Darby Allin might not be a heavyweight, but his heart is as big as a lion. The high-flying pro wrestler puts his body on the line in the name of entertainment, but behind his crash-test-dummy-like persona is a serious athlete that takes his recovery just as seriously as his wristlocks. M&F sat down with Allin (real name: Samuel Ratsch) to find out what it’s like to be part of the icon Sting’s final run, and how he uses cold plunges to keep his body and mind intact.
Courtesy AEW
31-year-old Allin signed with AEW in 2019 and since then this underdog has won fans over by taking the likes of Chris Jericho, Cody Rhodes, and Samoa Joe to the limit. Right now though, he’s focused on tag-team action as he and pro wrestling legend Sting (Steve Borden) currently hold the AEW Tag Team Championships.
The duo are set to defend the titles one last time at AEW Revolution, on March 3, during Sting’s retirement match and while these two athletes have very different styles in the ring, Allin says that he has learned a lot from the 64-year-old wrestling legend in the way that he conducts himself outside of the ring.
“It’s everything outside of the ring,” says Allin. “Cuz he’s so humble and chill. It’s really inspiring to see … he has done it all and he could be the most arrogant guy if he wanted to, but he’s so relaxed … I’ve met a lot of people that have done far, far less than he has, but have the biggest heads, so it’s just staying as grounded as possible; that’s what I’ve learned from Sting.”
Outside of the ring, Allin must focus on his recovery, an essential aspect of maintaining some type of longevity in the grappling world. To that end, the exciting superstar and avid skateboarder, who lives a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle and is known for moves like the ‘Coffin Drop’ backwards splash, and the ‘Diving Shotgun Dropkick’ from the top rope, tells M&F that he is rigorous about how he gets his rest.
“My whole physical recovery (regime) is insane,” shares Allin. “The stuff outside of the ring that nobody really sees., that’s how I’m able to bounce back, and I feel great. People are like,
‘Yo, you must feel like trash?’ No, I feel great! I’m straight edge and I don’t even take any pain pills.”
AEW’s Darby Allin has Made Cold Plunges a Staple of His Recovery Routine
Allin tells M&F that he goes in for acupuncture and limbers up on his inversion table to stretch his spine. He also has a sauna at his house and loves to take a cold plunge in his temperature-controlled ice bath where he can take time out to meditate. “If your mind’s strong, then your body will follow,” he explains.
As if wrestling is not enough, Allin is also in training to scale Mount Everest, so he has been doing cold plunge sessions from ten minutes upwards to 30 minutes at 39 degrees. (Note: if you are embarking on cold plunges make sure to start out at a higher temperature and build up your tolerance during shorter, supervised, sessions). While ice baths are just part of an overall recovery strategy like Allin’s, studies show that cold plunges may offer a range of benefits; from the treatment of depression through to improving physical ailments. Still, as Allin says, there’s nothing that can prepare you for landing on a concrete floor during a knock-down-drag-out-bout!
AEW returns to London at Wembley Stadium with “ALL IN” on Aug. 25, 2024. Last year, this daredevil was part of a history making event with a reported crowd of more than 80,000 fans, and Allin already has a potential opponent in his crosshairs this summer. “The opponent I want to have is another man that talks about this being his last fulltime year in wrestling,” he explains. “It‘s (Bryan) Danielson. To me that’s just a no brainer, just because his work ethic is so strong. He’s in the same category as Sting.”
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