Tony Khan has praised Darius Martin on his road to returning to AEW, naming him as the next big star in AEW to look out for in 2022.
Darius Martin is the brother of AEW breakout star Dante Martin. The pair wrestled in AEW as the tag team Top Flight, winning over fans with their incredible high flying moves. They drew comparisons to other AEW tag teams, like the Young Bucks and the Lucha Brothers, and did things in the ring that nobody had ever seen before.
Sadly, tragedy struck for the elder Martin brother. Darius Martin suffered an ACL Tear in February 2021, keeping him out of action for the rest of the year. It looked like a blow for the pair, with the 19 year old Dante Martin having very little experience as a singles wrestler. Darius Martin was seen as the bigger prospect of the two so it seemed unlikely Dante would take off in the meantime.
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Thankfully, Tony Khan gave Dante Martin plenty of time in the ring to develop. In return, Dante Martin became a featured attraction in AEW. He had excellent matches, showcasing his insane high flying style, doing moves that nobody else in AEW could do, sans his brother Darius.
He even got a chance to share the ring with top stars Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks. Alongside the Sydal Brothers, Dante Martin shone. He was rated as one of the top up-and-comers in wrestling and looks to have a huge future in the business in AEW.
Tony Khan on Darius Martin
However, it was Dante’s older brother Darius Martin who has drawn the eye of Tony Khan as we go into 2022. Speaking with Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports, Khan enthusiastically endorsed Darius Martin. The AEW owner talked about how excited he was for Martin’s return to the ring after his horrific ACL injury. He also talked him tagging again with his brother in Top Flight, and how he could be the next big star in 2022 in AEW.
Discussing the potential of Darius Martin upon his return to AEW, Tony Khan remarked;
“I think for a variety of reasons, there’s a number of people I’m excited to feature in the coming year. For example, it was completely out of everyone’s control, but Darius Martin has been out injured and I think he’s tremendous. I would love to get him back soon and teaming with his brother, Dante. Dante has become a big star and I think they were tremendous as a tag team.”
“When the injury happened, Darius was 21 and Dante was 19. Now Dante is 20 and has been featured so much on Dynamite and Rampage and has now been a main eventer on Dynamite. When Darius comes back, I think he’s somebody that could come in and be great for us. So I’m really excited about him in particular. That’s an important name to keep an eye on.”
Who do you think will be the next breakout star in AEW in 2022? Will Top Flight capture the tag team championships in AEW?
