Add as a preferred source on Google Darby Allin continues to be treated as one of AEW’s biggest priorities right now, and Jim Ross seems fully on board with the decision.
On a recent edition of Grilling JR, Ross praised the current direction of the company’s programming and said nothing on AEW television has been more important than keeping Allin in the spotlight.
“They’re doing nothing more important on television than featuring Darby Allin and letting the fans get behind him. He is very resilient.”
The comment comes during Allin’s first reign as AEW World Champion. In recent weeks, the champion has already defended the title against Kevin Knight, PAC, and Konosuke Takeshita, including a win over PAC in a no-count-out match at the Fairway to Hell special.
Jim Ross is all in on the current AEW booking of Darby Allin. He claims "they're not doing anything more important on their television than featuring Darby Allen" and letting fans get behind him.
— RingsideFeed (@RingsideFeed) May 16, 2026
Is Darby Allin the only true UNDERDOG left in the main event scene or is this just… pic.twitter.com/OvwjL3kA79
Allin is also set to defend the title against Sammy Guevara on this Saturday’s AEW Collision, while he already has a confirmed match against MJF at Double or Nothing in a Hair vs. Title Match.
That said, AEW’s decision still has people split. PWTorch pointed out that Allin’s win over MJF raised questions because it was built around circumstances that protected the former champion, something that could weaken Darby’s image as an underdog.
In other words, Ross believes Allin is working because he represents hope to the audience. Now it remains to be seen whether AEW will keep presenting him this way after Double or Nothing, or if this will simply be the temporary peak of his run at the top.