FMKK Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 For the second show in a row I think Cody had the match of the night. The storytelling, with him being more powerful than Allen but unable to put him away, was done well and I enjoyed the extra touch of the hand injury to Cody which allowed for the odds to be evened. That apron bump was absolutely sadistic and the bodybag bit was a cool visual. The draw was a good way to put over the resilience of Darby while still being clear that Cody is ahead of him in the hierarchy. There's definitely enough there that they could go back to this and have something of a programme in future. The ethical issues with the following angle have been discussed to death but taking that out of it, it was very effective in achieving what it was supposed to. Spears looks sick and they're set to have a personal rivalry. Cody is 2/2 for strong matches in AEW and I expect another with some strong videos to flesh out the angle. I wouldn't necessarily have had MJF out as part of the crew helping him to the back though. 4* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmartMark15 Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 Loved this match, thought Cody looked awesome working just some basic holds to start the match (great headlocks) and try to bully Allin into a loss. Allin meanwhile brought his unique physicality and fantastic bumps to this match. Allin is fond of hand psychology and he does it well but it all comes down to how it's sold in the end and I thought Cody did a particularly good job with that here. You could see the struggle when he locked in the double underhook and he constantly sold the hand in small moments that made Allin returning to it even more satisfying. The trust fall bump was excellent and looked far safer than the Ibushi German if you ask me. Just a solid back bump right to the mat. Wish Cody had injected a bit more urgency as the time ran down but his facial reactions did the sell the moment quite well. Lots of great to enjoy here. **** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 A really good match and a great way to not only introduce Darby, but to set him up as a potential top star in the company. Cody played his role well but I really thought Darby was the star here and held everything together. The opening minutes did a great job of establishing Darby as clever and evasive before bumping like crazy once Cody got his hands on him. However, I thought Cody's heat segment dragged and nearly grinded the match to a halt. As much as I like the guy, he's not particularly good at this kind of thing unless there's blood. Darby was thankfully able to get everything back on track by going for the hand and to Cody's credit, he sold it well. Once we got to the missed Coffin Drop on the apron the match kicked into a whole new gear. Cody redeemed himself in his urgency to put Darby away with the clock ticking as the body bag Disaster Kick and using his weight belt was really good stuff. A very good match that could have been great had it not been for the heatless middle. ***3/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShittyLittleBoots Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 Darby Allin, one of the very best wrestlers in the world, getting this big match & spotlight is absolutely WONDERFUL. The match was good too, and he in particular, unsurprisingly, absolutely killed it. Cody certainly isn't the most compelling dude when working a long-ass beatdown segment, but Darby's unbelievably amazing bumping & selling make it work. The energy picks up everytime he mounts comebacks too. Had Cody been more interesting on top, this more than likely would've been great. It was still good though & an awesome showcase for Darby. ***1/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.