Darby Allin says he would not change anything about his brief run as AEW World Champion, despite holding the title for just 39 days.
Allin captured his first AEW World Championship by defeating MJF at Dynamite: Spring Break 2026. After making several successful title defenses, he lost the championship back to MJF at Double or Nothing.
Speaking on The Mark Hoke Show, Allin was asked about his relatively short reign and said he has no regrets about how things played out. “I have no regrets with that. I was burning the candle at both ends, but I have no regrets at all because you live by the sword, you die by the sword.”
For Allin, the length of the reign was less important than what he was able to do while holding the championship. “So, if it’s a short and sweet championship run, that’s—that’s my motto in life. You just got to bring it, man.”
Allin reiterated that he would not go back and change how his first run with AEW’s top championship unfolded. “I honestly have no regrets. I would not change a single thing.”
Allin also reflected on his first TNT Championship victory in 2020 and the impact it had on his confidence. “The moment I became TNT Champion back in 2020, it gave me so much confidence, and it instilled so much in me that I am capable of doing so much for AEW.”
That reign helped establish Allin as one of AEW’s prominent young stars, and he believes his willingness to push himself beyond conventional limits has remained central to what he brings to the company. “I truly believe I’m willing to go places no other wrestler in the world is willing to go. Nobody is willing to go the places.”
Allin said winning the TNT Championship effectively established the philosophy he has carried throughout the rest of his AEW career. “That’s kind of been my whole motto in the TNT Championship when I first won it in 2020. It kind of set everything off.”
Five years after becoming TNT Champion, that approach eventually carried Allin to his first AEW World Championship. Although the reign lasted only 39 days, Allin says he would not change a thing about it.
