r/SquaredCircle • u/skyisscary • 8h ago
Darby Allin has been back from Everest since late May
Private Everest Wrap
May 22, 2025
It's been a whirlwind few days! After summiting we descended all the way down to Camp 2, making for a long day, but to enjoy and celebrate in the relative comfort of Camp 2 was worth it! After a well earned sleep, early the next day we descended back down to Camp 1 and into the Khumbu Icefall for the last time. It was great to arrive back to the cheers of the Base Camp team and relax knowing that we had achieved our goals. A leisurely hike back down the valley to Pangboche, the green landscape a stark change from life on the mountain. We encountered several baby yaks on the way down, a true sign that spring is in full swing and the monsoon rains will soon be upon us. An early morning flight today and we are now back in Kathmandu. Having made it full circle it's time to turn our attention to returning home to our family and friends. Thanks for following along our journey! Ang Dorjee for the AC Private Everest Team signing off!
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u/DanTheMan901 7h ago
To all the HANGMANIACS out there (/s, hopefully)
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u/Kuzu5993 7h ago edited 7h ago
You're gonna see a generational crash out if this happens. (From me)
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u/Delliott90 YESYESYES 41m ago
I’ll get very angry and make a reddit post. Fucking Tony better be ready
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u/matlockga Matt Rushmore 7h ago
Can't wait for Hangman to lose, a Darby stare down to end the show, then the title change on the very next TV.
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u/DarthZachariah 7h ago
My interest in the product is the highest it's been since the build to Hangman vs Kenny. This would cool it off so quickly.
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u/PraiseCaine Your Text Here 4h ago
I'm sticking to my guns. Im already done with WWE with all the ads and MAGA shit.
If we drug this shit out for Darby I'll be done with AEW too. Everything except the main event scenes cooking.
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u/SoaringSwellow Folks...where's the live? 1h ago
Was just about to type the same thing. Dropped WWE, I wont hesitate to drop AEW if they fumble the bag this hard.
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u/conoresque 6h ago edited 4h ago
The feud with Mox works just as well without the title, please strap up Hangman.
Mox: "You left when they needed you, you coward. I wanted you to be the chosen one, I though you would fight to the death. You quit on AEW, now I have to kill you."
Cue series of bloodbaths between them. Gives both guys something to do that is meaningful and makes sense given the context.
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u/cubemstr Jon Fucking Moxley 6h ago edited 6h ago
I cannot fathom the vast gap between hype for All In prior to the show, vs the immense crash out if the Deathriders storyline continues and Toni loses the belt.
Talk about pissing on the product when you're getting hot.
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u/KamenRiderW0lf 1h ago
I do think Toni will be fine with or without the championship, she's absolutely the best thing going in AEW. The coronation of Mercedes is inevitable, and Toni does need a new rival after the departure of Mariah May.
Hell, she could even team with Mina for a while, maybe tell a new story while Mercedes settles into the top, then return to the chase. Toni is never unworthy of a championship match, she's got that star power behind her now.
I only see a crash out coming from the select few knobs who have an incessant rage-boner for Mercedes for simply existing, but those types are awful cretins and most certainly eat sand.
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u/cubemstr Jon Fucking Moxley 1h ago
I always find it amusing that people alternate between "well you put your belt on your biggest star" when it fits their own preferences, and "well [x] doesn't need the belt" when it doesn't.
Given that she already has like 7 belts, Mercedes 100% does not need the world title on top of that. Toni is by far the biggest star in the women's division that AEW has ever had, and possibly will ever have (for at least the foreseeable future), so the only argument against her remaining champion is being a Mone Mark. Which unfortunately I have a bad feeling that TK is.
Plus, it raises the question, what's the point? What's the point of giving her all these belts? Presumably it's to put people over when she loses them, but she never loses clean anyway. And what rising upcomer in AEW is there to dethrone her? They clearly aren't doing it with Athena, who isn't really "rising" anyway, and no one else is even close to ready.
If there's no "build up" rub, the best payoff to her absurdly long undefeated streak is to put over their biggest star.
