AEW Dynamite: 3 Reasons why Darby Allin is the #1 contender to face Chris Jericho for the AEW World Title

Darby Allin has come a long way. Before signing for All Elite Wrestling, he was living in his car, and now he is on the verge of possibly winning the biggest title that the company has to offer.

Allin became a revered figure in the world of wrestling after his daredevil approach in EVOLVE. He might have lost more matches than he won, but the respect he earned through his performances against the likes of Kassius Ohno, Velveteen Dream, Mustafa Ali and the likes put him into the spotlight.

So when AEW announced the acquisition of this high-flying straight-edge Superstar, fans were excited to see what he brought to the table. Even though he lost, he stole the show alongside Joey Janela and Jimmy Havoc at All Out in a Cracker Barrel Clash.

And last night, in the second episode AEW Dynamite, he beat Jimmy Havoc to become the number one contender for the AEW World Title against Chris Jericho on next week’s episode of Dynamite.

And here are three reasons why it happened…

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#3 He is a great wrestler

Allin is a super athlete

Wrestling is an art and while the success of a pro-wrestler is also determined by her/his ability to cut promos and the strength of character work, in-ring ability is also equally important, if not more.

Currently, Darby Allin is one of the best wrestlers in the AEW roster. He is a high-flying entertainer who isn’t afraid to put his body on the line, as was evident in the Cracker Barrel match.

His death-defying moves remind me of a Jeff Hardy at his peak (which is also ironic since Allin is straight-edge). In his interview with Chris Van Vliet, he admitted that he doesn’t fly to look pretty, he does it to hurt, and against a seasoned veteran like Jericho, we could expect a terrific match.

The two would not only complement each other but he would make Jericho look even better due to his workmanship in the ring.

#2 He is over as a babyface

Allin is loved by the fans

Darby Allin is one of the most over babyfaces in AEW right now. It was very evident during his match against Havoc as the crowd was totally behind him. This has almost always been the case with Allin.

Even though he had lost more matches than he won back in his days at EVOLVE, fans cheered for him more and more as they were impressed with how much pain he could endure and the fight that he could put up.

He was the ultimate underdog and when he won against Havoc to seal his spot as the number one contender, fans cheered in support for him – a testament to his popularity. The fans also went berserk when he attacked Jericho with a skateboard to close the show out.

He will now be up against Chris Jericho, who is perhaps the most over heel in the company right now. The fans chanted “Thank you, Jericho” in unison when he was cutting a promo and accompanied by his faction last night on Dynamite. It would be safe to assume that a match between an over babyface and an over villain is certain to steal the show with the fans.

#1 Exposure for Allin

The best in the world at what he does

Chris Jericho is in his late-40s now. He is the first-ever AEW Champion but we all know that his role is to catapult young Superstars into stardom in the remaining few years that he has under his belt.

Jericho is arguably the greatest Superstar of this decade as he has been successfully able to reinvent himself time and time again. The AEW Title is a lot more prestigious on his shoulder than it would have been had anyone else won it.

One can feel that the idea is not only to elevate the value of the title but also the challengers to it. AEW Creative see potential in Allin and realize that with a little push, he could be a megastar for the company.

Pitting him up against Chris Jericho is a perfect litmus test, as this match would give him more limelight than ever before. Although it is unlikely that Jericho would lose the title to Allin, a good performance from him could get him even more over with the fans, which would then allow AEW to have him in the title picture in the long-term.

A great stage for a long-term booking.

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