With less than a minute remaining before the match went to a 20-minute time limit draw, Page used the Dead Eye to score the pin against Sabian, but at what expense did this cost the Hangman’s already banged up body? The receipt would soon tally up to even more, as Chris Jericho, disguised as a creeper from the Dark Order, assaulted Page and bloodied him up with a vicious Judas Effect elbow strike.
Your winner: Hangman Adam Page
If the control knob was at 10, SoCal Uncensored (Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky w/Christopher Daniels) versus the Lucha Brothers (Fenix and Pentagon, Jr.) turned the night up to 11 in their match. What proceeded here was a tag team wrestling clinic. AEW’s tag division is an embarrassment of riches, and SCU and the Lucha Brothers were clearly enjoying being in the ring with each other, knowing that a victory over their respective opponents would give them a wealth of bragging rights. There were moments when this match could have gone either way, but after a double foot stomp/package piledriver combo on Scorpio Sky, the team of Fenix and Pentagon earned a hard fought victory. After the match, the Lucha Bros. declared they wanted their match against the Young Bucks at ALL OUT to be a ladder match!
Your winners: The Lucha Bros.
In another show stealer and a match fans will want to watch twice to catch everything they may have missed upon initial viewing, CIMA and Kenny Omega finally faced each other for the first time anywhere. This match exceeded even the loftiest of expectations, as two of the finest the sport of pro wrestling has to offer put their craft on full display, along with their many years of experience (and various styles and training disciplines). There were V-Triggers and Meteoras and snap dragon suplexes and a timekeeper’s table, and sooner or later something would have to give. After a One Winged Angel, Kenny Omega claimed the win over CIMA.
Your winner: Kenny Omega
As he promised (or threatened), Chris Jericho made his Open Mic appearance to address the AEW roster and fans. Jericho, still with the blood of Adam Page on his hands, and proud of it, had some choice words for the Hangman. Jericho insisted if it wasn’t for his own work and name value, AEW would not and could not exist. It was a lot to swallow, and Hangman Page heard enough. Page hit the ring to silence Jericho, and eventually the two men had to be pulled apart by AEW officials and roster members. This will be settled on August 31st at ALL OUT in Chicago.
The main event of the night was the dream match (and another pro wrestling first) of the Young Bucks, Nick and Matt Jackson, competing against the Brotherhood (Cody and Dustin Rhodes). Leading up to FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN, the Bucks tried to get under the skin of the Brotherhood, poking fun at Cody and Dustin Rhodes on episodes of Being the Elite. All of this made for an interesting dynamic, as both teams are comprised of brothers, and three of the four wrestlers are AEW EVPs. This match could only happen in an AEW ring, and in 2019, it told a story of where these men have been, and how far they’ve come. The Bucks and the Brotherhood stole a bit from the other team’s playbook, trying to outsmart each other, getting down and dirty and yes, even making things personal. Wily veteran Dustin Rhodes had another jaw-dropping outing after his 5-star match at DOUBLE OR NOTHING in May, but all four made this match something truly special that lived up to the hype. The finish came when Matt Jackson used a Cross Rhodes and then a Meltzer Driver on Cody.
Your winners: The Young Bucks