Darby Allin’s reign as TNT Champion came to an end on AEW Dynamite on May 13 at the hands of Miro. While the reign ended on a stellar match and moved swiftly on from Allin to new challenger Lance Archer it must be recognized that Allin’s time as TNT Champion helped propel him into the upper echelons of AEW and he now deserves to be mentioned alongside the company’s top names like Cody, Jon Moxley, and co.
His Big Win
Darby Allin and Cody had been tied together from the beginning. Dating back to their time limit draw at Fyter Fest the two were destined to battle it out time and again. After failing to defeat Cody in their first three matches Allin finally pulled off the upset and beat Cody at Full Gear 2020 to win the championship and defeat Cody for the first time. This big win was the launching pad for Allin to have a strong run as TNT Champion, and its safe to say he ran with it.
Pairing With Sting
Ever since his debut Sting has been aligned with Darby Allin with the two taking on Team Taz during the Winter season. This partnership has worked wonders for Allin as he not only has a legend backing him but Sting has the necessary mystique to play off of Allin’s character. Their vignettes together always had a distinct aura to them that nobody else in the company could match and Allin gained a lot from leaning into this element of his character. It certainly worked better than the aloof lone wolf that could get annoying at points during the feud with Team Taz. Not only has Sting gained a new lease of life from this pairing, but Allin has also benefited from the association with such a strong character.
Ending With A Bang
Since March Darby Allin has had a string of TNT Championship defenses which have been the main event of AEW Dynamite. Beginning with Scorpio Sky and ending with Miro there were few weeks where Allin was not in the main event slot delivering a great match. This final stretch is what launched Allin into the stratosphere. No matter the opponent he was able to deliver engaging matches that pulled in viewers and raised his own stock immensely. There’s no better way to endear yourself to wrestling fans than delivering great matches and Darby Allin closed out his reign with a handful of excellent TV matches.
While Allin is no longer TNT Champion he has been established as a key player in AEW. Their patient approach and smart booking of him has allowed him to become the star that many knew he could be dating back to his days in EVOLVE Wrestling. Where he goes from here will be of interest as he and Sting have new adversaries waiting in the wings.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TNT and AEW Dark: Elevation (Monday nights) and AEW: Dark (Tuesday nights) at 7 PM ET on YouTube.
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