Real Reason Darby Allin Returned For AEW Double Or Nothing 2024

Despite a broken foot and being hit by a bus, Darby shockingly returned ahead of Double or Nothing.

by Andrew Pollard
Darby Allin
All Elite Wrestling

Having had to cancel plans to climb Mount Everest due to a broken foot suffered in a March match against Jay White, then being hit by a bus(!) last month, many were rightfully left shocked to see Darby Allin return to AEW TV last week and be announced as part of the Anarchy in the Arena match at this weekend's Double or Nothing.

Even as part of that return, Darby explained that he was obviously not 100%, as seen by him visibly limping and sporting protection for a broken nose. So, how and why was Allin rushed back for Double or Nothing? The simply answer is, he pitched himself for a spot in Anarchy in the Arena once it was confirmed that Eddie Kingston would have to be pulled from that match due to the Mad King's own injury issues.

Darby revealed this news during an interview with Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp - an interview that will drop on Fightful's YouTube channel later today - explaining how he was in the process of helping his dad move house when he heard that Kingston had been ruled out of Double or Nothing. That prompted the two-time TNT Champion to call Tony Khan and offer to take Eddie's place, with the AEW President giving the okay to that so long as Allin could get medically cleared. As such, the Seattle native received clearance from his foot doctor, his nose doctor, and from AEW doctors - although he admitted that he's understandably still in a lot of pain.

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While Darby Allin has yet to take any sort of bump since last week's shock return, he did close out last night's Dynamite by maniacally wielding a flamethrower after being dropped off at the building by Tony Khan. That Darby appearance put a halt to the beatdown the Elite were putting on Bryan Danielson, with the American Dragon using this distraction to put Nicholas Jackson through a table as Dynamite went off the air.

Emanating from the MGM Grand Arena on Sunday, AEW Double or Nothing will see Darby, Danielson, and FTR take on the Young Bucks, Kazuchika Okada, and Jack Perry in Anarchy in the Arena.

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As for Eddie Kingston, despite hope that the leg injury suffered by Eddie at NJPW Resurgence earlier this month would 'only' keep him out of action until All In in August, it's since been confirmed that the New Yorker requires surgery for a torn ACL and meniscus. Unfortunately for Kingston, it's now expected that he will likely miss the rest of the year due to the usual recovery period for such procedures.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.