RADICAN’S TAKE: Darby Allin’s symphony of destruction as champion takes center stage in AEW

You take a mortal man
And put him in control
Watch him become a God
Watch people’s heads a-roll

-Symphony of Destruction by Megadeth

Darby Allin’s unique title reign has put him front and center as being one of the most memorable AEW World Hvt. Champions in recent memory. Ever since he captured the belt from MJF in his hometown on Dynamite and vowed to defend the title every week moving forward until his body gave out, he’s been on a run of a lifetime putting on high quality matches with a wide variety of opponents.

It started with a win over Tomasso Ciampa in an absolutely brutal back-and-forth physical encounter which saw both men take each other to the limit in a high-end MOTYC. After the match, Ciampa called Allen his wrestling soulmate. Things didn’t slow down from that point forward, as Allin faced Brody King the next week in another really good match on Dynamite.

AEW has done a good job of putting heat on their champions by throwing credible challengers after their champions in recent months in various ways. Additionally, Allin’s in-ring style makes it believable that he could win or lose at any moment, which has added a lot of drama to his matches during his run as champion. Allin beat a monster in King, who had recently been in the world title picture when MJF was champion.

It hasn’t been just the quality of the matches  matches. It has been how much the matches fit the persona of Allin that have made his 21 day symphony of destruction so much fun to watch. Every match he has wrestled, he has put his body on the line to beat his opponent using his own body as a weapon, which is his biggest weakness as well.

As the weeks and opponents go by the question has become, when is Allin’s body going to give up on him. His character never gives up. It scratches and claws for everything that it earns and that is what has made this run of matches so much fun to watch. Not many champions in wrestling have a run with the top belt in a promotion that not only matches who they are in the ring, but also who they are as a character? I can’t think of many outside of Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness’s respective reigns as ROH World Champion.

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Allin went on to face rising star Kevin Knight on Dynamite last week in one hell of a contest that saw Knight hit a springboard clothesline on Allin, who was on the announce desk. Knight, who recently became TNT Champion, gave Allin everything he could take and showed why Tony Khan has been so high on him since he signed him. Ultimately Knight couldn’t knock Allin off the mountain top but he gained a lot in taking a gutsy loss. Allin wasn’t done, as he accepted Kazuchika’s Okada’s challenge for Dynamite the next week before defending his belt for a second time in a week in a crazy match at the “Fairway to Hell” edition of Collision against Pac.

I’ve never seen a wrestling match on a golf course, but Allin’s match against Pac sent shockwaves over social media last Saturday night. Clips of Allin and Pac wrestling all over the fairway up to a sandtrap were consumed in high volume and amplified by wrestling fans everywhere that bore witness to this unique match. How often do you see someone tossed into a sandtrap and put into a submission?

The match was a tour de force of back-and-forth action. It was filled with memorable sequences. Not only was there wrestling around the entire golf course at the venue, but at one point, both men brawled up to a high balcony before Pac hit Allin with a low blow and tossed him through two tables. It was the type of bump that will get played over and over for years to come and it fits Allin’s character perfectly. I would be willing to bet that somewhere Mick Foley was watching the match and smiling wide.

Allin survived Pac and moved on to face Konosuke Takeshita this week on Dynamite. Takeshita replaced Okada at the last minute. I can’t imagine Okada having the kind of match that Takeshita had with Allin. Takeshita is a better matchup style-wise with Allin right now, as he is willing to bring the physicality to his matches in a way that Okada doesn’t at this stage of his career.

I can’t say I’m not concerned for Allin when I watched his recent run of title matches, but there’s a method to his madness. He takes some brutal bumps and last night was no exception, but they mean something and add to the story and lore of his title reign.

I can’t recall ever seeing someone take a traditional German suplex off the top rope, but Allin did last night. Every time I’ve a top rope German suplex, usually the person executing the manuever releases his opponent. However, Takeshita never let go and the entire crowd gasped when both men landed on the mat. That would have been enough of a big match moment for Allin’s highlight reel during this title reign, but he also took a blue thunder powerbomb from the apron to the floor during the match as well. The finish was typical of what Allin has done since he beat MJF. He used his body as a weapon. Launching multiple Coffin Drops at Takeshita to pin him to set the stage for his rematch against MJF at Double or Nothing next weekend.

Allin’s title reign has already been a success whether or not he beats MJF at Double or Nothing. MJF putting his hair on the line seems to be a sure indicator that Allin will be dropping the title, but do we doubt that Allin has enough left in the tank to beat MJF? Even if a lot of people believe that if the hair stipulation is an indicator that Allin will lose, I believe he will make the fans in the venue believe he has enough left in him to beat MJF before falling short in another incredible effort.

It feels like Allin’s reign should be over. He’s accomplished more than I ever thought he would as champion in just 21 days against five different opponents. He created a highlight reel of memories and moments that fit his character that AEW can use to promote him for as long as he wrestles in the company.

Allin has proven to those that have doubted he would be a credible champion wrong. It felt like when Allin won the title, that him winning the big one was the climax of the story of his character. Instead it was just the beginning of one of the most enjoyable AEW World Title reigns in history and my favorite title reign since Roman Reigns’s ended when he got knocked off by Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40. Win or lose at Double or Nothing, Allin gained a lot in a short amount of time by having a title reign that only his character could execute.

(Sean Radican has been Pro Wrestling Torch for over 22 years. He has covered the independents, ROH, and NJPW in-depth over the years in addition to also watching all the major promotions in the U.S. PWTorch VIP members get access to his weekly Radican Worlwide podcast looking at a variety of news topics from the past week and then an in-depth Go-Home segment with a guest on a big topic of the week. You can contact him at pwtorchsean@gmail.com. You can follow him on X @SR_Torch and on Bluesky @SeanRadican.)