Getting a grip: All In sells out; WWE's plan for Ronda Rousey; Money in the Bank card

Brian Fritz

•
Getting a grip: All In sells out; WWE's plan for Ronda Rousey; Money in the Bank card image

Each week, Sporting News runs down the biggest stories in the world of professional wrestling.

All In sells out

It started a year ago with a simple question from a fan to wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer:

Cody Rhodes quickly seized on the moment — challenged accepted:

Since then, Cody and The Young Bucks have been focused on reaching that goal with relentless promotion and hype. Many wondered if they could actually reach it. Was it possible for an independent show to sell out a 10,000-seat arena?

MORE: WWE 2018 PPV schedule

Come to find out, the real question shouldn’t have been could it sell out but how quickly will it sell out.

The answer to that: less than 30 minutes when tickets went on sale last Sunday afternoon.

Give credit to Cody and The Young Bucks for the work they have done to reach this impressive feat. They accomplished something that Ring of Honor, TNA Wrestlin, and not even ECW did in their heyday in selling 10,000 tickets to a show.

This may be an outlier with the right people at the right time putting on this event to reach this number. That doesn’t take away how impressive this grassroots effort has turned out.

While plenty of names have been announced for All In on Sept. 1 in Chicago, only one match has been made with Cody challenging for the NWA World Championship, likely against the current champion Nick Aldis.

It would be quite the story for Cody to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father the “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes in capturing the NWA World Championship and bring it back to the Rhodes family.

Also a part of All In is a four-day podcast convention that will include live broadcasts of various wrestling podcasts on multiple stages along with pictures, autographs, and “one of a kind experiences”.

Tickets are now on-sale for Starrcast which is the brainchild of the “Something to Wrestle With…” podcast co-host Conrad Thompson. His partner Bruce Prichard will be a big part of the event as he will be the center of attention that Friday night for “The Roast of Bruce Prichard” followed by him singing karaoke alongside Jeff Jarrett.

Recently, I caught up with Thompson to discuss the first of its kind event and if we could see it again in the future.

SPORTING NEWS: How exactly did the idea of Starrcast come about?

CONRAD THOMPSON: I’ve had this idea of a wrestling podcast convention in my head for a couple years now, and thought it could be similar to the Mid-Atlantic NWA fan fest. But for Starrcast, it really was a right place, right time situation. When Cody announced All-In, I reached out to him and pitched the idea. He took it back to the boys (The Young Bucks) and they all loved the idea. From there, we were All In.

SN: There's been a lot of excitement for "All In" and that's evident in how quickly it sold out. How much of that excitement is due to Starrcast being part of the event?

CT: I don’t think Starrcast is responsible for the excitement and success All In has been to this point. That’s a humbling thought, but those guys were going to sell out the Sears Center on their own. But when I pitched the idea of Starrcast to Cody, he did see it as an opportunity for fans to make it a destination weekend of fun events. So now, maybe some people who were on the fence about coming get numerous opportunities to meet legends of the wrestling business, see some live shows and ultimately have an unbelievable fan experience, and now they are All-In for the weekend. But to be clear, All In was selling out even without Starrcast.

SN: The lineup for Starrcast is out with the various podcasts that will be featured. Several of the podcasts will be discussing the Monday Night Wars. Why do you think wrestling fans — especially those that will come to Starrcast and listen to a variety of wrestling podcasts — are so obsessed with that period and its fallout?

CT: I think everyone is attached to what they grew up on. For me, The Monday Night Wars was the height of my fandom, and I think it’s the same for a lot of the demographic that listens to wrestling podcasts. So fans around my age gravitate towards what they grew up on. You also add in the fact that some of the main players involved in that time period, like Bruce Prichard, like Eric Bischoff, are tremendous story tellers, and it makes for some really compelling content.

SN: What scene will be wilder that Friday night: the roast of Bruce Prichard or the karaoke afterward with Bruce and Jeff Jarrett?

CT: I’m definitely looking forward to some of Bruce’s friends, and some of his not-so-friends having fun at his expense. That will truly be a unique experience. And then you mix in some drink, and roll it into some karaoke? It’s going to be a fun night.

SN: How often do you think you can do an event like Starrcast moving forward and when might be the best time to do it? Could this work as part of a WrestleMania week or do you think it will work better around a singular, specialized wrestling show like All In?

