Friend Encounters: Darby Allin and John Dean

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities.

The Squared Circle Expo in Indianapolis, IN was the first major event I attended after the pandemic shut down most everything in early 2020. The SCE 2021 was their debut event and it was fantastic, but SCX II was even better. SCX III returns April 7-8 and it promised to be even better than the others.

It featured a large lineup of wrestling legends and current stars. One of the active wrestlers was Darby Allin of All Elite Wrestling.

Debuting in 2015, Allin has wrestled for Game Changer Wrestling, World Wrestling Network, Lucha Libre and Progress Wrestling, before signing with AEW in 2019. He held the AEW TNT Championship once and was ranked No. 55 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2020.

John Dean is my friend from conventions and wrestling. He has met many wrestlers and was all over the place at the SCE 2021. Still, he found time to catch up with me. It's always good seeing John.

Getting a current star like Allin was a big deal for SCE, but it didn't end there. SCE also had AEW's Tay Conti and Britt Baker, among many others. It was an amazing debut event and SCE 2022, scheduled for 4/15-16,/2021, will be even better. 

Go to SquaredCircleX.com for all the info on SCE 2022. Also, check AllEliteWrestling.com.

 

Darby Allin and John Dean in Indianapolis, IN-May 2021.

Darby Allin at Squared Circle Expo (SCX II Update)

The Squared Circle Expo II is two months away. After a fantastic debut and many months of anticipation, SCX II is set to be even better than the inaugural event.

SCX II is a two day convention running April 15-16 at the Wyndham Indianapolis West. It is a convention for the wrestling fans, run by folks dedicated to making it a fantastic event. Their dedication paid off last year as the SCX was the best convention debut I have attended and SCX II promises to top it.

Last year, Darby Allin was one of the guests I really wanted to meet. The young wrestler was a rising star in All Elite Wrestling. Since then he has gotten even bigger, entering a storyline with the legend Sting.

Allin was just one of dozens of wrestlers at SCX. This year, the list is already amazing and it is still growing.

The announced wrestler guest list is lengthy and loaded with talent. Announced so far are Mickie James, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, John Bradshaw Layfield, Ron Simmons, Ted DiBiase, New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn), Rikishi, Lex Luger, Carlito, Matt Cardona, Hangman Adam Page, Brody King, Brian Cage, Swoggle, Santana and Ortiz, Sammy Guevara, the Lucha Bros., the Headbangers (Mosh and Thrasher), Primo and Epico FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood), the Good Brothers, Dalton Castle, Ethan Page, Alan 5 Angel, Chelsea Green, Fuego Del Sol, Abadon, Brian Myers, Sharkboy, the Steiner Brothers, the Varsity Blondes (Brian Pillman, Jr. and Griff Garrison), Larry D, Crazzy Steve and Wolfie D.

I got tired just typing all those names. I also got dizzy thinking of the level of stardom there.

This list already covers wrestlers from many decades and several companies. I don't think the SCX promoters are done though. More announcements are expected. Last year's guest lineup was collectively one of the most fan-friendly groups I have seen.

SCX II will be taking over the entirety of the Wyndham Indianapolis West's 35,000 square feet of meeting space, transforming it into a pro wrestling fan's paradise. One of the coolest features is the Grand Ballroom, with its' 10,000 square feet becoming the setting for Saturday night's live wrestling.

In addition to the wrestlers listed, there will be panels, Q&As, photo opportunities, vendors and more, Saturday night features a full wrestling card to close out the event.

Actually, close out is kind of up to interpretation. The convention officially ends with the wrestling matches, but the fun will continue long into the night as everyone hangs out soaking in the fun as much as possible.

For more info, go to SquaredCircleX.com and check back here for my updates. I do not work for SCX, but I will be "On the Beat" reporting on all the fun. Did I mention I cannot wait!

Darby Allin and me in Indianapolis, IN-May 2021.