Check out this incredible main event
For Warrior Wrestling 2 on 9/2/18!
The card so far:
Announced talent thus far:
"I fly to hurt people, not to look pretty."
Darby Allin ready for a fight
with Jay Bradley.
By Kyle Symes
The world of professional wrestling is full of unique, larger than life characters. And yet, Darby Allin has managed to stand out more than most.
He’s managed to build a reputation not only for having a unique look, one that extends to his social media accounts but also for being among the toughest wrestlers to step inside a ring. It’s no surprise Allin’s toughness has become one of his greatest traits. He’s endured more than most would in two lifetimes, including living off 5-dollars a week in food and living in an abandoned warehouse in Seattle.
Beyond his living conditions and lack of monetary resources, Allin’s life has been shaped by heartache. The wrestler paints half his face in the colors of a skeleton. While most would credit this touch as something Allin does to stand out among the crowd, the roots for Allin’s appearance were shaped by tragedy.
“My uncle was drunk driving when I was very young while I was in the car. He crashed and unfortunately passed away. So, the face paint stands for 50% of me being dead inside and not having a lot of trust for anyone.”
As you’ll see after looking into Allin’s past, getting thrown through tables and other weapons of hardcore wrestling are nothing compared to what he’s gone through outside of the ring. These real-life trials and tribulations have helped Allin become one of the toughest wrestlers in the game today.
“Coming up from a real background of pain and not talking out of my ass about being a tough boy,” Allin said while talking about his reputation. “I've filmed stunts for MTV Tony Hawk and the list goes on. I've been taking a beating forever.”
It’s fair to say Allin may be in for another physical battle of attrition at Warrior Wrestling 2 as he faces off against pro-wrestling veteran Jay Bradley. Standing at 6’5” and weighing 280-pounds, Bradley is an imposing figure. But Allin isn’t fazed by the task ahead of him. Facing bigger men in the ring is nothing new for the 5’9”, 180-pound Allin.
“I respect Bradley, but in all honesty, he may kick my ass but that's just physical pain,” Allin said. “It'll take a whole lot more to really keep me down. I've dealt with dude's that throw around their weight my whole life, what else is new? Making bets on how far he's going to throw me? Let's make a bet on how much blood I make him spill.”
It’s safe to say this match isn’t shaping up to be a technical classic. No, when Allin faces off against Bradley at Warrior Wrestling 2 on Sept. 2, it’s going to be a modern-day horror classic. And that’s just the way Allin would want it.
Fast Five
1. Favorite match you've been a part of? (Darby Allin vs. Walter)
2. Favorite wrestling move? (The Last Supper)
3. If you could pick one person (dead or alive) to have a dream match with, who would it be and why? (Mike Vallely. He’s the only pro skater that’s worked as a pro wrestler)
4. Favorite story from "the road" (your travels as a professional wrestler)? (Being with my fiancé Priscilla Kelly and getting into wild road adventures.)
5. What can fans attending Warrior Wrestling expect from Darby Allin vs. Jay Bradley? (Nothing to look pretty or like a dance I'm not playing. I fly to hurt people not to look pretty.)
The world of professional wrestling is full of unique, larger than life characters. And yet, Darby Allin has managed to stand out more than most.
He’s managed to build a reputation not only for having a unique look, one that extends to his social media accounts but also for being among the toughest wrestlers to step inside a ring. It’s no surprise Allin’s toughness has become one of his greatest traits. He’s endured more than most would in two lifetimes, including living off 5-dollars a week in food and living in an abandoned warehouse in Seattle.
Beyond his living conditions and lack of monetary resources, Allin’s life has been shaped by heartache. The wrestler paints half his face in the colors of a skeleton. While most would credit this touch as something Allin does to stand out among the crowd, the roots for Allin’s appearance were shaped by tragedy.
“My uncle was drunk driving when I was very young while I was in the car. He crashed and unfortunately passed away. So, the face paint stands for 50% of me being dead inside and not having a lot of trust for anyone.”
As you’ll see after looking into Allin’s past, getting thrown through tables and other weapons of hardcore wrestling are nothing compared to what he’s gone through outside of the ring. These real-life trials and tribulations have helped Allin become one of the toughest wrestlers in the game today.
“Coming up from a real background of pain and not talking out of my ass about being a tough boy,” Allin said while talking about his reputation. “I've filmed stunts for MTV Tony Hawk and the list goes on. I've been taking a beating forever.”
