ALL IN, the largest independent wrestling show ever, now has broadcasting partners. The event is already sold out. It is the brain child of Cody and The Young Bucks. There will be a one hour kickoff event for ALL IN. Cleverly titled ALL IN: ZERO HOUR which will air 6pm on Saturday, September 1 on WGN America. Ironically, the original home of WWE Superstars. 

The official ALL IN event will be able to be purchased on all major pay-per-view providers. As well as FITE.TV , and Ring of Honor's own Honor Club service. The event will be four hours and will cost $39.99 if you're buying on pay-per-view. 

The card includes The Golden Elite (The Young Bucks and Kota Ibushi) taking on Rey Mysterio, Fenix, and Bandido. "The Villain" Marty Scurll will face off with "The Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada. There will be a NWA World Heavyweight Championship match as "American Nightmare" Cody faces defending champion Nick Aldis. 

Other matches include Joey Janela VS Hangman Page. Christopher Daniels will take on Arrow's Stephen Amell (who also holds a victory over Cody Rhodes). Matches that have been announced for the ALL IN: ZERO HOUR show on WGN America are Over Budget battle royal featuring Colt Cabana, Ethan Page, Rocky Romero, Jordynne Grace, and Moose. The Briscoe Brothers will take on SoCal Uncensored (Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky). 

Others scheduled to appear at ALL IN are Kenny Omega, Tessa Blanchard, Jay Lethal, and Chelsea Green. 

Closing Thoughts

I'm sure Cody and the gang will announce more matches soon. Although the card is shaping up nicely. For a completely independent event it's impressive they got a pre-show running on WGN America. Even though running a wrestling pre-show at 6pm on a Saturday isn't really risky business for WGN America. 

The pay-per-view costing $39.99 isn't bad in my opinion, and many will argue it is overpriced. Is it bad to estimate that it could get 100,000 buys? I think that could be a plausible number. It just depends on how many wrestling fans show their support for it. ALL IN is a sell out. Sears Centre seats 11,000. It will be interesting to see if ALL IN is a financial success. If so ALL IN: Again!  could become a reality. 

I like the talent on the card. Ibushi and The Young Bucks facing off with Rey Mysterio will be fun to watch. Nick Aldis and Cody has potential. I'm wondering where Kenny Omega will land, and if they will be getting more independent star power. I'm stoked for Christopher Daniels and Stephen Amell I might have to buy this pay-per-view just to witness the spectacle of it all. 

I wonder who else will be appearing on this card because if they announce a couple more good matches they could have a major pay-per-view audience on their hands. I can also see why they are slowly booking this event. If they book big time stars like a Chris Jericho will that ruin the independent feel?  This event has been fascinating to follow and I hope it is successful. I have a feeling I'll be writing about this again soon. 

ALL IN is September 1 on pay-per-view, FITE TV, and Honor Club. The pre-show ALL IN: ZERO HOUR will air for free on WGN America. 

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Clarification on the titling of this article. I personally was not worked because I knew of the possibility of a Jericho/Omega showdown. I'm just more shocked at the fact fans are mad at being worked. Sometimes I wish that I was worked because let's admit it. It's more fun when a surprise happens.

Although I'm not an expert on NJPW or Kenny Omega. I can recognize this is a pretty big get for both involved. I mean a WWE loyalist in Chris Jericho is doing a New Japan event. Wait, I already hear your reaction as your reading this.

"But this can be a one off deal with WWE?" 

My response to that would be why? How in any way, shape, or form does this benefit WWE. This 1000% legitimizes the Bullet Club and their reach in the current wrestling universe. This makes NJPW look spectacular. How does this benefit WWE? 

Chris Jericho went from only wrestling in the WWE to possibly adventuring out in the Japan and Ring of Honor territory. He didn't even ask WWE's permission. Gasps. He even booked a Fozzy concert on the day of WrestleMania 34. Ruling himself out for the biggest show of the year. Chris Jericho said in a recent interview that WWE is on the "back-burner" for now. Which is understandable when you have a band, multiple television projects, and a Rock N' Roll and Wrestling Cruise to prepare for. Jericho may prefer working some big independent events. Despite his part time WWE schedule. His independent schedule can be made to his standard. Plus his salary could be bigger. 

My view as an outsider benefits NJPW. As a typical WWE guy I'm now wondering about this event. Kota Ibushi taking on Cody Rhodes for the Ring of Honor championship? Tetsuya Naito taking on Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship? That sounds like a pretty impressive card. Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho is what makes this event stand out. If this match isn't on the card. Most casual New Japan fans probably wait to watch the highlights on NJPW on AXS. 

​Still the matchup is intriguing. It will be interesting to see what happens on January 4th at Wrestle Kingdom 12. 

