Magazine Archive: Darby Allin: Wrestling’s Next Enigmatic Star

By Sid Pullar III from FightfulMag.com Issue 5

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When wrestling fans see a picture of Darby Allinfor the first time, they have first impressions that go through their heads. “He’s too small,” “he’s too skinny,” and “he looks like every emo kid” are what you see if you search through social media for initial judgments of the 28-year-old All Elite Wrestling star. This doesn’t speak to the persona that has been cultivated and has become a legitimate main event star on cable television over the past two years. In many ways, Darby Allin is wrestling’s new era of enigmatic stars.

To truly grasp what Darby has to offer, you have to watch him. There is a nuance and story being told about everything he does in and out of the ring. He shows unique creativity that is unlike anyone in wrestling, with insightful vignettes that help enhance his character, persona and feuds. These black and white short films set the tone immediately on who Allin is. These videos have seen Darby in a “MOX” body bag dragged by an automobile before facing Jon Moxleyand wearing a paper mask of his opponents like Chris Jerichoor Sammy Guevara.

Each vignette gives you the image of a dark and damaged individual who embraces pain in the same way he wants to dish it out. At the same time, Darby has a vision of what every match will produce. These short films show you exactly how Allin views his opponent, their match and how the outcome will transpire. This allows for a deeper connection that isn’t forced upon their viewer. He instead gives every person the opportunity to interpret things in their own way.

Upon his entrance into an arena, Darby comes down to the ring on a skateboard. Despite modern misconceptions, skateboarding appeals to all forms of people regardless of race, gender or creed. When you visit a skate park, you will see men, women and children having a good time. When Allin rides his skateboard to the ring, he immediately distinguishes himself from 90 percent of wrestlers of today. The larger-than-life wrestlers and wrestling fans of yesteryear have looked down on someone of Darby’s stature. His love for skateboarding and alternative culture gives him a relatability that remains untapped in professional wrestling.

Another enigmatic superstar that gained notoriety in the wrestling world was CM Punk. His straight edge lifestyle helped him stand out on the independent scene and become a star for Ring of Honor. This success eventually propelled him to the top of WWE. Similar to Punk, Darby Allin also has a straight edge lifestyle that is directly integral to his character in real life and in the industry. Darby’s real-life trauma was due to a car wreck involving his drunk uncle. Their mutual past with elders within their family has helped both men find this lifestyle, which helps them be identifiable. These similarities to Punk aren’t well known by many fans of Darby Allin. They even connected Darby to one of Punk’s greatest rivals, who had a completely different background from the AEW star.

For Punk, one of his main attributes that catches fans’ eyes is his tattoos. For Allin, it is half his face and body being painted. The skeleton-like painting is visually intense and immediately grips you as a fan. Darby has described the symbolism behind this as being a man who feels half-dead inside. This meaning only adds to the layers of his persona.  And it is perhaps due to these similarities - not to mention Punk’s obvious respect for Darby Allin’s talent and potential - that Darby was chosen to be Punk’s first opponent in over seven years at All Out in September.

Once inside the squared circle, Darby Allin has an arsenal unlike anyone else in wrestling. Most of his offense is using his body as a weapon. Despite his size, Allin uses high flying maneuvers with a physical intensity that is deliberate and violent. Darby is willing to withstand any amount of punishment to inflict pain on his opposition. He has shown a willingness to put everything on the line to not just be victorious but to earn respect from whoever stands across from him. His Coffin Drop finisher is basically a trust fall to his opponent’s sternum. The high risk and reward is the name of the game for Darby. It is a deadly game, but it is just another part of what makes Allin the enigma that he is.

This “devil may care” in-ring style is similar to yet another enigmatic superstar of the past in Jeff Hardy. “The Charismatic Enigma”is probably the first wrestler many fans think of when looking at Darby Allin. Besides their in-ring work, the face paint that Allin dons is quite comparable to that of Hardy. Jeff made a name for himself with his extreme style and became a superstar that couldn’t be denied in WWE. Hardy started as enhancement talent for the promotion along with his older brother Matt. The two brothers would keep working hard and eventually were given an opportunity at a larger role in the company. The Hardy Boyzwould find popularity through their exploits in ladder matches against teams, such as Edgeand Christian, as well as The Dudley Boyz. Despite being a tag team specialist and reaching new heights during the Attitude Era, his second stint in the WWE would lead to greater success, with Jeff becoming WWE and World Heavyweight Champion.