It’s fair to say Allin may be in for another physical battle of attrition at Warrior Wrestling 2 as he faces off against pro-wrestling veteran Jay Bradley. Standing at 6’5” and weighing 280-pounds, Bradley is an imposing figure. But Allin isn’t fazed by the task ahead of him. Facing bigger men in the ring is nothing new for the 5’9”, 180-pound Allin.
“I respect Bradley, but in all honesty, he may kick my ass but that's just physical pain,” Allin said. “It'll take a whole lot more to really keep me down. I've dealt with dude's that throw around their weight my whole life, what else is new? Making bets on how far he's going to throw me? Let's make a bet on how much blood I make him spill.”
It’s safe to say this match isn’t shaping up to be a technical classic. No, when Allin faces off against Bradley at Warrior Wrestling 2 on Sept. 2, it’s going to be a modern-day horror classic. And that’s just the way Allin would want it.
Fast Five
1. Favorite match you've been a part of? (Darby Allin vs. Walter)
2. Favorite wrestling move? (The Last Supper)
3. If you could pick one person (dead or alive) to have a dream match with, who would it be and why? (Mike Vallely. He’s the only pro skater that’s worked as a pro wrestler)
4. Favorite story from "the road" (your travels as a professional wrestler)? (Being with my fiancé Priscilla Kelly and getting into wild road adventures.)
5. What can fans attending Warrior Wrestling expect from Darby Allin vs. Jay Bradley? (Nothing to look pretty or like a dance I'm not playing. I fly to hurt people not to look pretty.)
“Classic” Wrestling Strongman
Jay Bradley Set to Take on
Indie Sensation Darby Allin
By Kyle Symes
There’s just something about a classic that tugs on our heartstrings. Whether it’s a classic car, your favorite vacation spot as a kid or just something from your past that transports you to “the good old days.” Jay Bradley is what some would consider, a classic incarnation of a time gone by in the world of professional wrestling.
Long before frog splashes, moonsaults and suicide dives became common place, most matches involved a heavy mix of brute force combined with intensity. Bradley, a towering heavyweight (6’5, 280-pounds) won’t be going to the top rope often and isn’t going to fly effortlessly through the air. That isn’t to say his style in the ring is all steak with no sizzle.
“Sometimes guys are so worried about doing things so fast, it all becomes a blur,” Bradley told Warrior Wrestling. “Do I think it helps me stand out? Maybe so. Is it everyone’s favorite flavor of ice cream? I’m sure it’s not. But there aren’t a lot of guys my size now. 20 years ago, everyone was huge and the cruiserweights were the minority. Now it’s almost reverse, guys at 180-210 pounds are kind of the norm. I think there’s a place for me out there to give people something else or surprise them when I do something extra.”
It’s a style that Bradley finds comfort in not just because of his size, but because that’s how he was first introduced into the world of wrestling. Like many current wrestlers, Bradley’s love of the business began at an early age. Calling himself a stereotypical WWF kid, Bradley became entranced by much more than just the larger than life characters he saw on TV.
“My mom used to not let me watch it,” Bradley said. “I don’t know if she just didn’t like it or if she thought it’d make me violent, but I used to sneak around to see it. I was mesmerized by the whole WWF spectacle, the over the top characters, the lights, the colors and overdeveloped bodies that looked like superheroes.”
Of course, every superhero needs villain and during this time, there was arguably no greater villain than Big Van Vader. The former collegiate football player made the transition to wrestling and became one of the most terrifying wrestlers in the industry with his mastodon mask that would have smoke shoot out from it. After becoming a sensation in Japan, Vader would sign with WCW and go on to have several legendary battels with the likes of Sting, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan and Cactus Jack before eventually signing with the WWF.
Realizing there was more to wrestling than just the WWF, Bradley decided to branch out and diversify his wrestling entertainment. He enjoyed watching Vader run amok through WCW but began to appreciate the smaller, faster guys in various promotions.
“Vader was a monster killing everyone. His presentation, his aura, he was so intense and intimidating,” Bradley said. “I also enjoyed guys like The Barbarian and Dusty Rhodes. As I got more involved in wrestling I started seeing guys like the Guerreros and Malenkos having more athletic matches which lead me to watch the stuff in Japan. I started watching guys like [Jushin] Liger, [Yoshihiro] Takayama, Minoru Suzuki and [Kenta] Kobashi Terry Gordy, and ‘Dr. Death’ Steve Williams in ECW. I started realizing there was more out there than just WWF. As I discovered more of that stuff, I was enamored by these guys. They weren’t ridiculous over the top characters. These guys could be the guys in your gym. Yeah, they were big and athletic, but they didn’t look the part of a wrestler. I didn’t want to be the wrestling clown or wrestling profession. I wanted to be the guy going out there and beating some ass.”
