As Darby Allin, Sting, Konosuke Takeshita, and Powerhouse Hobbs walked out for their Texas Tornado match to close this week’s “AEW Dynamite,” it couldn’t help but feel special. This was Sting and Darby Allin against two highly capable opponents, in Daily’s Place, trying to redeem themselves following a disappointing match at AEW Worlds End, with Sting’s retirement looming closer than ever. There was no doubt it would deliver; it was just a question of how much.

In a way, there were almost two matches at work here, one an old-school brawl between Sting and Hobbs, the other an out-of-control demolition derby between Takeshita and Allin as they attempted to one-up their mini-classic from last Wedneday’s episode. That attempt included Takeshita German Suplexing Allin on the floor as if the fate of humanity depended on it, a spot where Allin was swung neck first into the ropes, and a Coffin Drop out of the stands. There is chemistry, and then there’s what Allin and Takeshita have — the kind Allin had only previously found with reigning AEW World Champion Samoa Joe.

The frenzy with which Allin and Takeshita wrestled was a nice contrast to Sting and Hobbs, who kept things simple with crowd brawling and some of Sting’s classic hits, including his trademark Stinger Splash. But the one thing that’s sure about modern-day Sting is he’s going to do his best to top Allin, and he may have when he hit a Scorpio Death Drop on Hobbs off a small balcony and through two tables for the win. As always, there’s some trepidation every time one watches Sting, a 64-year-old with spinal stenosis, do death-defying moves like that. And as always, you can’t help but smile while holding your breath as he takes the plunge.

That final plunge is approaching though, with the Young Bucks seemingly set as Sting’s final opponents after their appearance following the match. Whether the Bucks, Sting, and Allin take the plunder route at AEW Revolution remains to be seen, but if they do, they will have mighty big shoes to follow after this special bout from Daily’s Place.

Written by Eric Mutter