Now isn’t this a unique one… all four of these men were involved in the segment in which Bret Hart unveiled the AEW World Championship. MJF even set out to make an enemy of the Hitman. This positions them all quite high up the totem pole, atleast in theory. Obviously Page in particular is set to square off with Chris Jericho in a match to determine AEW’s first ever champion. Putting the others in the same match as him is certainly a sign that they see something special in each of them. For good reason, as it’s a unique assembly of standouts.
Jungle Boy vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. MJF vs. Hangman Page
Jimmy Havoc is infamous for his history in deathmatches. At Double or Nothing he took a cigarette to Joey Janela’s forehead and a staplegun to Tommy Dreamer’s l’il Tommys. To me, that makes a pretty clear statement of intent that he isn’t planning on changing his style for AEW. While it’s not being advertised as a particularly violent match, multi-ways like this are traditionally No-DQ. Assuming the same is true of this one, Havoc is likely to take full advantage of this… expect him to really test the pain threshold of his opponents here.
MJF is heel as heel gets, to a beautiful extent. I think it’s wonderful that the crowd played along with him as much as they did on May 25th. It set quite the precedent, one I hope to see more of here. He should have no shortage of opportunities to be a massive douchebag in this match. There’s a million different ways it can be thrown right back in his face as well. From the limited action I’ve seen, I think MJF is actually one of those guys whose character is so loud and bombastic that it can get you to overlook the fact that he’s also no slouch between the ropes. There are few more obvious future megastars in the game than him right now.
Jungle Boy is the guy I know the least about here, in all disclosure. But his gimmick is a unique one as he seems to be a man that’s just a tad closer to our primate ancestors than most, as though he were indeed raised in a jungle. Though he does have a bit of an innocuous look, he packs some deceptive athleticism, and looks set to bring some primal fury to this match.
And then there’s Hangman Page…
Safe to say AEW sees a lot in this young man. They’re betting hard on him to become one of their biggest stars in the companies’ early days. He’s talented to be certain and definitely has a connection to the audience from his BTE appearances and standout showings in ROH and New Japan. But it has to be said that the pressure on him right now has to be immense. He’s being made to sink or swim in uncharted waters, and it’s a lot to put on the plate of a dude in his 20s. Particularly one who has never truly been presented at this level, even in smaller promotions.
Doubtlessly, the story of the match will ultimately hinge on Hangman. In all likelihood he’ll still be playing up his knee injury here. With the sneaky MJF and the sadistic Jimmy Havoc in the picture, you can bet it’s going to be tested. He’s being set up to be a huge underdog against the legendary Chris Jericho at All Out. To me, this is going to be a pivotal step towards that story.
This is probably gonna be my most outlandish call of the card.
Atleast it’s the one I feel the least comfortable about, but I’m actually going to pick MJF to steal the win rather than Hangman. He won’t pin Page, but getting the duke here would further his stated goal of taking his spot in that world title match, and further put the pressure on Page to prove any skeptics wrong. This would likely set us up for a Page/MJF singles match – which is what Hangman originally asked for anyway – with that title shot on the line at Fight For The Fallen. Notably they have continued to remind us that challenging for the spot was MJF’s original goal since then.
Could easily be dead wrong about all that, but I think it’d be an interesting story to tell. Not to mention a good way to keep the anticipation ramping up as we inch towards All Out.
AEW Fyter Fest takes place on June 29th, and will be streamed for free for US viewers on B/R Live for all those who sign up. The rest of the world will be able to purchase the event on Fite.tv.
For previews on the rest of the show, check out the links below:
Michael Nakazawa vs. Alex Jebailey
SCU vs. Private Party vs. Best Friends
Jungle Boy vs. MJF vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Hangman Page
Yuka Sakazaki vs. Riho vs. Nyla Rose
Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks vs. Laredo Kid & The Lucha Bros
