Darby Allin spent three years (2016-19) in EVOLVE, and though he developed a cult following in the promotion, the opportunity to wrestle WWE NXT superstars never excited him.
EVOLVE and WWE formed a working relationship in 2015, leading to various NXT talents make appearances at events. EVOLVE has since become a gateway to the WWE Performance Center and NXT. And while some EVOLVE wrestlers may have relished the chance to work with NXT superstars, Darby Allin wasn't one of them.
"I'd wrestle their guys, but it was always kind of like, I guess they assumed everyone was a 'super fanboy.' 'Oh, you're gonna wrestle this guy, so this will make you happy.' I'm not a fanboy. I'm not here to wrestle people and brag online like, 'I got to wrestle this NXT superstar. This is so cool.' I could give a shit. It's not cool when you have all these hospital bills, and you're living in your car," Darby told Chris Jericho on Talk is Jericho.
Darby began regularly working for EVOLVE in 2016, moving to Florida after beginning his career in Seattle. But he felt he wasn't getting proper training in Florida, so he moved to Atlanta and lived in his car for a year and a half.
When asked what signing with EVOLVE entails, Darby said, "Being a moron who sits in a van for 30 hours and doesn't get flights [and working] twice a month."
Allin worked his last match for EVOLVE in April 2019 before signing with AEW. He previously stated that EVOLVE doesn't boost your name value. You can view his full comments by clicking here.
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