2024 Ongoing MOTY List: Darby vs. Moxley

 

9. Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley AEW Dynamite 9/25/24

ER: Darby's resiliency brings out the viciousness in his opponents, and often makes his opponents into something more interesting. Darby has the ability to lift people to new heights, whether that is lifting a weak wrestler into something greater, or lifting an established wrestler out of their rut. Jon Moxley is someone who can get into ruts. Moxley is a guy who has spent nearly a decade ping ponging around from Great Wrestler Dogging It to Maybe a Wrestler I Greatly Overrated to That's That Guy I Loved to Great Wrestler Wrestling Great to Was He Ever Great and all other points in between. I'm pretty sure I loved Moxley in 2023, but it is a fluid status. I have been consistently underwhelmed by Mox in 2024. I don't see everything and I miss plenty, but when I look back over the year and my takeaway is "Well I think I liked his singles match against Dax?" that tells me it's been a down year. 

Enter Darby Allin and his continuing quest to fall to the floor and take punishment in ways no other wrestler ever has. Some wrestlers bring out the worst in Jon Moxley's tendencies, but Darby is a full bingo card Free Space that allows any uncreative guy in a rut to just batter and bruise. I do not think Moxley is uncreative, but he sure can act like he is. But he will unleash punishment on the willing, and Darby is the most willing guy in wrestling. Jon Moxley's attitude is elevated here and everything he throws at Darby looks mean. But you know this is all part of Darby's Important Show. 

You find me someone, intentionally or not, who has ever flown through the ropes and off the ringpost (and ring steps) the way Darby keeps doing. This man keeps inventing new ways to fall through/into/off stationary objects. If you're a wrestler who finds a new way to integrate a ringpost into your fall to the floor, you're a great wrestler. I don't make the rules, it's just reality. Super Dragon, Sgt. Slaughter, Psicosis, Cassandro, Darby; it's one of those infallible Great Wrestler tests.   

Darby takes a lot of punishment because he knows we need it. His selling at its best plays upon our fears of his eventual crippling. There's a big crash landing that feels inevitable, but happens so quick that it plays into the fear of this unstoppable force suddenly stopping. He misses a big dive and does his full speed tope con giro into the matless floor covering Arthur Ashe. That dive hit big earlier, after a big time Coffin Drop, a bolo thrown at an escaping Moxley. This time it doesn't. The set up was big and fast, which made it Great. Marina Shafir, Moxley's second who had otherwise not gotten involved, peeled back and completely removed a large grid of the ringside mats in 15 seconds flat. It's one of the most impressive moments of Being A Second I can recall. Currently in AEW, Saraya and Harley Cameron are great at being seconds for each other, but it's almost all vocally within their characters and not usually physically setting up spots. Marina Shafir is setting up the major stunt spot for an unpredictably predictable daredevil and she makes these mats disappear so cleanly and efficiently that it shut the mouth of Load Out guys everywhere. Can you imagine Sinister Minister taking 3 minutes to set this stunt up on an ECW PPV? Shafir clears a full crash zone in 15 seconds and she momentarily had Chyna aura. 

When Darby wipes out into the Suddenly Created crash zone he's wiggling his fingers, selling the injury we've all been expecting. He is compelling not just for his wipe outs and stunts, but because he knows how to keep us in on the act. I love watching what he inflicts on his body and I'll tear up when he's moving like a man wearing someone else's legs like Johnny Knoxville. I fear the type of injuries Darby tempts. Darby himself is fearless. He does not consider injury. He lets nothing slow him down. He's wiggling those fingers for us, not for himself. Darby Allin inspires violence and makes men take risks in delivering that violence that they otherwise never would have taken. But they'll never take risks the way he takes risks. For us. 

2024 MOTY MASTER LIST