Mick Foley says AEW’s Darby Allin ‘took the inspiration from Cactus Jack and added a whole lot of athleticism to it’
Mick Foley’s unconventional wrestling style and personas left a lasting impression on AEW’s Darby Allin.
Foley gave his take on Allin being compared to his wrestling personas. He recalled the AEW star telling him about the influence on his in-ring career and Jon Moxley hyping him up. Foley told Adam Bernard of The Sportster that he was impressed by Allin’s determination to stand out, being a misfit, worked in his favor.
“Well, it’s funny because I saw Darby mention that I was one of the biggest influences on his career and when I saw him, I said, ‘Darby, I never knew that.’ He looked at me and said, ‘How could you not know?’ So, I mentioned on my first night in AEW at All In that I remember him being the quiet kid who didn’t speak up much and and then it was only Jon Moxley saying ‘You have to see this kid. He can do anything’, that I began to see an image of Darby Allin as a younger fan, maybe not quite fitting in and seeing someone A. who made it cool to not fit in and B. who took chances,” said Foley.
“I see Darby as someone who took the inspiration from Cactus Jack and had a whole lot of athleticism to it, did things that I could have never done, and he’s created a hybrid style that borrows from me a little bit and from others who were far more athletic than me, and he’s made it his own in the same way that I basically took one part Bruiser Brody, one part Tommy Billington and made it my own. He’s created a hybrid style that works for him and has made him one of the biggest stars of this new generation.”
A few months ago, Foley labeled Allin a dream opponent. However, the AEW star claimed he would never wrestle Foley instead would like to team up for a tag team bout.
Rosanne Raphael is a wrestling writer with over three and a half years of experience covering all things related to the industry. From a kindergarten teacher to PR Associate to turning her lifelong passion for the industry into a career, Rosanne is currently writing for F4W Online where she focuses on wrestling news, analysis, and storytelling.
Rosanne previously contributed to Sportskeeda as an Assistant Content Manager.
When not consumed by wrestling, Rosanne is a musician and an aspiring artist.