Darby Allin Defeats PAC to Retain AEW World Title at Fairway to Hell

Darby Allin’s latest defense did more than preserve a championship. It advanced AEW’s effort to make Collision feel like a weekly destination for meaningful title stakes, with PAC pushed back again and the world title kept at the center of the show.

At Fairway to Hell, AEW staged the special Collision episode inside the SoFi Center, an indoor golf venue in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and built the night around two championship matches. Darby retained the AEW World Championship against PAC after a match that included a golf-bunker spot and a last-minute No Count Out stipulation. When PAC went after the champion near the end, Darby sprung up, landed a low blow and finished PAC with the Coffin Drop to escape with the belt.

The finish kept intact a storyline that has stretched across several major AEW cards. PAC had already beaten Darby at Full Gear 2025 with help from the Death Riders, including Wheeler Yuta’s distraction and a baseball bat shot, giving this rematch a clear reason to exist beyond a one-off TV defense. Darby entered Fairway to Hell after defeating Andrade at Dynasty 2026 to become the No. 1 contender, and he had also defended the world title against Kevin Knight on AEW’s May 6 broadcast. The recent pace of defenses suggests AEW wanted the championship in constant motion, not tucked away for only the biggest pay-per-views.

That matters for Collision’s booking direction. A title reign that survives PAC, Andrade and Kevin Knight in quick succession tells viewers that AEW is treating the world championship as a live weekly engine rather than a delayed payoff. PAC did not leave with the title, but he did leave with more credibility as a challenger after another featured spot in a high-stakes program. Whether AEW circles back to him or moves Darby into another defense, the company has made the top belt feel contested.

Fairway to Hell also delivered movement elsewhere on the card. Jack Perry entered as AEW National Champion, a title introduced in November 2025, but Mark Davis left with the belt. Perry had won it by last eliminating Ricochet in a 21-man Blackjack Battle Royal at Revolution on March 15, 2026, and AEW has said the National Championship can be defended outside the company in other U.S. promotions. The switch gave the special episode another concrete result and reinforced the sense that AEW wanted Collision to produce real changes, not just feature matches.

That was the clearest message from the night: AEW used Fairway to Hell to present Collision as a place where championships can turn, challengers can be elevated and the world title can still anchor the show’s momentum.