WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley believes Darby Allin has taken some of the qualities that defined Cactus Jack and transformed them into something uniquely his own.

Allin has developed a reputation for being one of wrestling's most fearless performers, regularly combining high-risk athleticism with the kind of physical punishment that became synonymous with Foley during his career.

Speaking with Adam Barnard of The Sportster, Foley was asked about the influence Cactus Jack may have had on the former AEW World Champion.

Foley believes the similarities are there, but stressed that Allin has taken those influences much further by adding athletic abilities that he himself never possessed.

“I see Darby as someone who took the inspiration from Cactus Jack and added a whole lot of athleticism to it. He did things that I could have never done, and he’s created a hybrid style that borrows from me a little bit and from others who are far more athletic than me, and he’s made it his own in the same way that I basically took one part Bruiser Brody, one part Tommy Billington, and made it my own. He’s created a hybrid style that works for him and has made him one of the biggest stars of this new generation.”

Foley's comparison also provides an interesting look at how he developed the Cactus Jack persona.

The two wrestlers he referenced, Bruiser Brody and Tommy Billington, better known to wrestling fans as the Dynamite Kid, represented very different approaches inside the ring.

Brody became famous for his unpredictable brawling style and larger-than-life presence, while Dynamite Kid was renowned for his speed, intensity and technical ability. Both performers left significant marks on professional wrestling, and Foley believes elements of each eventually found their way into Cactus Jack.

In much the same fashion, Foley feels Allin has absorbed influences from wrestlers who came before him without simply attempting to recreate their work.

Instead, Allin's willingness to take punishment has been combined with his speed and athleticism to produce the distinctive style that has helped establish him as one of AEW's major names.

Foley began performing as Cactus Jack during the late 1980s, eventually taking the character through promotions including WCW, ECW and Japan. His career reached another level after joining WWF, where Mankind and Dude Love joined Cactus Jack as Foley's three famous personas.

Foley eventually became a three-time WWE Champion before being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Allin, meanwhile, has been part of AEW since the promotion's inaugural year in 2019 and has held the TNT Championship twice.

His accomplishments have also extended far beyond professional wrestling. In May 2025, Allin successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest, becoming the first professional wrestler to achieve the feat after preparing for the climb while continuing his wrestling career.

Following his return to AEW television later that summer, Allin eventually climbed to the top of the company by capturing the AEW World Championship before later losing the title to MJF.