Darby Allin did not have an easy road to AEW. He’s been All Elite since the company’s inception in 2019, but first had to buy out his contract with another company.
Allin was DDP’s guest this week on the DDP Snake Pit podcast powered by Ad Free Shows. During their discussion, he spoke about the circumstances that led him to joining AEW.
In 2019, All Elite Wrestling executives were scouring the globe to sign talent for the upstart promotion. Former AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes attended a show for Northeast Wrestling, where Allin was wrestling Pentagon.
Allin tells DDP that prior to seeing him work against Pentagon, Cody thought he was just a ‘crash test dummy’ taking gnarly bumps. After watching him wrestle in person, Cody saw that Allin could actually work.
“At the time, I was signed with another little promotion. The moment I heard Cody was interested, long story short, I paid $12,000 to get out of my contract. I took a loan out and I remember I used to hit Cody up like every day, just blow his phone up, and he would never really answer.”
– Darby Allin on joining AEW
DDP stopped Darby Allin mid-story and told him Cody’s father, the late Dusty Rhodes, used to be ‘the worst’ about returning calls, and knows Cody is the same way. DDP joked, “Even his texting sucks!” He’s known Cody since he was 12 years old and loves him.
Choosing AEW over WWE/NXT
Allin said he didn’t care about blowing up Cody’s phone, he wanted to be part of AEW. He wasn’t going to take out that $12,000 loan without having Cody’s word that AEW was really interested in him.
AEW hadn’t even run its first show at this point and this was long before a TV deal was announced. However, there was one factor that really sold him that AEW was the right fit for him.
“All I heard, when they were promoting it, were the words ‘Creative Freedom.’ I was like, ‘That’s where I need to be.'”
– Darby Allin
Cody eventually invited him to his house and the rest, as they say, is history. DDP complimented Allin’s persistence. He sad, “What you have to be, is pleasantly persistent.”
At the time, Darby Allin was being groomed for NXT. He says he saw the writing on the wall there.
“This was back when 205 Live was a thing. I was like, hell f*cking no, I’m not going there to do that. I don’t want to be put in a box.”
– Darby Allin
Allin felt his money was wrestling ‘David vs. Goliath’ matches and he’d have a better chance to get over as himself with AEW.
Darby Allin signed with AEW in April 2019. His debut match took place at Fyter Fest just two months later. His first opponent was none other than Cody Rhodes, which says a lot about how much Cody believed in him. That match went to a time-limit draw. Allin tells DDP that before the match, Cody texted him, “20 minute broadway?” Allin had no idea what the phrase meant at the time.
Allin has gone on to become one of AEW’s most successful homegrown stars. He’s a former TNT Champion and is currently aligned with the icon, Sting.
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