10 Wrestlers Who Risked Absolutely Everything

3. Darby Allin

Darby Allin
Thomas Tischio

A cover star of this and several articles like it, Darby Allin's in-ring risks are something of a throwback to a less-learned time.

Much has changed about the attitude towards dangerous high spots at the highest level in wrestling, mostly down to the injuries sustained by the practitioners when such a thing was at its peak in WWE. From the literal heights of the first Hell In A Cell and Tables, Ladders and Chairs matches to the heightened gambles taken in Money In The Bank contests, the bumps have been equaled or better by All Elite Wrestling's least risk-averse "pillar".

Fearless (and now peerless) in the act of self-destruction thanks to risks he's only too happy to take on a skate ramp as well as an AEW canvas, Allin's a billboard for his own brutality and gleefully wears the marks and scars of a life on the edge. Along with an immensely strong grasp of how to weave his big bumps into matches from the indies through to his prominent position on TNT, he's become a go-to for eclectic stunt shows at the highest level.

And all of this was in-part inspired by the work of...

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett