Darby Allin loves the lore of New York City and the 31-year-old AEW superstar takes in the scenes. He says fans show passion and have knowledge of a professional wrestling industry that can be cruel, reckless, and with great moments.
Wednesday evening at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Center in Flushing Queens, site of the US Tennis Open and across from Citi Field, Allin will entertain. He will be reckless and in his zone of flying high off the ropes, also inevitable to see him take a flight and land into numerous bodies outside the ring.
This time, though, the daredevil has a lot at stake at AEW Grand Slam, an annual event televised on TBS as part of their weekly “Dynamite” production. Allin will be vying for an AEW world title opportunity, while his opponent, John Moxley, is just as reckless. He wins and the opportunity will come in his hometown of Seattle, Washington where Allin started to encounter his quest for stardom as a professional wrestler.
“Grand Slam, it’s so captivating to people,” he said. “It’s a pay-per-view event on live TV. If you look at the card it’s pretty wild to be in the main event of a big show. Small feat for someone like me since day one in AEW.”
But not a small accomplishment for Allin. He has been in the spotlight during the five-year existence of AEW, except this time another chance to get the world title looms as a larger feat. Moxley is charismatic, a veteran of sorts, and likes to brawl. With AEW holding no holds barred, as has been the case from their inception, the match is expected to be brutal.
Expect the juices to be flowing, meaning the red stuff that Allin is accustomed to seeing above the eyes, on the forehead, staple guns, tacks, and high flying maneuvers are common in AEW main events that are televised on TBS/TNT, and pay-per-view when the stakes are high. Allin is a draw, and fans want to see their superstars go that extra mile to be entertained.
Risky, yes it can be for any pro wrestler. One wrong move can be detrimental. Then again, Allin, earlier this year was with a friend crossing a midsection in Manhattan and inadvertently got hit by a New York City bus. He survived a broken foot with minor scars. An incident that went viral but a few weeks later he returned to the ring and AEW programming.
But there was a setback. Allin had to delay his challenge of climbing the highest peak of Mount Everest, something on the agenda for a later time. But this week he also was open about taking a trip to outer space and serious about completing that mission.
“There is so little people that get an opportunity to go to space in this whole world,” he said. “So it’s like dude, if I can take the ball and run with it there’s nothing I don’t want to do. Door is open.”
Hey, this is Darby Allin and anything is possible, so the door has been open. If he can hover over a ring on a rope upside down for a half hour, as he did when teaming with his legendary hero Sting, a retirement match for the AEW tag team titles earlier this year, then anything is possible.
He has taken the persona of an adventurous lifestyle and developed into a wrestling personality, a character that has a risk. It will be seen again when he meets Moxley in the spotlight of New York City and Grand Slam.
He carries a skateboard in the ring, a part of his daily persona and having a passion for extreme sports. The skateboard is his personality. The ring attire is unique and one side of his face is painted in white that was a concept of Darby.
Sting, (Steve Borden) noticed. A reputed pro wrestling Hall of Famer with the rival WWE, he became a mentor and watched Allin’s back. Sting also with his entire face paint persona and Allin would team and become AEW tag team champions, their last match together defending the titles at AEW PPV “Revolution” in March.
It was the Sting finale on his retirement tour and something Allin was honored to do for an icon he considers a mentor.
“He’s that guy who is so global and being around him he forgets he’s Sting,” Allin said. “So rewarding to be with him with his last run. Told me don’t change a single thing, be humble, look in the mirror and lead by example because one day this ride is going to end.
However, it’s far from coming to an end as long as Allin stays healthy and avoids a major injury. Samuel Ratsch got his ring name working first on the independent scene including Evolve, the World Wrestling Network promoter. He performed in front of crowds that did not exceed 200 fans and has come a long way as a two-time AEW TNT champion and held the tag titles with Sting.
But his comfort zone is now with AEW and Tony Khan, co-owner of the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars, a startup and the architect of a company that many said would not stand a chance against the competition of WWE. Allin is one of many superstars that will be at Grand Slam.
“There’s nothing the company has not given me everything I can do outside the ring,” he said about letting him skateboard and climb the mountain when that presents itself. “In that sense, I’m a lifer. It’s a whole different brand of music (AEW). It’s totally different, a true alternative nothing else like AEW what we can do on national TV. We don’t have to compromise for anything.”
He said, Khan is amazing at his work ethics and long hours. Then again AEW superstars have been linked to other promotions and offer nothing but praise to their leader. And when Moxley meets Allin for a third time? It will be as they say a barnburner.
“It’s like I believe I can go through more physical pain than anybody,” Allin says. Nobody is going to do what I do inside the ring.”
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About the Author
Rich Mancuso
Rich Mancuso is a regular contributor at NY Sports Day, covering countless New York Mets, Yankees, and MLB teams along with some of the greatest boxing matches over the years. He is an award winning sports journalist and previously worked for The Associated Press, New York Daily News, Gannett, and BoxingInsider.com, in a career that spans almost 40 years.