10 AEW Originals Who Are Struggling In 2022
2. Darby Allin
From the promotion’s earliest days, Darby Allin seemed destined for stardom.
His persona and tragic backstory was fresh and interesting but broad enough to resonate with a wide audience. In the ring he was a kinetic ball of energy, willing to sacrifice his body for our entertainment and capable of the best dives in the business.
On early episodes of Dynamite, young fans could be seen sporting his signature makeup and a trio of matches against Cody Rhodes marked him as a star on the rise before MJF naming him as one of AEW’s Four Pillars made it official. His run with the TNT title maintained the belt’s prestige as established by Cody and Mr Brodie Lee.
In 2022 Allin is far from a forgotten man. An unbroken winning streak when paired with Sting has reliably led to enjoyably popcorn matches on PPV. However, with outside talent coming in and filling top spots, Darby has failed to reach the next level as a singles star. He’s over enough to take a loss and remain popular but it feels like he’s treading water.
In his latest storyline Darby asked Sting to take a step back so he can prove himself on his own. Despite this, Jeff Jarrett’s arrival to help Jay Lethal seems to point towards an inevitable tag match at Full Gear.
Will Allin ever achieve his full singles potential?