Despite his current frame, Bradley said he was a late bloomer in terms of growing into his adult size. Still, that didn’t stop him from attempting to play as many sports as he could. Eventually, that lead him down the path of professional wrestling. He started training at Steel Domain on the North Side of Chicago, the same gym that produced familiar names like CM Punk and Colt Cabana. After going through some initial struggles due to an overactive thyroid, Bradley began to earn experience competing in independent promotions, including IWA Mid-South. Just six years after beginning his journey, Bradley earned a contract with the premier organization, the WWE.
“It was a dream come true. It was pretty surreal,” Bradley said. “I remember getting there and being told I’m having a match. Tommy Dreamer, who was head of the talent development at the time, was trying to get me a tryout for a couple of months at the time. He just told me, ‘We need to get you a match in front of an agent and the right people and you’ll do fine.’ I wrestled for the Heat show which aired on their website back then I think. I had the match and found out the next day they were signing me to a deal.”
Dubbed “The Monster of the Midway” Bradley Jay, he would be sent to the WWE’s developmental league at the time, Deep South Wrestling. There he would capture the Deep South Wrestling Heavyweight title on three occasions along with wrestling dark matches for both Raw and Smackdown! events. Once WWE began their relationship with the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), Bradley made the move and would go on to become the first man to hold the Deep South and OVW Heavyweight strap. Bradley would continue to wrestle in OVW and even made his way to the main roster, appearing on Smackdown! in the Fall of 2008.
Although he’d achieved his goals by making it the WWE, his tenure with the company would be brief. Still, it was an experience Bradley credits with helping him become a better performer.
“I spent time in Deep South that worked really well for me. They moved me to OVW, which brought me to another level as a talent and a wrestler in the ring,” Bradley said. “I was on the road with the Raw brand at the time and doing dark matches before TV, gaining a lot of experience. I was around the atmosphere, learning from and sharing the locker room with guys like Steve Regal, Arn Anderson, Barry Windham, Ricky Steamboat and Dean Malenko. You can’t help but get better being around those people. You’re surrounded so much experience and knowledge, and if you’re hungry for it, they’ll keep feeding it to you.”
Following his WWE tenure, Bradley appeared on some regional promotions including Chicago’s AAW before signing a deal with Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling. Bradley went through two stints with TNA and was able to make a trip to work in Japan for Wrestle-1 along with returning to OVW after the WWE ended their partnership with the promotion. Despite the negative image TNA had at the time (LOLTNA!), Bradley is one of the few wrestlers who has positive things to say about his time with the company.
“Did I experience some crap there? Absolutely,” Bradley said. “It goes without saying. But here’s why I look at it as a positive. They signed me to a contract. I got to wrestle full time and pay my bills as a full time pro wrestler. Yeah, I could bitch and moan about how they should’ve done this or done that but at the same time, I probably could’ve done this or that too. The story of the company at that time has been beat to death. Everyone knows the story. But my perspective is that I got a spot when a bunch of other guys didn’t. I was absolutely blessed to wrestle full time.”
Helping Bradley maintain an active schedule, Warrior Wrestling 2 will pit Bradley against an up-and-coming indie wrestling favorite, Darby Allin. The two could not be any more different. Bradley is a heavyweight who features a classic style while Allin is billed at 5’8” 180-pounds and has made a name for himself in part due to the insane amount of punishment he’s willing to go through in his matches. In boxing and MMA, a cliché phrase is “styles make fights” and it’s certainly true with this one.
“I’ve seen some of his stuff. I’ve watched a handful of his matches,” Bradley said. He’s making a name for himself. He’s a very scrappy, undersized guy who doesn’t quit. He’s got a very unique and interesting look. We’ll see how far he can go and how much he can take against a guy more than twice his size.”
Wrestling fans can enjoy watching Bradley and Allin go at one another on Sept. 2, the day after All In. Allin vs. Bradley is just one of a handful of matches on the card which features a handful of former World Champions, including professional wrestling legend Rey Mysterio. Fans can also enjoy a meet & greet session with the wrestlers prior to the action kicking off at 7:30 p.m. Click here for all your ticket information needs.
Fast Five
Favorite non wrestling activity – Probably eating and looking at memes.
