2024 Ongoing MOTY List: Darby vs. Takeshita

 

4. Darby Allin vs. Konosuke Takeshita AEW Dynamite 1/3/24

ER: I spent most of this match thinking "this is way too much damage for Darby to be taking, Takeshita is a big guy expending way too much energy and taking far too much time to beat this guy and it's only making Darby Allin come off like the ultimately undefeatable babyface and only making his own offense look weak because......"

But my brain was operating on the premise that of course Darby was going to win this match. Darby is such a good babyface that my brain doesn't necessarily expect victory in every match, it just expects him to...not lose. We know he's going to take punishment, and we're not sure if we've seen someone who can take punishment like him. Takeshita punished, but I believe in my little guy so much that he's just never out of any match. Takeshita is a big guy and I wish he commanded his size better. It's easy to forget how large he is because he still works toe to toe with smaller guys. Every Darby Allin opponent seems to understand that no matter what size they are - from Mike Bennett up to Brian Cage - that Darby is the ultimate Small Guy and they are The Big Guy. Takeshita seemed to understand this less than the others and wanted to work more of a Black Taurus/Hijo Del Vikingo match with Darby, but luckily Darby is great at working that match too while bringing drama to all of the spills and kickouts and Takeshita is good at stunt bumping just like Darby. Not just like Darby, but a guy who is willing to do stupider things than he needs to be doing. Takeshita could get by without doing an Estrada bump into the timekeeper's pit but I'm glad he doesn't. 

Takeshita's Match doesn't work if Darby isn't Darby, so in that fact he knew his opponent. Even if the match didn't hit its peaks or put some of the parts in the right order, once Darby tope'd into a Takeshita jumping knee and Takeshita timed the thigh slap so well that it sounded like a quick snap of Darby's jaw breaking? I knew the cool shit in this match was likely going to make most of the structural failings seem foolish to complain about. Not everything has to be To the T. I want Darby to survive moves he shouldn't be able to be kicking out of, because I want to see Darby survive to take more moves he shouldn't be kicking out of. I thrill at the damage, and I thrill at the perfectly crafted moments of Darby almost pulling out a 3. Darby is so good at taking damage and making moves look as painful as possible, that no matter how many of his frequently excellent matches I see, he still has a way of surprising me with an out of nowhere 3 count. Darby Allin is the master of pulling out a win and a master of placing nearfalls in his matches. He reminds you just often enough that he will weather any avalanche suplex or suplex on the ramp or suplex on his head and pull out of your soul an entirely plausible 3 seconds of distraction that we still don't see coming. When Takeshita took that Akiyama knee into the timekeeper corral and barely made the 10 count, only for Darby's expertly timed Code Red to hit him in exactly the right way at the exact perfect time? I thought this shit was over. I went from not seeing how Darby could pull this one out to being shocked again when ol' Darby Allin wriggled his way out of this skeleton damage. Takeshita selling a knee wouldn't have been able to make me believe, the way Darby's nearfall set ups and close 3s make me believe. This kid has the best babyface instincts since Rey and it's a beautiful thing to watch. What else could matter. 

2024 MOTY MASTER LIST