5 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (March 9)

1. ALL IN ALL SET

Callihan GIF
YouTube

The date and the host city for ALL IN is set: those cheeky scamps on Being The Elite indirectly hijacked the ending of Monday Night RAW by posting the latest episode as it finished, in which they finally confirmed the key details: Sears Center Arena, Chicago, September 1.

It seems everything is converging to make this ambitious venture a success; the very same week the announcement was made, WWE annoyed one of its traditionally strongest markets by booking Brock Lesnar to squash Kane in an absolute waste of an appearance at Chicago's United Center, all in service of getting Reigns over at WrestleMania 34.

It's a great choice. Chicago is a proper wrestling city accessible to many with its inexpensive travel links. Moreover, the very fact that CM Punk resides there is enough to drive early ticket sales just on the off-chance that he appears. And, if he doesn't, the real Best In The World - Kenny Omega - is a big draw in the U.S., given the sporadic appearances he makes in his home continent. He drew Ring Of Honor's biggest crowds ever on the 2017 U.S. Global Wars tour without wrestling the marquee singles match he has perfected over the last two years. Is the prospect of a ****** Kenny Omega Best Bout enough to draw a five-figure crowd?

Here's hoping. This is something genuinely big - no company besides WWE has drawn a crowd in North America of that size in 20 years - and since WWE allegedly thrives on competition, a kick up the a*se - or a knee to the face - should surely mean we're not in for another arrogant push on the level of Jinder Mahal.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!