Match Ratings For AEW Fight For The Fallen 2019 From Sean Ross Sapp

Sonny Kiss defeated Peter Avalon (w/ Leva Bates)
4.5/10

• Peter Avalon and the Librarians have some heat. Sonny Kiss' entrance was really good, and featured Jaguars cheerleaders.
• Kiss isn't laying in his strikes very hard. This changes upon his comeback.
• The crowd loves Sonny and the twerksault.
• If AEW does anything different, they need to change wrestling tropes like stupid babyface syndrome.
• A split leg drop wins it for Kiss.
• Kiss is going to be really good for AEW, and this was a good win, but he'll have a lot better matches than this.

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Shoko Nakajima & Bea Priestley defeated Riho & Britt Baker
5.75/10

• Britt Baker always looks like such a star, and the same could be said for everyone else but Riho, but uhh...she'll get over in the ring.
• Nakajima is going to get over in the States with her gear, energy, and attitude, and that's before we get to the work.
• Britt Baker tags in the wrong Japanese girl. Oh NOOOOO.
• This match really seems like a vehicle to establish Bea and Nakajima, and that's a pretty good move because Riho can sell her ass off.
• Baker looks like she's ready to right her wrong from earlier and lays in offense, but has to wait on Nakajima for a dropkick.
• Riho is very, very over with the crowd. They care about everything she's involved in.
• Nakajima's work is going downhill. A 619 is bad, and her lariat is telegraphed. She and Riho have a pretty unbelievably bad strike trade. It went on too long, there was no selling, Riho waited around and the strikes just looked bad.
• Crowd popped huge for Bea vs. Britt. Unfortunately it ends in a rough looking botch that fortunately didnt' hurt Baker.
• Baker clocked Bea with a superkick. Bea returns the favor later with a Maeda suplex.
• There are a lot of nice spots that lead to a great Riho Northern Lights Suplex. That and a double foot stomp don't finish it, but I think the crowd was ready for it.
• AEW or B/R Live have to fix this closed captioning issue.
• Nakajima wins with a huracanrana.
• The highlights of this match will tell a much different story than the actual match. There were hot reactions and good spots, but there were a few that were rough.
• Bea and Britt Baker brawl after the match and have to be separated. The crowd loved this. Good stuff.

Shawn Spears, MJF & Sammy Guevara defeated Darby Allin, Joey Janela & Jimmy Havoc
6/10

• Shawn Spears is now "The Chairman."
• The ol "championship committee" explanation. That is a time honored Mike Tenay-TNA tradition. I don't know how else they'd explain it, but that leaves a sour taste.
• I like the random matchups here. I enjoy the random tag parings and matches as things stand because so far we've seen story out of them and are led to believe they actually matter
• Janela suplexes Guevara into the corner.
• Spears tags in, and Darby wants in. A huge pop when he tags, but Spears tags out.
• These are six great characters. All are shining really well.
• Guevara has to tag MJF and Spears in because they won't work together. Spears does tag himself in, though. They cost each other moves and "accidentally" hit each other.
• Havoc also superplexes Guevara off of MJF and Spears.
• The story of this match is MJF and Spears, and Allin vs. Spears. Shawn Spears has done a handful of wrestling moves in AEW and has three pretty solid future opponents or programs.
• Guevara is so effortlessly athletic. He took out the entire opposing team.
• Hahahahah Janela said "fuck you Cornette" after a Death Valley Driver on the apron.
• Spears wins with a DVD on Allin. I would have maybe told Janela to not do one right before that on the apron.
• This whole match was OVER.

Brandi Rhodes (w/ Awesome Kong) defeated Allie
3.75/10

• Brandi Rhodes shakes Allie's hand, and Awesome Kong's music hits.
• There are some things that Brandi Rhodes does really well, and other things that you can tell don't come naturally to her. The shuffle side kick and a terrible German suplex are the latter. If she can't do the moves, she shouldn't do the moves on TV. Save those for practice sessions, dark matches and live events.
• There are times both of these women are waiting on each other to get to the next spot, and that's not something you want in "sports-centric" wrestling.
• These two are a step off of one another the whole way. Brandi is wrestling like someone who hasn't worked this year. She's in great shape, the character work is good, but the in-ring isn't.
• Kong saves Brandi from getting pinned, and Allie is pissed.
• Another Death Valley Driver? Agents gotta be on this.
• Stupid Babyface Syndrome continues. Allie taps Brandi with a Dragon sleeper, but Kong distracts.
• Brandi wins with a terrible spear.
• After Double or Nothing, I do not want to see Awesome Kong vs. Aja Kong, personally. Aja comes out to a big ass pop.

For a shot at a bye in the tag team tourney
Dark Order defeated Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus and Angelico & Jack Evans
7.5/10

• Jack Evans gets his ass kicked by Stu Grayson, who is going to get over in the ring a whole lot more than with this terrible character, promo and gimmick.
• Jungle Boy is so good, so quick, and so crisp with all of his offense.
• Luchasaurus looks so much more imposing next to Evil Uno, who tags out.
• I'm really confused by the build of Evil Uno to this point, only to have him cowering.
• I already wanna see Stu Grayson in all the singles matches. He has a quality that I only really see out of Tessa Blanchard in mainstream wrestling today-- he always wants to win the match.
• Luchasaurus gets the whole crowd to their feet with a spinning wheel kick and a standing moonsault that take out Evans and Angelico. He and Jungle Boy take them out again with a chokeslam over the ropes and an assisted moonsault.
• Luchasaurus has to be AEW's Undertaker. He's incredible.
• Marko Stunt comes out and does a super huracanrana, and then Luchasaurus heaves him onto Angelico.
• Whatever in the shitting piss Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy just did should have finished the match. Dark Order isn't it.
• Jungle Boy manages to kick out of a 450 that popped the crowd, but Fatality wins it.
• That being said, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus are mega over and probably should go all the way through the tourney. I'm not sold on the Dark Order act. In the ring, sure.

