Darby Allin Says Sitting In The Crowd At AEW Full Gear ‘Ate Him Alive’
Photo Credit: Lee South / AEW
Darby Allin is anything but traditional. From his unique face paint with a very personal backstory to his caution to the wind offense, Darby is all about doing whatever he has to do to prove people wrong and make a name for himself in AEW.
Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Allin discussed being left off of the November pay-per-view from All Elite Wrestling, Full Gear. Not one to just sit on the side and collect a paycheck, Darby says being left off of the show ate him alive and he was determined to do whatever he had to to make sure that that wasn’t a recurring issue.
“I sat in the crowd, and that ate me alive,” Darby said. “I sat there and watched the show, and I said to myself, ‘I’m going to put in as much work as I ever have, whether it’s video or matches, to be on the next pay-per-view. There were people that probably expected me to be off the pay-per-view. I’m here to prove people wrong. I’m not here to make friends and treat this as a clubhouse. People here are super supportive, and I appreciate that, but this isn’t friendship hour. For me, this is about proving people wrong and putting AEW on the map.”
He continued, “Proving people wrong, that’s what drives me,” says the 27-year-old Allin. “I’ve always believed I belonged in this spot. Others may have not—[due to my] size, [or lack of] years. This is my fifth year in wrestling, and a lot of people say, ‘Your time will come, your time will come.’ No mother——, my time’s now. I feel it and I know it.”
The next AEW pay-per-view was Revolution in January. Darby Allin was featured against Sammy Guevara, the same opponent he will have tonight on AEW Dynamite in the first round of the AEW TNT Championship tournament.
To read the full interview, click here.