Over the weekend, at Northeast Wrestling‘s Six Flags Slam Fest event, Darby Allin defeated JT Dunn to win the NEW Heavyweight Championship. It marks the first career title at any level for the former semi-pro skateboarder turned wrestler, who made his pro wrestling debut in 2015.
Hailing from Seattle, Darby Allin spent much of his youth immersed in the pro skateboarding scene and its culture, one he continues to embrace in his wrestling mindset. In fact, it’s his skating background that Allin directly attributes to his in-ring style. Namely, his propensity for high-level and death-defying spots, of which he is one of the biggest risk-takers in the industry right now. For many, that’s how Allin got on their radars. For those who couldn’t see him live, there were always GIFs, always people talking about his latest insane spots and wondering how he survived, let alone was able to get up and wrestle a week later.
https://twitter.com/DarbyAllin/status/1140076500999376896
While Darby Allin is known for those spots, however, in an interview he gave a year ago with John Dvorak of Thespectacleofexcess.com, the face-painted wrestler noted he’s more than just a “spot monkey,” and he’s worked hard his entire career to show that. “With my spots, I liked to build everything honestly,” Allin told Dvorak. “It’s not the spot…it’s how you get into the spot. It’s not about the GIF…it’s about the full product.”
Bringing with him the “risk everything” mentality from his skater days as well as his undying commitment to the art of pro wrestling, it didn’t take long for Allin to find success in the industry. Darby Allin-who draws his name and inspiration from punk icon GG Allin, a man known more for his antics on stage than necessarily his music-landed with Evolve in 2016, and quickly climbed their ranks due to his ability to put on tremendous matches against any and all opponents. He made his debut for the promotion at EVOLVE 59, against Ethan Page, who would later become his eternal sparring partner in the promotion. The two wrestled five singles matches over the next two years, including an anything goes and last man standing bout in 2017 to end what Evolve has called, “a feud that will be talked about forever.”
It only took one full year on the scene for Darby Allin to be on the map. In 2017, he increased his work with Evolve, wrestled for the newly created DEFY Wrestling in his hometown of Seattle, and picked up bookings with Black Label Pro, Major League Wrestling, Beyond, Game Changer Wrestling (where he wrestled hardcore icons, Nick Gage and Joey Janela), and several others. In 2018, Allin worked a career-high 76 matches, making his debut for AAW: Professional Wrestling Redefined, NEW, PCW ULTRA, Pro Wrestling Guerilla, PROGRESS Wrestling, Lucha Libre AAA, Bar Wrestling and more. He took part in the Battle of Los Angeles, losing in the first round to Jeff Cobb, and wrestled other big names throughout the year including Sami Callihan, Roderick Strong, Kassius Ohno, Matt Riddle, WALTER, Keith Lee, Zack Sabre Jr., Pentagon, Rey Mysterio, Shane Strickland, Brody King, Jimmy Jacobs, Sammy Guevara and more. While Allin may not have been on the winning end of most of those bouts, that didn’t matter. As Allin told Dvorak, “I love to sell.”
For Darby Allin, it’s less about the wins and losses and more about the product, putting on a great match every time he goes out there, creating his own level of art. It might explain then why Allin hadn’t won a wrestling title, be it a minor or major one, until this weekend. Just one day after wrestling Jon Moxley and being praised by him as “one crazy bastard” who is “going to be a big star real soon,” Allin headed to the main event of Six Flags Slam Fest to take on NEW rival, JT Dunn for Dunn’s title.
— DARBY ALLIN (@DarbyAllin) June 15, 2019
According to Cagematch, it was Allin’s 18th title match, of which he had previously gone 0-17. This included opportunities to win the AAW Heavyweight Championship, EVOLVE Championship, PCW ULTRA Light Heavyweight Championship, WWN Championship, FIP World Heavyweight Championship and the NEW title, of which he first challenged for in April at Wrestlefest XXIII. Allin entered the matchup 2-0 against Dunn, and ended it 3-0 and in possession of the former’s NEW Heavyweight Championship.
All Elite Wrestling‘s newest star, who lit the world on fire with his passionate promo during the Road to Fyter Fest last week, is well on his way to becoming the star Moxley endorsed him as. And while titles don’t mean everything, for someone so committed to putting others over and just going out there and creating art, his art and no one else’s, the gold around his waist is more a testament to what fans of Allin’s already knew. He’s an underrated wrestler and largely an unknown quantity, but that’s about to change.
Hello my name is Darby allin some of you may not know me by now BUT….you will. https://t.co/biisLLKxiA
— DARBY ALLIN (@DarbyAllin) June 12, 2019
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
