10 Things That Made Us Proud To Be Wrestling Fans In 2018
6. ALL IN
ALL IN was an unqualified success.
Though far from the best wrestling show of the year (your writer would find it hard to argue for its inclusion in a top 10 list, let alone place it at number one), it blew every business expectation out of the park. Cody, The Young Bucks, and co. sold over 11,000 tickets in less than 30 minutes. What started as an offhand Twitter bet between Dave Meltzer and Cody grew into the biggest independent show of all time, and, more than that, a symbol of everything wrestling can become if all goes well in 2019.
The death of WCW killed WWE's appetite. Without competition, the company have nothing to motivate them, nothing to push them forward, and no reason to do anything other than stay in cruise control. Almost any complaint levelled at the current WWE product goes back to this. ALL IN offered hope that maybe, someday, competition can return to this monopolised industry, though it was but the first step forward on what'll be a Herculean journey.
Kudos to The Elite for showcasing the power of betting on yourself in a business long-considered a closed shop. We should all be rooting for All Elite Wrestling's success, because increased competition benefits everyone when it pays off.