Darby Allin
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Samuel Ratsch (born January 7, 1993), better known by the ring name Darby Allin, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
(AEW). He is a former two-time
AEW TNT Champion The AEW TNT Championship is a men's professional wrestling television championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established as a secondary title on March 30, 2020, it is named after the TNT televisio ...
and a former AEW World Tag Team Champion, having held the latter title with
Sting Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), also known as transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173) and MPYS/MITA/ERIS is a regulator protein that in humans is encoded by the STING1 gene. STING plays an important role in innate immunity. STING induces typ ...
during the final match of Sting’s career. Ratsch began his professional wrestling career in 2014, competing for various independent promotions including EVOLVE,
Progress Wrestling Progress Wrestling (stylized as PROGRESS) is a British professional wrestling promotion that was established in 2011 by comedian Jim Smallman, events and comedy promoter Jon Briley, and later, actor Glen Robinson (professionally known as Glen ...
,
Major League Wrestling Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...
, and
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Promociones Antonio Peña, S.A. de C.V. doing business as, d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (commonly referred to as simply AAA, pronounced "Triple A" – an abbreviation of its original name Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración de Espectáculos ...
before signing with AEW in 2019. Since then, he has become one of the promotion’s most featured performers, appearing in major matches at events such as All Out,
Full Gear AEW Full Gear is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established in 2019, it is held annually in November, generally around the week of Veterans Day. The name of the event is a reference to a se ...
,
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
, and All In. His wrestling persona incorporates influences from
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
and skateboarding culture and is known for a high-risk, unorthodox in-ring style. Outside the ring, Ratsch lives a
straight edge Straight edge (sometimes abbreviated as sXe or signified by XXX or simply X) is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs in reaction to the punk subculture's excesses. Some ...
lifestyle and has pursued interests in filmmaking, skateboarding, and mountaineering.


Early life

Samuel Ratsch was born in
Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...
. During his youth, he participated in
track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
and played football, inspired in part by one of his grandfathers, who had played in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
. He also briefly took part in
amateur wrestling Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced at Olympic Games, Olympic, Collegiate wrestling, collegiate, Scholastic wrestling, scholastic, and other levels. There are two international wrestling styles performed at the Olympic Games, fr ...
, mistakenly believing it was the same as professional wrestling. Ratsch attended a film school in Arizona but left to pursue a career in skateboarding.


Professional wrestling career


Early career (2014–2019)

Ratsch began his professional wrestling career in 2014, debuting under the ring name Darby Graves in Blue Collar Wrestling, based in
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
. He later adopted the ring name Darby Allin and competed extensively across the United States
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...
between 2015 and 2019. During this time, he wrestled for a variety of promotions including EVOLVE,
Game Changer Wrestling Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), formerly known as Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW), is an American Independent circuit, independent professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in New Jersey. The promotion was original ...
(GCW),
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles, California. As of 2024, it is on an extended hiatus. It was created by pro wrestlers Disco Machine, Excalibur, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan, Super ...
(PWG), The Wrestling Revolver, and
Full Impact Pro Full Impact Pro (FIP) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is currently part of the World Wrestling Network (WWN) along with Shine Wrestling. Sal Hamaoui founded the company and serves as the president, while Trevin Adams is the ...
(FIP). Allin became a regular performer for EVOLVE, a promotion affiliated with the
World Wrestling Network The World Wrestling Network was a National Wrestling Alliance-affiliated professional wrestling promotion which was owned by promoter Jim Crockett, Jr., his last attempt to rebuild a national wrestling promotion after selling Jim Crockett Promo ...
(WWN), making his debut at '' EVOLVE 59'' in April 2016. Over the next three years, he frequently appeared for both EVOLVE and WWN-affiliated events until April 2019. In addition to his work with EVOLVE, Allin also appeared in
Major League Wrestling Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...
(MLW) between 2017 and 2018, beginning at MLW One-Shot. One of his most notable moments occurred at Never Say Never 2017, where he executed a ''Coffin Drop'' from a balcony while strapped to a chair. He departed MLW in April 2018 due to scheduling conflicts with other promotions. Allin made a one-off appearance for
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Promociones Antonio Peña, S.A. de C.V. doing business as, d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (commonly referred to as simply AAA, pronounced "Triple A" – an abbreviation of its original name Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración de Espectáculos ...
on June 3, 2018, at Verano de Escándalo, competing in a six-way match. He also toured with the UK-based
Progress Wrestling Progress Wrestling (stylized as PROGRESS) is a British professional wrestling promotion that was established in 2011 by comedian Jim Smallman, events and comedy promoter Jon Briley, and later, actor Glen Robinson (professionally known as Glen ...
in 2018 and 2019 during the promotion's events in the United States and its annual Super Strong Style 16 tournament.


