Cody Rhodes vs. Darby Allin

[7.0] "It went a little long imo, i enjoyed this a little more then their first match at fyter fest, Darby struggles which makes alot of sense in this match, Cody even hits a top rope cross rhodes and his hand was under the rope, while i wish cody wouldve turned at the end of the match but other then that pretty decent match Darby becomes the Face Of TNT"

[9.0] "This was great. Cody leaned heel here, putting over Darby in a big way with how this match was laid out in defeat. Your typical Darby match where he takes a lot of punishment and fights resiliently in attempt to win or to go out swinging in defeat. Cody's arrogance got the better of him in the end, going away from the gameplan at times in order to beat Darby here since coming into this match, he already beat him twice. From the deliberate work on the arm, to the power moves mixed in as well. You don't see this side of Cody often since leaving AEW. They intertwined sequences from their previous matches while adding in a few sprinkles to make this one different, and in the end, Darby by the skin of his teeth beats Cody to win the tnt title for the first time. One of the more underrated matches in aew. I loved the series of matches they had, it did a lot for Darby since now he one of the biggest stars in the company. It's always interesting looking back on matches like this when you factor in that Cody would leave AEW eventually. Both men are in a much better place now because of matches like this. ****1/4"

[8.0] "Cody just got his last name back and is backed by his massive entourage during his pretentious entrance. He's in control of the offense for the vast majority of this match, becoming more and more heelish in the process. He does pushups while Darby is down and gets flustered with the ref (Mike Chioda randomly) when he can't keep Darby down. A top rope Crossroads isn't enough to end it, and neither is a Coffin Drop. They trade rollups and Darby steals it with a surprise pin. Story here is that Cody could have and should have put Darby away, but his hubris got the better of him. After the match, Cody presents the belt to Darby but Team Taz (Brian Cage & Rick Starks) beat down both guys until being chased off by Powerhouse Hobbs."

[5.0] "The in-ring work here was fine at best, but Jesus what was with all the slow points? This would've been better if they didn't do all that slow moments. Glad Darby Allin won here, but that still doesn't save the match from being alright at best and boring."

[7.0] "do not get me wrong i enjoy this match and it is fantastic i just feel like some people enjoy this a little bit more then i do. I believe ive actually enjoyed some of there other matches a tad bit more. I do love the old school match feel to this with a bigger more powerful guy dominating the smaller quicker guy most of the match up until the very last bit. Cody did some of the best arm work over ive seen in a while in this match honestly it was great. But cody was SUCH a heel in this match and it was GREAT. This is where his slow burn heel turn must begin but legitimately NOTHING comes out of this and WHY? It is ridiculous there was such an easy in to a heel cody right here. And you could even have him go back on his promise to never challenge for the aew world title again because he was a EVP he could do that and that would be great. Personally i think cody should have won this and then have them build up to a rematch where darby wins. This is a great match tho the cross rhodes off the top was amazing. 4 stars"

[8.0] "Really liked this right up until the end. Loved the story of the cocky veteran getting outworked by a younger, faster rival, changing strategy to more psychological limb targeting, but it not being enough to overcome Allin. Allins so quick and can bump with the best, so having Cody dominate for most of the match was a great choice too. Just really didnt like that it ended in a roll up? The coffin drop spot was right there!"

[7.0] "Kind of a weird ending. This is the point in the AEW run where I started getting really sick of Cody's presence."

[8.0] "A match with good storytelling, Cody wrestled more like a heavyweight here to accommodate for Darby's quickness. The end was based around Cody becoming complacent and then being caught out on a rollup."

[7.0] "Very well wrestled match: I loved the start with Darby outworking Cody that had to consult Arn Anderson and decide to target Allin's arm. Tremendous work by Cody on the arm and tremendous selling by Darby as well. Good pacing and a very good comeback by Allin. The ending was unexpected and it could have been better if Cody had a little bit of offense before it but it doens't ruin the match. 7/10 - 3.75*/5*"

[8.0] "This was a great match. Cody was great working over Darby's arm and he sold it very well. The pacing felt a little off at times and the ending could have been better, but this was very enjoyable overall. ****"

[7.0] "A well wrestled face vs face match. The previous twenty minute draw between them as backstory lead to them both having the other well scouted. A nice finishing sequence."

