Darby Allin

1.1. Childhood and Education

Born on January 7, 1993, Samuel Ratsch grew up in Seattle, Washington. In his childhood, Ratsch participated in various sports. He was involved in track and field and played American football, influenced by one of his grandfathers who played in the NFL. He also briefly took part in amateur wrestling, initially mistaking it for professional wrestling.

After high school, Ratsch attended a film school in Arizona but dropped out to pursue a career in skateboarding. Through connections, he made regular appearances in video clips with friends on the television series Ridiculousness, though one particular video was deemed too extreme for broadcast. He also appeared on an episode of Sex Sent Me to the ER, later admitting in an interview with Chris Van Vliet that the story for this appearance was fabricated, as he needed the money. For approximately three years, Ratsch experienced intentional homelessness.

1.2. Personal Life and Values

Ratsch adheres to a straight edge lifestyle, avoiding alcohol, tobacco, and recreational drugs. This personal conviction was adopted partly due to a traumatic incident during his childhood: at the age of five, Ratsch was a passenger in a car driven by his uncle, who was driving while intoxicated. His uncle lost control of the vehicle and died in the resulting crash, though Ratsch survived. This profound experience led Ratsch to feel "half dead" inside, a sentiment he visually expresses through his signature half-skull face paint during his professional wrestling matches.

Skateboarding remains a significant passion for Ratsch, and he initially aimed to become a professional skateboarder. This background has been integrated into his wrestling persona, as he often rides a skateboard to the ring during his entrance and occasionally uses it as a weapon. Although he was initially hesitant to combine skateboarding with his wrestling work, fearing it might be perceived as inauthentic by fans of both disciplines, he overcame his doubts following encouragement and advice from fellow wrestler Chris Jericho.

On November 21, 2018, Ratsch married fellow professional wrestler Priscilla Kelly, who now wrestles for WWE's NXT brand under the name Gigi Dolin. However, the couple announced their divorce on August 10, 2020. Kelly later confirmed in December 2020 that they were no longer married but remained friends.

In the early 2020s, Ratsch developed a keen interest in mountaineering. He publicly announced his intention to climb Mount Everest in March 2024. Ratsch dedicated much of late 2023 and early 2024 to training for the Everest ascent. However, shortly before his planned departure, he sustained a broken foot during a professional wrestling match. Following this injury, Ratsch stated that he would endeavor to climb Everest during the 2025 climbing season instead.

2.1. Independent Circuit (2014-2019)

Ratsch made his professional wrestling debut in late 2014 for Blue Collar Wrestling in Portland, Oregon, initially under the ring name Darby Graves before adopting Darby Allin. From 2015 to 2019, Darby Allin wrestled for numerous independent promotions, including EVOLVE Wrestling, The Wrestling REVOLVER, Full Impact Pro, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), and Game Changer Wrestling (GCW).

His debut for World Wrestling Network occurred at EVOLVE 59 in April 2016, where he lost to Ethan Page. At EVOLVE 74, Allin was defeated by Brian Cage via countout after being powerslammed over a barricade. Allin debuted for Style Battle in January 2017, losing to Dave Crist. He also made his Full Impact Pro debut in early 2017 at FIP Everything Burns, losing a Fight For All match. On the same event, Allin, alongside A. R. Fox, Dave Crist, and Sami Callihan, defeated Sammy Guevara, Dezmond Xavier, Jason Kincaid, and Jason Cade in an eight-man tag team match.

At EVOLVE 93, he was defeated by DJZ. In January 2018, Allin unsuccessfully challenged Zack Sabre Jr. for the Evolve Championship at EVOLVE 98. Later that year, at EVOLVE 113, Allin was defeated by NXT wrestler Velveteen Dream. He also faced losses against Mustafa Ali at EVOLVE 116, Kassius Ohno at EVOLVE 117, and Roderick Strong at EVOLVE 118.

During WrestleMania 35 weekend in April 2019, Allin wrestled his final match for EVOLVE at EVOLVE 125, losing to Anthony Henry. He also participated in the Amerika Ist Wunderbar event promoted by Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) in conjunction with WWN, where he was defeated by Avalanche. The following day at WWN Supershow Mercury Rising, he teamed with his then-wife Priscilla Kelly in a losing effort against Austin Theory and Brandi Lauren. Shortly after, it was announced that Allin would be ending his three-year relationship with EVOLVE and WWN.

2.2. Major League Wrestling and International Appearances (2017-2019)

Darby Allin debuted for Major League Wrestling (MLW) at their One-Shot pay-per-view as a heel, securing a victory against Jason Cade. His subsequent feud in MLW saw him team with Jimmy Havoc against John Hennigan and Shane Strickland at Never Say Never, where Darby dramatically hit Hennigan with a Coffin Drop from the top of a balcony while Hennigan was strapped to a chair, leading to a victory for Allin and Havoc. He engaged in various feuds, including with Joey Janela and Sami Callihan, before departing MLW in April 2018 due to other commitments.

