Darby Allin’s world title reign has come to an end. Ahh, what a shame.

I think we all knew Darby was destined for a short but sweet title reign, but it still stings a little. Now that the dust has settled, I think I can say that Darby had the best AEW World Title reign of all time. Maybe you think Moxley’s was the best, I can respect that. Maybe you thought Omega’s was the best, I can’t respect that. Or maybe you’re a weird freak who thought Chris Jericho had the best AEW World Title reign.

I’m not here to judge you; I’m here to judge wrestling matches. Someone might be able to convince me this isn’t the best AEW World Title reign, but what I am confident in is that it’s the most consistent title reign.

Darby Allin is already up there as one of the best TV wrestlers of all time, and that really showed during his reign. Each week, he went out there and put on something remarkable.

But which match was the most remarkable? Let’s find out!

We’ve got nine matches to deal with, so starting with the worst match, you’ll get a ranking, a review of said match and a star rating if you’re into that kind of thing.

9. Darby Allin vs. Konosuke Takeshita 

I want to make it clear: this is not a bad match. Darby didn’t have a bad match as champion. More than that, this is actually a good match! We’ve got a high floor here, folks.

But to get into it: Konosuke Takeshita is someone whose work I’ve enjoyed at various points in his career, and even in 2026 I’ve liked his DDT appearances. But in AEW, he wrestles these stupid one-note “oh, oh, OHH!” matches for dumb babies and Cagematch inmates. Same difference. I get very little enjoyment from Takeshita’s AEW work, and that was true before this match and continued to be true after it.

However! If you’re going to do a stupid one-note “oh, oh, OHH!” match, Darby Allin is the perfect opponent for Takeshita.

It may genuinely be the greatest achievement of Darby’s title reign that he got me to enjoy a 2026 AEW Takeshita match, this man is a miracle worker. Watching the different ways he eats shit after every big Takeshita move is just delightful. What potentially makes Darby the best bumper ever isn’t just all the dangerous stuff he does, though that helps, it’s the uniqueness even in his normal bumps. Wrestlers can feel overtrained these days: “you get hit like this, then you take a back bump like this.” It all starts to feel the same. So watching Darby do something interesting and new with all of it is why he’s the best in the world.

However, it’s still the lowest-ranked match for a reason. It’s a Takeshita match, he’s a bad wrestler! It’s move move move, counter counter, with no thoughts or ideas present. A lot of action and very little else.

But that action, though.

This is a match for babies, but sometimes that Cocomelon hits.

Rating: ***

8. Darby Allin vs. MJF 

This isn’t ranked this low just because I’m mad that Darby’s title reign is over. Though, to be fair, a bald MJF probably would’ve bumped it up a spot or two.

This is a great Darby performance, one of his best of the reign, but man, MJF just does not have it. I think my particular corner of the internet can get caught in a bit of a hate spiral with MJF. I don’t think he’s devoid of talent, and I don’t think he’s the worst wrestler alive. In fact, everything else he’s done in this Darby feud has been career-best stuff.

But, this is a bad performance.

For someone so committed to being the most, the biggest, the super-duper-mega heel, you’d think MJF would learn how to work a heat segment. But here we are. MJF is a heel for the moments: the low blows, the ref distractions, the crowd mugging. But he rarely understands how to actually wrestle like a heel.

One more thing before I stop bitching about MJF and get to why Darby is great: this also happened in the MJF/Hangman Forbidden Door match. MJF seems fascinated with doing those rolling-around-the-ring, trading-one-count comedy spots. Look, I wear my “I love comedy wrestling” shirt with pride, but doing this 18 minutes into your PPV world title main event? I just don’t get it.

Now to the good stuff: Darby.

His performance here, and in his last three or so title matches, plays on the idea that his body is letting him down, that his desire to be a fighting champion and wrestle every week has worn him down physically. It’s an idea Darby has played with throughout his AEW career, especially during his multiple TNT title reigns, and he plays it perfectly here.

Watching Darby fail to make a pinfall, then lift his hand, covered in blood from the back of his head, into the air as the crowd cheers him on to a kick-up: it’s perfect. It’s what wrestling can be at its best. It’s why Darby is more than just the big spots. It’s the way he channels those moments into forming a special relationship with the crowd.

