ROH & NJPW SELL OUT Madison Square Garden

The times they are a changin'.

by Michael Sidgwick
Cody Rhodes Kota Ibushi
NJPW1972.com

In news that will irritate Vince McMahon more than a short wrestler sneezing all over his face, the G1 SuperCard co-promoted by Ring Of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling has sold out Madison Square Garden, with zero matches announced, in well under an hour of the tickets going on general sale.

This is a major deal. WWE hasn't sold out its spiritual home in years.

One might point to the hub of wrestling activity that is 'Mania Weekend as the primary driver of sales - that is, after all, why the specific date of April 6, 2019 was chosen - but it's hard to envisage that this is something some 18,000 fans have decided to just "do" "while they are there". This is genuine, uplifting history, and the ardent wrestling fans want to be a part of it. This won't damage WWE one iota, beyond a bruise to the ego - the TakeOver event on the same night will doubtlessly sell out also - but this should, in theory, force WWE to up their own game. Or just throw Fox money at talent with no motivation to promote them with conviction. One or the other.

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Cody tweeted the following in response to the news - the show itself was an encouraged response to the smash success of his ALL IN venture - "I am the game now".

And, since G1 SuperCard is guaranteed to sell more tickets than TakeOver at the Barclays Center, he may have a point.

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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!