7 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite: Big Business (Results & Review)

4. Very, Very Good Match...

Jay White Darby Allin
AEW

Darby Allin is at once generally received as an excellent pro wrestler and underrated. You could make an argument that he is the best or at the very least most valuable wrestler on the planet. They used to say that if Sean Waltman couldn't get a good match out of you, you were hopeless. Mick Foley meanwhile turned prospects into headliners with his selflessness and craft.

Darby is an incredible combination of those two attributes (to which he isn't even limited).

His last match for a while, one really would hope, anyway, was used as a means of reheating Jay White. It very much succeeded. The wrestling was excellent. Jay White is equipped with one of the most wicked chops in the business, and Darby's selling is as powerful as his bumping. In the early stages, the thought process behind the matchmaking manifested itself beautifully. Darby, after taking a trademark demented bump over the steps and onto his coccyx, fought back into it (as ever, with his expert grasp of pacing, it felt earned). He went for the stunner. Jay, in several heart-stopping moments, almost countered into the Blade Runner. This prolonged reversal sequence never felt choreographed. It was peak New Japan tier on a night where Jay felt like the best version of himself again.

At the finish, Darby missed a frightening apron Coffin drop. The way in which he just clipped it made the whole crowd wince. After a very good count-out tease, Jay put Darby away with the Blade Runner.

Very, very good match.

Unreal post-match angle...

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!