When AEW was formed it is safe to say that you could place the wrestlers on the roster into two different categories. There were wrestlers who were already well established and made their names at other major promotions such as Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and Chris Jericho. While there were other wrestlers who had worked mostly on the indie scene looking for their first big break.
Darby Allin fell into the latter category and has gone on to be one of the biggest success stories at AEW. The company has helped develop him into the current TNT champion, and he is proudly the first homegrown champion in AEW’s short history. Darby Allin was recently asked to reflect on his standing with the company on The Total Slam Podcast.
“It feels amazing. When I first stepped into AEW and I saw what they had to offer, in my mind I thought I was the poster child of creative freedom. You’ll give me creative freedom and I will show everything I can do here and not elsewhere,” said Allin. “They realized it with all my videos and how I put matches together and it feels really good and that I belong in that spot.
“I was bitter and angry on my independent run because I was a second match card guy and saw the main eventers, and in my mind, I thought there is no reason why I can’t be there. I’m just not taken seriously like I want to be taken. If you give me the opportunity as I did with Cody or with Cage, and I can show everybody that if you give me the ball, you will never get it back.”
Allin is currently involved in a storyline with Sting. It has been announced that the pair will be teaming up together at next month’s AEW Revolution. Speaking of this ongoing storyline Allin said.
“I don’t know where it is going and how it came up. I feel like he saw something in me that is almost lost in wrestling today with the creative side of things. I know he saw my videos and it’s something different, and I feel he sees a little bit of himself in me.”
During this interview, Allin talked about his frustration at being just a match performer instead of a headliner before making his way to AEW. Since joining AEW however, his situation has completely turned around and the company has given Allin every chance to shine and he has certainly not let them down. He was asked about his future in AEW and how he sees himself in terms of the talent hierarchy.
“I see myself as a main event player, main eventing PPVs, [and someone who] has the company relies on me to sell PPV matches. I also want to win all types of championships; I want to be a world champion, a tag team champion. I know I’m not a tag team guy but if you give me the right partner, I will kick ass in that. I had fun teaming with Cody and Moxley, but for the long term, I still don’t know who can I tag team with.”
