AEW's Darby Allin Opens Up About Brody King, Looks Beyond 'Spirit Halloween Act'

Darby Allin has never pinned House of Black's Brody King in a wrestling ring, either on the independent scene or in AEW. Allin looks to change that after King accepted his open challenge for a match at WrestleDream on Saturday. Both men are connected to the state of Washington, where the pay-per-view will take place. It's where Allin grew up and where King came up in the business. Speaking on "AEW Unrestricted," Allin talked about their upcoming match following a string of losses that took him out of the AEW World Championship picture. The former Tag Team champion said his opponent is similar to him and has a big chip on his shoulder.

"I beat him in the coffin match, but I've never pinned him in the ring and that's a thing I've kind of carried with myself is, 'Can I beat Brody King?'" Allin said. "I think he knows the answer to that and that's why he accepted the open challenge. I feel like in a way, he kind of feels undervalued... I think he's trying to build his name off of me again and jump back into that spotlight, and he knows I've never pinned him in that ring."

Allin said that King is always dangerous, even in his "real life." He explained King is in a hardcore band, where people "get beat up" at their shows. Allin explained that those who think King is putting on an act are wrong. 

"He's lived this his whole life. I kind of want to pull that out of him in the sense of like, 'Alright, be that Brody King that I know that you are in real life on AEW. Be that guy. Because that's a lot more captivating than your whole Spirit Halloween act.'" That said, Allin knows that King has fans among the AEW faithful, and they might show up for him at WrestleDream.

Darby Allin explained that Brody King's career started off in Seattle at Defy Wrestling, around the same time his own wrestling journey began, and he knows that his opponent is also a hometown guy at WrestleDream. Allin said he thinks the crowd is going to be split, and that King is going to be extra motivated due to being on an AEW pay-per-view. Allin, meanwhile, had the opportunity to be in the main event of WrestleDream before losing his title shot to Jon Moxley. As such, he now believes in his heart his match against King is the main event. 

"The thing with Brody is, he wants to be the best he can be," Allin said. "He's not here coasting to get a paycheck; he literally wants to drop the wrestling world on its head. And he knows the best way to do that is show out at an AEW pay-per-view and steal the show, and that's what he fully intends to do."

It remains to be seen if the crowd will be on Allin or King's side, but their history should make for a compelling match. It seems that both wrestlers have a point to prove, and that should lead to an entertaining spectacle for the fans.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "AEW Unrestricted" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.