All Elite Wrestling (2019–present)


Early storylines (2019–2020)

In April 2019, Allin signed with
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
(AEW), making his debut at Fyter Fest on June 29 in a time-limit draw against Cody. At Fight for the Fallen the following month, he teamed with
Joey Janela Joseph Janela (born July 3, 1989) is an American professional wrestler, working for Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), where he is the promoter of the Joey Janela's Spring Break event series. Janela is most known for his work with All Elite Wrestling ...
and
Jimmy Havoc James McAhren (born 19 March 1984) is a British former professional wrestler best known under the ring name Jimmy Havoc. He is known for his work with Progress Wrestling, Defiant Wrestling, Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW), Major League W ...
in a losing effort, which led to a three-way match between the trio at All Out on August 31, won by Havoc. Later that year, Allin challenged
AEW World Champion The AEW World Championship is a men's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Unveiled on May 25, 2019, it is the promotion's top championship and is presented as being ...
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...
on the October 16 episode of ''
Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...
'', but was unsuccessful. In January 2020, he competed in a four-man tournament for a championship opportunity, where he was eliminated by
Pac Pac or PAC may refer to: Aviation * IATA code PAC Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport in Panama City, Panama * Pacific Aerospace Corporation, New Zealand, manufacturer of aircraft: ** PAC 750XL ** PAC Cresco ** PAC CT/4 ** PA ...
in the opening round. He then entered a rivalry with
Sammy Guevara Samuel Guevara (born July 28, 1993) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Sons of Texas and is a record tying three-time former AEW TNT Champion. He also appears in AEW's sist ...
, culminating in a win at
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
on February 29. Allin participated in the tournament to crown the inaugural TNT Champion, defeating Guevara in the quarterfinals before losing to Cody in the semifinals on the April 22 episode of ''Dynamite''. At
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...
on May 23, he took part in the first
Casino ladder match As part of a general theme, the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling utilises various casino-themed matches: the Casino Battle Royale, a 21-man rumble-rules battle royal; the Casino Ladder Match, a nine-man ladder match wh ...
, which was won by
Brian Cage Brian Christopher Joseph Button After returning to television in July, he resumed his feud with Cage and
Ricky Starks Richard Starks (born February 21, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Ricky Saints. Starks is known for his time in All El ...
, teaming with AEW World Champion
Jon Moxley Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Championship, AEW World Champion in his ...
to defeat them in a tag match. That led to a title bout against Moxley the following week, which Allin lost. On the September 30 episode of ''Dynamite'', Allin defeated Starks, concluding their feud.


TNT Champion and alliance with Sting (2020–2024)