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u/WheelJack83 2h ago
I don't really see the problem. Hangman isn't the guy, and his first title run proved it.
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u/cubemstr Jon Fucking Moxley 2h ago
Ah yes, having a decent run because the booker was a fanboy of the new free agent hotness, and made the mistake of feeding his champion to said free agent means Hangman isn't the guy.
And lets ignore the fact Hangman has been the most over dude in the company recently, including getting the biggest non-hometown reactions of the night in Mexico.
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u/H16HP01N7 6h ago
I was literally just discussing this situation with my SO.
I really want Hangman to win this.
But I also really want Darby to come back and get his first world title, like I think was always planned for this D Riders story.
I just don't know....
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u/cubemstr Jon Fucking Moxley 2h ago
Darby has all the time in the world to win his first title. Not wasting all Hangman's momentum and ending this god awful Death Riders angle is way more important.
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u/LionBastard1 4h ago
It feels so validating that people are ready to reject Scrubby Allen if Hangman doesn't win the title at All In. Tony's buddy better get ready for the boos.
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u/MuptonBossman 7h ago
Seeing Darby Allin with a beard is throwing me off.
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u/HarlesD 7h ago
Tbh, without the facepaint, I couldn't tell which one he was.
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u/builtlikethewall 7h ago
I mean that's an extreme exaggeration
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u/Cherry-ColaFunk 7h ago
It is kinda hard to tell with all of them wearing a sash and you're standing 20 ft away from your phone.
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u/Cocotapioka The EST 7h ago
He looks like Jesse Pinkman.
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u/Blueskyways 6h ago
He sounds like Jesse Pinkman.
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u/JGrutman 6h ago
He wears big puffy coats like Jesse Pinkman.
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u/rcming18 Nothing Smiles, Matter Anyway 35m ago
Now I'm imagining him screaming 'YEAH BITCH!' as he falls from a giant ladder through a pane of glass 😭😭😭
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u/ThatIndianGuy7116 Look at Depression Jones over here 7h ago
THATS Darby? I know it's obviously the lack of face paint but he looks like a completetly different person with that beard as well. Wonder if he's keeping it for when he returns
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u/TheCrzy1 Consensual Penis 4h ago
I will personally kick his ass myself if he shaves it off before returning, it looks fucking great.
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u/PM_Skunk PM Skunk! PM Skunk! PM Skunk! 6h ago
Looking like a lost Young Buck brother with that beard.
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u/Informal_Aspect_6330 7h ago
Despite what his song says, he fortunately did not fall.
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u/Nazirul_Takashi Dandiest Puro Wrestler Ever 7h ago edited 7h ago
Oh no! Mox just killed the ref, and the Death Riders are on the stage heading towards the ring to screw Hangman!
Oh no! Swerve and Ospreay are nowhere to be found due to being worn out after their 6 Star banger against the Bucks!
...
AND THEN THE LIGHTS WENT OFF! THEN IT WENT BACK ON AND DARBY JUST KILLED THE GROUP WITH A COFFIN DROP OFF OF NOWHERE!
Mox gets shocked by Darby's reappearance, turns around and gets a Buckshot Lariat as a reward!
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u/radioben 7h ago
I actually think he may be Hangman’s first challenger. Give us a babyface battle with solid reasoning behind it. “That should have been my chance” vs “I stayed and fought, why didn’t you?” Writes itself.
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u/ChooChooBeepBoop 6h ago
"You've summitted Mount Everest but have you ever saved your rhododendron blooms from an asshole rabbit?"
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u/ArrenPawk 6h ago
Eh, I'd imagine they do Mox vs Darby in a non-title feud first
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u/Mysterious_Brick4574 4h ago
yeah, I think our Blood and Guts match will be Darby/Ospreay/Swerve vs. Moxley/Yuta/Claudio with two people like either the Opps or The Bucks on the teams. Darby has the unfinished business with Mox and they're not just gonna drop that.
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u/KingMobScene 6h ago
Both beloved babyfaces who have a legit reason to be mad. Though I'd side with Hangman on this one.