It’s tempting, whenever reviewing a Darby match, to just list all the cool spots. I’ll try to resist that urge, but I have to highlight one moment: that spot where his heels catch the top rope during the suicide dive, causing him to crash and burn. Just unbelievably sick.

Rating: ***
(And MJF should thank Darby for those stars.)

7. Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara 

Lol remember Sammy Guevara. He’s still a thing apparently, could’ve fooled me. I make fun of Sammy because he’s bad and it’s funny that AEW said he was one of the pillars and now he’s barely on TV. But you know what, in this match he’s not that bad. Starts off great with him driving Darby’s head into the title during his entrance and then posing with the belts. Sammy’s got one of the most punchable faces in wrestling, it’s easy to boo this guy and he gets close to pulling it off, but his desire to be Jeff Hardy is too strong. Oh well, what you gonna do.

This match comes great in how it shows that all the defences are finally getting to Darby, the best moment being Darby just passing out while he’s applying the Scorpion Death Lock. When you watch wrestling through this “I need to add it to my spreadsheet” mindset, it can feel like each wrestling match is its own separate thing, but moments like these remind you it is a collective narrative. I would also say this is the moment in Darby’s reign where he goes from fighting to surviving.

The match is let down by a mostly boring second half that builds upon none of these ideas. Sammy eating shit through a table is fun though.

Darby is the best pillar of AEW or heaven. 

Rating: *** 1/4

6. Darby Allin vs. Mike Bailey

Brief, simple, and perfectly executed. I have had my doubts with Bailey over the years, but the restrictions that TV wrestling has put on him have led to him being a very enjoyable aspect of weekly television.

There’s not particularly much to say about this match. It’s two men with very fun offense and the mind to come up with new creative spots doing exactly that, with the throughline that Darby’s body is starting to give out still making it a compelling affair. Standout moments go to Bailey taking the stairs’ weight on his bare foot and the final struggle for Darby’s submission win.

One negative is that I try not to let commentary cloud my opinions on matches, and I also get that MJF is supposed to be irritating, but he dominates so much of commentary getting his shit in that it actively distracts from the match.

Good stuff all around though.

Rating: *** 1/2

5. Darby Allin vs. Kevin Knight 

Now we’re getting into the really good shit. AEW has got something really special in Knight, a young, fiery babyface that you can build your midcard around… oh I’m sorry, what’s that? They did what!? This company.

Well, face or heel, it’s clear that Knight is going to be a big player in AEW’s future, and matches like this show that future ain’t too far away. He’s got that thrilling high-octane offence but already has the knowledge to know when to use it.

Something in this match that pops up in a lot of Darby title defences is that his opponents seem to be almost as reckless as he is, almost like they’re trying to out-Darby Darby. It shows itself here through Knight’s great leap through the table even with his hurt knee.

A real test for Knight that he passed with flying colours. And then Darby was Darby, so the best in the world.

Rating: ****

4. Darby Allin vs. PAC

 

Let’s get the obvious out of the way, it’s just cool to have a match on a golf course. I hate golf and may God strike down all who play it, but just seeing PAC bump into sand pits is undeniably sick. AEW is truly WCW’s son as they understand occasionally holding events in unconventional places just makes for compelling TV. And boy do they make the most of it, seeing PAC, who looks like he never met a steroid he didn’t like, do a flip bump into a bunker reminded me of why I love this sport.

A big credit to this match is that once they retreat from the golf-based gimmickry, it’s still incredibly enjoyable. PAC and Darby have great chemistry, as is to be expected, with fun crisp stuff, but this match has the spot from Darby’s title reign. The Death Riders set up two sets of double-stacked tables. They brawl to the floor above and Darby is thrown through the tables, barely catching the end of the second pair. I don’t get how Darby does this stuff. I’d die on the spot if I was hit with this, but for Darby it’s merely a Wednesday. He’s out cold, but the Death Riders screw themselves, causing a ref distraction that gives Darby the inch he needs to secure the win.

A great match.

And now I proudly present the responses I got from the Violent People Discord after I asked if anyone could come up with some good golf puns/analogies for this match. Here are their responses.

“Fooooour Eagle” – Rhys Withhisspoon. Don’t get it, bad.

“Hole in Fun” – Henry/HeadCheese. Henry’s my favourite.

“Pac vs Darby is like the Phil Mickelson vs John Daly of wrestling” – Control. I don’t know what this means and Control would later confess neither do they.

