Darby Allin Comments on Pitching Idea for Him to Fill In for Eddie Kingston for Team AEW
As noted before, Darby Allin made his surprise return from a broken foot injury to AEW on the May 15th AEW Dynamite show in Everett, Washington.
A recent episode of the Battleground Podcast featured Allin as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Allin’s thoughts about his recent return from injury to AEW and revealed that he had pitched to be Eddie Kingston’s replacement for Team AEW after he had learned of Kingston’s broken leg injury.
” It’s been a rough few months. Everybody said, ‘You know, maybe it was a blessing in disguise that you broke your foot in Jay White’s match’ so I couldn’t climb Mount Everest and then they said, oh, he’s safe now. He’s at home, he’s safe now and then, get hit by a bus (he laughed). Yeah, it’s been a rough few months but, I was in the middle of doing a cross-country roadtrip with my dad and my mom, last week, from Seattle. Moved them down to Georgia where I live. We’re on this cross-country road trip and we’re halfway across the country. At this point, we were in like Montana and I get the news that Eddie Kingston broke his leg. So, right then and there I was like, ‘F*ck…’ Well, it was my idea (to return for Anarchy in the Arena). I was like, someone needs to step up and I was already in Montana and then I flipped the b*tch and started driving back to Seattle, 12 hours where I just came from. So literally, as I was on that show, that was me pulling up to Seattle. I didn’t sleep for like a day and it was just like the whole time I was driving, I was like, ‘What are you doing? Why are you doing this? Dude, just enjoy your time off. You don’t have to do this.’ But I felt compelled to just keep driving, and as I’m driving, I’m trying to get clearance from my foot doctor, my nose doctor, everybody. I’m just like, ‘Hey! Yo, I feel like I have to do this. Is there a possibility?’ And I got the clearance, but I do not feel 100 percent. I don’t know. Just the timing of being in Seattle last week and everything and making my return and people were surprised because, f*ck, I was surprised. About a day earlier, I got the confirmation that I was gonna be in that match pretty much Tuesday night before that Dynamite. So, I was surprised because Monday morning, I didn’t think I was gonna be in that match.”
Allin also gave his thoughts about others feeling that is making his return too soon from a broken foot injury.
“I can’t argue against them, in the way that maybe it’s too soon (for me to come back). Maybe it is too soon. But there’s only one way to find out and that’s Sunday. I literally can’t argue against them because I can’t say, no! I’m 100 percent because honestly, last week, I was in a boot. In a boot walking around… Right as Dynamite was starting, for the first time since I broke my foot, I put my foot in a shoe. That’s the very first time I put my foot in a shoe right before I went out there because I was rolling up to the building in a boot, and so it’s like, maybe it is too soon. But I got the doctor’s clearance, but, we’ll see how physically everything is so I can’t argue against anybody that says it’s too soon but the only thing I can argue about is my love for this place and if you love something so much and you’re willing to step up and you know, Eddie, I was excited when Eddie Kingston was announced in the match. I remember watching it with the broken face and and the broken foot, just being like, ‘Oh yeah, Eddie’s in this match’ because Eddie in the Anarchy in the Arena matches, that’s iconic. Him walking down the ramp with the gas tank, that’s iconic and I was super excited to watch this match. But then all of a sudden, it’s changed to me. Feeling the need to be in this match because I feel like someone needed to step up and we’ll see man. We’ll see if it’s too soon. But, I’m looking forward to the challenge because, literally the mental pain of sitting down and watching the show for however long I was gone, I would say it was worse than any of the physical pain that I’ve been through. So if I could just even have one percent of getting in there, I’ll take it.”
Transcript h/t: PostWrestling.com
Current Cards for May 24th Rampage & May 25th Collision Shows
AEW recently announced two new matches for the card of this week’s AEW Collision show on May 25th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The first new match announced was a tag team match of The Lucha Bros (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix) vs. The Gunns (Austin & Colten Gunn).
#AEWCollision THIS SATURDAY in Las Vegas, the night before #AEWDoN
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 23, 2024
LIVE 8pm ET/7pm CT | TBS
Lucha Brothers vs The Gunns #DeathTriangle’s @PENTAELZEROM & @ReyFenixMx face 2/3 of the Unified World Trios Champs #BangBangGang’s @theaustingunn & @coltengunn THIS SATURDAY in Vegas! pic.twitter.com/3yAnf9VhGO
The second new match announced was a Trios match of Bryan Danielson & FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. Satnam Singh, Jay Lethal, & Jeff Jarrett.