At
Full Gear AEW Full Gear is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established in 2019, it is held annually in November, generally around the week of Veterans Day. The name of the event is a reference to a se ...
on November 7, Allin defeated Cody to win the TNT Championship, his first title in AEW. In the following weeks, he became involved in a feud with
Team Taz Team Taz, alternately called Team FTW, was an American professional wrestling stable signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). They were named after Taz, the leader and manager of the group. History On the July 21, 2020 episode of ''AEW Dark'', Ri ...
.
Sting Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), also known as transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173) and MPYS/MITA/ERIS is a regulator protein that in humans is encoded by the STING1 gene. STING plays an important role in innate immunity. STING induces typ ...
made his AEW debut at
Winter Is Coming "Winter Is Coming" is the series premiere of the HBO medieval fantasy television series ''Game of Thrones''. The first episode of the first season, it was written by series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, in an adaptation of the fi ...
on December 2, confronting Team Taz and establishing an alliance with Allin. The partnership led to a tag team match at
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
on March 7, 2021, where Allin and Sting defeated Ricky Starks and Brian Cage in a cinematic-style street fight. During his reign, Allin defended the TNT Championship against multiple challengers. His reign ended after 186 days with a loss to Miro on the May 12 episode of ''Dynamite''. Allin continued teaming with Sting, with the duo defeating
Scorpio Sky Schuyler Andrews (born April 2, 1983), better known by the ring name Scorpio Sky, is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a former two-time AEW TNT Champion and ...
and
Ethan Page Julian Micevski (born September 20, 1989), better known by his ring name Ethan Page, is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand, and is ...
at
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...
on May 30. He later faced Page in AEW’s first coffin match at Fyter Fest on July 14, coming out victorious. At All Out on September 5, Allin was selected as
CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand. Regarded as ...
’s first opponent in over seven years, losing the match. Allin remained active in tag and multi-man matches, including a
tornado tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...
win alongside Sting and Sammy Guevara at
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
on March 6, 2022. On the May 12 episode of ''Dynamite'', he was eliminated by
Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and also appears on partner promotion WWE on its NXT (WWE brand), NXT brand. He is re ...
in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament after a widely discussed ladder spot. Allin began a feud with TNT Champion
Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW Worl ...
in late 2022. On the January 4, 2023, episode of ''Dynamite'', he defeated Joe in his hometown of
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
to win the TNT Championship for a second time. Later that month, Allin and Sting made a special appearance for Pro Wrestling Noah at The Great Muta Final "Bye-Bye", where they teamed with
Keiji Muto is a Japanese professional wrestling executive, actor and retired professional wrestler. He is known for his work under his real name and as his alter ego in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), as well as World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and duri ...
in his final match under the Great Muta persona, winning in a six-man tag team match. Allin successfully defended the TNT Championship over the following four weeks before losing it back to Joe on the February 1 episode of ''Dynamite'' in a
no holds barred match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
. At
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...
on May 28, Allin competed in a four-way match for the AEW World Championship against MJF, Sammy Guevara, and
Jack Perry Jack Perry (born June 16, 1997) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Elite (professional wrestling), The Elite stable. He is also a former one-time FTW Champion, a former ...
, which MJF won. He reunited with Sting at All In on August 27, defeating
Swerve Strickland Stephon Strickland (born September 30, 1990) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Swerve Strickland. He also appears on the independent circuit. Strickl ...
and
Christian Cage William Jason Reso (born November 30, 1973) is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Christian Cage and is the leader of The Patriarch ...
in a coffin match at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
. On the February 7, 2024 episode of ''Dynamite'', Allin and Sting defeated Ricky Starks and
Big Bill Big Bill is a nickname that may refer to: * Bill Abstein (1883–1940), American Major League Baseball and amateur soccer player * Bill Bachrach (1879–1959), American swim and water polo coach * Bill Bagwell (1895–1976), American Major League ...
to win the
AEW World Tag Team Championship The AEW World Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It is a standard tag team championship, being contested by teams of two wr ...
. They retained the titles against
the Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Matthew Massie and Nicholas Massie, who perform under the ring names Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson. , they are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), whe ...
at
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
on March 3 in what was promoted as Sting’s retirement match. The titles were vacated shortly afterward, ending their reign at 25 days. Following Revolution, Allin was attacked on-screen by Bullet Club Gold in a post-match segment. It was later revealed that he had suffered a legitimate broken foot during his match against
Jay White Jamie White (born 9 October 1992), better known by the ring name Jay White, is a New Zealand professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Bullet Club sub-group Bang Bang Gang. White is a former ...
at
Big Business Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly ...
on March 13, and the angle was used to write him off television. As a result, Allin postponed his planned expedition to climb
Mount Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at it ...
.


