AEW’s Darby Allin is known for his iconic face paint. He leaves half of his face blank with the other half painted to look like a skull, with a number of iconic designs being used over the years.
He is one of the fastest rising stars in AEW for both his in-ring work and his compelling character that the fans have grown to love. While he is incredible in the ring and has grown as a promo, Darby Allin’s face paint is one of the main things that has set him apart from his peers.
His image is immediately recognisable. Darby Allin is AEW’s homegrown version of Sting. their young star who embodies the spirit and look of the iconic former WCW Champion. AEW recognised these similarities and paired the duo together, enhancing both man’s legends in the company.
His black and white face paint is distinctly Darby Allin, in a creative and creepy kind of way. His chalky look is reminiscent of the Joker from The Dark Knight and he embodies that fearlessness inside the ring with everything he does.
The fact Darby Allin only paints half of his face and make it looks like a skull is the most intriguing thing about it. It begs the question, why does Darby Allin where face paint and what does his face paint represent.
Darby Allin Face Paint
Darby Allin wears face paint to express how he is dead inside, after a near death experience that killed his uncle when he was a child.
Darby Allin’s face paint is one of the most intriguing mysteries in AEW. Why does he paint his face? What does his face paint mean? Well, the young star revealed all in a telling interview which came with some shocking revelations.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Darby Allin revealed that his face paint was born out of tragedy and that the reason he paints is face is due to him losing a family member in a horrific accident.
Allin revealed that when he was five years old, he was driven in the car by his uncle. However, his uncle was drunk driving and crashed the car with a young Darby Allin in the car. The crash killed his uncle, but a young Darby survived despite his young age. However, the crash had a deep impact on his psyche, and he considers himself half dead inside.
That is why he wears his face paint on half his face. Because he is “50% dead inside”
“I paint my face because 50 percent of me is dead inside. When I was five, my uncle was driving drunk. I was in the car with him. We crashed and he passed away,”
Darby Allin on his face paint.
The crash was a horrific event for Darby Allin to suffer and the reason he wears face paint is a depressing thing to learn. If he truly feels half dead inside due to the death of his uncle, who he was close with, then maybe he needs to seek some professional help.
Darby Allin Straight Edge
Darby Allin also revealed he is a Straight-Edge. Like CM Punk. he abstains from any kind of drink and drugs and only has adrenaline as his addiction, which is clear based on his daredevil wrestling style.
Although some may think it was due to the accident, Darby Allin’s Straight-Edge lifestyle did not draw from his near-death experience. Instead it came from his love of skateboarding and not wanting to see his life ruined at the bottom of a bottle.
“That’s why I have this ‘Nothing’s over ’til you’re underground’ tattoo on my chest. A lot of people think that’s why I’m straight edge, and to a degree it is.”
“And it’s from watching close friends, some who were very talented in the world of skateboarding, blow their opportunities because of drugs or alcohol. I made a commitment to myself that, when I set out to do everything I wanted to do, I couldn’t blame it on drugs or alcohol.”
He has used his character in wrestling to face his demons and his fears, which is something that is admirable. Darby Allin’s face paint helps to show the troubles he faced to the world and embrace the challenges he has overcome, despite coming face-to-face with death on a number of occasions.
Darby Allin has linked up with Sting in recent months in AEW, with the pair not only having matching face paint but matching ideas in the ring. They have risen to being one of the best tag teams in AEW, despite Sting being nearly 40 years older than the young Darby.
Despite popular misconception, Sting is not Darby Allin’s son. The pair had to relationship prior to Sting signing to AEW and their matching face paint is merely a coincidence (although he could have been a fan of The Icon during his time in TNA).
It is expected that Darby Allin vs Sting will happen eventually in AEW and could be Sting’s last ever match. Allin has been trusted with multiple big matches in the past, like being CM Punk’s first match back after 7 years out of the ring and teaming with Sting on a number of occasions.
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