AEW Is ALREADY Doing This One Thing Better Than WWE

Darby Allin—a sort of alt-Spike Dudley with a far more diverse skill set and a tragic back story informing the sympathy of his psycho bumps—drew with Cody. Not executed perfectly, this was very well done, nonetheless; the match established the inherently dramatic time limit draw in AEW canon at the most perfect time. Early enough to convey its importance going forward, Allin, skin, bones, and sheer balls, was the perfect recipient of it. He got the ever-loving sh*t kicked out of him, but Cody could not put him away. This was tremendous—perfect—booking of an emerging babyface talent. A draw in AEW is a more effective means getting over than a win in WWE, on this evidence.

None of these losses, and the way in which they were presented as subplots, diluted the impact of the main stories. The Best Friends didn’t “steal one”; they isolated Private Party with veteran prowess. Riho looked more smart than lucky in her surprise win because it didn’t come out of “nowhere”. It didn’t betray the story told; it was the net result of it. Hangman Page emerged from his win the better and more honourable man. Cody lost nothing in that draw because he is established, he dominated, and he didn’t lose.

The performers who won at Fyter Fest will go on to the next show(s) with momentum. The Best Friends earned a chance at a bye (a dumb stipulation without full knowledge of the imminent tournament, admittedly). Riho teased a match with the charming standout Sakazaki in the three-way fallout. Hangman Page proceeds to All Out with the necessary credibility. Cody, punished by Shawn Spears for the same, almost casual treatment he afforded Allin, is in line for another personal grudge match enriched by years and years of backstory.

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