Cody vs. Darby Allin

[4.0] "A lot of this match felt like it was wasting time for the sake of reaching that time limit. Cody springs to the outside as Darby rolls back into the ring only for Cody to slowly get back into the ring and attempt a wristlock? Wrestling 101 says Excalibur? Where and when is that considered wrestling 101? This was another match that was a perfect example for why Cody could've been a terrific heel in AEW. I understand that both Cody and Darby showed both heel and face tendencies here but so often did I feel that Cody should've just embraced his heel-ish persona. This match was a decent introduction to the man we come to know as Darby Allin but it was clear there was still a lot of development to be had. The commentary and the whole bit with the body bag was just silly as well. Cody sitting there looking at Darby while the countdown is happening and waiting to dive over and pin Darby made the time limit draw feel contrived. Shawn Spears' brutal post match chair shot was hard but probably didn't need to happen."

[3.0] "Very, very, boring. Cody wrestles extremely slow and Darby seems to be figuring out his style. The time-limit draw was also executed poorly, with Cody hitting his finish before obviously stalling his pin on Darby."

[7.0] "7/10 Pretty good match. They should have waited a few more seconds before doing the final spot so the draw felt more organic, but it was a great introduction to Darby and the concept of time-limit draws."

[8.0] "I actually really, really enjoyed this match. Cody and Darby were both really good in this match, with both of them having pretty good chemistry. I wasn't a particular fan of the time stoppage, but I guess it protected both of the talent, while Shawn Spears ran in and absolutely blasted Cody in the head with the chair. I think the highlight and spot of the match was the Coffin Drop where Cody rolled out and Darby ate apron. Another highlight was Darby going through the rope and hitting the post and landing on the ringside floor. Both spots were very unique and surprising since Darby was so much younger. I also thought that the body bag idea and the desire to have Cody at 1-1 in AEW was pretty fun and made an interesting storyline for the match. Overall, fun match, but not crazy, and wasn't a huge fun of the time limit draw. [****1/4]"

[7.0] "Best match of the night so far and Darby takes a lot of the punishment here. First match in AEW and he's already taking insane bumps. I enjoyed this and I thought the time limit draw was unnecessary, but it did add suspense to the finish. ***.75"

[5.0] "This match was alright, feel like these two just have matches that are only in the range of OK. This was before Darby hit his peak in AEW, Darby wasn't the best in then ring around this time, not saying he was bad, but overtime he started to get better. Cody just tossing Darby in-between the turnbuckles was fucking brutal, the way he twisted when he hit it just made me cringe. Darby's selling here was really good. The highlight of this match is the brutal Coffin-Drop from the top rope onto the apron, just brutal. The time-limit draw was stupid"

[8.0] "I was really a fan of this match. The biggest thing that stood out to me was the way time limits used to be. The crowd counting down as Cody went for the pin was so well done."

[8.0] "Before the entrances, an eerie and genuinely creepy Darby Allin promo video played, setting the tone and leading to Darby making his way to the ring carrying a body bag with "Cody" written on it, which earned him a few cheers. Daytona, Florida gave Cody Rhodes, accompanied by Brandi Rhodes, a much bigger pop, with loud "Cody" chants breaking out right before the bell, though once the match started the Ocean Center made it clear they were split with competing chants for both Cody and Darby Allin. The crowd stayed engaged throughout, including the expected "woo" chants during Cody's Figure Four, and clearly enjoyed the match. My favorite moment was Cody's avalanche reverse vertical suplex on Darby for a near fall, which was excellent. The finish came when Cody hit Cross Rhodes, but the time limit expired before the three-count, resulting in a draw, and I rated the match an 8.0. The intended story seemed to be the established star giving the scrappy up-and-comer a chance before decisively beating him, but Darby refused to play that role, forcing Cody into visible frustration early with a hard slap and later an Irish whip so violent it sent Darby flying between the ropes into the ring post and crashing to the floor. Although framed as babyface versus babyface, Darby's size disadvantage made Cody the de facto heel, grounding him with submissions and wear-down holds, which made logical sense but briefly drained energy from the crowd. One of the most brutal moments saw Darby miss a Coffin Drop on the apron and smash his spine on the ring edge, reinforcing the idea that Darby is essentially unkillable. Other highlights included Cody's torture rack-style backbreaker, Darby's springboard Tornillo into an arm breaker that nearly forced a tap, and Cody sweeping Darby's legs into the steel steps before following up with a tope suicida."