[9.0] "A great match that had an engaging story driven throughout here extremely well. The action part was solid with Cody being dominant for the most time because of his size & power advantage but Darby bringing his "Never Say Die" attitude as usual with some desperation moves almost working out was a great touch. The ending was really surprising but according to the story it had, that was a great move. Even the post-match altercation with Taz & his boys laid the foundation for a first-hand story to Darby as well as the next move for Cody. 4.5 out of 5 stars!"

[6.0] "This was the poorest match between the two. They had a good story in mind and the execution was done adequately but a match cannot be great if its just one average worker dominating the whole match and then getting beat up with a roll up. It's a trope that can be done well but after their first few matches, this shouldn't have been the likely concluding note of their extended feud."

[5.0] "I've enjoyed Cody and Darby's chemistry before but I was let down that this was mostly just Cody kicking Darby's ass like their other matches, with little offense from Darby himself before he got a flash pin to win."

[6.0] "Honestly, I thought this was just okay. It was an extended beatdown segment and Darby won a roll up. Good work but nothing remarkable."

[5.0] "It was okay, wasn't really won over by either Darby or Cody and found it difficult to invest in personally, but it's hard to get mad at."

[8.0] "Very bad match. Basically like most of Cody's matches. I am very happy for Allin, and I hope that now he will have worthy rivals. Cage, for example. I don't want to see Rhodes in the main matches. He is not capable of playing normal matches."

[8.0] "Very good match. Cody's work on Darby's arms is outstanding, and Darby's comeback and great moves are exciting, too. Happy to see Darby becomes the new champion as I really like his character. (****1/4)"

[9.0] "This match ruled in the story telling and in ring psychology aspect , the wrestling action though was not top level but it still was very good and the other two (psychology and story telling) helped in enhancing the match quality and got me invested in the match . Darby really needed this win and I am glad he won . This match had a good buildup based on their previous meetings and the match had the fiery intensity. A very well - paced match and the content was very enjoyable as a result. Cody dominated the first part of the match which lead to growth of arrogance in Cody's demeanor. Cody then targeted the arm and damaged it via amazing limb work . The hammerlock being the main tool. Darby sold the arm very well which added to the quality of the match . The cross-Rhodes from the top rope was incredible and Darby sold that in a very fine manner too. I loved how the only reason he survived was that his feet were under the rope which prevented Cody from getting the victory. Darby then used his grit determination and heart and desire to win to fend off the pain and deliver his final shots in order to win which proved ineffective . In my opinion this part of the match was a huge elevation in the psychology of the match. Then when Cody was ready to deliver the final blow , Cross Rhodes , Darby rolled him up which turned into a series of pins with Darby getting the roll up victory out of nowhere and becoming TNT champion . I loved the finish . This did not make it seem look too over the top with Darby getting to deliver the coffin drop to win would have made no sense since he had been beat up like a rag doll and most probably it looks like that Cody will move back to the main event after feuding with Team Taz and it would not be wise to make him look weak here that is losing to a currently now mid carder . Very unpredictable and fun last stretch . The right man won and I'm so glad to see that AEW developed a star in Darby Allin. ****1/2"

[5.0] "Cody underperformed and Darby was bad as usual. The match started real slow and as soon as it started getting good it ended with the fluke pin by Allin. **1/2."

[8.0] "Interesting matchup where Cody Rhodes was showing-off all through it and dominated almost the whole contest doing a great technical work ! A crazy Cross Rhodes off the top turnbuckle with a perfect selling from Darby ! This one hasn? t done his best match to me but a deserving win even so that we? d been waiting for months !"

[10.0] "Great Match! I was really suprised to see that this match was that good! both Darby and Cody done an amazing job!"

[8.0] "These two have great chemistry and they go out and have another quality match. It was built around showcasing Darby's best strengths which are selling for a bigger opponent and making quick and effective comebacks to score the win. Cody threw Darby out of the ring while in a Hammerlock position and proceeded to destroy the arm for the remainder of the match with relentless hammerlock and wrist lock variations. Cody isn't much of a technician but he did a great job at switching up the holds and making it look as uncomfortable as possible. Darby took some of his typical, insane bumps like his bullet top and the Cross Rhodes off the top rope. Good victory for Darby to finally get the win. ***3/4"