CT: We really are focused right now on making this Starrcast the best it can possibly be for the fans. That’s first and foremost. But Bruce and I did a mini-run at WrestleMania weekend by selling out two shows, so I could see this concept working around other major events. We want to see what works, what doesn’t, get some key learnings and see what we can do better with this one. But if I were a betting man, I’d bet on seeing something like this again. 

Ronda Rousey singles run begins

So much for any kind of slow burn with Ronda Rousey.

WWE set up an angle on Monday at the NBC Upfronts where a mostly out-of-character "RAW" Women’s Champion Nia Jax challenged Rousey for her title at next month’s Money in the Bank event.

WWE doesn’t want to wait any longer to capitalize on Rousey’s fame and star power. Yet, it’s a curious decision to have her already face Jax for the championship considering her lack of experience.

While Rousey did have a fantastic debut at WrestleMania 34 in a mixed tag team match alongside Kurt Angle against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, she is just starting her singles career during the current WWE overseas tour.

The thinking was that WWE would bring her along slowly, having her work programs with veterans such as Mickie James and Natalya to help her improve and feel more comfortable in the ring. Instead, she has been fast-tracked to a title shot only a few months into her career.

Another interesting aspect is the outcome of the match. Will WWE actually put the "RAW" Women’s Championship on Rousey so soon? Possibly considering that the alternative would be having her lose which seems unfathomable unless there is cheating involved and Jax once again turns heel. Stay tuned.

Money in the Bank

The rest of the card for the June 17 show is coming together. Bobby Roode and Kevin Owens each won their respective match on "RAW" to qualify for the men’s ladder match. That will also include one member of The New Day following their victory with the smart money on Big E to represent the team. The remaining spot in the match will be decided next week when Samoa Joe faces Big Cass.

Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss also earned spots in the women’s match that still has four open slots. One of them will be taken by either Billie Kay or Lana who will square off next Tuesday on “SmackDown Live”.

Money in the Bank will also include Carmella defending the “SmackDown” Women’s Championship against Asuka along with AJ Styles versus Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Championship.

Asuka hasn’t done anything of note since having her unbeaten streak come to an end at WrestleMania when she lost to Charlotte Flair. The Japanese star is more suited to be the champion considering her strong in-ring style while Carmella needs some more seasoning.

Styles and Nakamura had a strong match on “SmackDown” that saw Nakamura cheat to win and he will now get to pick the stipulation for their MITB title match. That was quite the decision to have them wrestle in a non-title match to build to their title match but at least it was very good and told the story as Nakamura is in control in his quest for the championship. As for the stipulation he will pick, a Last Man Standing Match would make sense.

News and notes

— Despite the recent news of their breakup right before their wedding, it looks like John Cena and Nikki Bella could be back together soon.

Cena opened up about their relationship earlier this week when he hosted NBC’s Today and stated that he wants her back and is ready to have a family with her.

And here’s Nikki saying that she hopes to get back together with him.

By the way, Season 3 of "Total Bellas" debuts this Sunday on E! 

— Former WWE star Enzo Amore (Eric Arndt) announced that he will not be criminally charged in Arizona regarding allegations of sexual assault. He tweeted out a letter from his attorney stating that the matter is closed due to insufficient evidence and that he is planning “his next venture in the entertainment industry."

— Charlotte had to return to the U.S. sooner than expected after having her teeth knocked out during a match last week against Carmella in Germany. She did get them replaced before taking part in WWE’s presentation at the NBC Upfronts but is back overseas to finish up the tour.

— Here's a pairing you never thought you'd see — "Mean" Gene Okerlund and comedian Kevin Hart. The two are working together as part of the new "Give Your Head a MTN DEW KICKSTART" campaign where “Mean” Gene interviews Hart who channels the “Macho Man” Randy Savage after drinking a Mountain Dew to make you wonder if he might step inside the ring. Oooooohhhh yeahhhhhhh!

— Daniel Bryan knows how to move some merchandise. 

— It’s not Titus Worldwide, it’s Titus World Slide! Get it? 

Brian Fritz can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrianFritz and listen to his Between The Ropes podcast on iTunes.

Brian Fritz

Brian Fritz Photo

Brian Fritz is a contributor with The Sporting News covering the NBA and NFL who previously worked at BasketballNews. He is a 20-year veteran of sports talk radio in Orlando, Florida, after graduating from the University of Central Florida. He now resides in Durham, North Carolina.