Welcome to another edition of AEW Heat Index, wherein we discuss the interest level for the various feuds heading into the pay-per-view events. This time around, we’re focusing on Fyter Fest coming this Saturday.
The way this works is a pretty simple three-way breakdown of Hot, Lukewarm and Cold. If you like something and you’re very interested in how AEW is setting up the program, it’s Hot (aka Good). If you’re a bit on the fence about it and see some problems, but it’s not awful, then it’s just Okay or Lukewarm. The ones that are the most problematic that you have no interest in are Cold (aka Bad).
Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section to let everyone know what your thermometer reads for each feud as I tell you what my thoughts are below!
Without further ado, let’s get started!
Six-Man Tag Team Match: The Elite (Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks) vs. The Lucha Brothers (Pentagón Jr. and Rey Fénix) and Laredo Kid = Hot / Lukewarm
One part of my brain says “meh, this is just going to be a bunch of flips and stuff with some obviously big names in this company that is thrown together to be a filler main event of a B-level event” and another part of my brain says “shut up and stop being a bitter analyst who has gotten cynical from doing this job for so many years, turn off your mind and just enjoy what you would have loved as a kid.”
So while I have to analyze this, at least in part, like the former half of my brain, I’m trying to keep that in check with the more optimistic “glass half-full” side, which wants to focus on how this could be absolutely amazing.
The mystery partner aspect was certainly intriguing, but not knowing who Laredo Kid is makes me feel like that ended up underwhelming. While that was still an unknown, I was a true Hot for this, but now, I have to say I’m leaning a little more toward Lukewarm.
Prediction: The Elite wins.
Hardcore Match: Alex Jebailey vs. Michael Nakazawa = Hot / Lukewarm
I’m so confused about this in so many ways. Nakazawa, the baby oil guy, is facing the dude who runs the video game competition aspect of this? In a hardcore match?
This is the type of thing I don’t know how to process, as it could be a total train wreck, or an amazingly ridiculous mess.
Let’s hope this isn’t a WCW Jay Leno situation and is more of a Stephen Amell scenario or something.
Prediction: Alex Jebailey wins.
Jon Moxley vs. Joey Janela = Hot
I’ll have to admit that I’m not on the Joey Janela train as much as some other people tend to be, and since I don’t think Jon Moxley will be offering too too much of a difference from what we’ve seen him do as Dean Ambrose, I’m not going out of my mind excited about this.
However, I’m still very, very interested. Don’t get me wrong.
Moxley will have much more freedom to do whatever crazy stuff he wants to do in this match than what he would have done in WWE, so that’s already a plus, and Janela seems like the type who has no problem being the brunt of that, which makes for a good pairing.
It’s important for myself and others to keep in mind that while a guy like Moxley has become familiar to me as Ambrose for all these years, this company as a whole, as well as his new identity outside of WWE, is still in formation, so I can’t quite bring all that baggage into my predictions.
Prediction: Jon Moxley wins, as the momentum should be on his side heading into All Out.
Cody vs. Darby Allin = Hot / Lukewarm
I don’t know this Darby Allin dude at all. But, hey, if Cody Rhodes thinks he’s important enough to spotlight him on the second event as his handpicked opponent, there must be something to him, right?
For that reason alone, I’m interested. On top of that, though, it seems like Cody is the babyface, which is contrary to what he felt like going into Double or Nothing to me. Playing around with that dynamic is at least intriguing, if not a refreshing change of pace, and I’m curious what this is all about.
Prediction: Cody wins.
Four-Way Match: Adam Page vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Jungle Boy vs. MJF = Hot
I’m already sold on MJF. That guy is like AEW’s Miz, who I’m a big fan of. Jimmy Havoc and Jungle Boy are a different story, but Adam Page has my support, so that’s 1/2 of the field already getting a thumbs up.
This feels like the type of match that would be put on a WrestleMania card when WWE realizes late into February that there isn’t enough room for everyone to compete without a multi-man match, but those can be fun, so that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Plus, since this is only the second AEW event, having someone lesser on the totem pole like Havoc or Jungle Boy take the pin for either Page or MJF makes a lot of sense to me, without having to go straight to Page vs. MJF. Save it for another time.
This is one of the top matches I’m looking forward to.
Prediction: Hangman Adam Page wins by pinning Jungle Boy or Jimmy Havoc.
Christopher Daniels vs. CIMA = Lukewarm
Already, I’ve been so busy that I don’t remember practically anything from the SoCal Uncensored vs. Strong Hearts match from Double or Nothing, and I honestly can’t tell you anything about CIMA any more than I could before that event.
That sucks, as I wish I could be thinking “ooooh man…this will be good.” Instead, I’m just hoping that it will be, based on knowing that Christopher Daniels is a solid hand in the ring.
If I were to equate this to a food, I’d say it’s cold pizza. Yeah, I’ll eat a slice if it’s offered to me, but I’m going into the first bite without that anticipation I normally would if it were fresh. If you can’t tell, I’m writing this when I’m hungry.
Prediction: CIMA wins to help set up his match with Kenny Omega.
Three-Way Match: Nyla Rose vs. Riho vs. Yuka Sakazaki = Lukewarm / Cold
I’m sure the more I see of these women, the more familiar I will be with them, and I’ll have stronger opinions one way or another, but for now, this is pretty much filler that I’m not in any way not excited to see, but I’m also not super duper pumped and thrilled about, either.
I’m glad Riho and Sakazaki are in this, as they impressed me more than Emi Sakura, Ryo Mizunami and Aja Kong (Hikaru Shida, I still want to see more of). Nyla Rose, I didn’t get much from, so this will be the true test for her, in my book.
I can’t crap on it, because I have no reason to. It’s just another match, and hopefully, it won’t be the type of thing that I wish I could have erased to get more free time, instead.
Prediction: Nyla Rose wins to offset having lost at DON.
Three-Way Tag Team Match: Best Friends vs. SoCal Uncensored vs. Private Party = Hot / Lukewarm
So the winner of this match has to then win another match at All Out in order to get a first-round bye for a tournament that will start “at some point” when AEW has a television show up and running.
Now that my sleep-deprived brain has grasped all those steps, I’m on board with it. It’s a little convoluted and doesn’t have as much weight to it as I would hope, but if the television show isn’t starting until October or so, I guess they’re just trying to kill time.
Prediction: SCU wins.
Kylie Rae vs. Leva Bates = Lukewarm
There isn’t much to this, but I enjoyed Blue Pants in NXT (Leva Bates) and I liked what I saw of Kylie Rae, and I’m glad there’s another women’s division match on the card. Basically, this is a positive, but it’s nothing that would make or break my interest in the card.
Prediction: Kylie Rae wins.
Those are my thoughts, but how do you feel about these particular feuds? What’s hot and what’s cold in your mind? Fill us in on your point of view in the comments below!