[7.0] "Nice first match on a PPV for Darby, the draw was a pretty cool way to protect both men as they clearly see Darby as a top guy in the company, and from what I know about Darby he certainly lived up to the crazy stunts he is accustom to. 7/10"

[6.0] "It's interesting, 6 years later, to see Darby actually "wrestle" rather than what his style has become which is using his body as a projectile for the majority of his offense. I would like to see more of this come back and at least be a part of his repertoire. I love seeing guys do crazy sh*t, and Darby excels at it, but he's become a one-trick pony when he can clearly do more. There's a decent amount of grappling and mat wrestling, but it's not boring. Darby works Cody's arm/wrist/fingers mid-match and it's still compelling despite being basic mat work. Cody has a ring presence and it's easy to see why people were behind him back then. I don't watch the fed, but apparently he's a tired, phony, "look at what I do for you people" babyface. I've heard "corporate Cody" mentioned many times and I have no interest in that guy. But 2019 Cody? Yeah, there's something here that could have been a legit babyface hero that didn't make you roll your eyes. ANYWAY, back to the match, there's some good spots like an avalanche (reverse? ) suplex that Cody delivers to Darby. They each land a tope suicida on the other as well. Darby's failed coffin drop (Cody rolls out of the way) onto the edge of the apron was very Darby and a very good spot. Cody wrapping Darby up in the bodybag as time is running out only to deliver a disaster kick and then immediately pull him out before the pin attempt is silly. Could have done a spot with the bodybag earlier and made it more compelling. It just telegraphs that it's going to be a time-limit draw. Cody's pleading for 5 more minutes, but Chairman Spears ends it when he comes out to deliver an unprotected chair shot to the head. If it wasn't for the late bodybag spot and telegraphing the draw it would get a 7, but I'm dropping it to 6 purely bc of that unforced error."

[8.0] "This was a great way to introduce AEW to Darby Allin, showing his creativity and resilience against Cody who plays a great foil to the debutant. 4 stars"

[7.0] "I was really enjoying this match because it was so different than anything we'd seen in the card thus far. They weren't going 100 mph and just going move to move; they actually told a story. There's just something about the way Darby moves and especially the way he bumps that makes him really unique outside of his looks. I don't remember seeing anyone take a bump like he took when Cody threw him through the ropes in the corner. The match made sense, with Cody slowing down and trying to wear out Darby. It might have been slower, but logically, he's bigger, stronger and slower. That's what you do in that case. I probably would've rated this match higher if not for the last few minutes. The coffin drop on the apron was just unnecessary. Taking it through a table probably would've been safer and also looked cooler if that's what they were going for. And the body bag stuff was stupid, taking like 30 seconds to put him in, just to do the kick and take him out 10 seconds later? Finally, a draw finish...nobody likes a draw finish. The fans were mixed between booing and clapping, and maybe this would've been salvageable if it led to a payoff at the end involving Cody and Darby, but Spears came in and hit Cody with an unprotected chair shot that, again, I'll use the word unnecessary. Cody should've gone over clean on Darby at the end and Darby's stock would've still risen based on his performance and who he was in the ring with. I'll still give it a 7 because it was the best match on the card thus far."

[6.0] "An interesting proposition that protects Darby Allin on his debut. The fact that the match never really gets into a high gear limits its quality, but that's also the point of offering a psychological and almost strategic battle. In-ring quality: 1.75/4. Stakes: 0.5/2. Justification: 0.5/1. Place on the card: 1/1. Suspense: 1/1. Bonus/malus: none. Total: 5.75/10. Match seen on AEW Plus."

