"I was very surprised" - Konnan thinks AEW made a big mistake by putting former WWE Superstar over wrestling legend's protege

Konnan at a WCW event in the 1990s
Konnan at a WCW event in the 1990s

Former WCW United States Champion Konnan has weighed in with his opinion on the decision to put Kyle O'Reilly over Darby Allin at AEW Double or Nothing.

The match between O'Reilly and Allin was added to the card at the very last minute, after the former NXT star attacked Allin's mentor Sting ahead of the pay-per-view.

At the pay-per-view, both men gave it their all, and the match turning out to be a very physical contest. In one highlight, O'Reilly blasted Allin with a thunderous knee to the face.

Speaking on the "Keepin It 100" podcast, Konnan discussed the bout and mentioned the stiff blow that O'Reilly gave Allin.

“Good match, there was this one part where I think it was a kick, [O’Reilly] kicked [Darby] in the mouth and he was bleeding. So it was a physical match.” [22:38-22:45]

However, Konnan was unhappy with the outcome, as he claimed that Allin is a bigger star than Kyle O'Reilly, and that the former WWE star has no charisma.

“That was the problem this was a cold match, you couldn’t get into it," he continued. "The match was really good, really physical, Darby [Allin] was throwing himself all over the place like he always does, has shown to be a great in-ring performer. I was very surprised that [Kyle] O’Reilly went over because the big star is Darby Allin. You know O’Reilly has zero charisma, but I was very surprised.” [22:09-22:29]

Konnan worked with Darby Allin's mentor Sting numerous times in the past

If you go off of the old "seven degrees of separation" rule, everyone is linked to everyone in some way. The former WCW star is connected to Darby Allin through a mutual friend of theirs, "The Icon" Sting.

Back in their WCW days, Konnan and Sting worked together on multiple occasions, both as partners and as opponents. In 1998, the two were both part of the nWo Wolfpac stable, which was one of the most popular factions in wrestling at the time.

The two men also faced off as opponents at various points in their careers, with the Cuban star facing off with "The Icon" after joining the Filthy Animals stable.

Will Darby Allin be able to avenge his loss against Kyle O'Reilly in the near future? Stay tuned to AEW TV to see how this rivalry plays out!

Please credit "Keepin It 100" and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling when using quotes from this article.

What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.

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Edited by Colin Tessier