When looking at AEW’s roster ever since day one of the promotion, Darby Allin is someone who is up there with the most consistently booked individuals in the company. At times, his momentum has dropped and subsided, but he has rarely been badly booked, with him often featured on weekly TV.
There have been a few moments which have acted as downsides to his time in the company, from some (rare) questionable booking decisions and some controversy outside the ring, but overall his time in AEW has been a success, which has seen him have some noteworthy matches and moments thus far.
10 Best: Wrestling In CM Punk’s Return Match
When CM Punk returned to wrestling in 2021, it shocked everyone. During his comeback promo, Punk called out Darby Allin for his first match back, which was a major thing to happen for a young star like Allin.
Although the match was mostly about Punk, Allin was given a lot of offense in their match at the All Out 2021 PPV event, and he did a great job of helping the veteran shake off any ring rust he was experiencing.
9 Worst: Injured At Double Or Nothing
Darby Allin’s ascent up the AEW card was going well by the time Double or Nothing 2020 came around, though there has always been some fear when it comes to his body, especially with the types of stunts and bumps he performs.
During the Casino Ladder Match, Allin suffered an injury after jumping off a ladder on his skateboard, through an opponent and another ladder. It was a scary spot and it saw him miss two months of action in AEW.
8 Best: Dream Match Vs Jeff Hardy
When looking at how Jeff Hardy’s time in AEW has gone down, with him getting suspended following an arrest, it was a good idea for AEW to book a dream match between Darby Allin and Jeff Hardy as early as they did.
The two have been compared a lot, and they lived up to the lofty expectations with their spot-filled clash on an episode of Dynamite. It wasn’t a match of the year candidate, but given Hardy’s age it was as good as anyone could’ve hoped for.
7 Worst: Weird Feud With Andrade El Idolo
In the last year and more, Darby Allin has felt a little lost on AEW’s roster, with him being shoe-horned unnaturally into feuds with lackluster build. One of those was a rivalry with Andrade El Idolo, which started when Andrade thought Allin was a child.
This was a bizarre and poor way to kick-start a feud between two tremendous performers, and it led to their feud being simply average, with Andrade attempting to employ Allin at times too. It just didn’t work and is among Allin’s most boring feuds.
6 Best: Debut Vs Cody Rhodes
Darby Allin made his debut on AEW’s second ever show - Fyter Fest. With him being mostly unknown to the wider wrestling audience, AEW did a great job of introducing his unique persona and character.
His first match was against Cody Rhodes and it stole the show, with Allin being made to look like Rhodes’ equal. Allin proved to be an instant success, with him being allowed the time to showcase his talents on his first night in the promotion.
5 Worst: Losing Early To Jimmy Havoc
After his draw against Cody Rhodes, Allin should have been booked quite strongly from there, taking advantage of the hype around his debut. AEW decided to have him lose in a six-man tag on the next show, though it was understandable given his opponents included MJF.
However, his loss in his next match was inexcusable. Allin was on the losing end of a triple threat Cracker Barrel match with Jimmy Havoc coming out on top. Havoc clearly wasn’t in AEW’s major plans, so to have him win made no sense at all.
4 Best: Sting’s Debut
Although Sting’s AEW debut was more about the legend himself, Darby Allin was made to look like a huge deal. Sting came to the aid of a group of babyfaces, before staring down those that were left in the ring. He walked past Arn Anderson, Dustin Rhodes, and Cody Rhodes, before reaching Allin.
Sting and Allin’s face-off was the most significant of the segment, with Sting lingering on the younger star for the longest time. That alone made this segment about Allin too, and his involvement here will ensure that he remains a significant part of Sting’s history.
3 Worst: Speaking Out
During the pandemic, many brave individuals spoke up against alleged abusers within the professional wrestling industry in the Speaking Out Movement. One of the names mentioned was Darby Allin, which threw his name into some bad press.
It didn’t affect his position as such in AEW, but when looking online there are some in AEW comments sections which don’t forget the fact that his name was brought up. He would also get called out on Twitter by Cora Jade in an interaction which made him delete a tweet.
2 Best: Winning TNT Championship
After multiple attempts, Darby Allin finally overcame Cody Rhodes at the Full Gear 2020 PPV, with him winning the TNT Championship in what is still arguably his best moment in the company. It felt like things were just getting started for Allin, with this being his first steps to true stardom.
His reign with the belt was jam-packed full of brilliant defenses, with him main eventing Dynamite most weeks against a range of different competitors, making him one of the best champions to date.
1 Worst: Never-Ending Rivalry With Team Taz
Though this doesn’t necessarily have one specific “moment”, this is more of a collection of moments from many weeks and months of interactions. Darby Allin’s feud against Team Taz started prior to Double or Nothing in 2020, when Taz tried to recruit him.
From there, he had trouble with the growing group of recruits until the Revolution PPV in 2021, making it a rivalry which stretched for nearly a full year. It dragged, it was repetitive, and it did Allin no favors.
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