"More than just the face paint" - AEW star explains his friendship with Sting

The alliance between Sting and Darby Allin was something wrestling fans didn't know they needed until AEW pulled the trigger on the duo in late 2020.

While The Icon is already a certified stalwart of the wrestling business, his association with Allin has made the duo one of the hottest teams in pro wrestling today. Given their shared affinity for face paint, many thought theme and appearance were the only things that drew the two together.

However, Allin recently busted fans' perception of the partnership. Speaking to the New York Post, The Daredevil disclosed that he and Sting have a lot in common that fans may be unaware of:

"When people first heard that me and Sting were going to be partnered up they automatically said, “Hey, it’s the face paint. It’s the only thing they’ve got in common.” If they knew how we were behind the scenes and how we are right now they would understand this is more than just the face paint. We have such a connection," Allin said.

The former TNT Champion went on to describe how his on-screen mentor is one of the nicest people in pro wrestling today. He cited the moment the WWE Hall of Famer approached him and offered to share his locker room:

"I remember back when we were (filming) at Daily’s Place for the year during the pandemic, I would be changing in the boiler room and Sting walked by and Sting has his own locker room, and Sting walked by and said, “What are you doing in here?” I said, “It’s a place I feel I can really be myself and cut loose and just think about what I want to do.” I don’t work well when I’m stuck in big groups of people. And then he’s like, “Dude come in my locker room. My locker room is your locker room from now on," he added.

Sting and Darby Allin appreciation tweet.

AEW has done a fantastic job from top to bottom to show this natural pair so well.

This literally feels like a father son relationship. Just wonderful. https://t.co/bGZ3Z4jpoT

For those unaware, Darby Allin was instrumental in convincing Sting to wrestle live matches, though the latter originally wanted to do cinematic bouts.

Interestingly, the duo's first contest against Ricky Starks and Brian Cage at Revolution 2021 was the only pre-taped match they have wrestled in AEW.

Darby Allin will face Jeff Hardy on AEW Dynamite tonight

On the upcoming episode of AEW Dynamite, Darby Allin and Jeff Hardy will lock horns for the first time in the quarterfinals of the Owen Hart Cup Tournament.

The two AEW stars have been riding high on momentum, having defeated Swerve Strickland and Bobby Fish in their respective matches to advance in the tournament.

#AEW Control Center is coming to you from Long Island, NY! We break down the #OwenHart Foundation Tournament Bracketology and preview the #AEW action this week!
▶️ youtu.be/jGLTefZ4R9E https://t.co/iC2eNaiD8L

Given their penchant for high-flying maneuvers in the ring, it will be an uphill task for the two men to outclass each other.

Should Allin emerge victorious over The Charismatic Enigma, it will undoubtedly help him reach a certain level of stardom.

Do you think Darby Allin and The Icon have natural chemistry? Sound off in the comments section below.