THIS SATURDAY#AEWCollision Las Vegas
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) May 24, 2024
8pm ET/7pm CT
TBS@DaxFTR/@CashWheelerFTR/@bryandanielson vs
Satnam/Lethal/Jarrett
As AEW celebrates 5 years this weekend,
24 hours before #AEWDoN vs The Elite, FTR join Bryan to collide vs the hired guns who attacked him,
Saturday on TBS! pic.twitter.com/xABpSsy7Fu
Current card for May 25th AEW Collision show:
- The Lucha Bros (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix) vs. The Gunns (Austin & Colten Gunn)
- Trios match – Bryan Danielson & FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. Satnam Singh, Jay Lethal, & Jeff Jarrett
AEW also recently announced the full card for Friday’s AEW Rampage show, which was taped this past Wednesday in Bakersfield, California.
Full card for May 24th AEW Rampage show:
- PAC vs. Rocky Romero
- Willow Nightingale & Kris Statlander vs. Anna Jay & Alex Windsor
- RUSH vs. Isiah Kassidy
- Samoa Joe vs. mystery opponent
AEW News & Notes
AEW and collectables manufacturer YouTooz recently announced the official launch of a new series of AEW branded collectable figures.
AEW recently released a new video for their AEW Stories digital series on YouTube focusing on Mark Briscoe.
AEW also recently announced that Swerve Strickland and rapper Flash Garments will be performing at Fozzy’s “All In All Night” concert on August 23rd at the O2 Forum Kentish Town in London, England.
AEW held one dark match prior to the start of this past Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite show in Bakersfield, California. This was a singles match of Zak Knight defeated Che Cabrera.
ESPN announced that they have recently signed a five-year partnership deal with Warner Bros Discovery’s TNT Sports to air select College Football Playoff games on TNT starting with this upcoming new season. It is currently not known how WBD’s new deal with ESPN will affect AEW and the current talks between WBD and AEW for a new television deal.
As noted before, Tay Melo has been out of action for AEW since March of 2023 due to maternity leave reasons and the birth of her first child. Melo recently revealed that she has started training for her in-ring return. Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that it is currently not known if AEW officials have held any recent talks regarding potential creative plans for Melo’s return.
In a recent interview with the Busted Open Radio podcast, former AEW talent Cody Rhodes gave his thoughts about if he still keeps track of AEW since his return to WWE. Rhodes stated “I think I’ll always have an eye on it,” Rhodes responded. “Because it’s just not something you can abandon in your mind in a sense of, hey, me, Matt [Jackson], Nick [Jackson], Kenny [Omega], Tony [Khan], Brandi [Rhodes], Bernie [Cahill], Chris [Harrington], Dana [Massie] started this thing, especially if you were in those initial meetings. So I’ll always have an eye for it. I could never just pretend it’s not there anymore.” Rhodes also stated that he has a lot of great memories of his time in AEW. Rhodes stated “I had said this before, I wouldn’t root against my former company. And I keep eyes on them. And I have a lot of really great memories, really more than anything,” Rhodes said. “Sometimes things are just for a season in your life. That was a season in my life, and it was a really great season.” (Transcript h/t: F4WOnline.com)
In a recent interview with the Busted Open Radio podcast, Jim Ross gave his thoughts on the potential of him and Jerry “The King” Lawler having a one-time reunion in AEW. Ross stated “I think so. A one-off. I don’t think he wants to re-invest in a weekly schedule. I certainly don’t. I’m only doing pay-per-views now for Tony Khan and I’m very comfortable and happy with that. People say, ‘Well, you should, you’re only working one day a month.’ What about those other 50 years I put in? I’ve paid my dues and I’m happy with my schedule. I’m happy that Tony Khan is respectful enough to manage my schedule so I can live a little longer. I still get excited about it.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
In the same interview, Jim Ross also gave his thoughts about his belief that Bryan Danielson would do a great job as Head of Talent Relations in AEW if he wanted to take up the job in the future. Ross stated “Bryan Danielson would do great (as Head of Talent Relations for AEW). He’s levelheaded, he’s cerebral, student of the game. I love the guy and he’s a hell of a worker and he has a good communication skill base. So, he would be a guy that I would certainly consider in that role. You have to have somebody in that role that the talent can go to and see council and sometimes just to listen to them. I remember you (Bully Ray) and I… D-Von (Dudley), when we had that little meeting about your payoff. Was it WrestleMania or SummerSlam? Yeah (it was SummerSlam). You thought it was a little light and I agreed with you, and so we changed it. No big deal. That’s an ego thing. I didn’t have the ego to affect it. I wanted to be fair. You guys deserve more money. But you gotta remember too, Vince (McMahon) was involved in the payoffs for the pay-per-views and so I go back to him, say, ‘I think these guys are a little disappointed. I think they’re right in their thoughts,’ and he agreed. He agreed. If you go back to the reason and logic, it’s not that challenging. But you gotta have somebody in that role. You gotta have an offensive coordinator to get the plays in and to help the team shall we say.” (Transcript h/t: PostWrestling.com)
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