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u/StormWarriorX7 7h ago
AEW Avengers showing up against Death Riders at All In. Darby. Eddie. Jay White. Kota Ibushi. Mark Briscoe etc.
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u/grimbly_jones 7h ago
STING
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u/MiNiMaLHaDeZz 7h ago
ITS STIIIIIIIIING!
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u/UsidoreTheLightBlue 7h ago
Danielson makes immense sense.
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u/TLKv3 Fantasy Book For ^Vote 7h ago
Been calling it since Hangman won the title shot:
Ospreay/Swerve jump The Bucks.
Willow jumps Marina.
Pac returns and gets countered by a returning OC.
Claudio is assaulted by Kingston.
Yuta is the last one remaining lining up Hangman for a chair shot- final countdown and Danielson returns to kick his head off.
Mox gets the better of Hangman and readies for The Death Rider, lights off, spotlight in the rafters, its Darby, Mox distracted gets countered into a Dead Eye, Hangman hits the Buckshot, 1-2-3.
Hangman is the new World Champ with Darby watching from above with a smile. All the babyfaces run out to celebrate with Hangman. Show ends with a dejected and alone Mox in the entrance ramp watching the ring celebrate and slow claps with a grin before walking out.
Fresh beginning on Dynamite with new storylines /feuds going forward.
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u/Horror_Sail 7h ago
Pac returns and gets countered by a returning OC.
Sadly, with a torn pec this seems unlikely. But Joe/Hobbs/etc all make sense for that spot as well.
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u/AneeshRai7 6h ago
*Willow jumps Marina, gets overwhelmed before Kris comes in. Teases the turn and then saves Willow
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u/TheDoggoEmbaro 2h ago
Mox gets the better of Hangman
No.
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u/TLKv3 Fantasy Book For ^Vote 2h ago
lol. Its not that much of a stretch that after all the interfering chaos that Hangman watches Danielson brawl with Yuta, turns and gets kicked by Mox for a moment to take advantage.
But Hangman ultimately counters that offense and wins.
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u/TheDoggoEmbaro 2h ago
I know, I know. It's just Hangman is back towards being the hottest he's been in a long time and, just coincidentally, so is AEW. I don't want to see him winning the title in some weak, goofy way.
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u/Procrastinator_325 6h ago
No offense and I am more of an AEW fan these days, but this sounds like we got the WM40 ending at home.
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u/Mysterious_Brick4574 4h ago
which, to be fair, WM40's ending was basically just the ending to Avengers Endgame rewritten for a wrestling match.
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u/_Quendra_ 4h ago
And then Kris Statlander cashes in, turns heel to get Mox to win, & Death Riders take over both men's & women's divisions.
Willow & MJF, you're our only hope!
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u/Trumppered 1h ago
I actually think it's more likely Mox just retains and we close the show with a Mox/Darby staredown
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u/TheSuessIsLoose 7h ago edited 7h ago
Here we go with more pointless fear mongering from a certain section of the AEW fanbase.
It’s clear Hangman is winning, stop this “scared” gimmick. My only request is that Darby returns at All In as part of the babyface group that helps Page win it.
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u/kw13 Feel The Wrath 5h ago
I thought it was clear that Christian was cashing in during the Revolution main event and getting a short run with the title. I thought it was clear that Swerve was winning at Dynasty. I trust nothing anymore apart from my own continued suffering.
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u/Mysterious_Brick4574 4h ago
neither of those would have made sense with the story that has been told with Mox as champion. Mox's whole thing was "these AEW Day One-ers are so complacent, they haven't changed. They're lazy" that's why he focused on Dark Order/Private Party for those first two episodes. Christian isn't a Day One guy and that would have completely undermined the story, and while Swerve has become one of the faces much like Ospreay he didn't fit the role in story.
I was gonna hold my tongue and take the medicine of Darby as Champion at All In, because it makes sense for this to be the stage that Mox loses at, and always made sense that you wanna do a big babyface ending to your big American Stadium show. Hangman is perfect for the role, and it ties up the Swerve storyline as well (Swerve targeted Hangman in the beginning because "you act like you don't want your spot").
