All In Texas is still over a year away, but Darby Allin has confirmed he’s already looking for ways to get started. The AEW star, who faces Jack Perry for the TNT Championship this weekend at All In London, spoke to the Dallas Morning News for a new interview and you can see the highlights below:
To participate in the All In Texas announcement: “The experience itself was incredible. Because I’ve been with AEW since day one. Like, literally day one. Just to watch this place grow, we had no — there were no guarantees of anything when it started. We didn’t know if anybody was going to care or how it was going to turn out. And to fast forward all these years later in such a short period of time and actually set an all-time attendance record at a wrestling event (last year at Wembley Stadium). But then to do a stadium show in the U.S., that’s tough stuff, and I don’t think people really understand how fast we’ve grown. And to see it from the beginning is incredible. It was cool to be at the bottom level and know that our hard work and everything we put into it helped create this. All the sacrifices, the physical craziness I’ve been through over the last few years, it feels like it’s all coming together at a moment like the announcement of July 12, 2025. It’s just unbelievable.”
Regarding Renee Paquette’s statement that he is already looking for starting points for All In Texas: “That was the very first thing I did after the press conference. I just walked around and looked to see what I could fall off of. To me, all these buildings have such an aura and atmosphere in these stadiums. And every time I walk in, I ask myself what can I do to make a lasting impression. And I put myself in the shoes of a fourth grader, you know what I mean? If I saw something, what am I going to remember for the rest of my life? Because with this wrestling stuff, it’s pretty wild how much of an impact you can have on people’s lives. I don’t take it for granted. It’s pretty crazy, you know, how you can inspire somebody and change the whole course of their life.
“Because I didn’t have the confidence to do wrestling until I was 21. It’s definitely something I wanted to do. I’ve been a fan my whole life. I thought it would be the best thing if I could do wrestling. But then, you know, you grow up and in middle school and high school you feel like the real world is slapping you in the face. And then you start thinking, yeah, this is impossible, you know, you’re too small and stuff. You almost start settling. I don’t think any kid grows up and thinks, when I grow up, I want to be a tax lawyer. They don’t. As a kid, you have to shoot for the stars.
“I feel like from a young age I was so against listening to others. My dad said you need a job. And I said no way. If I could help unlock what’s going on in young people’s minds, then I can do that, you know what I mean? And if my story helps them unlock that, then it changes the whole course of their lives. It only takes one person. So if I’m that one person that helps somebody change their life, then let’s do it. And weirdly enough, it all starts with making a crazy memory, like jumping off a scaffold. That moment where you say, ‘I was in fourth grade and I saw Darby Allin jump off that scaffold, and that stuck with me for the rest of my life.’ You don’t forget something like that. And for me, it was people like Jeff Hardy, you know, or Mick Foley. You don’t forget something like that. So if I have to sacrifice myself on Globe Life Field, OK.”
On his promo post about Jack Perry last week: “So, I shot a promo (last) Wednesday talking about Jack, and that’s exactly how I felt. I was literally homeless. And I didn’t know where my career was going. When I first got into pro wrestling, I was like, either I’m going to make it as Darby or I’m going to fail as Darby, but I’m not going to change anything. … And I begged to come to AEW, begged. I heard Cody (Rhodes) was interested, and I didn’t even know who Cody (personally) was, and I heard he was interested, and then I just kept calling him. I was pestering the hell out of this guy because I felt deep in my soul that I needed to be here, and I’m not going to stop at anything. Meanwhile, Jack Perry has done about three independent shows in California, and he has the Young Bucks on speed dial. It was so easy for him to get here and I didn’t even know if I could do it.
“When you see somebody, you can see in their eyes if they have that killer instinct. With him, it just seemed like spring break. It’s just fun. Like you never really had to fight for anything your whole life. Then I get (the call from Cody), you’re in AEW. I remember crying. I just knew what a big opportunity this was going to be. And then you see somebody just passing by like Jack Perry, all these years later, everything he takes for granted. He’s TNT champion, but he’s never on TNT. You can come to work when it’s convenient for you. With all the crap that happened with him last year, and then fast forward, it’s like you wouldn’t miss it if you got fired. I feel like I’m fighting for, you know, hard work, against complacency. But now it’s a casket fight. So, you know, it’s funny because right away people are like, whoa, why so extreme? I set the guy on fire (at Anarchy in the Arena). What are we going to lock him up and wrestle in chains, you know what I mean? Like, ‘Dude, let’s finish this at Wembley. Come on, man. Like, this is Wembley. I don’t want a year-long program with Jack. I just want to finish it.'”
