Darby Allin shares his thoughts on the current state of the TNT Championship.
AEW introduced the TNT Championship in 2020, and stars like Cody Rhodes, Brodie Lee, Darby Allin, and Miro helped elevate it. However, since the beginning of 2022, the TNT Championship has bounced around a number of times. Since July 2022, it has changed hands eight times, with six of those changes happening in 2023 alone. Luchasaurus won the gold on the June 17 episode of AEW Collision, but Christian Cage has been carrying the title and referring to himself as the champion.
Speaking on AEW Control Center ahead of the August 16 episode of AEW Dynamite, Allin shared his thoughts on the current state of the TNT Championship and vowed to put respect back on its name.
"I’m gonna be honest when I say this. To me, the TNT Championship used to mean something. Within the last year, I’ve felt it lost all its value. I remember the people that used to hold it. Guys like Cody, guys like Brodie Lee, myself. Back then, it meant something. Now, it’s like a hot potato. Honestly, I feel like it’s lost it’s value. So when I say at All Out, I want to put some respect back on that championship’s name, I mean every word of that. Because you got a guy like Christian Cage, for example, walking around saying he’s the champion. Come on, man. We’re not stupid. You’re wasting people’ time. That championship means more than that. Then you got a dinosaur as the champion that never defends it? What are we doing here? What are we doing here?" Allin said.
Allin then commented on his upcoming match with Cage and stated that it's time for the veteran to start acting like a champion. He made it clear that whether Cage thinks the title belongs to him or Luchasaurus, he'll be taking the gold at AEW All Out.
"I put out the challenge to Christian Cage. Enough talking. If you think you’re a champion, start acting like a champion. I’m gonna kick your ass, and at All Out, I’m gonna take that championship. I don’t care if you think it’s yours, I don’t care if you think it’s Luchasaurus’. It doesn’t matter because at All Out, it’s gonna be mine. I’m gonna put respect back on that championship’s name," Allin said.
Allin recently described his goal to elevate the TNT Championship. Check out his comments here.
Check out the card for the August 16 episode of AEW Dynamite here. Fightful will have live coverage of the show as it airs
Allin will face Cage on the August 19 episode of AEW Collision. Click here to check out the card.
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