[8.0] "Not the best match of all time and there have definitely been way better 20-minute draws, but this was a great match. It kind of stumbles through its back third, before heating up again for the finish. The basics are my favorite part, and they spend enough time on them to allow the match to slowly build, increasingly showing off Darby's disregard for himself and pedestrians. They had the sauce, they were working their asses off. Cody should climb mount Everest next."

[5.0] "Quite disappointed with this fight and I don't understand the score. I find it really boring, Cody slows down the pace every time the fight starts to get interesting thanks to Darby Allin's flashes of brilliance and on top of that we end up on this time limit. I understand that we want to protect Darby for his debut, but I think there was a better way of doing it."

[5.0] "Just not a very engaging match. Felt bored the whole time. Darby took a nasty bump on the edge of the ring but that was about the only interesting thing in the match. Darby didn't really provide anything other than getting thrown around. Felt more like a pre show match."

[7.0] "this match was decent some stuff i didnt care for the body bag thing with cody there was no point for other then to reach the time limi. the match was good tho then the spears debut (i believe? ) was rather good its another 7 for a decent match"

[8.0] "Some good basic wrestling at the beginning, which works really well for both guys. Cody is very good with the small meat and potatoes stuff, and Darby really shines on his twists on arm drags and side headlock takeovers and the like, this was a good debut of this for Darby against someone who comes off like a classic wrestler in Cody. This also does a tremendous job of making Cody look like not only is he an absolute top guy, but that he's the measuring stick for all young wrestlers. Darby takes what we now look at as a classic Darby bump on the ringpost. Match slows down here, Darby gets biel tossed into the turnbuckle. Darby lulls Cody in and smacks his hand against the ringpost. Darby does a springboard Tornillo that almost gets there, then Darby starts targeting Cody's hand again, and headbutts it, which is pretty funny. I do think its simple, effective storytelling. Darby keeps targeting the hand, Cody keeps avoiding it, so then Darby just hits a tope suicida on him. Tries to stomp on it, but Cody pulls Darby's legs out from him and of course, Darby takes a bump on the steel steps. Cody hits a tope suicida of his own, kinda hard to see how good it was because the camera angle wasn't great. Darby strings together some offense that ends with a code red, Cody kicks out. 5 minutes left, as JR said, that actually did go by very quickly, and it seems like that time hasn't been gimmicked. Up from the top rope Cody hits a reverse vertical suplex that darby takes on his fuckin shins, Cody drags himself over, Darby kicks out. Darby bites at Cody's fingers, then yanks on his hand. Cody's on the apron, Darby heads up and Cody rolls out of the way of the Coffin drop that lands him right on the edge of the apron. Looks brutal. Cody levels Darby with a boot and Darby lands on his body bag. For some reason I can't understand Cody decides to zip him up in the bag. Cody hits the bag with a disaster kick which is kind of hiliarious. Cody pins Darby and Darby kicks up out of the bag. I can't say i love this moment. Cody rolls up Darby in a jackknife, he kicks out at one, the crowd goes totally mild, then Cody whips him with the belt a couple times, Cody goes for a crossrohodes, hits the stunner out of it, Cody gets the crossrhodes on hi, count down goes to 0 before cody can get the pin, 20 minute time limit draw. I didn't actually love the ending, but kudos to them for the time limit, and I do admire the story they were trying to tell. But it fell a couple notches short of being great, despite me really liking the first 15 minutes of the match. The bag felt a little silly, but I know the novelty of Darby's performance was really effective at getting him over pretty much immediately as someone to invest in, and having him not lose to Cody is a pretty good way to get us to care. The aftermath is just tough to watch because of the huge gash from Cody's head, looks legitimately awful. Good match, I think it accomplished what it set out to do, but there were a few things away from it being totally great. somewhere around a 7.5-8 is appropriate, so it seems like this one is rated pretty on the nose."

