After winning the AEW World Championship from MJF, Darby Allin is not looking to slow down anytime soon. On the April 22, 2026, episode of AEW Dynamite, he made his first title defense after a brutal match with Tommaso Ciampa. Soon after, he got his next challenger- Brody King.
Allin has promised to defend his title every week. After winning the title from MJF, he made it clear that his reign would be about fighting as often as possible. That mindset was tested right away against Ciampa in a very physical match.
From the start, the match was intense. Ciampa hit hard, using some rough moves around the ringside. He even exposed parts of the ring to deal more damage. Both men ended up bleeding, with Ciampa’s face covered in blood as things got more extreme.
Allin, as usual, took big risks. He jumped off the ring post and crashed through the timekeeper’s table with a dive. Even after taking big moves like multiple Knee Tremblers and Project Ciampa, he refused to stay down.
In the final moments, both wrestlers were exhausted. Allin managed to turn things around and locked in a Scorpion Deathlock. Ciampa tried to escape but couldn’t reach the ropes and eventually tapped out.
After the match, Ciampa showed respect by shaking Allin’s hand and handing him the championship.
But things didn’t stop there.
Darby Allin to defend AEW World title against Brody King next week on Dynamite
Brody King came out right after the match. He had already won his match earlier in the night and didn’t waste time calling out the champion.
At first, King praised Allin. He then reminded Allin of their past battles. King said he already spoke to Tony Khan and made their title match official for next week. Allin didn’t say much. He just shook King’s hand, accepting the challenge.
Darby Allin and Brody King have some history, and their matches are always intense. Their head-to-head AEW record also looks quite even.
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