AEW's Nick Wayne has been around professional wrestling for most of his life, as his father, Buddy Wayne, was a wrestler himself and operated a training school until his death in 2017. Looking back on his adolescence at the school during an appearance on "AEW Unrestricted," Wayne recalled meeting fellow AEW performer Darby Allin.
"I met him when I was about nine years old," Wayne said. "Him and another one of our students, they were like married to each other, and all they wanted to do was be in the ring. They were like, 'Any time Buddy will open the door, please let us in.' ... I started seeing Darby almost every day."
Allin took the future wrestler under his wing and began taking him to the skatepark, wrestling shows, and simply hanging out around town. They formed a close bond over time, which was reflected in Wayne's early storylines with AEW. Wayne was signed to AEW at the age of 18, and he'll turn 20 just ahead of AEW All In next month.
As for Darby, the former TNT Champion recently climbed to the top of Mt. Everest. He's expected back in AEW soon, though nothing official has been announced just yet.
"The amount of training and preparation that goes into that ... is unreal," Wayne continued. "The fact that it takes two months to climb this thing is crazy."
Allin finished climbing to the peak in the middle of May, though there is still a long walk back down. It would be possible for Allin to return at or ahead of All In, but the wrestler could also need more time to recuperate before getting back in the ring.
Wayne doesn't yet have a match booked for All In, but recent reports indicate Christian Cage is intent on wrapping up his storyline with the young performer before moving on.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "AEW Unrestricted" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
