10 Best Rivalries In AEW History (So Far)
10 best AEW rivalries so far
8. Cody Rhodes vs. Darby Allin
Fyter Fest 2019 was just the second pay-per-view under the All Elite Wrestling banner, in a time before Dynamite even existed. Cody Rhodes, fresh off an all-time great match with his brother Dustin, was competing against the relatively unknown Darby Allin. By the end of the night, everyone knew his name.
Darby Allin and Cody Rhodes fought to a time-limit draw, as the more experienced Rhodes just couldn’t put his younger, more tenacious opponent away. This would be the start of a unique relationship that would last for pretty much the rest of Rhodes time in the company. Rhodes defeated Allin in their next two encounters, once on the New Year’s Day 2020 edition of Dynamite and then once in the tournament to crown the first TNT Champion.
It was at Full Gear 2020 where this story reached its peak. In a sign of just how far the young daredevil had come, Allin rolled up his mentor to finally defeat The American Nightmare and claim the network-sponsored belt for his own. This was an example of simple storytelling done right.
