‘Some People Were Taking It for Granted’ – AEW Star Reflects On Company’s Early Days

AEW

An AEW star has reflected on the early success of the company and how it has changed since its inception back in 2019.

Darby Allin was one of the earliest stars to be signed to an AEW contract, being considered one of the Four Pillars alongside MJF, Sammy Guevara and Jungle Jack Perry.

Signed with the company since April 2019, Allin would look back on the early days of the promotion when comparing it to how things look in 2026.

In a recent interview with Forbes, Allin was asked if the company felt like the same place it did in 2019, noting that the bar is now set much higher when it comes to success.

“I think the bar got set way higher now because you have to remember, it’s year one on TV. We were throwing a lot of stuff at the wall, seeing what stuck because we’re brand new, and a lot of guys like myself never had any TV experience. So we got to see what worked.

“But now the talent is so high, and everybody needs to step up. You aren’t going to be on TV unless you’re literally the best of the best. So, I feel it just shows everybody that no one can coast, no one can just chill, and that’s the beauty of it.

“Because I never wanted to be in a company that felt like me and all my friends have a TV company. I don’t care if I don’t know you. I don’t care if I don’t like you. As long as you care about AEW and you want to produce some of the best, then I want you on my team.”

Allin would go on to look back at the early days and how some unnamed people treated AEW, suggesting there was a sense of “taking it for granted”, stating:

“I’m not going to say a lot of people—it felt like maybe some people were taking it for granted. Year one, they were treating it like spring break, like, “Oh, this is so fun. I got a job for life. I’m just hanging out with my boys.” They weren’t going there with a mission. But I’m like, “I have to show the wrestling world what AEW is capable of,” because this changed the whole landscape.

“When I first got in, I never thought it was possible to have another game in town like this. I thought at the time, “This kind of sucks.” And then AEW started, and I thought, “I’ll do anything to be part of that company. Anything.” And that’s where I knew I needed to finish.

“So, I saw the importance of AEW from the beginning, but I don’t think a lot of people did.”

The AEW star would also reflect on a lesson that he learned from Sting that he only understood after the WWE Hall of Famer retired.

Taking It For Granted

It’s not beyond imagination that, in its early days, some stars took AEW for granted, particularly given that the professional wrestling space hadn’t had a completely new company come into existence and secure prominent TV time in an age.

Tony Khan having no background in professional wrestling no doubt added to the impression that he was just a man with money that was ripe for the taking. Allin doesn’t name those who felt that “they were treating it like spring break”, but it was clearly a concern for a relatively young star who was new to that environment, and it’s something that has obviously stuck with him over the years.

Khan has demonstrated that, over the past few years, he’s not just in this for the short haul, having a vision for AEW that has seen him attract new and veteran stars with a shared interest in those goals. While he may oversee many aspects of the company, he’s comfortable in sharing elements that responsibility with the likes of Jon Moxley.

There’s bound to still be those who think that it’s going to be an easy ride, but with the stars currently signed to AEW, it’s apparent that, as Allin says, “as long as you care about AEW and you want to produce some of the best, then I want you on my team.”

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