8 Wrestlers Cody Helped To Get Over In AEW
6. Darby Allin
The highlight of the Fyter Fest 2019 card, Darby Allin vs. Cody helped to establish the time limit draw as a legitimate finish in AEW canon.
This story driver has been used sparingly over the past couple of years, generally with peers like Bryan Danielson and Kenny Omega: two world-class guys who can barely be separated, neither one able to quite prove his superiority on the night. The company’s first ever time limit draw was telling a different story.
Cody was the clear favourite against a relative unknown. Allin might be expected to get some shine ahead of Cody’s victory but sooner or later, we presumed, the former NWA champion would put the younger man away. So for Allin to reach the 30-minute mark was practically a shock upset.
Simply running out the clock was enough to mark Darby out as one to watch but Cody gave him more. As the time ran down “The American Nightmare” became increasingly desperate, zipping his Darby into a body bag before delivering a disaster kick to his defenceless opponent. When this still didn’t keep the young upstart down, it put over the upstart’s guts and resilience.
Of course, this was only the first step in a long term booking arc that eventually saw Cody drop his TNT title to Darby. Allowing him to level up once again.