[8.0] "Cody's Last 3 results against Darby: - Time Limit Draw - Flash Rollup from a disadvantaged condition, after Arn helps to compose him. - Desperation Crucifix pin (shoulders up? ) after taking a coffin Drop. Cody also recently suffered a horrific loss to Brody Lee which he avenged in a close match. The premise of Cody being extremely arrogant against Darby thus feels a little bit shaky. If one can get past this however this had some good storytelling, was atmospheric and made Darby look like he has outrageous amount of heart and guts. Cody's performance as the smug arrogant bigger man was convincing from bell to bell and the right man won. The top rope Crossroads was a bit much and it would have been nice to either have the coffin drop finally beat Cody or just not have it in the match at all but otherwise a very engaging watch."

[5.0] "I have to say, that was the match I was anticipating the most. I thought Darby will pull off some craziest stunts he's ever done, but nothing like that happened. This match was a huge dissapointment with a terrible ending. Cody after being pinned like that, should take a long break from wrestling and consider even coming back."

[7.0] "A great match grounded in character that didn't feel overly long or melodramatic as other Cody outings. Not as good as the other matches in their series, but still enjoyable. Cody continues to skew towards the cocky heel side by positioning himself as a franchise dynasty who underestimates most of his opponents, and Darby does well enough in the anti-authority underdog (though his character is starting to feel a bit forced with every vignette having people talking about how cool and crazy he instead of... y'know... actually showing him doing something cool). 3 and 1/2 stars. Worth a watch."

[8.0] "Opening caveat: I am a huge Cody fan and I have been since his Dashing days. That being said, boy, he can bring it on the big stage. No traditional Cody Rhodes overbooking nonsense, no outside interference shenanigans, just the "ace of AEW" being physically dominant and brutal over an undersized underdog impervious to pain. This was arguably AEW's answer to Undertaker-Jeff Hardy, except this time, the Jeff Hardy actually got to win, and rightly so. There was reason to doubt if they'd give this match the right ending, and while you could argue that it would be nice to see Darby put over just a hair more strongly, it was still a clean finish, the right winner, and a star-making effort by the company."

[9.0] "Phenomenal match with 10/10 psychology. Cody's continual arrogance has cost him. He's always pulled out douchey taunts in his matches against opponents he doesn't really respect as equals-- all the showboating and push-ups and shit. He had an easy win after the avalanche Cross Rhodes but he was so confident he didn't even check it Darby was under the ropes. Really didn't expect this conclusion but I'm so goddamn happy. I usually don't care about who wins or loses as long as the story is good but Cody presents himself as such a goddamn prick and Darby is such a natural underdog. I got worked hard, which rarely happens nowadays!"

[7.0] "Cody once again does amazing work with talents of aew and puts them over. The match was good, but not as good as their first match at Dynamite. However, the story they are doing with this is great: Darby learning from Cody little by little and finally taking the victory from him, even with the upset like that roll-up was. Cody remains standing tall and Darby is ready to showcase himself with the title."

[10.0] "This match rocked! Fantastic limb work by Cody, great selling by Darby, and just great chemistry between these two."

[8.0] "They juked us with the "Probably won't use Rhodes for my wrestling career" thing from earlier this week. Our DAPPER YAPPER did Cody's usual way too fuckin' long title and nicknames deal before dropping a casual, low key "cody". Following it, with a huge pop, of "RHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHODES! ". If you watch the clip you can see Cody get excited for it as its about to happen. Imagine having to fight a legal battle to use your real name. As far as Cody and Darby's length match history goes, this is probably not the best one, I think that probably goes to 2. This was good, however, with Cody coming closer than ever to just being the heel he is in his heart. I've heard Cody described as "A heel pretending to be a face" as a character, and I think that's the most accurate way I've heard it yet. He did the pushups which always make Arn lose his shit, which I love so dearly. Cody did a cross-rhodes off the top rope with Darby and I was pissed because, yeah, that's hit, but Darby rolled so close to the ropes on the other side that he was able to get his foot under it and get freed from the pin by being out of bounds. After this, during a roll-up battle, he got the best of Cody just barely, and got the belt. What a moment for him, really. I'm so glad to see someone finally take that belt off of Cody, especially someone like Darby who wants it so bad. Afterwards, Team Taz came out to kill Darby and break his arm, but they got scared off by Hobbs. Really hope we get to see more Darby/Hobbs team ups. I love Will. I love Darby. Make them be friends."