On June 3, 2018, Allin made his Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide debut at Verano de Escándalo. He competed in a six-way match that also featured Aero Star, Drago, Sammy Guevara, Australian Suicide, and Golden Magic, which was won by Aero Star.

In 2018 and 2019, Allin also wrestled for Progress Wrestling during their American tours. He debuted for the promotion at Chapter 66: Mardi Graps in Louisiana, participating in a Thunderbastard match won by Jeff Cobb. He later appeared on day five of the Coast to Coast Tour, where he teamed with Jack Sexsmith and Toni Storm in a six-person tag team match. On March 14, 2019, Allin was announced as a participant in Progress's Super Strong Style 16 tournament. He was defeated by Paul Robinson on day one. On day two, he teamed with Chris Ridgeway and Lucky Kid in a six-man lucha rules tag team match, defeating Artemis Spencer, Chris Brookes, and DJZ. On day three, Allin took part in a scramble match, which was won by Brookes.

2.3. All Elite Wrestling (2019-present)

2.3.2. First TNT Championship Reign and Alliance with Sting (2020-2021)

On November 7, 2020, Darby Allin achieved his first major championship in AEW by defeating Cody Rhodes to win the AEW TNT Championship at Full Gear. Following his championship win, Rhodes and Allin united to feud with Team Taz (Taz, Will Hobbs, Brian Cage, and Ricky Starks). On the November 18, 2020, episode of Dynamite, Will Hobbs turned heel by assisting Team Taz in attacking both Allin and Rhodes.

A significant moment occurred on the December 2, 2020, special Winter Is Coming episode of Dynamite, where Allin and Rhodes teamed up to defeat Hobbs and Starks. After the match, Sting made his highly anticipated AEW debut, running off Team Taz when they attacked Allin and Rhodes, leading to an intense staredown between Allin and Sting. This marked the beginning of their alliance.

On the January 13, 2021, special New Year's Smash Night 2, Allin made his first successful title defense against Brian Cage. On January 21, it was announced that Allin and Sting would face Team Taz's Ricky Starks and Brian Cage in a street fight at Revolution. At Revolution, Allin and Sting were victorious over Team Taz in a cinematic pre-taped match, marking a unique collaboration.

Allin continued to defend his TNT Championship successfully. On the March 10, 2021, episode of Dynamite, he defeated Scorpio Sky. On March 17, Allin issued an open challenge to The Dark Order as a tribute to the late Brodie Lee, who he referred to as the "greatest TNT Champion of all time." The challenge was accepted by John Silver, whom Allin defeated the following week to retain the title. He made further successful defenses against JD Drake on the April 7 episode of Dynamite and against The Butcher at AEW's first non-televised event on April 9. Allin also began a feud with Matt Hardy. On April 21, Allin successfully defended the championship against Jungle Boy, and on April 28, he retained against Dark Order's 10. After this match, he was attacked by Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page, but they were saved by Lance Archer and Dark Order's 10.

On the May 12 episode of Dynamite, Allin lost the TNT Championship to Miro, ending his reign at 186 days, which was the longest in the title's history at that point. At Double or Nothing, Allin teamed with Sting to defeat the team of Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page. He then defeated Ethan Page in AEW's first-ever Coffin Match at Night 1 of Fyter Fest on July 14, bringing an end to their feud.

On the August 20 episode of AEW Rampage, titled The First Dance, Allin was challenged to a pay-per-view match at All Out by CM Punk, who had made his highly anticipated AEW debut after a seven-year absence from professional wrestling. Allin lost the match to Punk.

2.3.3. Second TNT Championship Reign and World Tag Team Championship (2022-2024)

At Revolution 2022, Allin, Sammy Guevara, and Sting won a Tornado tag team match against Andrade El Idolo, Matt Hardy, and Isiah Kassidy. On the May 11, 2022, episode of Dynamite, Allin wrestled Jeff Hardy. Despite losing the match, Allin garnered significant media attention for performing a daring jump off a tall ladder onto Hardy, who was lying on steel chairs.

In December 2022, Allin began a feud with the reigning TNT Champion, Samoa Joe. On the January 4, 2023, episode of Dynamite, in his hometown of Seattle, Washington, Allin defeated Samoa Joe to win the TNT Championship for the second time. He successfully defended the title four times over the span of four weeks on Dynamite and Rampage against various opponents. However, Allin lost the title back to Samoa Joe in a No Holds Barred match on the February 1 episode of Dynamite, ending his second TNT title reign after 28 days.

