As he heads into a marquee match at “AEW WrestleDream 2025,” Darby Allin isn’t concerned with the naysayers. Allin has called AEW his wrestling home since 2019. Despite AEW’s success, which includes its current TV deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, promotional warfare prompts fans to hurl insults at the professional wrestling company.
During an interview with Newsweek Sports, Allin said that while he takes pride in performing under the AEW banner, the online gossip doesn’t bother him after he achieved a major personal goal.
“Honestly, when I was on top of Mount Everest, it makes these problems that you feel are so big, so tiny,” Allin said. “I don’t really care because at the end of the day, I know the importance of this place to me and everybody else that really appreciates it. You really stop and think about it; AEW holding the all-time record for a wrestling show in six years of its [existence] with Wembley, that’s no joke. The numbers don’t lie there. So, you’ve got to take that in and be really grateful for everything.”
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AEW Return Following Mount Everest Climb
Allin returned to AEW during the “All In: Texas” show back in July. The company’s top daredevil doesn’t feel he’s taken his foot off the gas since returning from his Mount Everest climb.
“It’s crazy because I’ve had about four matches since I’ve been back, but they’ve been the most crazy matches ever,” Allin said. “It’s been good, been wild, but been good.”
Climbing Mount Everest was a goal that Allin had been wanting to reach for a while, and prior to starting his climb, he explained what was going through his mind.
“Oh, I was very excited,” Allin said. “I was at complete peace with whatever happened on that mountain because that’s the first thing they asked me: ‘If you’re not willing to die, don’t even step foot on the mountain because it’s too risky.’ So, I was at complete peace. I was really excited with the opportunity of getting to see what the top of the world looked like.”
About That Molotov Cocktail …
Allin has been involved in a heated rivalry with former multi-time AEW World Champion Jon Moxley. The two will settle things in an “I Quit” match at “AEW WrestleDream” on Saturday. During the Oct. 7 episode of “Dynamite,” Allin was going to launch a Molotov cocktail at Moxley and the Death Riders before a security guard stopped him.
The segment was heavily discussed among fans, and Allin didn’t expect the reaction to be one of shock.
“No, honestly,” Allin said when asked about the initial fan reaction. “What’s completely normal to me, I guess, is crazy to everybody else, but it was news to me.”
Moxley Gets His Flowers
Moxley’s most recent AEW World Championship reign lasted 273 days, and he kept the title locked away in a briefcase throughout his run. While some criticized the reign, many were pleased with the payoff of “Hangman'” Adam Page winning the title at “All In: Texas.” Allin explained that it’s what fans don’t see behind the scenes that made Moxley the right person to hold onto AEW’s top male prize.
“The big thing with everybody’s critique of Jon Moxley’s run is love or hate the guy; he’s literally the locker room leader in AEW,” Allin said. “I believe he’s a guy who’s willing to do anything for the company. He’ll show up on ‘Collision,’ he’ll show up on ‘Dynamite,’ he’ll wrestle every single week. He’s got no ego with this. He leads by example. There’s not a lot of people that do that. You see, during his title reign, he got suplexed on a nail baseball bat, and the baseball bat got stuck to his back with the nails hanging out of it. He was out wrestling the next weekend. We need somebody like that to lead the charge in AEW, but unfortunately, I just don’t see eye-to-eye with the guy much outside of that. So, I’m going to have to make him say, ‘I quit.'”
There are high expectations for Allin’s match against Moxley. Allin has no doubt that he will have the most memorable moment of the “WrestleDream” pay-per-view.
“Oh absolutely,” Allin said. “I thought you were going to say AEW history. I was like, I don’t know. There’s been so many crazy stuff that’s gone on the last six years, but ‘WrestleDream,’ for sure. It’s going to get insane.”
AEW’s Locker Room Leaders
While Allin mentioned Moxley as someone who fellow AEW stars look up to in the locker room, he isn’t the only name that comes to mind for the former AEW TNT Champion.
“I’d say ‘Hangman’ as well,” Allin said. “[Will] Ospreay was another one before he got taken out by Moxley. There’s a lot of people that lead by example, and they just understand the importance of AEW. They understand what this place gives us as performers and as human beings. When the camera’s done rolling, they understand what this company gives us.”
The current mentality among AEW stars is one that Allin respects. He feels that everyone pushes each other to give their maximum effort at every pay-per-view event.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Allin said. “That’s the cool thing. No one is trying to slow anyone else down. It’s like, ‘Hey, step up or get lost. You’ve got to keep up,’ and that’s the big thing about AEW. It’s definitely healthy competition in my eyes. There’s never a moment where someone’s like, ‘Hey man, I want you to do less in your match so my match is better.’ No, it’s like, ‘Everybody bring your A game and let’s rock.”
Relationship With Tony Khan
Having been a member of the AEW roster for six years, Allin has developed a strong bond with the company’s founder, Tony Khan. Allin expressed gratitude for the opportunities he has been given.
“Dude, incredible,” Allin said of his relationship with Khan. “Think about it, this guy lets me go climb Mount Everest in the middle of my wrestling career. That’s unheard of to be like, ‘Hey, go do something that you feel is going to fulfill you in the middle of your career.’ A lot of times as a wrestler, you normally feel like you’d be just a cog on the wheel, just another person that the machine chews you up and spits you out. He actually wants you to focus on your outside life and what makes you happy. I have nothing but love.”
As far as whether or not other promotions would’ve let him climb Mount Everest, Allin kept his answer brief.
“Hell no,” Allin said.
What to Expect at AEW WrestleDream
Allin revealed what he hopes fans will say by the end of his “I Quit” match against Moxley this Saturday. He also cautioned viewers to expect the unexpected.
“That it was a proper end to this wild, wild feud that’s been going on for the last year,” Allin said. “We’ve done so much craziness that I don’t know what’s going to happen on Saturday. I don’t know what to expect.”
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