During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Darby Allin commented on being left off AEW Full Gear, why he wears facepaint, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On why he wears his facepaint: “I paint my face because 50 percent of me is dead inside. When I was five, my uncle was driving drunk. I was in the car with him. We crashed and he passed away … That’s why I have this ‘Nothing’s over ’til you’re underground’ tattoo on my chest. A lot of people think that’s why I’m straight edge, and to a degree it is. And it’s from watching close friends, some who were very talented in the world of skateboarding, blow their opportunities because of drugs or alcohol. I made a commitment to myself that, when I set out to do everything I wanted to do, I couldn’t blame it on drugs or alcohol.”
On not being on the card for AEW Full Gear: “I sat in the crowd, and that ate me alive. I sat there and watched the show, and I said to myself, ‘I’m going to put in as much work as I ever have, whether it’s video or matches, to be on the next pay-per-view.’ There were people that probably expected me to be off the pay-per-view. I’m here to prove people wrong. I’m not here to make friends and treat this as a clubhouse. People here are super supportive, and I appreciate that, but this isn’t friendship hour. For me, this is about proving people wrong and putting AEW on the map.”
On finding his motivation: “Proving people wrong, that’s what drives me. I’ve always believed I belonged in this spot. Others may have not—[due to my] size, [or lack of] years. This is my fifth year in wrestling, and a lot of people say, ‘Your time will come, your time will come.’ No motherf**ker, my time’s now. I feel it and I know it.”
On his in-ring persona: “The way I act in the ring, I feel like that inside every day, even when I’m not wrestling. In the ring, it’s like letting a caged animal be free. I was brought here to be myself and nothing else. Going in the ring, that’s my therapy. And if you want to see what I’m capable of next, just watch.”