Favorite match – I don’t necessarily have one favorite match. But I greatly enjoyed the stuff I did in Japan in [Pro Wrestling] Noah.
Favorite Move – The Stan Hansen lariat is always awesome. The Vader powerbomb or “Dr. Death” powerslam is what I like to do and like to watch.
Dream match? – Honesty I thought there’d be no chance to get a dream match because the guys I’m into have passed on or retired but recently [Takeshi] Morishima has announced he’s come out of retirement. Hopefully when I go to Japan next I can cross paths with him. I got to fight Vader a few years ago which was cool. I wish I could get in there with Stan Hansen and Terry [Gordy] but Stan is happily retired and Terry is no longer with us.
Favorite story from “the road” – John Cena getting me drunk at an airport.
There’s just something about a classic that tugs on our heartstrings. Whether it’s a classic car, your favorite vacation spot as a kid or just something from your past that transports you to “the good old days.” Jay Bradley is what some would consider, a classic incarnation of a time gone by in the world of professional wrestling.
Long before frog splashes, moonsaults and suicide dives became common place, most matches involved a heavy mix of brute force combined with intensity. Bradley, a towering heavyweight (6’5, 280-pounds) won’t be going to the top rope often and isn’t going to fly effortlessly through the air. That isn’t to say his style in the ring is all steak with no sizzle.
“Sometimes guys are so worried about doing things so fast, it all becomes a blur,” Bradley told Warrior Wrestling. “Do I think it helps me stand out? Maybe so. Is it everyone’s favorite flavor of ice cream? I’m sure it’s not. But there aren’t a lot of guys my size now. 20 years ago, everyone was huge and the cruiserweights were the minority. Now it’s almost reverse, guys at 180-210 pounds are kind of the norm. I think there’s a place for me out there to give people something else or surprise them when I do something extra.”
It’s a style that Bradley finds comfort in not just because of his size, but because that’s how he was first introduced into the world of wrestling. Like many current wrestlers, Bradley’s love of the business began at an early age. Calling himself a stereotypical WWF kid, Bradley became entranced by much more than just the larger than life characters he saw on TV.
“My mom used to not let me watch it,” Bradley said. “I don’t know if she just didn’t like it or if she thought it’d make me violent, but I used to sneak around to see it. I was mesmerized by the whole WWF spectacle, the over the top characters, the lights, the colors and overdeveloped bodies that looked like superheroes.”
Of course, every superhero needs villain and during this time, there was arguably no greater villain than Big Van Vader. The former collegiate football player made the transition to wrestling and became one of the most terrifying wrestlers in the industry with his mastodon mask that would have smoke shoot out from it. After becoming a sensation in Japan, Vader would sign with WCW and go on to have several legendary battels with the likes of Sting, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan and Cactus Jack before eventually signing with the WWF.
Realizing there was more to wrestling than just the WWF, Bradley decided to branch out and diversify his wrestling entertainment. He enjoyed watching Vader run amok through WCW but began to appreciate the smaller, faster guys in various promotions.
“Vader was a monster killing everyone. His presentation, his aura, he was so intense and intimidating,” Bradley said. “I also enjoyed guys like The Barbarian and Dusty Rhodes. As I got more involved in wrestling I started seeing guys like the Guerreros and Malenkos having more athletic matches which lead me to watch the stuff in Japan. I started watching guys like [Jushin] Liger, [Yoshihiro] Takayama, Minoru Suzuki and [Kenta] Kobashi Terry Gordy, and ‘Dr. Death’ Steve Williams in ECW. I started realizing there was more out there than just WWF. As I discovered more of that stuff, I was enamored by these guys. They weren’t ridiculous over the top characters. These guys could be the guys in your gym. Yeah, they were big and athletic, but they didn’t look the part of a wrestler. I didn’t want to be the wrestling clown or wrestling profession. I wanted to be the guy going out there and beating some ass.”
Despite his current frame, Bradley said he was a late bloomer in terms of growing into his adult size. Still, that didn’t stop him from attempting to play as many sports as he could. Eventually, that lead him down the path of professional wrestling. He started training at Steel Domain on the North Side of Chicago, the same gym that produced familiar names like CM Punk and Colt Cabana. After going through some initial struggles due to an overactive thyroid, Bradley began to earn experience competing in independent promotions, including IWA Mid-South. Just six years after beginning his journey, Bradley earned a contract with the premier organization, the WWE.
