10 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite (Apr 29)

2. Darby Edges Closer

Cody's latest victory over Darby Allin is no burial. Remember that it took Tommy Dreamer two years to finally beat Raven and Toshiaki Kawada even longer to fell Mitsuharu Misawa. What AEW is doing here is building a careful, considered story in which Darby edges closer and closer to victory until eventually, one day, he beats Cody in the ultimate, cathartic release.

AEW's patience will pay off in the same way it did for Dreamer and Kawada. That pop's gonna be huge. They're making you wait, not jumping the gun.

The match itself was all about Allin demonstrating the full, impressive breadth of his wrestling skills. Rather than just flying around like a madman, Darby was excellent in slick mat exchanges and limb-destruction spots, taking advantage of Cody pulling a knee muscle early on and continually going back to it throughout. 'The American Nightmare,' meanwhile, worked heel, taking advantage of AEW's fluid alignments after Allin flew into Brandi on the outside, putting extra starch, stiffness, and nastiness into each shot.

Great character work? Check.

Great storytelling? Check.

The finish delivered both, too, with Cody rolling a Coffin Drop into a desperate pin, demonstrating the experience gulf between him and his younger opponent. Allin will learn from this - and that's the story.