[8.0] "This was basically Darby's coming out party for the national audience. It felt a bit slow in the middle, but ultimately a good match where Cody played his role perfectly and Darby was Darby."

[8.0] "This was a great match that was booked perfectly to keep Cody strong and make Darby look like the real deal and not just some emo child. Darby is crazy talented and its super cool to see how much he has grown over the years. Overall this was my personal favorite match of this card and the Cody chair shot post match was absolutely brutal."

[8.0] "This was a fantastic match and a great introduction to Darby Allin. The only downside was the fumbling with the body bag. while it made for a cool visual, they were announcing the time in the arena. I doubt Cody would want to waste time with it, knowing there was less than 5 minutes remaining."

"The Match that got me back into wrestling. A simple match that serves as a great introduction to both wrestlers. Used this match as the first to show people who haven't watched wrestling before and they loved it. Some simple story telling with Cody leaning Heel and Darby doing what he does best, getting sympathy by getting the fuck beat out of him and taking narly bumps. It stands up great 4+ years later and still reminds me why I watch this sport."

[9.0] "8.6/10: for me, darby allin is the most underrated wrestler of aew. This is my first match watching him, but I know almost everything theres to know about him. later the partner of the icon. The match also seemed like a dream match, besides punk vs allin. The start was awesome, and as we came to the end, it was getting really intense, until cody put allin in the dead body bag and performed the disaster kick. He then performed the cross rhodes, but the ref did not count to 3 because of the time limit draw. This was a perfect match in those terms. Shawn spears later gave a chairshot to cody which obviously meant a match at all out. The best match of the night for me I guess."

[8.0] "Loved this match! Allin has always been such a consistent wrestler and there are so many cool sequences with him and cody here, a very good showcase for a wrestler debuting on the company that would see him rise and rise"

[8.0] "Best match on the show in my opinion. Codys very dominant and works as a heel (a pretty good one at that) and Darby works as the underdog babyface. The storytelling is good and the in ring action was good and got the crowd hyped."

[8.0] "Cody is a natural in dominance, and Darby makes a career being a perfect under dog. And with Cody's control being slow and meticulous, Darby's come back feels so exciting and unhinged. It's a textbook match with the added bonus of a lot of fun exchanges and nasty bumps from Allin (being thrown through the ropes into the ring post & the missed coffin drop). The strength of Cody in AEW is that he gave a traditional American base for all of the crazy talent he could face, and this is the perfect example of each of these guys being their other's compliment. The only problem is that the body bag disaster kick spot was silly and the constant reminding of the time limit made the ending feel very predictable."

[8.0] "They told a really effective story in this match that they'd build on and capitalize on a few years later. Darby introduced himself to this wider audience extremely well, taking the beating Cody gave him and giving it back just as much. Before he had the professional makeup and face paint, he knew how to carry himself and how to be memorable, and Cody did a great job making him shine."

[8.0] "Cody probably came into this match not knowing what to expect from Darby and, in fact, in the early goings Darby outwrestled Cody despite the size disadvantage. Cody, then, starts to use his size advantage to get the upper hand despite still not taking Darby seriously. However as the match went on Cody, seeing how resilient was Darby and as they got closer to the time limit draw, started to get worried and even annoyed at Darby. Him hitting Darby with the belt perfectly shows that. Darby lived off brief hope spots and comebacks which were always well executed. His work on Cody's hand was really good and his selling all throughout the bout was excellent. He really made Cody look twice as strong. Both men's offense was very strategic and there it was a lot of psychology. The match was structured really well and paced even better with the 20 minutes that didn't feel like 20 minutes at all. The disaster kick with Darby in the body bag was awesome and, of course, the coffin drop on the apron is still, to this day, one of the most nasty looking bumps I've ever seen. The ending was top notch with Darby hitting the stunner and Cody hitting the cross rhodes but right when he was about to win, the clock expired. Really well handled by both men. Cody put over Darby big time here despite not losing and Darby put on a star-making performance that turned him into a fan favorite's since day one. ****"

