AEW pulled off one of the shocking moments in company history by having Darby Allin defeat top heel MJF to become AEW World Champion. MJF was having a great world title reign and came off defeating top challenger Kenny Omega at the Dynasty PPV. However, Allin upset MJF on free television via the weekly Dynamite show to become AEW World Champion for the first time.
MJF taking time off to film a movie is part of the reason for the sudden title change. Respected wrestling reporter BJ Bethel reported the following about MJF’s time off:
“MJF is expected to be filming at least one movie immediately following his loss to Darby Allin on Dynamite tonight. His name has been on schedules and call sheets for months.”
AEW has benefited from MJF having a Hollywood presence with a growing acting career. A close relationship with Adam Sandler was formed after MJF played one of his sons in the recent Happy Gilmore 2 film.
The title change was done to build up Allin as a new top face and to give the company a fighting champion during MJF’s absence. AEW reportedly has been planning this for a while and saved the title change for a shocking moment on television over a PPV.
WrestleMania Might Have Influenced Darby’s Win
Another interesting factor in this Darby title win is the timing coming during WWE’s WrestleMania week. The massive event of WrestleMania sets up the biggest wrestling week of the year when every wrestling fan is talking about the industry.
WWE has received a lot of criticism for weak storylines heading into the two-night event this weekend. AEW ensures they’ve received some strong attention this week with arguably the most shocking moment in Dynamite history. Fan reaction to their recent Dynasty PPV and Dynamite will put more pressure on WWE to deliver a strong WrestleMania 42.
AEW President Tony Khan has stayed silent during moments where he could criticize WWE compared to his past antics. However, some fans have started speculating if AEW is doing their subtle version of putting pressure on WWE to follow their big shows during pivotal moments.
MJF Is Expected To Win AEW Title Back
The AEW World Championship reign of Allin has started, but many expect it to end faster than the average world title run. MJF is expected to return after about a month once his movie filming duties are over to make him full-time again.
Double or Nothing 2026 in New York City is rumored to have a big rematch between MJF and Allin with the title on the line. MJF could easily win the belt back here after about six weeks starting another reign ahead of the big All In event in August.
Darby’s title win has been compared to Mick Foley’s first WWE Championship win, but that reign only lasted three weeks. Many underdog faces get a huge moment for a title win and lose it faster. Don’t be surprised if MJF losing the title is a short-term thing done to gain some attention and elevate Allin before he wins it back.
Major Reason For Shocking AEW World Title Change Revealed