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​

​Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada are two names that fans who generally don't follow wrestling outside WWE would be familiar with. These men appear to have done something in the first week of 2017 that few can do, and that is set the bar by which all matches are measured. When fans who normally don't stray too far from what WWE produces watch this match, they will see just how special this match was. We are unlikely seeing many another one on one matches that run close to an hour in our lifetime, but a match like this isn't just something fans should appreciate, it's what they should come to expect.

Over the course of the past decade, fans of WWE have seen matches that will generally run anywhere from 15-20 minutes, including the most spectacular main events. When Okada and Omega fought for nearly an hour, not only did fans see a match of a length they don't normally see, they also saw storytelling they wouldn't normally see, a combination of sacrifice, will, and determination, in the pursuit of success. After a match like this, as many accolades are given to the loser as there are to the winner. Despite being unsuccessful at WrestleKingdom 11, Omega was just as praised for his performance as Okada.

Without trying to sound like an old curmudgeon, a well-told story says a lot about the commitment each performer contributes to a story. The newer guard of wrestling fandom tends to want to see a number of incredible spots during matches. In the past, matches featuring the likes of Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat were long, but were some of the finest in-ring stories we will ever find. Their conditioning was at a high level in order to prepare for what is aptly called ‘the hour broadway', or no-decision. Seeing such conditioning and endurance demonstrated in a match is amazing. We are talking marathon athletes whose sole purpose is to fight injury, maintain the character and demonstrate a sense of will that is generally unheard of.

​he bar that has been set is a challenge for fans of WWE. In order to have a match like Okada and Omega's, we would need two athletes that could not only go the distance but tell an equally compelling story. This is the case with the likes of Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, AJ Styles and Chris Jericho. These four have the cardiovascular conditioning to sustain being in a match that runs as long if not longer, than 45 minutes, and would be able to tell as compelling a story in the ring as we've ever seen.

When Rollins and Balor faced one another for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam 2016, it was clear that their match was special right from the outset. But as good as that match was, there was clear indication that it wouldn't be given the time allotment prior equal to what the Omega/Okada battle from WrestleKingdom 11 ended up getting. For one, the number of matches on the card takes away from the time that could be allocated to this confrontation. Going 20-25 minutes is generally the norm, and having a match in the neighborhood of an hour isn't common. We can presume that the attention span of the current fan base may simply impede them from appreciating a match of that length.

However, the counter to that argument is that fans are simply predisposed to seeing matches where there are different elements that aren't necessarily tied to the competitors to the ring, and it is easy for them to be distracted and lose interest. This leads us to today, where the Okada/Omega battle will inevitably be measured against anything any promotion produces this year, whether it is in ROH, Impact Wrestling (TNA), Lucha Underground or WWE. The match has earned such acclaim that it not only set the bar. but essentially reinvented the bar for how wrestling can be viewed. Still, for all that their match provided, there were those that didn't view it as on par with other matches in the annals of WWE history. When we are used to seeing one particular product, it is easy to gravitate towards the style and format it presents, because of familiarity, the manner in which storylines are booked, and the accessibility of that product. Some wrestling purists will look at the match and question the number of bumps taken in the match, and whether or not they were necessary. Did the risks warrant the reward? The answer may be yes, as a performers motivation is to be valued by the paying public, not unlike an actor or musician that wants to have their fans go home from a movie or a concert happy. The buzz that surrounded the match in the hours and days after it happened on social media alone has made a number of wrestling pundits sit up and take notice.

​Unlike the hour Broadway of the past, where spots were more spread out, and a great deal of emotion attached to each pinning attempt, the Omega/Okada match up was wire to wire action, with a number of nasty bumps that weren't commonly taken years ago. But it could be said that the Okada/Omega match up was reflective of the modern style of wrestling, and also reflected where it took place. For years, fans that have often talked about Japanese wrestling and strong style, and have pointed out that the stiff nature of the kicks and punches only add to the realism of the story the performers are telling.

Still, it can also be said that these battles can take years off the life of an athlete. While injuries are part of wrestling, many will question if the injuries that could have been sustained from such a match not only impact those in the match, but the promoters, fellow competitors, and those in attendance. It affects promoters because the plans is to hold as many cards as possible with names such as Okada and Omega on them; it affects fellow competitors because it reduces the chances of a potential match against Okada and Omega down the road; and it affects the viewing audience because while they may enjoy what they saw, there is the risk that they won't see these performers compete for months if an injury is sustained. The latter argument isn't as prevalent, as those in attendance will enjoy the moment rather than think long term.