[8.0] "So nearly excellent but a few things dragged this down a little, namely the fumbling with the body bag towards the end and the stretch between minutes 5 and 10 with not much of substance happening, but the good stuff here is the best on the show. Loved the storyline of old timer Cody Rhodes brutalising the young upstart Allin, whose speed and psychology made the match for me. Sold his ass off non stop, and it was brutal to watch at times, but hes super over in my book."

[7.0] "Darby Allin's debut match in AEW. This one told a great story with Cody not being able to put away Darby, who was pulling out all the stops to stay in it. Darby took a couple of sick bumps (the Coffin Drop to the ringside apron was particularly disgusting), and Cody started to get more and more desperate near the end. Nice intro to Darby while also keeping Cody hot. ***1/2"

[8.0] "This wasn't on the level of Cody's match against Dustin but it was an awesome match. Cody isn't the most interesting guy to watch work on top but his psychology is excellent and Darby's selling made everything work. All of Darby's comebacks were fantastic and full of energy, and I loved his brief work over Cody's hand. Cody did a wonderful job selling it too. This was paced very well for a 20-minute draw and the finish was amazing. Also, who could forget Darby's Coffin Drop on the apron? Pretty insane. ****"

[7.0] "Pretty great match, but I feel that Darby Allin wasn't utilized as well as he could have been. The bodybag bit was also unnecessary."

[8.0] "The dicking around with the body bag didn't really add to this, given it didn't tie into any kind of finish. Cody not being dq'd was whatever, commentary covered for that. But this was a great match overall, commentary really played up Darby Allin here, telling who he was a character, his motivations and his toughness. A great use of a time limit draw. HOLY HELL that chairshot after though was revolting, goddamn."

[8.0] "I thought this was great. Darby Allin really got a spot to shine and took it here. I like the story of an overconfident Cody not being able to put away the resilient Darby here. That Coffin Drop on the apron is still a killer spot. The time limit draw was a great finish here. I forgot that this was where Shawn Spears gets his Chairman moniker by cracking Cody over the head with a chair."

[7.0] "The fact that at the beginning of the match the crowd was rooting for Cody and at the end of it they were cheering for Darby shows how good this match was in establishing Allin as a new rising star of the company. Cody's work was good throughout the entire match as well as Darby's selling and his comebacks were well excecuted. The coffin drop on the apron and the disaster kick in the body bag were sick spots. Brillant finish, too. 7/10 - 3.75*/5*"

[8.0] "This match did a great job at establishing Darby Allin who I wasn't familiar with at the time, couple that with a great angle afterwards and you got yourself a great combo, great storytelling in this one"

[7.0] "As usual with Cody's single matches, there is nothing really bad, but there is a serious lack of rhythm. You can feel that he wants to focus more on storytelling than on pure wrestling. Ok, that's a good idea, but he seems to confound storytelling and boredness. If you want your storytelling to be effective, you got to be much more intense. The simple fact of taking your time between all your maneuvers, showing a dramatic face, is not enough. The best thing in this match is the selling of Darby Allin and his ability to take incredible bumps."

[2.0] "This match was not good, Im a fan of Cody Rhodes and can happily watch Darby allin but struggled to watch this without getting distracted"

[8.0] "Excellent match between Cody and Darby here in what was the first match of their qualitative trilogy and perhaps the most underrated of their three encounters if you ask me, this match was nothing especially amazing but it had great meaning and was very well worked from the first minute to the last. I know that time-limit draws can sometimes frustrate people and even more so when they happen in a Cody Rhodes match because he loves that kind of pushy booking, nevertheless I didn't find it forced and it made Darby Allin a star afterwards because resisting twenty minutes against one of the top stars of the company when you were announced as the guy who was going to lose quickly is still something. It was on that night that many people discovered the underdog side of Darby, his fighting spirit, his comebacks, his selling, his way to bump like nobody and all those little details that make him a tremendous babyface. The way the match was written convinced me and I didn't feel it was overbooked, Cody's goal was to make Darby a star and we saw with time that it worked and that this match was the start of his huge push."

