AEW Dynamite last night saw Darby Allin end his second reign as the TNT Champion. He lost the belt to Samoa Joe in a brutal No Holds Barred Match that saw Joe pick up his second TNT title, equalling Darby’s number of reigns.
The main event match of Dynamite pitted Samoa Joe vs Darby Allin in one final showdown for the coveted TNT title. Allin made it clear that win or lose, this would be their final encounter.
Both men took this seriously and threw everything they had at each other. Darby Allin wore a jacket covered in thumbtacks, as well as hitting a suicide dive through the table and using cutters to expose the wooden ring supports underneath the mat.
However, it was Samoa Joe who picked up the win, pinning Allin after hitting a top-rope Muscle-Buster onto the exposed wooden ring slats. He was attacked after the match by Wardlow, the returning star he had previously taken the championship from.
While Samoa Joe vs Wardlow seems to be the plan they’re going for going forward, the question begs – what’s next for Darby Allin?
What Happens To Darby Allin?
Darby Allin’s next feud in wrestling is important. For too long he has been on the cusp of the main event but has kept just slightly out of reach.
After his match with MJF at Full Gear 2021, he seemed primed for a main event push. However, whether it due to past allegations, his tag team with Sting or something else, Tony Khan seemed hesitant to have him challenging the main event wrestlers in big-money matches.
He is one of the most popular men on the roster and is always a big ratings draw for the company. He has been trusted in the main event of Dynamite multiple times, be it in TNT title matches or just singles matches against the likes of Andrade and Brody King, but never trusted with a main event program.
While Darby Allin’s promo skills may be an issue, he has improved leaps and bounds over the past three years. His character is not one to spend 20 minutes waxing lyrical in the ring like MJF but he very capable of building a feud through promos if needs be.
It’s possible his high-risk style makes Tony Khan hesitant to push him in the main event. With the way he throws himself in and out the ring, there is a good chance of injury occurring.
AEW Champions so far have been reliable and safe, not missing time with injury and being always available for the company. While Darby Allin hasn’t suffered a major injury yet, it’s only a matter of time unless he cools down his outrageous style going forward.
He has had some sexual abuse allegations levied at him in the past. However, this hasn’t affected his career so far and Tony Khan reportedly saw texts that absolved him of any wrongdoing. TNT seemed happy with him as their champion so it doesn’t appear they are an issue when it comes to Allin.
It’s likely that AEW have kept him in the upper-midcard to get the most out of Sting. The 63 year old legend is a regular tag team partner of Allin and the pair remain undefeated in AEW so far.
Given how well they work as a team, it could be that AEW want to keep them together until Sting retires later this year. Once he is on his own, Allin can move up to the main event and challenge for the AEW Championship, maybe with a retired Sting as his manager.
What do you think will happen to Darby Allin after losing the TNT Championship? Tell us what you think in the comment down below.