[10.0] "Sensational. It continues to amaze me how some people out there believe Cody Rhodes isn't a top level star when he continues to get one of the biggest reactions (positive and, in the case of this match, negative) in AEW and continues to have matches of this caliber. He was so great slipping into the heel role here, arrogantly working over Darby and slowly but surely getting thrown off his game as Darby kept on coming. Darby himself was tremendous; he's a daredevil by trade but these Cody matches have proven how much he offers as a seller and a storyteller, in this was his peak. This was a bit more methodical than some of the other great matches on this show but it never dragged, it featured some absolutely outstanding moments like the Avalanche Cross Rhodes and some awesome small moments like Darby not kicking out of said Cross Rhodes, but being saved because his leg just happened to be under the ropes. I loved the ending too; it came out of nowhere, it protected Cody while still being decisive enough and it got Darby his well deserved victory while also still giving him something to go after when he wrestles Cody again (an even more decisive victory via the Coffin Drop). The post match angle with Team Taz attacking and Will Hobbs taking a long time to make the save (leaving open the possibility he could turn heel) was good too, though not quite as good as this match. An absolutely outstanding match and a big moment for Darby; on any other show this would've been the show stealer."

[9.0] "Great story, good work, unexpected finish. Can't get a much better than this in a David vs Goliath match. Very good"

[7.0] "Interesting the victory for Allin. The match per se is very good, I'm not the biggest Cody fan on the planet but match like this is always a proof of high school in this sport. Nice spots and a decent story well told."

[10.0] "This match went exactly the way I hoped it would. The larger champion being out-maneuvered by the smaller challenger. Ego being trounced by tenacity. "Make yourself famous, kid. ""

[8.0] "Very cool to see that Lee Johnson is part of the Nightmare Family with the Gunn Club, also Cody Rhodes name is back that? s great. Really good match with Cody providing a good work on Allin? arm. This match just prove that Cody could be a great heel. And the new Tnt Champion Darby Allin ***3/4"

[8.0] "A good match between these two as expected. The ending was a bit surprising and unexpected. The cross rhodes from the top was brilliant."

[3.0] "This match wasn't good to be completely honest and I feel like it had the wrong winner. Darby has been boring and kind of cringe for a while and that's just strictly based on his character and vignettes. I just really couldn't get into it"

[10.0] "One of my favorite matches of the year, Cody has been on point like crazy the last year or two and I still think nobody in wrestling moves quite like Darby Allin. And they delivered the right outcome, which I was intensely invested in."

"7. 75/10 It was an entertaining and darby allin as a winner it was a smart choice. Most of you it's funny that when Cody Rhodes wrestles this kind of matches on aew dynamite you rate them like 6/10 and when he gives exactly the same matches on pay per views you rate them 8/10. Why this match was better than the 20 limit match orange Cassidy vs Cody Rhodes? you only know lol"

[9.0] "Another Cody match that delivers with excellent storytelling. Cody ego and character has been annoying to watch lately, but when it comes to matches he just keeps delivering storytelling masterclasses. Great arm work from Cody on Darby, great use of moves to target the arm and Darby sold his arm perfectly. It also delivered in terms of drama, the avalanche cross rhodes was brilliant, Cody kicking out the coffin drop and the roll up sequences that led to Darby winning. Good storytelling from both, Darby plays the underdog role incredibly well - ****1/4"

[9.0] "Absolute masterpeiece with the nearfalls and storyteling. Loved the avalanche Cross Rhodes and Cody kicking out of the Coffin Drop. Darby showed speed and explosiveness and Cody underestimated him"

[9.0] "Loved this match. Very well worked pro wrestling. Darby keeps kis offense to a minimum, only getting it when it genuinely makes sense, and Cody plays the cocky champ so well. Great selling and emotions by Darby to make him sympathetic and then lead to a great ending stretch where he gets the nice big win. Can't wait for another in their series ****1/4"

[9.0] "This was a big positive surprise for me. Brought some really delightful storytelling to the table. The young up and comer with something to prove going up against the physically stronger champion. Some classic David vs Goliath stuff but definitely seemed to set up Allin as the better wrestler, with Rhodes relying almost exclusively on his size advantage and power to stay in control. And then you've got some classic limb work on Allin's arm to add a bit of basic psychology. This was honestly delightful and way better than I expected."

