Cody vs. Darby Allin II

[The Thread Killer]

AEW has put the first match between Cody and Darby Allin from Fyter Fest on YouTube for free.  That match was pretty much my first exposure to Darby Allin, and I am guessing I am not alone in that.  Upon first seeing him, I assumed Allin was a typical underweight indie geek but the longer that match went, the more I bought into him.  By the end, I was becoming a fan and wanted to see more of him.  I thought his confrontation with Jericho and his match with Moxley on Dynamite a while back were outstanding as well.  I think Darby Allin has the mythical "it factor."  I don't know if it's his gimmick, or how his personality comes across on screen or his Pro Wrestling style, but I believe this kid is a definite star in the making.  I know at the time of the original draw there were some fans who thought Cody shouldn't have gone to a draw with somebody who was so obviously "beneath" him in the pecking order.  There were others who thought just making it to a draw helped establish Allin and put him over.

As everybody knows, Allin teamed with Cody on the last episode of Dynamite against Butcher and Blade.  Apparently the storyline condition for this teaming with Cody is that Cody had to agree to giving him a rematch from the Fyter Fest match.  That match is happening on Wednesday.  So here is my question...if you are Cody, do you put Darby Allin over clean to establish him as a Main Event level guy? Based on the crowd reactions he gets, I'd say he is ready for that level of push.  And let's be honest, Cody is so over in AEW that he is pretty much bulletproof at this point, I don't think a loss to Darby Allin would take away from him or his angle with MJF.  I guess the safe route to go would be to have MJF or his goon interfere and cost Cody or Allin the match, but I am legitimately curious to see if other people here at PWO think Darby Allin is ready for that level of win, or if it is too soon or would be harmful to Cody.

Opinions?

[SirEdger]

I think he is ready. But then again, I share the opinion of many that it's time for the Elite guys to establish themselves as the top stars that they should be for AEW as they try to avoid booking themselves over underneath guys so they can build them. Like you said, Cody is pretty much teflon in AEW in terms of crowd reaction and overness and I think that what happens to Allin after this match depends on how it's booked. If it's a lengthy match that Cody wins by the skin of his teeth, I don't believe that a loss is dramatic for Allin. The challenge for The Elite guys is to find a way to establish themselves as the top draws on the roster while not doing it at the expense of the other potential draws and vice versa.

[Tim Evans]

The only reason Cody should lose to Darby is if he's turning heel and I don't think that's happening.  I like Darby and he's entertaining but he's not on Cody's level. I think his first major win should be against a guy like Hager or even Kenny. The only thing I hope for the match is that it's clean and doesn't feature interference.

[gordi]

What's great about this is that it could really go either way. Anything outside of a squash match would be fine. A clean ending with a show of respect at the end, or outside interference done in a way that allows the story to continue...

If I was booking, I'd put Darby over, but I won't be upset if he looks good in a loss.

[MoS]

I don't think Cody should be eating any pins unless there is a very good reason for it. He has already been beaten down on far too many occasions. I think a well-fought match with Cody going over will be the best way to book this. Darby can keep getting elevated in losses while the biggest stars in the promotion actually feel like the biggest stars. 

[gordi]

It's true. Darby has been doing just fine getting over without going over. The main reason I'd put Darby over if I had the book would be to differentiate AEW from WWE. Make AEW the place where plucky younger guys can and do sometimes go over the more-established guys. Private Party going over on the Bucks remains one of my favourite AEW moments. 

You don't wanna over-do it. Then it becomes just as predictable as WWE booking. But I think they could get away with it here.

[MoS]

I would agree normally. I just think that at this point, the Elite have been selfless to the extent it is probably harming them and the company, and I would rather they not be booked to lose except in rare circumstances.

[El-P]

Have the Dark Order run in and beat them both. (wait, maybe having done those WCW and TNA threads actually has had long term effects...)

Should be the highlight of the show. First show of 2020 and last show I'll watch at my current home, as I'm gonna change place and life *again* just at the end of this week. Probably won't be active very much or at all on the board for a while too, as I'm gonna be pretty busy dealing with work and administrative stuff and discovering a whole new environment.

So there, I say Happy New Year already to everyone on the board too, enjoy your pro-wrestling, old or current, be kind and healthy, people. 

[Badlittlekitten]

Cody's been losing steam since the PPV, he shouldn't be losing again yet. Darby is cool but nowhere near ready for a main event slot. He'd be ideal for when they introduce a mid card belt. 

Whatever happens, it's all in the follow up. Private Party beating the Young Bucks might as well have never happened. If Darby is gonna win (which he shouldn't) they should be using it to build his character. AEW seems to treat everyone like Buddy Murphy. Give someone a big time match to shine, then have them disappear for weeks, only to return with no promos, no focus, nothing. By the time they're back on Dynamite the rub is all but gone.

[FMKK]

Time for their first ever DQ finish with an MJF run-in

[NintendoLogic]

That match will also feature the debut of Arn Anderson as Cody's personal advisor.

You would think he would know better than to trust Arn after everything he's done to the Rhodes family. I guess somebody has to be the dumbest man in wrestling now that Sting is retired, and it might as well be him.

[gordi]

I hope I live long enough to see Cody's son (or daughter) take MJF on as a manager, or Dustin's son ask an aging Jake Hager  to watch his back.

It's hard for me to think of two veteran wrestlers I'd rather see in AEW than Tully and Arn. There are all kinds of places they can go from here... and: Who better to teach the younger guys about tag team psychology and so forth?

[Slasher]

I strongly disagree about pushing the Elite. Look, they are obviously top tier talents in their respective divisions but its not like those divisions are bereft of talent that you HAVE to put them in those spots. No you don't. Especially Omega who isn't actually clicking on the level he needs to be a credible threat in the spot proposed for him. Imagine a goof being their world champion? I mean goof goof, not an intentionally goofy heel like Jericho.

[gordi]

I was really satisfied with how this match played out. Cody getting into deep water and needing Arn's coaching to pull out the victory let Cody take the W while making Darby look dangerous and getting Arn over. Good stuff.