Darby Allin – Living His Everest

Life is full of risks, and for some, they’re willing to take those risks because they likely feel they don’t have anything to lose.

Darby Allin has often shared about his life. Allin has shared his personal losses and his greatest triumphs. He has been subject to scrutiny and comes out the other side. And while he may resemble Jeff Hardy in countless ways professionally and personally, Allin has a chance to make his life unlike that of Hardy’s. To Allin’s own admittance, he doesn’t anticipate having a long and illustrious career. He realizes that his method of performing puts him at risk time and time again.

Darby Allin – Living His Everest

In All Elite Wrestling, Allin has been a two-time TNT Champion, competed in the main event, and was pegged as a ‘Pillar’ in the promotion. But unlike others that are viewed in the same vein as Allin, it feels as though he is more concerned about doing things that he likely never thought he’d do in his life rather than being the face of a wrestling promotion. His death-defying feats aren’t typically done by those that feel they are viewed as a much greater commodity to a company. At least, that’s the perception that some have of him. But Allin himself said he knows exactly what he is doing.

“There is a method to the madness. A lot of people say I’m reckless. Like, I’m far from reckless. I’m very calculated with what I do. I’m not being irresponsible or anything like that when it comes to AEW because AEW is my number one focal point.”

His risk of life and death is so perfectly him. AEW has aired images of him leaping with his skateboard from what most would consider ridiculous heights.

Mount Everest is among the wonders of the world. In saying that those that have talked about climbing it have also faced the risks tied to death. The feat itself is something not unlike that of an illusionist or magician creating the illusion that they climbed it. But for Allin himself, there will be no smoke or mirrors. There will be no safety net to catch him. So while we ask the question, is the risk worth the reward? In the mind and heart of Darby Allin, it certainly is.

“I’m excited to go climb Mount Everest next year. I got like a coach and everything that we were talking about. I have to wait until April and May because that’s the only hiking season right now. You can only climb it between April and May. Once you connect with a team that like sets everything up, they kind of handle everything. You just give them your information and sh***. So I’ve been talking to one guy who has submitted it before, and he’s climbed to base camp a bunch of other times, but he’s put me in touch with a bunch of people, and we want to most likely document the whole thing. Like some type of team from Discovery.” – via h/WrestlingInc.

Allin’s life, whether it’s unfolded on camera or not, hasn’t lived a privileged life. He’s faced death, love, lost love, his beloved trainer passed away, and literally came from nothing. So whether he lives or not, climbing Mount Everest is so perfectly him. It’s the journey he’s decided that he wants to take. But for those of us that may question his sanity, really shouldn’t. He was trained by former WWF enhancement talent and father of AEW talent trainee Nick Wayne, Buddy Wayne. Wayne is no longer with us but always left Allin with a sense of being able to tell a story in the ring.

“My trainer is old school. His name is Buddy Wayne. He is super old school. I’ve learned the old-school style, and I do apply it if you see my matches. It’s not just high spots. There is a lot of storytelling behind everything I do. There is a brain behind what I do. As far as what people say about me, that I need to slow down, I know what works for me, and my body feels great. I’m really on physical therapy, recovery, stretching, and icing. I feel great.”

-Darby Allin on training under Buddy Wayne and match preparation [h/tSEScoops]

In his own words, we see the risks in the ring, but what we aren’t privy to is what he does before and after to treat his body and prepare it for the next match. So while we tend to marvel at how he is able to do what he does, should we really? While the comparison to Jeff Hardy has been made likely, due to his in-ring style, his risks outside of the ring, his use of body art, and his tattoos, that is where the comparison ends. Allin lives a straight-edge lifestyle. As it has been documented elsewhere, it was, among other reasons, partially due to being in a car accident as a passenger at the age of 5 while his uncle drove intoxicated, causing the car to crash and killing his uncle in the process.

“There’s lots of reasons”..But, you know, just growing up and having friends, close friends and family members kind of waste their life on drugs or alcohol? It kind of sucked to see that they couldn’t reach their full potential in life.”…”they’re sitting around wasting life, blaming it. ‘Oh, I didn’t make it to where I wanted because of alcohol and drugs.’ I was sick of hearing these excuses. So I told myself, a long time ago. If I fail in life? I can’t blame it on alcohol or the drugs, it’s gonna be 100% my fault. I have no one to blame it on except my own self.”

– Darby Allin on the decision to live a straight-edge lifestyle [h/tSEScoops]

As much of a stretch as this is to believe but from the perspective of any parent, you want your child grows up happy and healthy and ultimately hope they make good decisions. And while the decision to go up and climb one of the wonders of the world that has killed many people in their attempts to do so seems like the least possible ‘good decision’ your child could make, you also have to have faith in them and trust them that they know themselves better than anyone else., Allin seems to be approaching this with cautious optimism.

He’s already shared how he plans on having it documented to air. While accidents can happen, would Discovery Channel want to air his ultimate demise? Would Tony Khan and AEW not do everything in their power to help create a situation where Allin was in the best possible chance to succeed?

While Samuel ‘Darby Allin’ Ratsch may be living ‘half dead’ with half of his body painted representing a skeleton, he still is living. While he ran the risk of possibly passing away as a child, and although it appears as though he lives each day as though it was his last, Allin is living life on his terms. He doesn’t approach life as though there is a risk with each move but rather that with facing near death, being homeless, and having friends suffer from substance abuse, he sees that there is so much more out there. So while many likely believe that Darby Allin should fear climbing Mount Everest, it is Mount Everest that may likely fear that it is Allin that is climbing it.

The risk may not ultimately be worth it, and the price to have to pay to climb it doesn’t seem worth it as it was reported in 2022 of costing nearly $55,000 plus dollars to do so, and you could ultimately die doing so. Every year several people do it, and whether we agree with it or not, there must be some motivation to do so. For Allin to do it and likely with the blessing (and probably support from AEW), he won’t only attempt it but accomplish it.

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