Singles competition (2024–present)

Allin returned on the May 15 episode of ''Dynamite'', aligning with
Bryan Danielson Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs on a part time basis. He is also known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under t ...
and FTR in their ongoing feud with the Elite. He joined Team AEW for the Anarchy in the Arena match at
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...
on May 26, which they lost. On July 24 at Blood and Guts, he helped lead Team AEW to victory over the Elite. Two days later, Allin won the Royal Rampage battle royal, earning a future AEW World Championship opportunity. At All In on August 25, he unsuccessfully challenged Jack Perry for the TNT Championship in a coffin match. The following month, Jon Moxley challenged him for his earned title shot; the two faced off at
Grand Slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...
, where Moxley defeated Allin. At
WrestleDream AEW WrestleDream is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established in 2023, it is held annually in October as a memorial show to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) founder ...
on October 12, Allin defeated
Brody King Nathan Troy Blauvelt (born March 17, 1987), better known by his ring name Brody King, is an American professional wrestler, singer, and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Hounds of Hell and is a form ...
. He later attempted to assist Bryan Danielson during an attack by the
Blackpool Combat Club The Death Riders are a Heel (professional wrestling), villainous professional wrestling stable that performs in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and Ring of Honor (ROH). The stable consists of the leader Jon Moxley, Cla ...
, only to be ambushed by
Wheeler Yuta Paul Soren Gruber (born October 26, 1996) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Wheeler Yuta and is a member of the Death Riders, formerly known as the Blackpool C ...
. In November, he was announced as a participant in the 2024 Continental Classic tournament, finishing with seven points and missing playoff qualification. On the December 27 episode of ''
Rampage Rampage may refer to: People * Rampage (rapper) (born 1974) * Quinton Jackson (born 1978; nicknamed "Rampage"), American mixed martial artist and actor * Randy Rampage (1960-2018), Canadian musician Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional chara ...
'', he was attacked by the
Death Riders The Death Riders are a villainous professional wrestling stable that performs in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and Ring of Honor (ROH). The stable consists of the leader Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, ...
and thrown down a stairwell in an
angle In Euclidean geometry, an angle can refer to a number of concepts relating to the intersection of two straight Line (geometry), lines at a Point (geometry), point. Formally, an angle is a figure lying in a Euclidean plane, plane formed by two R ...
designed to again remove him from television as he resumed Everest training.


Professional wrestling style and persona

Ratsch's Darby Allin persona draws heavily from his personal background and subcultural interests. The name itself is a tribute to
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
figures
Darby Crash Jan Paul Beahm (better known by his stage name Darby Crash, formerly Bobby Pyn; September 26, 1958 – December 7, 1980) was an American singer who, along with longtime friend Pat Smear (born Georg Albert Ruthenberg), co-founded the punk rock ba ...
of the Germs and
GG Allin Kevin Michael "GG" Allin (born Jesus Christ Allin; August 29, 1956 – June 28, 1993) was an American punk rock musician who performed and recorded with many groups during his career. His live performances often featured transgressive acts, i ...
. His face paint (typically a half-skull design) is meant to symbolize his feeling of being "half dead" following the car accident in his youth in which he survived but killed his uncle. Allin incorporates his background in skateboarding into his in-ring character. He rides a skateboard during his entrance and occasionally uses it as a prop or weapon in matches. Known for his unorthodox, high-risk style, Allin frequently performs dives, crashes, and other visually extreme maneuvers that contribute to a daredevil image. Initially hesitant to combine skateboarding with wrestling (Allin feared that both the wrestling and skateboarding fandoms would perceive it as inauthentic), he eventually embraced the crossover after encouragement from
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...
, who advised him to lean into what made him unique.


