Samuel Ratsch (born January 7, 1993),[5] better known by the ring name Darby Allin, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is a former two-time AEW TNT Champion and a former AEW World Tag Team Champion, having held the latter title with Sting during the final match of Sting’s career.
His wrestling persona incorporates influences from punk rock and skateboarding culture and is known for a high-risk, unorthodox in-ring style. Outside the ring, Ratsch lives a straight edge lifestyle and has pursued interests in filmmaking, skateboarding, and mountaineering.
Early life
Samuel Ratsch was born in Seattle, Washington. During his youth, he participated in track and field and played football, inspired in part by one of his grandfathers, who had played in the National Football League.[6] He also briefly took part in amateur wrestling, mistakenly believing it was the same as professional wrestling.[6] Ratsch attended a film school in Arizona but left to pursue a career in skateboarding.[7]
Professional wrestling career
Early career (2014–2019)
Allin in 2018 on the Independent circuit
Ratsch began his professional wrestling career in 2014, debuting under the ring name Darby Graves in Blue Collar Wrestling, based in Portland, Oregon.[8] He later adopted the ring name Darby Allin and competed extensively across the United States independent circuit between 2015 and 2019. During this time, he wrestled for a variety of promotions including EVOLVE, Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), The Wrestling Revolver, and Full Impact Pro (FIP).[9]
Allin became a regular performer for EVOLVE, a promotion affiliated with the World Wrestling Network (WWN), making his debut at EVOLVE 59 in April 2016. Over the next three years, he frequently appeared for both EVOLVE and WWN-affiliated events until April 2019.[9][10]
In addition to his work with EVOLVE, Allin also appeared in Major League Wrestling (MLW) between 2017 and 2018, beginning at MLW One-Shot. One of his most notable moments occurred at Never Say Never 2017, where he executed a Coffin Drop from a balcony while strapped to a chair. He departed MLW in April 2018 due to scheduling conflicts with other promotions.[citation needed]
He also toured with the UK-based Progress Wrestling in 2018 and 2019 during the promotion's events in the United States and its annual Super Strong Style 16 tournament.[9]
Later that year, Allin challenged AEW World ChampionChris Jericho on the October 16 episode of Dynamite, but was unsuccessful.[16] In January 2020, he competed in a four-man tournament for a championship opportunity, where he was eliminated by Pac in the opening round.[17] He then entered a rivalry with Sammy Guevara, culminating in a win at Revolution on February 29.[18][19]
Allin participated in the tournament to crown the inaugural TNT Champion, defeating Guevara in the quarterfinals before losing to Cody in the semifinals on the April 22 episode of Dynamite.[20][21] At Double or Nothing on May 23, he took part in the first Casino ladder match, which was won by Brian Cage.[22] After returning to television in July, he resumed his feud with Cage and Ricky Starks, teaming with AEW World Champion Jon Moxley to defeat them in a tag match.[23][24] That led to a title bout against Moxley the following week, which Allin lost.[25] On the September 30 episode of Dynamite, Allin defeated Starks, concluding their feud.[26]
At Full Gear on November 7, Allin defeated Cody to win the TNT Championship, his first title in AEW.[27] In the following weeks, he became involved in a feud with Team Taz. Sting made his AEW debut at Winter Is Coming on December 2, confronting Team Taz and establishing an alliance with Allin.[28]
The partnership led to a tag team match at Revolution on March 7, 2021, where Allin and Sting defeated Ricky Starks and Brian Cage in a cinematic-style street fight.[29] During his reign, Allin defended the TNT Championship against multiple challengers.[30][31][32][33] His reign ended after 186 days with a loss to Miro on the May 12 episode of Dynamite.
Allin continued teaming with Sting, with the duo defeating Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page at Double or Nothing on May 30. He later faced Page in AEW’s first coffin match at Fyter Fest on July 14, coming out victorious.[34] At All Out on September 5, Allin was selected as CM Punk’s first opponent in over seven years,[35] losing the match.
