Darby Allin is known for his incredible pain tolerance, but even he had to hide an injury from AEW before a match with Sting on pay per view.
Darby Allin and Sting are one of the top tag teams in All Elite Wrestling, remaining undefeated since their debut match together at AEW Revolution 2021.
That match was a cinematic, pre-taped match that pitted the pair against Brian Cage and Ricky Starks. Sting and Darby beat Team Taz, in the first of many victories in AEW.
Their second bout came months later, at Double or Nothing 2021. This was the first time Sting had wrestled in front of a crowd since Night of Champions 2015, when he had been forced to retire due to injuries.
However, it was Darby Allin that went into the match with injuries, something he had to hide from AEW management, so that they would let him wrestle.
Speaking on the Hawk vs Wolf Podcast (featuring Tony Hawk), Darby Allin and Jamie Hayter spoke about all manner of injuries they have faced over their lives.
Allin revealed how he cracked his head open skateboarding prior to Double or Nothing. He also thought he broke his wrist and kneecap, which would have ruled him out of the match with Sting.
It’s his first live match back in front of an audience, and a week earlier, I was filming some skating down at the Gates of Hell in Phoenix, Arizona. The video I sent you [Hawk] where, I went down, but then hit the crack and flew into the wall, I thought I broke my wrist and kneecap all at once.
I’m just laying there in blood. I’m in a red ant hill and shit. I went to Jaws’ [Skateboarder Aaron “Jaws” Homoki] house. I was contemplating going to the hospital, but I told Jaws, ‘I’m going to sit in the bathtub for two hours and if I piss blood, I’ll to the hospital, but if I don’t, I won’t go.
The only person Darby Allin told about his injury was Sting, who noticed how banged up he was walking into the arena.
Allin eventually told Sting the extent of the injury, and the pair agreed to say nothing to AEW management, until the match was over.
As it was Sting’s big return to the ring, he did not want anything to spoil the huge moment for the former WCW Champion.
It was a week before he made his return on pay-per-view and the whole week, I was limping on my knee and icing it like crazy. I didn’t know how to tell anybody that I flew into a wall skateboarding.
It was a pay-per-view and so much riding on this match. I showed up and told everyone that I was training and I smashed my knee. ‘Dude, you’re really messed up.’ I low-key told Sting behind the scenes, ‘What really happened?’ He knows that I’m crazy outside of the ring. I showed him the video and he started laughing. That was pretty stressful.
The pair went out and wrestled Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky, despite the injury.
Darby Allin and Sting picked up the victory over the Men of the Year, adding to their already undefeated streak in wrestling.
Sting has announced his retirement from wrestling will happen in 2023, although he has confirmed that the match will not be against Darby Allin.
Click below to find out why.https://atletifo.com/wrestling/aew/darby-allin-vs-sting-aew/