Wrestling Has Changed
All In was a shot over the bow for the wrestling world. Somehow a crowd full of indie wrestlers were able to shove over 11,000 people into a building and put on a pretty good show. Somehow a bunch of dudes put their money where their mouth was and accomplished something even ECW never did. Not since the WCW has any wrestling promotion managed to fill a 10,000 seats, and even the WWE struggles some months. And yet these dudes just up and did it. Where do they go from here?
In January, most of the Elite’s (the Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and presumably Cody as well) contracts all end. NJPW is more than likely going to dangle as many carrots as they can to keep such immense talent to stay. But even with the IWGP belts around their waist, no man is can stay in one place forever. The Elite have made themselves into the hottest commodities on the wrestling market. Other wrestlers become big names that earn lofty contracts, but the Elite have created a brand unlike no other. To simply stay in NJPW or just sign with the WWE almost seems too simple. Like never before, the members of the Elite have options.
With so many possibilities on the horizon it seems like a real shame for any of these wrestlers to choose WWE. It’d be difficult to blame them for choosing a healthy payday and a somewhat safer working environment. However when you glance over the big names who made similar choices over the past few years, their careers aren’t as sparkling or golden as they once were.
Maybe New Japan is too small, maybe the WWE is too corporate, and maybe there just isn’t any right choice for any of them. One thing is clear though, after All In’s success, the independent scene of wrestling is stronger than ever before. Perhaps in a few years wrestlers will be counting down their WWE contracts to explore the on-the-road indie life.
