The One Thing AEW MUST Do At Full Gear 2020

That Allin hasn't yet reached his zenith makes it impossible to call him the AEW star-making machine's proof of concept, though his case shows that the system is working as intended.

As with every other prospect on the books, AEW has been patient in elevating Darby. Though he entered the promotion with indie notoriety from his time in EVOLVE, the then-26-year-old was a relative unknown compared to the Moxleys and Jerichos, having never been signed to a major promotion. Having him immediately beat these people without taking the time build an attachment and establish him as somebody credibly capable of doing so would have ended in backlash and burnout the likes of which would be incredibly difficult to recover from, so they didn't.

Fyter Fest 2019 started Allin's ascension. Forcing Cody to a time limit draw showed this spirited punk kid with his never-say-die attitude was capable of at least hanging with the company's best, though Aubrey Edwards' hand was about to fall for the third time as the clock expired. 'The American Nightmare' then scored a necessary victory in their rematch five months later, revving him up for the MJF feud.

When they wrestled again on 29 April 2020, it came from a moment of quick-thinking at the end of a 20-minute battle, as Cody rolled Darby's shoulders onto the mat after a Coffin Drop. Experience triumphed over youthful exuberance.

It was the right story for that point in time. As exciting as he was and as popular as he had become, the last loss reflected the reality of the situation. Cody was in the ascendancy, building steam ahead of what would become a successful TNT Title run, while Allin needed a setback to make him better; to prepare him for challenges to come.

Six months later, it's time to pull the trigger.

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