At Double or Nothing on May 28, Allin competed in a "Four Pillars" four-way match for the AEW World Championship against champion MJF, "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry, and Sammy Guevara, which saw MJF retain the title. At All In on August 27, an event held in London's Wembley Stadium, Allin and Sting defeated Swerve Strickland and Christian Cage in a tag team coffin match.

On the February 7, 2024, episode of Dynamite, Allin and Sting defeated Ricky Starks and Big Bill to win the AEW World Tag Team Championship. This marked Allin's first reign with the tag team titles. Following their victory, they were attacked by The Young Bucks (Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson). The Young Bucks then became the number one contenders for the title, leading to a scheduled defense against Allin and Sting in a tornado tag team match at Revolution in March, which was also Sting's retirement match. At the event, Allin and Sting retained the titles, thus Sting retired undefeated as a tag team with Allin. As a result of Sting's retirement, the AEW World Tag Team Championship was vacated, ending their reign at 25 days.

After this, Allin had planned to take some time off to climb Mount Everest. Following his match at Big Business against Jay White, Bullet Club Gold (Jay White, Austin Gunn, and Colten Gunn) attacked him, a storyline event to write him off television. However, Allin later revealed that he had suffered a genuine broken foot during the match, which postponed his Everest attempt.

2.3.4. Championship Pursuits (2024-present)

On the May 15, 2024, episode of Dynamite, Allin made a surprise return, coming to the aid of Bryan Danielson and FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) from an attack by The Elite (Kazuchika Okada, Matthew Jackson, Nicholas Jackson, and Jack Perry). It was later announced that Allin would replace the injured Eddie Kingston to team with Danielson and FTR on Team AEW to face The Elite in an Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing on May 26, where Team AEW was defeated.

On the July 10 episode of Dynamite, Allin returned by attacking Brandon Cutler and sent a warning to The Elite. On July 24 at AEW Dynamite - Blood & Guts, Allin was part of Team AEW and defeated The Elite in a Blood and Guts match. Two days later, Allin won a 20-man Royal Rampage Battle Royal to earn a shot at the AEW World Championship match at Grand Slam. On August 25 at All In, Allin was unsuccessful in capturing the AEW TNT Championship from Jack Perry in a Coffin match.

On the September 11 episode of Dynamite, Jon Moxley, who had been calling out Allin for several weeks, demanded that Allin hand over his AEW World Championship opportunity so that Moxley could challenge Bryan Danielson. Allin refused, leading Moxley to challenge Allin to a match at Grand Slam on September 25 with the championship opportunity on the line, which Allin accepted. At Grand Slam, Allin was defeated by Jon Moxley, losing his right to challenge for the AEW World Championship. On October 12 at WrestleDream, Allin defeated Brody King. After the main event, Allin, along with Wheeler Yuta, came to the aid of Bryan Danielson from an attack by the Blackpool Combat Club. However, Allin was blindsided by Yuta and was forced to watch as the Blackpool Combat Club continued their assault on Danielson. On November 24, Allin was announced as a participant in the 2024 Continental Classic, where he was placed in the Gold League. Allin finished the tournament with 7 points, failing to advance to the playoff stage. On the December 27 episode of Rampage, Allin was attacked by the Death Riders (formerly known as the Blackpool Combat Club) and thrown down a flight of stairs, a storyline event to allow him to resume his training for climbing Mount Everest.

2.4. Pro Wrestling Noah (2023)

On January 23, 2023, Darby Allin and Sting made their Pro Wrestling Noah debut at The Great Muta Final "Bye-Bye", the retirement show for Keiji Muto's Great Muta character in Japan. Allin, Sting, and Muto teamed up in the main event, a six-man tag team match, where they defeated AKIRA, Hakushi, and Naomichi Marufuji.

3.1. Ring Name and Appearance

His current ring name, Darby Allin, is derived from two influential figures in punk rock: Germs frontman Darby Crash and the transgressive musician GG Allin. This naming choice reflects Ratsch's longstanding passion for punk rock.

His signature half-skull face paint, which covers one half of his face, is a direct expression of a profound personal trauma. It stems from his sentiment that he has been "half dead" inside since surviving the car accident at age five in which his uncle died. This visual representation serves as a constant reminder of that life-altering event.

3.2. In-ring Style and Notable Moves

Allin's in-ring style is characterized by his reckless abandon, high-flying maneuvers, and willingness to put his body on the line. He frequently incorporates his skateboarding background into his wrestling persona. During his entrance, he often rides a skateboard to the ring, and he occasionally uses it as a weapon during matches.

His finishing moves include:

• Coffin Drop: A back-senton where he performs a backward flip off the top rope or a high structure, landing on his opponent's chest or back.
• Last Supper: A figure-four leglock variation applied as a pinfall maneuver, where he traps his opponent's legs in a figure-four position to secure a pin.