A Simple Story had Wrestling Fans #AllIn!

A compelling story is integral for the presentation of a professional wrestling angle, and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World’s Heavyweight Championship story that culminated at the September 1st independent wrestling show All In, presented by The Bullet Club, hit every critical trope needed for a fantastic event.

All In was the largest gate presented by any American based professional wrestling promotion not named the WWE in over twenty-five years. Promoted by the Young Bucks, Nick, and Matt Jackson, along with "The American Nightmare" Cody [Rhodes] investing their own money and bet on themselves to be able to sell out a 10,000-seat arena.

Mission accomplished as reported by Sports Illustrated a whopping 11, 263 fans traveled and filled the Sears Centre in Chicago, Illinois.

How did they fill the Sears Centre? By building compelling stories that fans wanted to see play out in the wrestling ring. The use of social media made that dream come true as the Bullet Club and the NWA used web series on YouTube to promote the event. The NWA’s Ten Pounds of Gold gave a detailed chronology of the day and life of the NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, starting with former champion Tim Storm, to entering champion, Nick Aldis up until the event of All In. In concurrence, the Bullet Club’s Being the Elite and Cody’s All Us took the real-life passion for professional wrestling and the marginalized fan base that is wanted an alternative to the WWE.

The NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship is the oldest championship of professional wrestling. Some of the all-time greats such as Lou Thez, Harley Race, Ric Flair, and Cody’s father, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes are synonymous with the lineage of that championship. This match had the “big fight feel” as the incumbent champion, Nick Aldis, reigned for 266 days, defending it by wrestling twenty bouts in thirty days versus a different competitor each time. Watching the web series that covered his journey, Aldis carried himself as a bigger than life. The way he dressed, talked, even to the way he displayed the title belt, a throwback to the days of how the champion presented themselves to the people. Coming into the event that Cody was promoting, Aldis was going to be the heel in this story, even though his intentions are honorable as a champion. Cody was the sympathetic babyface. He was the smaller wrestler, his family, forever linked with the NWA, and this event was his and the Bucks brainchild. The amount of work put into pulling this off was worth the risk and there was no chance Cody would get booed at All In.

The match itself was the classic story of the larger stronger athlete versus the smaller more agile wrestler. The pacing of the bout told that story well as whenever Cody would build some offense, one blow from Aldis would stipend Cody’s momentum. The smaller wrestler usually attacks with more “high risk” maneuvers to catch the more massive wrestler off guard. Cody did that with a top rope attack to the floor on Aldis, but Aldis countered with a forearm shot to the head which ended up leaving Cody with the proverbial “crimson mask” as he was bleeding into his blonde hair which made the visuals appear extreme. However, the finish saw Cody counter a sunset flip to a pin for the win. The crowd popped like someone just hit a walk-off home run and when ring announcer Bobby Cruze uttered “the winner of the match…AND NEW…NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion…The American Nightmare…Cody” the delay before the music played was a moment that for the fans to soak in the pure emotion felt was priceless.

All In show was a celebration for the hardcore wrestling fan, but the story of this match was what put 11, 263 butts in seats to an independent wrestling show. The event was booked by creative storytelling were, and this match brought that back to us disenfranchised fans of professional wrestling. The story of family, the history of the championship, and the fact that every wrestler in the business, wants to be the champion was a perfect concoction for a wrestling promotion.

#AllIn #BulletClub #YoungBuck #ROH #ImpactWrestling #prowrestling #Independentwrestling #cody