To many fans, Darby Allin holds the same potential that Jeff Hardy reached in 2008-2009. Darby had his own humble beginnings in the business. He made a name for himself by taking on some of the most dangerous and brutal bumps in the business. Upon his arrival at AEW, Allin took more wince-inducing bumps with Coffin Drops on the apron or a cracker barrel. His debut match against Cody Rhodesat Fyter Fest 2019 introduced Darby in the best way possible. He is not the type of performer who needs to look to dominate or even win.

Part of what makes him a distinct character is the adversity that Darby Allin faces in every single matchup. Cody was one of the pillars of the promotion and a major star in the business. It could have been an easy win for him against Darby, but the time limit draw helped show where he was initially and gave him an immediate goal to achieve.

Another enigmatic superstar who had a similar start to his meteoric rise in a company was Sting. Sting would battle NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, Ric Flair, to a 45-minute time limit draw at the first Clash of the Champions that showed the world that the Stinger would become a main event player in wrestling. At the time, Sting was a surfer-like gimmick and more of a “white-meat” babyface. It wasn’t until the Attitude Era and the rise of the NWO that the term “enigmatic” would become synonymous with his persona. His transformation to “Crow Sting”is considered one of the greatest character evolutions seen in the business ever. He became draped in mystery and would garner massive pops whenever he interrupted an NWO beatdown and fought off the heel faction with his signature bat. AEW would also look at the similarities between Sting and Darby Allin.

Before these two generations crossed paths, the rise of Darby Allin had to overcome his initial rival in AEW. The hardships that Allin faced during his first year in the promotion helped bring meaning to the character he had crafted. After repeated failures to defeat Cody Rhodes in their first three meetings, Darby finally beat Cody to win his first title in AEW, the TNT Championship, at Full Gear 2020. This moment felt earned after going through 16 months of obstacles and hurdles to finally win the big one.

Sting entered AEW, and fans immediately alluded to a connection to the two enigmas. Some joked that they were father and son, but they would eventually start hanging out with one another, forming a mentor-protege style relationship that further increased the popularity of the young star. For older wrestling fans, this helped bring acceptance to Darby Allin that they didn’t have previously. The things that allowed them to become fans of Sting during the height of his popularity were now more prevalent in Darby.

To further build his credibility, he went on a successful run as TNT Champion that would see him pick up major wins in high-profile matches on AEW Dynamite. Not only did he prove himself through victory, but Darby also became a ratings draw, pulling in the best drawing in main events of the year. His star shines brightest on the biggest opportunities given to him. It filled the gap on the things that Allin may have been missing. He wasn’t just an alternative guy that can’t achieve greatness, but he was seen as a winner. Now, more than ever before, fans of all ages could see the young star as a future AEW World Champion.  Even the heel MJF, during a promo on AEW Dynamite in late September, included Darby in his list of AEW’s “four young pillars” that also included himself, Sammy Guevara and Jungle Boy.

Darby Allin is a wrestler who has many influences, from punk rock to skateboarding to his straight-edge lifestyle. Many of his inspirations call back to past alternative superstars within the industry. Along with his willingness to put his body on the line every single match, it makes him a complete evolution of what it means to be an enigmatic star in wrestling today. Whether you know exactly why he draws you in or resonates with such a broad section of the audience, there is no mystery that Darby Allin is widely popular and has become a main event talent for AEW.

Sid Pullar III, also known as SP3, is the co-host and co-creator of the Tru Heel Heat Wrestling YouTube channel. He is also a co-host for Alex McCarthy's Wrestling Daily and a writer for Sportskeeda Wrestling, where he writes long-form features.

Twitter:@TruHeelSP3