11 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Aug 5)

6. By Demons Be Driven

Speaking of main event set-ups, Jon Moxley's pre-match promo was all about re-asserting the dynamic between Darby Allin and the World Champion, who instructed his challenger that when it's time to stay down, "just... stay... down."

Moxley said he wasn't ashamed to say he'd struggled with demons throughout his career. He'd been told multiple times not to fight a certain person, not to do a deathmatch, etc., and while sometimes he wouldn't have changed a thing, sometimes he wished he'd listened. It's the same with Darby. Mox understands why Allin does what he does but in an ironic twist, Jon has become the voice of reason. Darby won't stop until he can't move. It weighs heavily on Moxley that he almost broke Allin's neck the last time he wrestled, but the contract's signed, now, and he has to do what he has to do, even if that means inflicting permanent damage.

This was reflected perfectly when the match played out, as we'll get to later. Moxley doesn't want to hurt Allin but understands he may have to - because that's the job.