Earlier we mentioned Finn Balor facing Seth Rollins, and the potential of them putting on a lengthy match that could measure up to Okada/Omega. We should also consider that not only Balor but Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura have left Japan to compete in WWE. In joining WWE, they have needed to adapt to the promotion's signature style. Still, stiff punches and kicks have been more common in WWE, and become part of fan expectations, showing how real the execution can be. Nakamura's addition to WWE has also led to a number of possibilities, and we have to wonder if he will ever get the same type of notoriety he had overseas or will have time to execute something like the Okada/ Omega match up.

After capturing and losing the NXT championship, the only logical move would be to move Nakamura to either Raw or SmackDown Live. It has been discussed on social media that having Nakamura join the SmackDown Live brand creates the possibility of a Nakamura/Styles confrontation. For those that are unaware, these two faced each other in New Japan Pro Wrestling in one of Styles' final matches in NJPW. It was a hotly contested match that showed both men could execute stiff kicks, punches and push each other to the limit. They both have the stamina and endurance to create a story that is so compelling that fans would be hard pressed to turn away regardless of whether they were WWE fans or not. We ask why shouldn't the promotion attempt to use a Balor and Rollins or a Styles and Nakamura feud, which could be everything for them that the Omega and Okada match was for NJPW. There has to be some in the company that is bothered, knowing that the match that set the bar wasn't in WWE. While it may not be the be all and end all, it is significant that a different company was the focal point of attention and not WWE.

Here we are now, a couple of months removed from the match, and wondering if anything can be considered on par. We aren't necessarily talking about another match this year, but even another match this decade, especially in a rival promotion. The biggest bone of contention is whether or not WWE would give enough time to a match, and whether or not talent such as AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Balor and Seth Rollins will have the opportunity to use their skill set to tell the kind of story fans outside WWE have been privy too. While we are optimistic that we will see something that would be considered a five-star classic, a six-star classic, as Dave Meltzer has rated it, may indeed be hard to come by.


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EVOLVE are a company best known for three reasons. Their working relationship with the WWE which allows the biggest company in the world to poach EVOLVE talent for their NXT brand, their history as the U.S branch of Dragon Gate, and their displays of great technical wrestling. The latter of these three options is best on display in the stable known as Catch Point. 

The term stable isn't really one that can do Catch Point justice. They aren't a stable, they're a team, they don't go about their time in a typical stable manner. Catch Point is a group of skilled individual wrestlers who can all work a similar style, one that echo's the early 20th century style of wrestling, very technical and gold based, wrestling at it's purest routes. This style is also where they borrow the name Catch Point from, but not only is it a style, for these five men it is a mentality that they all share. This mentality gives them an urge to constantly better themselves and each other, whether that's by competiting against each other or against the best the independent circuit has to offer. Winning is everything to these men, and as a cohesive unite their main drive is to win for, against, and with each other.

​What also seperates Catch Point from your average stable is the lack of a determined leader or a wrestler that transcends the rest of the group. Although Drew Gulak is often seen by fans as the main mouthpiece, the group itself is a collective, all members are on a level plain and this is most noticeable when you consider the fact that four of the five members have/had an opportunity against Timothy Thatcher for the EVOLVE Championship at consecutive events. Each member is world title material, and each has the potential to be a top guy on their own. This makes the fact that they choose to work as a unit in order to better each other a lot more admirable. They don't need each other to succeed, but they choose to work together so that they don't just succeed, but instead outclass the competition.
The team mentality and feel of the group is such a fresh change from the usual stable system where a group of wrestlers work with almost a pack mentality, with a definite leader using the rest of the group for their own gain. The idea that they work together but are also willing to do whatever it takes to beat each other without hesitation makes for some amazing viewing. The combination of  The American Grappler Drew Gulak, Hot Sauce Tracey Williams, Former UFC competitor Matt Riddle, Filipino Sensation TJ Perkins and the up and coming wrestling prowess of Fred Yehi (Who's last name is so fun to hear read out excitedly by the EVOLVE commentary team) is one I really do enjoy watching, whether it's cohesively attacking the EVOLVE champion or stating their case against each other as to who deserves the world title match the most, I believe we really need more collectives like Catch Point in the wrestling world, and with two of their members having competed and still in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic. I'm excited to see whether they will make the transition as a team to a larger stage. So a bigger audience can be exposed to my favorite thing in the Indies. Until that happens (if it happens) I seriously suggest to anyone unfamiliar with the group up until now to watch the CWC matches featuring TJ Perkins and Drew Gulak, and to search the other members up on YouTube and watch some of their matches.

Also, go to the WWN Live YouTube channel and check out their video on the Thatcher Crisis and any other videos related to the team. I've been Jordi Jack Creed and this has been my introduction to Catch Point.

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