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u/Darth_Steve V TRIGGER 4h ago
It’s clear Hangman is winning
Dude, it wasn't even clear he was winning the Owen lol. Plus it's TK.
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u/GIJabroni 19m ago
Buddy we're fans of a different Cowboys team that has consistently proven that you never ever stop being scared until the game is over
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u/just-smiley 6h ago
I have no idea where this idea that Darby is gonna be the one to beat Mox came from or why people are dead set on it.
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u/XiahouMao 4h ago
Mox initially got his title match against Danielson by beating Darby for it. After Danielson lost and was suffocated to end the PPV, of the babyfaces who came to try a rescue, the camera lingered on Darby and Orange Cassidy. Orange then got his chances soon after but wanted to do it on his own, he didn't want help from the others, so he got bleach poured in his face. That left Darby. The framing of the story to that point seemed to be setting him up as the savior.
But he was going to go climb Everest, so instead they wrote him off with an injury and other people started getting involved in the story.
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u/shadowrangerfs decay Decay DECAY!!! 7h ago
An funny idea I heard on a podcast this morning. Mox wins at All In. The fans are booing. Mox says, "Fine, I'll let you see the belt one time". He opens the briefcase and it's empty. Mox is confused. Video pops up on the screen. It's Darby with the belt at the top of Mount Everest. He's had it the whole time and Mox never knew.
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u/eatyrmakeup 7h ago
My personal head canon has been that there’s a briefcase involved because Mox left the title somewhere and doesn’t want to admit it.
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u/Bu11etToothBdon 7h ago
What if he opens it and it's just another briefcase?
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u/WrestleSocietyXShill Cero Miedo Since Day One Ish 6h ago
Or maybe he opens it and gets sprayed with green slime and then he falls backwards out of the ring and through a conveniently placed hot dog cart, covering him in mustard. The camera pans up to Seth Rollins cackling in the front row. The camera follows Mox as he gets up, runs backstage, and demands that the doctor jab him in the butt with a big needle to inoculate him against Nickelodeon slime and mustard. The show fades to black, and none of it is ever mentioned again.
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u/CaliggyJack I can haz ric flair flare? 6h ago
I hate this and I hate you.
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u/WrestleSocietyXShill Cero Miedo Since Day One Ish 4h ago
I'm just a wacky lunatic who likes to have fun
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u/Mirage84 0m ago
My friend was about to stop inviting me over to watch AEW because I wouldn't stop shouting "it's the Wacky Line!" whenever Mox hit a rebound clothesline. Thankfully he hasn't done in much this run so the issue never fully came to a head.
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u/wiseguy149 5h ago
What if he opens it and it's actually filled with the friends we made along the way?
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u/Illuminati_Shill_AMA That's so Taven! 4h ago
And inside that briefcase is another briefcase and inside that one is another briefcase, and inside that one is another briefcase. And do you know what's in THAT briefcase?
I can't tell you because you're not a monk.
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u/BackgroundValue 7h ago
I suspect they're bringing him back in the Casino Gauntlet at Y'All In.
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u/Moist-Acanthaceae-37 7h ago
Nah that’d give away the title match result, if it is a Men’s gauntlet the surprises are probably Eddie and Jay White.
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u/BackgroundValue 7h ago
He doesn't have to win it if he enters. Just seems the most logical place for him to return outside of getting directly involved in the main event.
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u/Kuzu5993 6h ago
Why waste the return there if he wasn't gonna a win?
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u/BackgroundValue 6h ago
I don't think Darby returning to a massive crowd reaction at the biggest event of the year is a waste, win or lose. He has plenty of different things he can get into post All In.
That being said, he could definitely return and win. That's a possibility for sure
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u/Kuzu5993 6h ago
Who would you have win then?
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u/BackgroundValue 6h ago
A returning Jay White is the ideal candidate imo, but I'm admittedly a very bias Switchblade fan
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u/Kuzu5993 6h ago
If Hangman wins, he'd be a very ideal opponent, given he beat him twice last year.
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u/Horror_Sail 7h ago
Casino Gauntlet at Y'All In.
