Darby Allin admitted that the 2017 Independent show was the toughest experience of his career.
From being hit with thumb tacks while suspended above the ring, to landing through a pane of glass and being slammed into a jagged section of the ring steps, all of the landings the TNT Champion took were enough to make many AEW fans cringe. Although he’s often the talk of the show in one way or another, Allin has suffered more painful landings in his time with AEW than some wrestlers experience in their entire careers.
While broken bones can be healed and cuts can be stitched up, Allin’s most painful landing may have caused permanent damage. Speaking to Metro UK’s Alistair McGeorge, Allin recalled landing headfirst on concrete, leaving him with a concussion and bleeding on the brain.
“I think the hardest part was when I had a bad concussion in 2017 because it was so hard mentally. I would rather destroy anything than have my brain go haywire. When I was wrestling for an independent in 2017, there was no padding around the ring at all.”
“So I dived, my head hit the concrete, I was on the ground convulsing for like four seconds and that was it. And then I ended the match with a top rope powerbomb. My head hurt like crazy. I went to the hospital and they said I had a brain bleed, so they gave me anesthesia and all that. It was really bad. It was really insane.”
Darby Allin set to make another leap in 2025
At All In 2024, O’Lin will challenge TNT Champion Jack Perry for the title in a casket match. With a no-DQ rule and both fighters known for their high-stakes nature, fans are hoping something big happens in the match. Darby O’Lin is likely to leave fans talking about the show, but he has even bigger things planned for All In 2025 in Texas.
