ALL-IN sells out in under 30 minutes, points to the future of pro wrestling
What started as a joke, as a bet taken over Twitter between a journalist and a wrestler without a contract, has become a reality. Two years back, Cody Rhodes made a bet with renowned journalist Dave Meltzer that he could sell out a 10,000 arena show after Meltzer said: “that wouldn’t be conceivable any time soon.” He and the Young Bucks have done just that. ALL-IN tickets went on sale this Sunday, and it took just 29 minutes and 36 seconds for the event to sell out.
We did it. #AllIn
— The Young Bucks (@MattJackson13) May 13, 2018
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This is a historic moment not just for Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks, but for the entire sports entertainment business.
The Sears Centre Arena has a capacity of 11,800, which indicates they’ve won the bet and have sold over 10,000 tickets for the event. Now, what makes this so groundbreaking, is that nobody other than Vince McMahon has been able to sell more than 10,000 tickets for a wrestling event on American soil in 19 years.
Everyone knows that competition is healthy for businesses. It helps drive creativity and keeps them on their toes. Well, there hasn’t been anyone to do that for WWE since WCW folded in the early 2000’s. Last week I wrote about how the WWE’s main roster is sucking the life out of its brand, and I believe this is a testament to how complacent they’ve become. In due time, the WWE could even have rivalries akin to the Monday Night Wars from 2 decades back. The timing for this to occur is impeccable because WWE desperately needs a spark to light their fire again.
Newly appointed president of New Japan Pro Wrestling: Harold Mei has the same goals.
“Long-term, I want us to trouble WWE. If you just look at our product you’ll see that’s not out of the question.”
He’s right with that claim. They have better story-telling and FAR better booking decisions. Not to mention they’ve got a less demanding schedule, so their guys get more rest, and can put on harder and more exciting matches when they do compete. In my honest opinion, NJPW is the wrestling show you watch when you don’t want to be disappointed.
The moment from the #ALLIN Press Conference where @Billy announced the @NWA Worlds Championship will be defended. And then @CodyRhodes made it even bigger.
FULL VIDEO – https://t.co/TYefOpxyFi pic.twitter.com/LQjypcaCR2
— NWA (@nwa) May 16, 2018
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It was also just announced by Billy Corgan at the ALL-IN press conference, that the NWA World Heavyweight Championship will be defended at the event. The first and only match announced on the card. Cody then stood up and said he’d be challenging whoever the champion is at the time for the title. Coincidentally, if Cody were to win the title, he and his late father Dusty Rhodes would become the first father-son pair to have both held the belts.
The last piece of the puzzle is CM Punk. Arguably the most coveted wrestler in the world since quitting WWE has announced that he’ll be doing meet and greets that weekend as a part of ALL-IN weekend. You can’t say “draw a crowd” without thinking CM Punk. At this point, he HAS to show up in some way, shape, or form.