AEW star Darby Allin ‘not a fan of doing 100 big moves a match’
When it comes to in-ring action, Darby Allin believes creating an emotional connection is more important than just doing a bunch of big moves.
The 33-year-old AEW star — known for the risks he’s willing to take in and out of the ring — recently spoke with the Orlando Sentinel for a new interview. Allin pointed to fellow risk-taker Mick Foley as one of his wrestling inspirations and explained that, while learning from past footage, he likes to watch matches that stand out without relying too heavily on big moves.
“I like to watch wrestling matches that really stand out without a lot of moves, because I’m not a fan of doing 100 big moves a match,” Allin said. “It’s fun to see the emotion and how they carry themselves through a match without relying on big moves or big (false finishes). I just watch how they paced things back then. I’d rather sell and do my thing and have emotions.”
Allin said that, because wrestling changed his life, he always wants to treat it with the respect it deserves. His biggest fear in his career is becoming complacent.
Elsewhere in the interview, Allin discussed the freedom he has in AEW both during matches and with other pursuits like his 2025 climb of Mount Everest.
“Once that bell rings, it’s pretty much 100 percent what you want to do as a performer,” Allin said. “I wouldn’t imagine having the restrictions they have in other companies. And no other company is going to let me climb Mount Everest or do crazy stunts with Tony Hawk or Travis Pastrana. I take full advantage of that.”
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.