We have a new AEW world champion as Darby Allin defeated Maxwell Jacob Friedman on the April 15, 2026 edition of AEW Dynamite Spring BreakThru to win the title in his home state of Washington.
How did this go down tonight, what led to this, and what could be on the horizon? Let's break it all down!
How We Got Here:
Darby Allin has long been at odds with MJF as two of the pillars of AEW, essentially feuding with each other at least once per year since the company was created. Typically, MJF has the better of Allin, even going so far as to beat him with a side headlock takeover (after using the Dynamite Diamond Ring, mind you) at Full Gear 2021. Allin also took the pinfall in the four-way pillars match at Double or Nothing 2023, as opposed to Sammy Guevara or Jack Perry losing to MJF.
For the past year plus, when Allin hasn't been out of action for injuries or climbing Mount Everest, he's been feuding with The Death Riders and then The Dogs, eventually stating his mission to get the world title after finishing his feud with Gabe Kidd in their coffin match. Darby was able to earn a No. 1 contender's positioning after defeating Andrade El Idolo at AEW Dynasty, after Andrade was hired by MJF (through Don Callis) to try to take Allin out of the equation.
Match Details:
This episode of Dynamite started with Renee Paquette allerting MJF to the news that he would have his title match tonight, as MJF apparently didn't even watch Allin's match at Dynasty and assumed Andrade had won. MJF whined and complained, refusing to have the match at the start of the show, until he was told by Brian Danielson (who was relaying a message from Tony Khan) that the match had been moved to the main event and that if MJF refused to defend his title, he would be stripped of the championship, forcing his hand.
Allin's mentor Sting would make a return appearance to give his former tag team partner a pep talk right before the match, which was ultimately very short. Following an exchange of low-blows, Allin was able to hit a Scorpion Death Drop, following it up with a series of Coffin Drops and a side headlock takeover for the pinfall to win his first world title.
Personal Reactions & What Happens Next?:
Allin has long been in a position as AEW's Mick Foley in more ways than one, and I have to assume he might have the same sort of title reign that applied to Mrs. Foley's Baby Boy, in that I don't expect him to hold it a very long time. Outside of the daredevil antics, part of Allin's charm is the underdog spirit, which is hard to maintain if you're the top of the food chain for an extended period. My guess is he'll drop it as quickly as Double or Nothing, either losing it back to MJF or to someone else.
With that in mind, the idea of the title change happening here works. The headlock finish was a particularly nice touch to offset what happened between Allin and MJF over the course of their rivalry so far. MJF is more than capable of losing this belt and not losing momentum, and I'm sure Allin winning in Washington meant a lot to him, too. It just so happens that this is WrestleMania week as well, and I don't think it's unfair to say that might have factored into the plans a bit to get AEW fans something to chat about during a very WWE-heavy week.
Tell us what you think about this title change by leaving a comment below! Who do you think will be the next in line to challenge for the title, or possibly even win the belt next? Keep the discussion going!