Personal life

Ratsch lives a
straight edge Straight edge (sometimes abbreviated as sXe or signified by XXX or simply X) is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs in reaction to the punk subculture's excesses. Some ...
lifestyle. This decision was influenced by a traumatic incident during his childhood: at age five, he survived a car crash caused by his uncle, who had been driving under the influence. His uncle died in the accident, an event that left a lasting impression on Ratsch. He resides in
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, and is known to have a close friendship with
Sting Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), also known as transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173) and MPYS/MITA/ERIS is a regulator protein that in humans is encoded by the STING1 gene. STING plays an important role in innate immunity. STING induces typ ...
(Steve Borden). In 2024, Ratsch began training Borden’s son, Stephen, for a potential wrestling career. Outside of wrestling, Ratsch developed an interest in mountaineering. He announced plans to climb
Mount Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at it ...
in 2024, and spent much of late 2023 and early 2024 training for the expedition. However, shortly before his scheduled departure, he suffered a broken foot during a match with
Jay White Jamie White (born 9 October 1992), better known by the ring name Jay White, is a New Zealand professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Bullet Club sub-group Bang Bang Gang. White is a former ...
, which forced him to postpone the climb until the 2025 climbing season. He began his ascent on April 8, 2025. On May 5 he set the world record for highest elevation
kickflip The kickflip is a skateboarding trick, in which the rider flips their skateboard 360° along the axis that extends from the nose to the tail of the deck. When the rider is Footedness, regular footed the board spins clockwise if viewed from the fro ...
at 20,958 feet while climbing Mount Everest. On May 18, Ratsch successfully reached the summit of Everest. Ratsch was previously married to professional wrestler
Priscilla Kelly Priscilla Lee Kelly (born June 5, 1997) is an American professional wrestler and former reality television personality. She is best known for her tenure in WWE where she performed under the ring name Gigi Dolin. She is a former record-tying two- ...
. The couple announced their separation in August 2020, and Kelly later confirmed that they had divorced but remained on good terms.


Other media

Before gaining recognition in wrestling, Ratsch made appearances in media tied to his skateboarding and early performance work. He was featured in several clips aired on MTV’s '' Ridiculousness'', often alongside friends, although one video was reportedly rejected by the network for being too extreme to broadcast. In 2014, he appeared in an episode of '' Sex Sent Me to the ER'', part of the show’s first season. Ratsch later admitted in interviews that the story portrayed in the episode was fictional, and that he accepted the role primarily for financial reasons. In 2021, he appeared as himself in ''Rhodes to the Top'', a reality television series focused on AEW executives Cody and
Brandi Rhodes Brandi Alexis Reed Runnels (née Reed; born June 23, 1983), known professionally as Brandi Rhodes, is an American ring announcer and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE and as the former chief brand officer a ...
. Ratsch is also a featured character as Darby Allin in the video game ''
AEW Fight Forever ''AEW Fight Forever'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ Nordic. It is the debut title on home consoles and personal computers based on American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling ( ...
''.


Championships and accomplishments

*
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
**
AEW TNT Championship The AEW TNT Championship is a Professional wrestling championship#Gimmick/style championships, men's professional wrestling television championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion Al ...
(
2 times "2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...
) **
AEW World Tag Team Championship The AEW World Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It is a standard tag team championship, being contested by teams of two wr ...
( 1 time) – with
Sting Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), also known as transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173) and MPYS/MITA/ERIS is a regulator protein that in humans is encoded by the STING1 gene. STING plays an important role in innate immunity. STING induces typ ...
** Royal Rampage (
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
,
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
) ** Dynamite Award for Breakout Star – Male (
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
) *
Northeast Wrestling Northeast Wrestling (NEW) is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in the Northeastern United States and has promoted events since 1996. It is currently owned and operated by promoter Mike Lombardi and is one of the top indepen ...
** NEW Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) * ''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...
'' ** Ranked No. 14 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''
PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...
'' in 2021 *
Style Battle Style Battle was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2017 by former Ring of Honor Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Booker, booker and Dragon Gate USA vice president, Gabe Sapolsky. On November 22, 2016, it was announced ...
** Style Battle 7 (2017) * ''
Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...
'' ** Non-Heavyweight MVP (2021, 2024)


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Allin, Darby 1993 births 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers AEW TNT Champions AEW World Tag Team Champions All Elite Wrestling personnel American male film actors American male professional wrestlers American skateboarders Living people Male actors from Seattle Professional wrestlers from Seattle Street people American summiters of Mount Everest