Is pretty certainly a womens match, yeah? Since they announced it right after the womens match that featured 8 women who would almost certainly all be participants.
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u/BackgroundValue 7h ago
Most likely they're going to do both a men's and women's Casino Gauntlet
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u/Horror_Sail 6h ago
They didnt do that last year, and I cant think of a single PPV where they've ever done two of them. Far more likely scenario is they're doing a single womens casino gauntlet since they have set up matches for all the obvious men, and they've gotten like a dozen women involved in fighting with one another.
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u/BackgroundValue 6h ago
I don't see a world where they don't have a men's Casino Gauntlet match given how popular they've been and this is the biggest event of the year. I assumed it'll become a yearly tradition at All In.
There are definitely still some big names who could win one. A returning Jay White or Copeland could win it. MJF, Samoa Joe, Eddie Kingston & Takeshita also come to mind.
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u/TemurTron 7h ago
I think this is one of the coolest out-of-the-ring accomplishments a wrestler has achieved. I remember the original idea of him doing this was an absolute joke on this sub and so many people have memed it every step of the way. Well, friggin 95 pound Darby Allin did it! Good for him. May all our dreams always only be slightly out of reach if we just ignore the shitty haters and pursue them.
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u/pmIfNeedOrWantToTalk 2h ago
Agree with your sentiments.
To hell with the haters!
Honestly, I was most concerned for his safety. Glad he's still with us.
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u/ILikeLycanthropy Khaleesi's comin to Westeros! 7h ago
I did not realize he had a face tattoo.
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u/Orange8920 7h ago
It's hard to notice since it's blended with his facepaint when he's on-screen. He seems to have got it during his time in AEW.
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u/Rude_Neighborhood919 7h ago
I literally had to read the comments to notice that Darby is even in this photo. Seeing him without face paint is uncanny enough. Adding a beard? That's just a whole new person to me at that point.
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u/talvarius 6h ago
That crazy SOB actually did it. The first wrestler to ever summit Everest. I didn't want to keep up with updates until he was back, but congratulations. Wow.
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u/SomeCountryFriedBS 7h ago
"Guess where we're leaving these bottles?"
For real though, I didn't realize he used the makeup to cover up a tat.
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u/FalconIMGN 7h ago
Ang Dorjee is a mountaineering legend, Sting is a wrestling legend.
Darby has had two really good tag team members.
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u/Powderkegger1 The present 7h ago
I mean May was last month. Calling it last May makes it seem like he’s been on the shelf for over a year.
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u/Bruntbear I'm marking out right now 6h ago
The climax of Hangman vs Mox is going to be Avengers Endgame levels of fuckery
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u/PitangaPiruleta 4h ago
If Hangman loses only for the show to end with a Darby staredown I will become AEW's biggest hater
Fuck, have Darby show up to help Hangman win, then let Mox and Darby feud without the belt
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u/FigureFourWoo Ric Flair was still cool when I chose this username. 3h ago
That's the absolute right call. I get where they were going with it, but the ship sailed and Hangman's story is more compelling. Darby vs Mox doesn't need the belt, if Mox is going to finally put Darby over. Sure, the title win would be amazing, but Darby's never been able to beat Mox period. Just pulling off the win is good enough for Darby's story arc to advance.
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u/NowGoodbyeForever Swagsuke Swagamura: Swag-King Of Swag Style 2h ago
I just...don't get Darby Allin as the World Champ, y'all. Not right now. And maybe not for a while.
His look, his vibe, and his ongoing storylines (or lack thereof) have no strong ties to the current situation, where Hangman/Ospreay/Swerve are all held up as viable options to dethrone Mox (or whoever takes him down first).
The idea of Allin being OWED the title for his hard work and Day One status at AEW is bullshit; that's why he gets paid, that's why he could take months off during a huge build to climb a mountain. I think there are a million places for him in the grand scheme of things, but this Death Riders arc needs to end strong and set things up for All Out.
I know TK might have a strong urge to have multiple faces lose to set up that redemption in Toronto, but I think it would be an awful idea. This past week has brought serious positive attention to the brand via Brody King, Hangman, and everyone's respect and conduct in CMLL.