Adam "Hangman" Page defeated Kip Sabian
6.75/10

• Kip Sabian tried to kiss a fan to was trash talking him. That was hilarious.
• This is a lot more slowly paced than I'd anticipated. This is more methodical, then going into big spots.
• The crowd isn't quite here for this one, but do react to certain spots.
• Sabian kicks away at Page HARD.
• Sabian is busted open on his elbow.
• This really seems like ROH's standard "CHAMPIONSHIP STYLE" match. It's blow for blow and really physical. I'm not sure what kind of match I expected, but it's slow and story heavy.
• Page has an "injured knee" and for some reason still does a beautiful moonsault outside.
• Page Awesome Bombs Sabian to the ramp, and Sabian twitches. What a great sell.
• Hangman follows up by a top rope neckbreaker.
• A series of pin attempts go into the Dead Eye. Page wins.
• Page gets attacked BRUTALLY by Jericho under a mask.
• Later, Jericho comes out and cuts a promo and runs the roster down. He's worried about where he goes if he loses to Page and is obsessing about losing to him.
• Page comes out and attacks Jericho, still busted open. SCU, Jerry Lynn, Janela, Angelico, Jack Evans and others have to help break it up. This is solid, but the Jericho promo went on way too long. We didn't really need it.

Lucha Bros defeated SCU
6/10

• I like Aubrey Edwards reffing this match. She throws Daniels out after he gets involved
• Sky capitalizes on this distraction with a big body press.
• There are some great spots in this match, but a bunch of spots are what it is to me.
• The best of which to me was SCU's outside in assisted tornado DDT.
• A stomping package piledriver gets the win.
• This was what this crowd wanted. They got it.
• Lucha Bros attack SCU with a ladder and challenge Young Bucks for a ladder match at All Out.

Kenny Omega defeated CIMA
7.75/10

• This is one of the slower paced Omega matches I've seen in a while, and that's not really a bad thing.
• CIMA can work with anyone, Omega is no different.
• The velocity and angle on a snapdragon was FILTHY.
• CIMA does a great backstabber in the ring, and a great suplex to the outside.
• The crowd is reacting heavily to the action being shown and not shown on the monitors.
• CIMA hits one of the most psycho series of Meteoras I've ever seen. Front, back of the head, on a table from the stage.
• Omega finds a home for a bunch of sick strikes, but CIMA keeps going to the Meteora.
• CIMA's leg gives out and it's the beginning of the end. A nice V-Trigger to the back of the head, and later a One Winged Angel gets the win.
• Excellent, hard hitting stuff.

Young Bucks defeated The Rhodes Brothers
6/10

• The disjointed, weird commentary transition. Todd Keneley, Tyler Volz, Sarah Shockey are all out there as commentators and I think would be more excited that a main event is happening.
• Maybe Marvez can get some reps in on some internet-only matches or something. It's just not working right now.
• Cody and Nick have a good series. The Bucks take control and mock Dustin and Cody.
• Matt saves Nick from a suplex. Young Bucks have to wait around on Dustin. Why would they do that? Cody's top rope moonsault works a lot better.
• The elevated ramp makes for some new offense, including a Cody Rhodes tope.
• This match slows to a crawl before some spots get the crowd back into it. Dustin powerslams as promise.
• Matt impressively gets Dustin up for a Tombstone, but Cody stops the Meltzer Driver with a Disaster Kick in a very cool spot.
• Cool spots continue with an Assisted Cross Rhodes, but Nick breaks up the double pin with a Swanton. 
• I hate to target Rick Knox, but within storyline he's gotta be the most lenient with tag team rules in the history of mainstream wrestling. He does double counts and never really kicks anyone out of the ring. I really just wish it was a tornado match.
• Bucks take Cody out outside the ring with a double superkick. Back in the ring, much of the same happens. 
• Bucks and the Rhodes' steal each other signature strikes, then Nick hits a Cross Rhodes on Cody. 
• Young Bucks finish Cody off with a Meltzer Driver.
• This dragged on, as did the show. There was probably 35 minutes of extra wrestling that the show didn't necessarily need, and it slowed down the show. Were both good? Yes. But both would have been better with time management. Not everything needs to be long.

Rating guide

10- Perfect, 9- MOTY Territory, 8- Excellent, 7- Great, 6- Good, 5- Average to above average, 4- Slightly below average, 3 or below: Poor

Each match starts at a 5 and slides up and down based on entertainment, execution, time, environment, reaction and stakes. The ratings are in no way an indication of a "star rating," which is a completely different system. A standard, non-offensive "TV match" lands at a 5. The gap between 5.75-6 is generally the largest, with anything reaching 6 being recommended viewing.
These are opinions, and incredibly inconsistent ones. Don't take them too seriously, and have (and share) your own!