Emerging onto the scene in 2019, All Elite Wrestling quickly established itself as an alternative to the superpower that is World Wrestling Entertainment. Prioritizing top-level matches over the more soap opera-y storylines, AEW offers an outlet for the type of performers and fans who love the art of hard-hitting, athletic in-ring storytelling.
And where does the Florida-based promotion turn to find its top stars?
Washington state, of course.
The current AEW World Champion? That would be Aberdeen's Bryan Danielson (formerly known to WWE fans as Daniel Bryan), arguably the greatest technical wrestler of all-time. Who'd he beat to win the title? Tacoma's Swerve Strickland, a dynamic villain who absolutely radiates charisma. Who is AEW's prodigy talent? Seattle teen Nick Wayne, who signed with the company before he'd even graduated high school. Who is AEW's best referee? Seattle's own Aubrey Edwards, who made her name in Emerald City indie promotions. And that's all before we get to 31-year-old Darby Allin, the homegrown Seattle daredevil who's come to embody the fearless spirit of AEW.
Allin is the walking embodiment of extreme. Growing up in Seattle — with a spell in Coeur d'Alene — he was always drawn to pursuits that could result in bodily harm. After competing in amateur wrestling as a kid, he first gained some notoriety as a professional skateboarder. Pro wrestling might not have been the obvious calling considering the man's 5-foot-8-inch, 165-pound frame, but he makes up for his size by throwing his body around like a madman.
With half his face painted like a black-and-white skull, Allin exudes a brooding, mysterious confidence each time he approaches the ring. Once the bell rings, he hurls himself around like a stuntman with a death wish. This thrilling style has earned him legions of fans and helped him capture the TNT Championship multiple times (including winning it the first time against current WWE Champion Cody Rhodes) and the AEW Tag Team Titles once with his legendary mentor, Sting.
All Elite Wrestling and its stable of top Washingtonian talent make their Spokane debut on Oct. 8 for a special "Title Tuesday" episode of its flagship TBS show AEW: Dynamite at Spokane Arena. The card features multiple title matches, and serves as the final show before the promotion's big WrestleDream pay-per-view event in Tacoma on Oct. 12.
When one considers that local indie promotion Relentless Wrestling is putting on its second supershow at Northern Quest on Oct. 4 — Relentless Wrestling 30: Pinnacle, which features AEW talents like Max Caster and Danhausen — this might be the biggest and best pro wrestling week ever in the Inland Northwest.
Before AEW makes its inaugural Spokane stop, we caught up with Darby Allin to talk about Evergreen State grapplers, his wrestling days in CdA, and if he has any non-extreme pastimes.
INLANDER: What does it mean to you to have so much Washingtonian talent on the AEW roster?
ALLIN: It's pretty cool, because coming up in Washington, it's kind of like the black hole of the wrestling world. It's really hard to break out. It's really hard to break out. So the fact that so many of us have broken out, and not only broken out but are essentially top guys — Swerve, me, Danielson — it's very, very cool.
Do you feel like there's a common unifying DNA among the Washington wrestlers? Because you, Swerve and Danielson all have very different in-ring styles.
I think at the end of the day, it comes down to knowing that it wasn't easy to break out, so I think we have a really good work ethic. Because I think we felt like we had to work a lot harder, because everything wasn't in our backyard, right? I think a work ethic is second-to-none when it comes to Washingtonians.
Do you think the growth of indie wrestling in Washington state between you and Swerve's old stomping grounds at Defy out in Seattle, or a fellow Buddy Wayne trainee Chase James running Relentless out here in Spokane, has helped make Washington less of a wrestling black hole?
It's definitely opened a lot more doors, but the big thing wrestlers the Northwest have to learn is to not get complacent and not just be the king of the local scene. Because you can be the king of Seattle and feel like you're a million bucks, but then you go down Chicago, California or wherever it may be, and nobody cares. Because Seattle has such a good fan base, people can get like, 'Oh man, I'm doing so good!" but then they have a reality check when they go somewhere else. Like, "Whoa. I didn't get the hometown reaction..." [Laughs]
Even probably a decade ago, it would have been harder to imagine someone with your background and of your stature being one of the top guys in a global wrestling promotion. I imagine sometimes you must just be so stoked you're coming up in the business now in a company like AEW where everyone doesn't need to be a hulking 1980s-style wrestling bodybuilder.
Yeah, absolutely. I think a lot of people are taking notice. I may be 5-foot-8, 165-170 pounds, but the thing is, you cannot argue that I can take more of a beating and am more physically ready than any 300-pound, 6-foot-8 guys. We're not in the same category. I'm willing to go places that no one else is willing to go. It shows that my work works.
But I'm very careful that I exist in the year 2024. [Laughs] Holy crap.
Yeah, there's the pro wrestling trope of the babyface heroically getting up from every beating, and then there's the actual reality of actually physically getting up after literally being tossed around.
Yeah. In fifth grade, I lived in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and I got third in state in amateur wrestling. And that wasn't easy, because Idaho in general is such an amateur wrestling state. And I did that my first year in amateur wrestling, so I always kind of approached stuff with a big chip on the shoulder, and I really want to prove people wrong.
Do you make it back to the Inland Northwest frequently?
Yeah, definitely. I was just in Coeur d'Alene like five months ago. I try to make it back to the Northwest as much as I can. But it's kind of strange — there's a side of me when I visit the Northwest for too long, it reminds me of being complacent. So I kind of want to always leave. [Laughs]
People must often ask what wrestlers inspired your in-ring style, but considering your skating background, do you feel like there are any skateboarders who influenced your wrestling style?
Yeah, there's a lot of skateboarders. Guys like Geoff Rowley, obviously, Bam Margera, Dustin Dollin. Guys that you can see skateboarding, and you can tell that they're risking their lives for skateboarding.
You're known for doing crazy moves like doing your Coffin Drop finisher through a table after monkeying to the top of an enclosed steel cage. Do you have a mental checklist of wild spots you want to do at some point or are you kind of just flying by the seat of your pants?
Definitely seat of the pants. Definitely seat of the pants. It don't have anything premeditated. It's always spur of the moment.
You weren't an established name before joining AEW, so what's it been like being able to work alongside mentoring legends of the business like Sting and working your way up to main event status?
It's validating, because at the end of the day, I've done it all on my own terms. So it's pretty rewarding in that sense — that you can climb this mountain of AEW and come across so many people that have changed the layout of wrestling forever, but, you know, kind of hold your own against them. It shows me that I belong right where I'm at.
In addition to skating and wrestling, you're also a mountain climber with plans to scale Everest and have mentioned maybe being interested in traveling to Mars. So umm... does Darby Allin have any normcore or non-extreme cozy hobbies?
I like to whoop peoples' asses at mini golf. ♦
All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite – Title Tuesday • Tue, Oct. 8 at 5:30 pm • $23-$65 • All ages • Spokane Arena • 720 W. Mallon Ave. • spokanearena.com