“Rather than hit a birdie, Darby made Pac fly like a birdie, into the freakin’ sandtrap!” – Justice. I’m growing a disdain for Justice.

“Just make Happy Gilmore references. I’m sure Darby would appreciate that more” – pto. Thanks Pat, don’t give a reference, just tell me to look one up. Lots of help, bud.

“Darby Allin is like Tiger Woods in the way he crashes his car and treats women.” – Rhys Withhisspoon. That’s very good. Good work Rhys.

“But to their fans their work on the green is all that matters” – Rhys Withhisspoon. Ok Rhys, we got it the first time.

“Darby and Pac wrestled on the green, but when I watched this match, I saw a whole LOT of green, cash money, that is, for the All Elite Wrestling company!” – Justice. Jesus Christ, mate.

“Hit a ‘par for the course’” – Simon Redcorn. What fun we have here.

Join the Violent People Discord. VP, it’s the place to be.

*Editors Note: Padraig not only couldn’t come up with his own golf puns, he didn’t even link to the discord.

*Padraigs Note: fuck you Dan.

https://discord.gg/EghE9SF2

Rating: ****

3. Darby Allin vs. Brody King 

One of the most reliable matches in not just AEW but all of wrestling once again tore the house down, having what is still a close call but probably their best bout yet. The term wrestling soulmates is thrown around a lot, often by bad wrestlers having bad matches, but Darby and Brody live up to that moniker. You know Darby is winning this match, no way they are putting the belt on Brody at this moment. But they tell the David vs Goliath match so effectively you still buy into it.

This is the hardest match to review without just listing cool moments. I’ll try my hardest, but yes this match is just filled with incredible spots. I’ll touch on one because it highlights a larger point on Darby matches. Trying to escape from the arms of Brody, Darby grips onto the padding outside the ring, pulling it up and revealing the exposed concrete that Brody is then later slammed on. It seems simple, but this is why I love Darby’s matches. It’s not just in the spectacle and danger of his spots, but the thoughtfulness and creativity he puts into setting up these moments in a natural way. Any man can fall through a table. It takes the best in the world to do that and have it make sense.

Brody, for his part, dishes out a beating but takes it back and then some.

I could watch these two wrestle a best of 501 series and would never get bored.

Rating: **** 1/4

2. Darby Allin vs. Tommaso Ciampa

He was already on course to win, but this match has all but confirmed that Tommaso Ciampa will win the official Violent People Comeback Wrestler of the Year award. Where has this been the last decade, bud? What did Gargano and Triple H do to you? Darby always brings the best out of his opponents, but he really brings the best out of Ciampa here. But it’s not like Darby ran the blade for him, and Ciampa gets a nasty blade job here which his bald veiny head only amplifies.

There’s a very small thing in this match that I love. The way they slightly destroy the ring. At one point Darby pulls off the turnbuckle pad in an attempt to stop Ciampa from manhandling him. But he also rips off a bit of the ring post for him to jump off into Ciampa in the timekeeper’s area. I don’t know why I love this so much, but I do. Because yeah, the world isn’t filled with flat surfaces for you to jump off to hit a weird bald guy, there’s always a sticky-outy bit there to ruin your dreams. It feels true to life, something that wrestling rarely achieves.

This whole piece is going off on how great Darby is, so let’s focus on Ciampa here. A wonderful choice in this match is when he hits a Psycho Driver from the middle rope to the outside, which first of all, wow. He sells the impact of just hitting the move by acting like he’s torn something in his leg, writhing around in pain while Darby is out cold. Just what a way to put over the danger involved with a moment like that.

Too much good stuff in this to name. All the dives are tremendous and they even managed to have a good chop exchange spot in 2016.

Ciampa, didn’t know you had it in you mate.

Rating: **** 1/2

1. Darby Allin vs. MJF

Sometimes wrestling is the easiest thing in the world. Wrestling doesn’t need complex reversal sequences, family melodramas, or death defying stunts to be great. It can just be seeing your guy squash that prick and win the world title.

Everything about this was perfect. TK’s use of the occasional big match squash is why I’ll always have a bit of faith in him as a booker. God, Sting was there.

Workrate is a lie. Wrestling is about making you feel something.

Rating: who gives a fuck about star ratings with a match like this. But also **** 1/2

Also yes the match where you win the belt counts as part of your title reign. People who say otherwise are dumb.