Outpoll | 'The cancer got cut out': Darby Allin credits AEW's recent success to ditching 'egotistical wrestlers that don't want to lose'

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'The cancer got cut out': Darby Allin credits AEW's recent success to ditching 'egotistical wrestlers that don't want to lose'

'The cancer got cut out': Darby Allin credits AEW's recent success to ditching 'egotistical wrestlers that don't want to lose'

LILiam Brooks

5 hours ago7 min read999 comments

Darby Allin is feeling alive after his return from Mt. Everest, and he’s bringing that same no-BS energy back to the AEW locker room, a place he says has finally shed its dead weight.In a recent chat that felt more like a locker room debrief than a formal interview, Allin didn’t hold back, crediting AEW's recent hot streak to a simple but profound purge: ditching what he bluntly called 'the cancer' of 'egotistical wrestlers that don't want to lose. ' He’s always been that dude who looks different—the face paint, the wild stunts, the fact that he’s not built like your typical heavyweight—but it’s his mindset that truly sets him apart.This isn’t about seeking the spotlight; it’s a genuine, almost philosophical quest to see how far he can push his own limits, a curiosity that recently took him to the peak of the world. As one of the company's OGs, Allin is now staring down a massive 'I Quit' match against Jon Moxley at AEW WrestleDream 2025, and he believes the company is evolving right alongside him.The backstage vibe, he insists, is at an all-time high. Remember those years of well-documented drama, the constant headlines and Twitter fingers? That tension has evaporated, replaced by a collective sense of purpose where everyone is, finally, rowing in the same direction.'A few years ago, you definitely felt this tension, but now everybody's on the same page,' Allin explained, his tone shifting from reflective to fired up. 'Let's make this place as good as possible, and I feel like a lot of people have to understand how good they have it.[AEW founder] Tony [Khan] wants everybody, in the ring and in their personal life, to be happy. That’s a really good energy.I feel like right now, more than ever—everybody's on the same wavelength. Everybody has the same goals.' That harmony, however, was hard-won. For a while, it felt like AEW was crumbling from the inside out, with the infamous 'Brawl Out' incident at All Out 2022 acting as the poster child for the chaos.That night was a mess, resulting in suspensions for key figures like The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and the ever-polarizing CM Punk. Even when Punk returned, the issues with other talent, like Jack Perry, simmered until it ultimately led to his release in 2023.While Allin was careful not to name names directly, he was clear that Punk wasn't the only culprit in poisoning the well with what he described as inflated egos and unnecessary drama. The problem was broader, a 'cancer' that needed excision.'The cancer got cut out,' Allin stated, not mincing words. 'Just egotistical wrestlers that don't want to lose.Groups of people. There’s a lot of people.' He then laid out his core philosophy, one that feels refreshingly simple in an industry often obsessed with political maneuvering and backstage power plays. 'At the end of the day, this is all staged.It's the greatest thing in the world, but it’s all staged. So if you're going to have an ego about that, get out of the f***ing sport.Go be in the UFC. Don’t bring that s*** here.This is about having fun. This is about putting on a good energy.Come on, man—just stop. Once all that got cleared up, I really felt, ‘OK, cool.Let’s rock. ’ I just don’t like egos.I can’t stand them. ' For Allin, wrestling is a finite, beautiful performance, not a vehicle for personal aggrandizement.'To me, it's a 15-minute ride. That's all it is,' he said, a perspective that keeps him grounded where others get lost in their own hype.'A lot of people believe their own hype, but at the end of the day, someone else is in control of your destiny. They're either going to make you the champion or make you the guy at the bottom.Someone else is controlling your destiny, and I have such a problem with that. That's a big reason I wanted to climb Mt.Everest, to really prove to myself I'm capable of anything. ' This disdain for ego is deeply personal and tied to his life's narrative.'I don't like ego. The wrestling world is just going to chew you up and spit you out.If you believe your hype and it spits you out—you're literally living your life for somebody else. That's what's so beautiful about AEW.They're like, 'Just do you. Focus on what makes you happy inside the ring and outside the ring.' It's the best of both worlds, and the fact they let me climb Mt. Everest in essentially the 'peak' of my career, you never get that.I have no ego, if it ends tomorrow, f*** it. ' The Everest climb wasn't just a checkbox on a bucket list; it was a physical and mental reinforcement of everything he stands for.It provided a stark clarity on what truly matters, a perspective he now carries directly into his performances. For anyone who's followed his career, the idea of Allin tackling one of the planet's most dangerous mountains was completely on-brand.He is, without a doubt, professional wrestling's premier risk-taker, a guy who thrives in those moments of extreme pressure, whether the cameras are rolling or not. But these stunts are never just for shock value.There's a profound depth to his madness, a systematic breakdown of mental barriers built from a lifetime of being told he wouldn't amount to anything. 'I love it,' he said, his voice calm but resolute.'. I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for me.I'm literally breaking down mental barriers in my mind every time I do something crazy. It's coming from a life of being told you're not going to amount to s***, and you spend your whole life believing what those people are saying.'Oh, I guess I'm just going to work at a fast food joint the rest of my life. '.You believe that. But the moment I started doing crazy s***, it made me feel like anything was possible.So I go out there and just go crazy in high school, jump off a roof into a bush or something. I'm getting mentally stronger.The crazier I get, the more confident I get. That's why I do the things that I do.' This willingness to go further than anyone else has cemented his status as one of AEW's most authentic stars. Yet, for all his individualism, he deeply respects leadership and consistency, qualities he sees embodied in his upcoming opponent, Jon Moxley.In Allin's eyes, 'Mox' is the prototype of the reliable, hardworking, ego-free wrestler every promotion dreams of having. 'Anybody that leads by example—I think Moxley is that guy,' Allin said, a note of respect clear in his voice.'He's a dude when everybody was like, ‘Can someone else become world champion?’ This guy is at every show. He's there when it starts, he's there when it closes.He's got no ego. And that’s why I see myself in him a lot.You just got to lead by example, and he literally will do anything. He’s there all the time.So it’s great. ' As Allin prepares for what is expected to be his final chapter with Moxley, another man known for pushing gruesome boundaries, he does so from a place of renewed strength and a locker room that, finally, feels like a unified team ready to rock.