The first night of AEW Fyter Fest turned out really well for a lot of wrestlers. Kenny Omega and Adam Page successfully retained the AEW World Tag Team Championships, though Omega did upset Page when he wasted #FTR's beer. Private Party also scored a huge win with Matt Hardy as their manager, and Cody Rhodes successfully defended his TNT Championship. But the Inner Circle had such a bad night that one has to wonder if they're even still together.
Under the leadership of then-AEW World Champion Chris Jericho, the Inner Circle quickly became the dominant force in the new wrestling company. It consisted of MMA fighter and former WWE Champion Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, and Santana & Ortiz, one of the best tag teams in the world. Only a group of this caliber could take on The Elite and hold their own in most cases.
The Inner Circle started having problems when Le Champion was re-named L'Ancien Champion at the hands of Jon Moxley, who became the second and current AEW World Champion. Months later, no other member of the faction has been able to get their hands on any championship gold, though the pandemic was a factor. The only person who has even been close is Jake Hager, and he keeps coming up short. Fyter Fest was another link in that sad chain.
Cody Rhodes might have retained the TNT Championship, but it was Jake Hager who absorbed the loss. He vented his frustration by knocking the referee out and getting suspended from AEW. The evening didn't go well for Santana & Ortiz, either. Private Party with Matt Hardy defeated them to pick up a key victory that earns them the opportunity to face Omega and Page on Fyter Fest night two.
Chris Jericho's night didn't end much better. He was on commentary alongside the regular team, and once again proved that he belongs on the announcer's desk. While Jericho's match against Orange Cassidy isn't until night two, "Freshly Squeezed" popped out to the desk to enjoy the action. It ended with Jericho freaking out and going after Cassidy while he was typically nonchalant about the whole mess.
The strange thing about all of this was the Inner Circle did not have each other's backs at all. Usually, when a member of the Inner Circle is involved in a match, other members would be at ringside to interfere on their behalf and steer them towards victory. But things were quite different at Fyter Fest, which saw Jake Hager head to the ring with his wife but no members of his faction. The same is true of Santana & Ortiz in their match.
Fracturing the Inner Circle started when Sammy Guevara was legitimately suspended for highly inappropriate comments made about Sasha Banks. It was the right choice on the part of AEW to take his comments seriously and handle the situation the way they did. It fits in perfectly with the ethos AEW purports to have when it comes to having an inclusive and supportive environment.
While the four remaining members of the Inner Circle were all present of night one of Fyter Fest, the Inner Circle was not. None of the members entered to the Inner Circle's music, nor were they sporting the Inner Circle's merchandise. Jericho may have made brief mention of the Inner Circle on commentary, but it would have been in passing at best. It kind of felt odd seeing the lack of support between members of AEW's former top faction.
By the end of the night, it was starting to feel like the Inner Circle was on a break of some kind, if not very quietly coming to an end. It's possible that AEW is testing the waters of having these wrestlers doing their own thing. Prior to his suspension, AEW seemed to be teasing a mentor/mentee relationship between Matt Hardy and Sammy Guevara, one that could have driven a wedge between members of the Inner Circle down the road. Hardy's focus is now squarely on Private Party, though.
Cody recently said that he expects Sammy Guevara to return as both a better wrestler and a better man, which will hopefully be true. But when Guevara does return, the Inner Circle may not be there waiting for him. If they keep operating on their own while Jericho potentially transitions to the announcer's desk, fans may have to come to terms with an AEW that no longer has the Inner Circle at the top of the mountain.