Darby Allin successfully defended the AEW World Championship against Speedball Mike Bailey on May 20 during AEW Dynamite, maintaining his hold on the title ahead of Double or Nothing [1, 2]. At the upcoming pay-per-view on June 21 at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York, Allin will face Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) in a hair vs. title match. If Allin retains, MJF must shave his head bald, but if MJF wins, he will claim the AEW World Championship for the third time [2, 3, 4].
Allin described his mindset going into the match as fearless and full of confidence. "It’s a determination to live life to its fullest. I got such a lust for life and I feel like the crazier I get, the more mental barriers and more confidence I get," he said. He added, "There’s always something to prove. The biggest thing to prove this Sunday is that match with Max in Seattle wasn’t a fluke win" [3].
The May 20 episode of Dynamite also featured several matches building toward Double or Nothing, including The Young Bucks and Chris Jericho teaming against Ricochet, Andrade El Idolo, and Mark Davis [1].
In other major AEW news, Willow Nightingale relinquished the TBS Championship after sustaining a shoulder injury during a title defense against Red Velvet. Nightingale has withdrawn from the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament due to the injury. She described winning the TBS Championship as "one of the greatest moments" of her career but acknowledged she "must relinquish the TBS Championship" to recover [1, 2]. Nightingale made 10 title defenses before stepping down [2].
All eyes now turn to June 21, when Darby Allin and MJF will meet in Queens for the AEW World Championship with MJF’s hair on the line.
