Success of All In Crucial For Entire Pro Wrestling Industry
By Bryan Heaton
In less than an hour, All In sold out a 10,000 seat venue. It’s a sign of success for the show, which is absolutely essential for everyone in wrestling.
Just about a year ago, Cody (neé Rhodes) was inspired by a Dave Meltzer tweet. A fan asked if Ring of Honor would be able to sell out a venue the likes of Madison Square Garden, and Dave replied “not any time soon.” Cody took it as a challenge, and the seeds for what would eventually be known as “All In” were planted.
Since then, Cody and the Young Bucks have quite literally been all in as they put together the September 1 show. First came the talent announcements: in addition to the Elite of the Bullet Club, names like Tessa Blanchard, Pentagon Jr., and Kazuchika Okada are slated to perform. Then came the location: the Sears Centre in Chicago.
But it wasn’t until this weekend that the impact of All In was truly evident. After a press conference filled with major news for the show, tickets went on sale. And almost immediately, tickets were gone — in less than an hour, every seat for the show was sold out.
What exactly does this mean? For one thing, it means that the entire pro wrestling industry is about to benefit. The card has just one official match scheduled (Cody’s NWA World Championship match), but the talent roster is a who’s who of both independent stars and major players. Joey Janela and Rey Fenix? Kenny Omega and Rey Mysterio? Chelsea Green and Deonna Purrazzo? There’s literally something for everyone on this card.
Such a varied talent roster is the kind of thing that pulls fans in to a show. And the reward is a massive gate — it’s the first non-WWE show running in America to sell out a 10,000 seat venue since WCW went under. One would have to think that this could end up being the first of many All In-type shows. It’s not the kind of thing that would happen every month, but there could be plenty of opportunities for Cody and the Bucks (or other similarly successful pro wrestlers) to put together a show of this magnitude.
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What about the pressure this could put on WWE? It’s not exactly a secret that Vince McMahon and company don’t really feel like there’s any kind of threat from other promotions. Not since the heyday of WCW has there been any true “competition” for WWE. But if a trio of wrestlers outside the WWE bubble can sell 10,000 seats in an hour, doesn’t that mean there’s a demand for a non-WWE product out there?
As a publicly traded company, WWE’s biggest concerns are profit margins and shareholder satisfaction. Why else would nothing ever change despite fan reactions? It’s doubtful that WWE will be financially affected by All In right out of the gate, but it’s impossible to ignore. While major shows like WrestleMania always perform well in ticket sales, there’s been many a WWE show lately with a tarped off section. And now, a former employee of the company teamed with his new buddies to sell out the largest independent show in history? Before a match is announced?
Even the illusion of competition is the best thing for the entire wrestling industry. It means every worker for every company is going to have to up their game to remain relevant. Why spend your hard earned money on a show if you don’t get bang for your buck? All In is not only opening doors for fans to find new talent — it’s giving talent an opportunity to reach an audience they might not otherwise get to.
No matter how you slice it, All In is going to be a huge deal for the entire wrestling industry. From wrestlers with an itch to promote, to performers willing to gamble on themselves, to fans who want an alternative to the mainstream, to other promotions adapting to a changing business, September 1 is going to be a huge day.