10 Ups & 0 Downs From AEW Dynamite (25 Jan - Review)

9. Darby Holds It Together Before He Falls Apart

Darby Allin Buddy Matthews
AEW

Darby Allin's new story is one of the simplest to tell for a man that sustains what he does during matches - his body will no longer tolerate such reckless abuse.

Commentators hit the point hard as he entered for his TNT Title clash with Buddy Matthews, but not as hard as Matthews hit him in the opening stretch. Perfectly illustrating the point, the House Of Black man's viciousness was everything we've come to expect from Allin's television work, but more pointed and forceful in light of his mounting injuries and ailing frame.

Most wrestlers look amazing beating the f*cking absolute sh*t out of Allin, but the stacked and jacked Matthews looked particularly impressive having his turn. In a cute turnabout of an old dig, the former Buddy Murphy drilled the Champion with a buckle bomb/curb stomp combo. This felt like a tribute to ex-colleague Seth Rollins, a man accused as much as Matthews of being a Kenny Omega tribute act. Breadcrumbs aren't enough to fill those starving for Elite/House Of Black action, but it was something all the same.

Allin's fightback was as energised and absorbing as ever, and after Sting and new H.O.B enemy Ortiz despatched Malakai Black and Brody King, a top rope Death Drop looked like a deathblow of a finish until an unfortunate miscommunication necessitated a Coffin Drop for the cathartic win. Speaking of which, Samoa Joe's post-match promo forecast violent revenge in their Championship rematch next week. The 'One True King Of Television' has been missed, and his attempt to re-ascend to the throne next week promises yet more punishment for an Champion feeling the strain.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett