Darby Allin is the new AEW World Champion.
Allin defeated MJF in the main event of AEW Dynamite Spring BreakThru on Wednesday night to capture the title for the first time. The win came in his home state of Washington, just minutes from where he first trained to wrestle.
The match took place at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett.
The finish came after four Coffin Drops and a headlock takeover, the same move MJF used to beat Allin in the opening match of Full Gear 2021. Allin had promised earlier in the night that he would beat MJF with a headlock takeover.
This called back to their first singles meeting in AEW nearly four and a half years ago.
Loading tweet...
Allin Becomes The Second Founding Pillar To Win AEW World Title
The victory makes Allin the second of AEW's original Four Pillars to capture the company's top prize, following MJF himself. Sammy Guevara and Jack Perry round out the group, all of whom were positioned as the future of the promotion when AEW launched in 2019.
The match was set up at AEW Dynasty on April 12, when Allin defeated Andrade El Idolo to earn the title shot. MJF retained the championship in the same night's main event over Kenny Omega, with Allin then calling his shot for Spring BreakThru in his backyard.
Loading tweet...
MJF's Reign Ends In Everett
MJF's reign ends after a run that included high-profile defenses against Kenny Omega and other top contenders. The champion arrived at the arena unaware that the title match had been moved to the show.
He protested the booking before Bryan Danielson informed him he would be stripped of the title if he refused to defend.
The babyface locker room emptied to celebrate with Allin after the match, including Sting, who came out to share the moment with his longtime tag team partner and former AEW World Tag Team Championship co-holder. The show went off the air with everyone celebrating.
The new champion stood tall in his home state.
Loading tweet...