[9.0] "The storytelling in this match is great, Darby Allin is a great wrestler for his age and he is only going to get better. The ending was perfect for this match."

[8.0] "An absolutely brilliant match. Darby hanged in there full on 20 mins against Cody, and this was definitely the match he needed to get over with the fans. The time limit was used perfectly here, despite the rare occurrence of it in today's wrestling. Darby's bumpings in this match were nothing short of insanity. [****]"

[9.0] "Darby Allin came in to the match as a nobody for the fans and came out being as over as he could be. For me, this match is a classic for this sole reason. Cody did his best to put over Darby as a guy who wouldn't give up no matter what punishment he faces. We saw a glimse of how Darby can put his body on the line in his matches and this spot was a good climax for the fans to get behind him. Cody did a great job too, being a fan favourite, he still showed his cocky side, taunting and not taking Darby seriously, which led him to end this match in the draw."

[10.0] "When I started to know and Love Darby Allin. This is also my favorite Cody match without question, he has such good chemistry with darby."

[8.0] "Match of the Night. Won around a very pro-Cody crowd to Darby's side and established Darby's character perfectly (a character that is one of the company's most over to this day). First half is a bit slow, but knowing they are doing a Broadway, it's not entirely unexpected. The in-ring is fantastic in the closing half. Great character work throughout. Established time limit draws as a viable finish in AEW. Great stuff. 4 stars."

"Perfect debut for Darby in AEW. He thrives when he is on the receiving end of a mauling, and thus was just that. Truly did not expect anything but a Cody win here, but was glad to be taken by surprise."

[5.0] "What the Hell was this? I didn't expect Cody to suddenly start having good matches since the Dustin match, since we all know Dustin made that match what it was, but he couldn't even carry that momentum through even one more AEW match. This felt like 90% Cody beating up Allin with boring offence, and Allin just taking it all with no problem. Reaching the time limit seems a little silly after everything Allin took, especially considering the size difference. Then there's the body bag spot, which is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen in a match. AEW are getting dangerously cartoonish. The body bag spot took this from an average boring match with one guy clearly carrying the other for time, to a flat-out laughing stock. The coffin drop and the chair shot were just about the only things I enjoyed from this. Different strokes, I guess."

[7.0] "The story these two tell with Darby being the unkillable underdog and Cody unable to actually secure the win is rather fun to watch, even if the match doesn't end up turning out that great, and plays more like Darby just trying to survive Cody's offense and get something going. The fact that neither man wins makes neither seem weak. Interested to see more from Darby after this match. Warm 7."

[7.0] "Really good performance from Darby Allin here, making Cody look like a legitimate bruiser with him offense. Darby's desperation made this match as compelling as it was. The body bag use was really silly and hurt the match. Can you whip someone in a match and not get disqualified? Devastating Cross Rhodes. Darby sold his ass off here. This is strong story-wise and Darby deserves all the credit here. ***1/2"

[8.0] "Apart from Cody selling his hand, this wasn't anywhere near the performance he had in the Dustin match. He was decent here, but it didn't matter because Darby Allin ruled and made this match great. His ragdoll selling at times was amazing, he has become such a tremendous babyface in peril as he was here, and his hope spots were just as good. The draw ending was nice, as it really made Darby feel significant in that Cody couldn't beat him, and hopefully he becomes a major player. ****"

[5.0] "Simple storytelling with Darby surviving to every nasty bump and shot in order to make it to the time limit curfew. He's a great seller other than having an interesting charachter, while Cody is just showing his new skin as the "arrogan prince" of AEW. **1/4 - **1/2"