Darby Allin quickly elevated the AEW TNT Championship again
The AEW TNT Championship needed someone like Darby Allin to help rebuild the belt after a streak of subpar booking.
The AEW TNT Championship is a title that has had a perplexing time in All Elite Wrestling. There were moments when the belt seemed as important as the AEW World Championship. Then others where the title was a prop in meaningless storylines. Darby Allin’s brief run with the belt came to a close on the February 1 edition of AEW Dynamite but his performance and those around him swiftly elevated the belt back to an important status.
Allin’s second TNT Championship reign lasted only 28 days but it felt like the most important run for the belt in a year. Allin defeated Samoa Joe on January 4, then defended the belt five times in four weeks. This presentation fit perfectly in Allin’s character, but it also helped the individuals he faced. Mike Bennett, Juice Robinson, KUSHIDA, and Buddy Matthews each looked great in their matches against Allin, and none looked weaker after suffering the defeat. That is a prime example of how a championship should be used to elevate not only the title holder but the other individuals who share the ring.
Another aspect to look at is that Allin not only defended his title on AEW Rampage but on AEW Dynamite as well. AEW received a lot of criticism for the booking of Rampage, to the point where it was nearly deemed “skippable” each week. That trend has slightly changed and one of the tools to help do so was a champion like Allin putting on the work that he did each week.
AEW must keep up the momentum for Samoa Joe vs Wardlow
The question is where the belt goes from here. Joe has the title, after picking it up in an uber-violent match this past Wednesday. Wardlow made his big return to reignite that feud. But remember, Wardlow’s booking as TNT Champion wasn’t the greatest by any means. He held that title for 136 days and defended it seven times, with only two of those matches lasting more than ten minutes. If he and Joe are going to battle for that championship again, expectations are strong that Wardlow would be the one to pick up the gold. If the promotion takes the same approach as Wardlow being an active champion as done with Allin, there’s a strong opportunity to help Wardlow regain much of the momentum he lost.
Next. AEW has to get Jade Cargill out of this holding pattern. dark
Midcard championships are meant to make multiple people on the roster look great, while potentially elevating them to the main event scene. Darby Allin put in the work to raise the value of the TNT Championship for the second time and should be praised for doing so. With Samoa Joe and Wardlow back in the picture, it will be interesting to see where AEW does from here.