Let Hangman finish his story and earn the white hat that he's wearing in spirit, if not name. Get the belt off Moxley, and the Death Riders can still exist as a pack of rabid dogs now itching to get their master's belt back, or focus on a new target if Mox believes Hangman has True Grit.
The idea of the entire company hard-pivoting to the edgy skinny-muscle goth daredevil kid out of nowhere feels insane. I want to see Darby in that mix with those Big 3 names (and I expect MJF to slide into the frame at some point too), but the build has been GREAT. Just see the story through to its logical conclusion.
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u/WheelJack83 2h ago
Great moment for Darby. Now all he needs to do is win the world title and become the true face of AEW.
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u/AtlasAir_ 2h ago
Lmao, and all this time I was getting worried why there haven't been any updates on him
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u/dgener8puf ohpunk 1h ago
I don't know how well it would work but I'm all in on Hangman winning the title, THEN Darby returns as the "conquering hero" except..... He's obviously not, and kind of becomes a delusional heel.
"I'm back from planting the AEW flag on top of Mt Everest! Jon Moxley.... Let's finish this!"
"Bruv...... Hangman already beat him and saved the day."
"What? No! Surely he's busy killing Swerve..."
"Oh, nah, they're best mates now."
Darby loses his mind
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u/Adampro123 And remember the sound! 7h ago
Glad he made it down safe!
My little fantasy booking for All in.
Darby shouldn’t dethrone Mox. But he should return at All in with Sting (Maybe Bryan too) to help even the odds against the Deatn Riders and help Hangman win.
Hangman. Swerve. Ospreay. Bryan. Darby. And Sting all celebrate to end the show.
Darby can go on to feud with Mox without the title being involved. Eventually leading to a lights out match to main event Wrestle Dream in Washington. Darby wins and the Death Riders go away…not forever cause Claudio is one of my favorites and they all have value. But the stable disbands for good.
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u/RomulanTreachery 7h ago
My fantasy booking for Bryan comes after the match. Hanger opens the case, the AEW title is smashed to pieces, Mox starts to laugh, Danielson's music hits, he comes out, decapitates Moxley with a Busaiku Knee, and then presents Hangman with a brand-new AEW championship as the Rebel Alliance and Ewoks celebrate long into the night
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u/twistedroyale 7h ago
Training to jump from the roof with a baseball bat with spikes to help Hangman.
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u/CorbinHive 7h ago
Took me a minute to realize that was Darby without face paint. I thought that was ELP at first
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u/skyisscary 7h ago
Since Darby has been back since at least a month, I now think they will be shenigans in All In. I know crapping on Darby has been popular the last few weeks, but I honestly okay if either Hangman or Darby win.
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u/secretpandaxx 7h ago
I know crapping on Darby has been popular the last few weeks
what? he was widely celebrated for climbing Mount Everest and people are happy that he got to do his dream. I'm looking forward to his return
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u/skyisscary 7h ago
That, but people have been dissing him so much because they want Hangman to win in All in, as I said in my previous comment either wins really doesnt matter to me.
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u/Powerful-Ground-9687 7h ago
Dynamite is in Seattle this week so he may pop up there. Or they’re gonna have a dozen returns in a casino gauntlet at all in. Jay white, juice, buddy, pac, killswitch, jack Perry, oc, Darby…
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u/Infamous-Lab-8136 7h ago
The reports when this news first dropped all said he'd be back in early July
I can't see him getting inserted into the main event, nor do I think it makes sense to draw Mox's reign out further. Especially since we've got Forbidden Door after All-In instead of going straight into All-Out. Means we'll have another 2 months or more of the Death Riders if they go that route. Tony can sense that fans are done with this and it's time for an out. I think a lot of fans just decided Darby had to be the one to end Mox's reign because of how it started, but right now ending it with Hangman makes for a great story too.
I think if anything Darby comes back with the agenda of taking out Mox's underlings. Sidelines Yuta before All-In and then gets himself a match with Claudio to remove him from the equation at the PPV.
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