Allin began a feud with TNT Champion Samoa Joe in late 2022. On the January 4, 2023, episode of Dynamite, he defeated Joe in his hometown of Seattle to win the TNT Championship for a second time.[37] Later that month, Allin and Sting made a special appearance for Pro Wrestling Noah at The Great Muta Final "Bye-Bye", where they teamed with Keiji Muto in his final match under the Great Muta persona, winning in a six-man tag team match.[38] Allin successfully defended the TNT Championship over the following four weeks before losing it back to Joe on the February 1 episode of Dynamite in a no holds barred match.[39]
On the February 7, 2024 episode of Dynamite, Allin and Sting defeated Ricky Starks and Big Bill to win the AEW World Tag Team Championship.[42] They retained the titles against the Young Bucks at Revolution on March 3 in what was promoted as Sting’s retirement match.[43] The titles were vacated shortly afterward, ending their reign at 25 days. Following Revolution, Allin was attacked on-screen by Bullet Club Gold in a post-match segment. It was later revealed that he had suffered a legitimate broken foot during his match against Jay White at Big Business on March 13, and the angle was used to write him off television. As a result, Allin postponed his planned expedition to climb Mount Everest.[44]
Two days later, Allin won the Royal Rampage battle royal, earning a future AEW World Championship opportunity.[48] At All In: London on August 25, he unsuccessfully challenged Jack Perry for the TNT Championship in a coffin match.[49] The following month, Jon Moxley challenged him for his earned title shot; the two faced off at Grand Slam, where Moxley defeated Allin.
At WrestleDream on October 12, Allin defeated Brody King. He later attempted to assist Bryan Danielson during an attack by the Blackpool Combat Club, only to be ambushed by Wheeler Yuta.[50] In November, he was announced as a participant in the 2024 Continental Classic tournament, finishing with seven points and missing playoff qualification.[51] On the December 27 episode of Rampage, he was attacked by the Death Riders (formerly the Blackpool Combat Club) and thrown down a stairwell in an angle designed to again remove him from television as he resumed Everest training.[52]
Ratsch's Darby Allin persona draws heavily from his personal background and subcultural interests. The name itself is a tribute to punk rock figures Darby Crash of the Germs and GG Allin.[6] His face paint (typically a half-skull design) is meant to symbolize his feeling of being "half dead" following the car accident in his youth in which he survived but killed his uncle.[55]
Allin incorporates his background in skateboarding into his in-ring character. He rides a skateboard during his entrance and occasionally uses it as a prop or weapon in matches. Known for his unorthodox, high-risk style, Allin frequently performs dives, crashes, and other visually extreme maneuvers that contribute to a daredevil image. Initially hesitant to combine skateboarding with wrestling (Allin feared that both the wrestling and skateboarding fandoms would perceive it as inauthentic), he eventually embraced the crossover after encouragement from Chris Jericho, who advised him to lean into what made him unique.[56][57]
Personal life
Ratsch lives a straight edge lifestyle.[58] This decision was influenced by a traumatic incident during his childhood: at the age of five, he survived a car crash caused by his uncle, who had been driving under the influence. His uncle died in the accident, an event that left a lasting impression on Ratsch.[55]
He resides in Atlanta, Georgia,[59] and is known to have a close friendship with Sting (Steve Borden). In 2024, Ratsch began training Borden’s son, Stephen, for a potential wrestling career.[60]
Outside of wrestling, Ratsch developed an interest in mountaineering. He announced plans to climb Mount Everest in 2024, and spent much of late 2023 and early 2024 training for the expedition. However, shortly before his scheduled departure, he suffered a broken foot during a match with Jay White, which forced him to postpone the climb until the 2025 climbing season.[44] He began his ascent on April 8, 2025. On May 5, he set the world record for the highest elevation kickflip at 20,958 feet while climbing Mount Everest.[61] On May 18, Ratsch successfully reached the summit of Everest;[62] atop the mountain, Ratsch also filmed a short video in-character that was used for his return at All In two months later.[63]
Ratsch was previously married to professional wrestler Priscilla Kelly.[64] The couple announced their separation in August 2020,[65] and Kelly later confirmed that they had divorced but remained on good terms.[66]
Other media
Before gaining recognition in wrestling, Ratsch made appearances in media tied to his skateboarding and early performance work. He was featured in several clips aired on MTV’s Ridiculousness, often alongside friends, although one video was reportedly rejected by the network for being too extreme to broadcast.[6]
In 2014, he appeared in an episode of Sex Sent Me to the ER, part of the show’s first season. Ratsch later admitted in interviews that the story portrayed in the episode was fictional, and that he accepted the role primarily for financial reasons.[67]
In 2021, he appeared as himself in Rhodes to the Top, a reality television series focused on AEW executives Cody and Brandi Rhodes.
Ratsch is also a featured character as Darby Allin in the video game AEW Fight Forever.
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