Darby Allin Was Bitter On The Indies As 'A Second Match Card Guy'

AEW gave a lot of stars opportunities that they didn’t previously have. This included Darby Allin, who never reached the heights on his own while toiling away on the indie wrestling scene.

While speaking to the Total Slam podcast, Allin went into his time on the indies and the bitterness he held. Although he worked hard at it, Allin never seemed to rise above being a guy on the second match of any given card. That obviously changed when he arrived in AEW.

“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. 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 like 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.”

Advertising

Advertising

Signing Darby Allin to AEW was a Cody Rhodes call. So, Allin has Rhodes to thank in a lot of ways.

Now Darby Allin is aligned with Sting on national television and set to team up with the Hall of Famer in a street fight at AEW Revolution. It just goes to show how fast things can change in a big way if you put in enough hard work. Having a bit of luck along the way certainly doesn’t hurt.