“It was a dream come true. It was pretty surreal,” Bradley said. “I remember getting there and being told I’m having a match. Tommy Dreamer, who was head of the talent development at the time, was trying to get me a tryout for a couple of months at the time. He just told me, ‘We need to get you a match in front of an agent and the right people and you’ll do fine.’ I wrestled for the Heat show which aired on their website back then I think. I had the match and found out the next day they were signing me to a deal.”
Dubbed “The Monster of the Midway” Bradley Jay, he would be sent to the WWE’s developmental league at the time, Deep South Wrestling. There he would capture the Deep South Wrestling Heavyweight title on three occasions along with wrestling dark matches for both Raw and Smackdown! events. Once WWE began their relationship with the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), Bradley made the move and would go on to become the first man to hold the Deep South and OVW Heavyweight strap. Bradley would continue to wrestle in OVW and even made his way to the main roster, appearing on Smackdown! in the Fall of 2008.
Although he’d achieved his goals by making it the WWE, his tenure with the company would be brief. Still, it was an experience Bradley credits with helping him become a better performer.
“I spent time in Deep South that worked really well for me. They moved me to OVW, which brought me to another level as a talent and a wrestler in the ring,” Bradley said. “I was on the road with the Raw brand at the time and doing dark matches before TV, gaining a lot of experience. I was around the atmosphere, learning from and sharing the locker room with guys like Steve Regal, Arn Anderson, Barry Windham, Ricky Steamboat and Dean Malenko. You can’t help but get better being around those people. You’re surrounded so much experience and knowledge, and if you’re hungry for it, they’ll keep feeding it to you.”
Following his WWE tenure, Bradley appeared on some regional promotions including Chicago’s AAW before signing a deal with Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling. Bradley went through two stints with TNA and was able to make a trip to work in Japan for Wrestle-1 along with returning to OVW after the WWE ended their partnership with the promotion. Despite the negative image TNA had at the time (LOLTNA!), Bradley is one of the few wrestlers who has positive things to say about his time with the company.
“Did I experience some crap there? Absolutely,” Bradley said. “It goes without saying. But here’s why I look at it as a positive. They signed me to a contract. I got to wrestle full time and pay my bills as a full time pro wrestler. Yeah, I could bitch and moan about how they should’ve done this or done that but at the same time, I probably could’ve done this or that too. The story of the company at that time has been beat to death. Everyone knows the story. But my perspective is that I got a spot when a bunch of other guys didn’t. I was absolutely blessed to wrestle full time.”
Helping Bradley maintain an active schedule, Warrior Wrestling 2 will pit Bradley against an up-and-coming indie wrestling favorite, Darby Allin. The two could not be any more different. Bradley is a heavyweight who features a classic style while Allin is billed at 5’8” 180-pounds and has made a name for himself in part due to the insane amount of punishment he’s willing to go through in his matches. In boxing and MMA, a cliché phrase is “styles make fights” and it’s certainly true with this one.
“I’ve seen some of his stuff. I’ve watched a handful of his matches,” Bradley said. He’s making a name for himself. He’s a very scrappy, undersized guy who doesn’t quit. He’s got a very unique and interesting look. We’ll see how far he can go and how much he can take against a guy more than twice his size.”
Wrestling fans can enjoy watching Bradley and Allin go at one another on Sept. 2, the day after All In. Allin vs. Bradley is just one of a handful of matches on the card which features a handful of former World Champions, including professional wrestling legend Rey Mysterio. Fans can also enjoy a meet & greet session with the wrestlers prior to the action kicking off at 7:30 p.m. Click here for all your ticket information needs.
Fast Five
Favorite non wrestling activity – Probably eating and looking at memes.
Favorite match – I don’t necessarily have one favorite match. But I greatly enjoyed the stuff I did in Japan in [Pro Wrestling] Noah.
Favorite Move – The Stan Hansen lariat is always awesome. The Vader powerbomb or “Dr. Death” powerslam is what I like to do and like to watch.
Dream match? – Honesty I thought there’d be no chance to get a dream match because the guys I’m into have passed on or retired but recently [Takeshi] Morishima has announced he’s come out of retirement. Hopefully when I go to Japan next I can cross paths with him. I got to fight Vader a few years ago which was cool. I wish I could get in there with Stan Hansen and Terry [Gordy] but Stan is happily retired and Terry is no longer with us.
Favorite story from “the road” – John Cena getting me drunk at an airport.
Video courtesy of Rob Malinowski at Tailored Vision Media. www.tailoredvision.com