[8.0] "Very good match with the two of theme doing very good their roles. Darby as the underdog against a face but arrogant Cody. This control the match at first bur Darby with his comebacks recover him moment and finally we crown a new and diserves champion. 4*"

[9.0] "Amazing match. I sincerely think it was the best match that Cody and Darby Allin had together in the 4 matches they had. I predicted it would be their best match because there was a strong story, a title at stake and they had a big contest in a big context for the first time, so I was expecting something great, but maybe not such a GREAT match like this. I thought it was great from start to finish with a Cody who was really heel and played that role to perfection, and a fighting and resilient Darby like you like to see. Like I said, this match had a strong story as Darby never managed to beat Cody despite pushing him to his limits every time, he was the underdog of the match and this was one of the best underdog stories of the year and certainly the best. Cody was great in his arrogant side but still didn't underestimate Darby, and Darby was perfect in the role of the one who doesn't let go and believes in his victory despite all the times he failed against the American Nightmare. At the end of a sublime bout, the Relentless finally managed to beat the one who had caused him so much harm but at the same time revealed him to the public, and it was an absolutely magical moment. Maybe I wouldn't have brought it like that because a roll-up sequence wasn't necessarily the best way to write that, but it was a real surprise and it's hard to be negative about it. It was a really great match, sublimated by fantastic spots like this Avalanche Cross Rhodes from the top of the third rope, and so many others. My only regret is the after-match that was really unnecessary with Team Taz and Will Hobbs, maybe it was cool and it launches a program for Dynamite but it wasn't worth wasting such a happy ending just for that. But hey, I remember that it was a great match and Darby is now the TNT champion, and there's no one more deserving than him."

[8.0] "Darby Allin is the new face of TNT and deservingly so. Cody is an Amazing performer and he got Allin over big time in this match. The match could have gone a few mins longer in my opinion but it was still a really good match. Very technical match with Cody working the arm of Allin and Allin busting his ass selling it. Cody's work was top notch. He dominated Allin and like Ross in commentary said, Cody bullied Darby to maintain control of the match. Arn also added Drama to the match by demanding Darby to stay down. I was a bit unsatisfied with the pacing; it felt a little off at times. Loved the cross Rhodes from the top. ****"

[8.0] "Darby showing up to Cody right from the get go with his superior quickness was very nice, and Cody taking control by brutally dumping him outside arm-first was a fantastic way to transition into his heat seg. Cody's work over the arm was all kinds of awesome with big focus & the confidence he showed throughout doing it was great. Really felt like it was a big gameplan coming to fruition & the wrestler doing it was executing it excellently. Those straight up bully-like moments with him running his mouth & doing some taunts were all awesome as well. And of course Darby is superb doing the selling -- his arm was total dead-weight throughout, and I loved stuff like him trying to lock in the choke from behind, but only being able to do it with one arm, ultimately leading to that failing. Also gotta mention that Super Cross Rhodes from the top, which was a legitimately insanely fantastic highspot. Everything about this was simply great... Up until the finish. I didn't like the finish at all. Everything they did in the match & even in the post-match, it all called for a better, more decisive, more "epic" finish. The result is awesome, but damn that finish leaves a lil' sour taste in my mouth after such an otherwise brilliant match."

[9.0] "-the TNT title match was the only match where I truly felt invested for a specific result. I felt that Darby Allin absolutely HAD to win, and I'm glad he did. Loved the storytelling here, of Cody constantly falling into the traps of his own ego and impatience, and Darby just absolutely refusing to die. I would have preferred if the coffin drop and pin was the finish to the match, but the roll-up win serves well to give Cody that extra heel motive later on. I loved Cody presenting the title on one knee to Darby out of respect and that moment was so emotional and so validating to Darby's experience! For this reason I could have gone without the Team Taz stuff interrupting his celebration actually, but at the same time Taz did promise a presence. I'm glad Will Hobbs saved Darby again. Anyway congrats to the first non-WWE AEW champion!"

[8.0] "Great payoff, and an emotionally resonant win for Darby Allin. I thought that Cody Rhodes was fantastic in this match; shades of Ric Flair in the way that he worked as a shade of grey as opposed to clear heel or babyface. May not quite have met my expectations, but I so far from disappointed, it hardly matters. Great title match. ****"