ALL IN Preview and Predictions

8/26/2018

The MWC Blog is ALL IN.

Arguably, the biggest event in the history of independent wrestling is almost upon us. Cody Rhodes & The Young Bucks presents... ALL IN!

Today at the MWC Blog I Super Mastodon, will be breaking down the event match by match and bring you through what is can truly be an event of a lifetime!

Various wrestlers and storylines will all be involved in this once in a lifetime event such as NJPW, ROH, Lucha Underground, IMPACT, and the NWA. It already made history as the first non WWE/WCW promoted event in the US to sell 10,000 tickets since 1993!

Whether you're a fan of any of the wrestlers or promotions involved in this show, or just a wrestling fan in general, then this event is definitely for you! One must not miss this as it is arguably the most promising thing to happen for pro wrestling in a very long time!

So without further ado, let us get straight in to the matches!

NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship:
Cody Rhodes vs. Nick Aldis (c)

A Battle for Legacy, A Battle for the Ten Pounds of Gold.

Cody Rhodes
Ever since leaving the WWE to make a living in the independent circuit, Cody has showcased his full potential in terms of superstardom that the WWE failed to do so. Whether in ROH, PWG, NJPW, or whatever other promotion you can think of in the indies, Cody made sure his presence was felt! It became even more evident ever since he joined in cahoots with the Bullet Club in 2016.

He has proved the doubters wrong by being just another "ex-WWE guy thriving in the indies" and instead became a household name and a bonafied indie star himself! On June 23, 2017 Cody defeated Christopher Daniels to become ROH World Champion. He held the belt for 175 days beating multiple challengers from around the world in the process such as Michael Elgin, Frankie Kazarian, Minoru Suzuki, KUSHIDA, Rocky Romero, Jay Lethal, and the GOAT: CHEESEBURGER!

Some might even say that Cody was above the ROH World Title at one point, that's how big of a name he got. His reign was ended by Dalton Castle. Cody would then focus with his hot rivalry against Kenny Omega, wherein the two had tensions on who is the rightful leader of Bullet Club, it went as far as to the Young Bucks even leaving the side of Kenny due to Cody's manipulations and adding fuel to the BC fiasco altogether!

They've had two notable singles matches already first at ROH Supercard of Honor in WrestleMania weekend wherein Cody got the victory! But the feud did not end there and found it's conclusion at NJPW's G1 Special in San Francisco where Kenny Omega successfully defended his newly won IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Cody in what was one of the best matches of the year for both men! In the end, they managed to settle their differences and set their sights against a common enemy: Bullet Club OG led by Tama Tonga.

However now though, Cody is trying to give his respects to his late great father, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes by winning what was once the most prestigious title in wrestling history; the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship. Dusty was a 3x NWA World Champion and Cody looks to win the same belt that meant a lot to his father's career!

This isn't just simply leaving a mark in the wrestling business anymore, this is for his family, his honor, and his legacy. The American Nightmare is going to fight for The American Dream.

Nick Aldis
The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is historically the most prestigious championship in all of professional wrestling. Immortalized legends such as Lou Thesz, Buddy Rogers, and Harley Race to iconic figures such as Ric Flair, Terry Funk, and Ricky Steamboat, to international stars such as The Great Muta, Masahiro Chono, and Shinya Hashimoto.

Ever since the WWE took over the wrestling monopoly though, the National Wrestling Alliance declined in business. In TNA's early years the title was treated like a prop for Jeff Jarrett to flaunt about, it then went to the indies being passed on to guys such as Adam Pearce and Colt Cabana. But finally, it seemed like a resurgence was upon the NWA when Billy Corgan bought the company in November 2016 and became its new owner.

The same year Tim Storm became the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion, a seemingly unknown name, Storm is a veteran of the business but indeed lacked the starpower to lead the NWA into the future. He did however held the belt for an astounding 414 days until being ended on December 9, 2017.

Enter Nick Aldis. The former TNA World Heavyweight Champion, you might also know him for his previous alias as Magnus. Aldis is going strong in the wrestling business for almost two decades! Starting in 2003, he has carved a decent career for himself and along the way also held numerous championships such as the TNA World Title as previously mentioned, the IWGP Tag-Team Championships with Doug Williams as "British Invasion", GHC Tag-Team Championship with Samoa Joe, the Ring Ka King World Championship, and the face of Global Force Wrestling as its GFW Global Champion for whatever that's worth.

To his credit, Aldis did manage to somewhat put the NWA World Title back to relevancy, especially with the ongoing web series "Ten Pounds of Gold" where he doesn't only highlight himself and his reign, but also his numerous opponents over the course of his 248 day reign and counting! Earlier this year he made history by being the first wrestler to defend said belt in the country of China in Wenchou when he defeated Colt Cabana under the Championship Wrestling from Florida promotion!

His most recent successful title defense was against Flip Gordon, wherein if Flip won he wouldn't only be the NWA Champion, but be finally booked for All In as well. Unfortunately for our favorite highflying soldier though, Aldis put an end to that dream.

Now The Modern Day Gladiator is focused on his biggest challenge yet for the Ten Pounds of Gold, that is of course Cody Rhodes at ALL IN.

Prediction: Cody Rhodes Wins

Singles Match:
Kenny Omega vs. Pentagon Jr.

For the First Time Ever; CERO MIEDO against The Best Bout Machine, ONE on ONE!

Kenny Omega
In the year 2000 a young upstart made his debut in a professional wrestling ring, that young upstart's name is Kenny Omega. Starting out in the independent scene in Winnipeg, he would slowly make a name for himself and become a staple of the independent wrestling industry around the world! Soon enough Omega grew and had notable runs for DDT in Japan, PWG & ROH in America, and would land a spot for New Japan Pro Wrestling.

His career is pretty much intertwined with his bestfriend or "lover" if you will, Kota Ibushi. The two had in what many might say the best match in DDT History for the KO-D Openweight Championship. Then later on they'd also battle for NJPW's IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship, all throughout this time though it seems like Ibushi is getting the better of Omega, and would even take the spotlight from him until Kenny has had enough and left his bestfriend, by joining forces with AJ Styles and The Bullet Club.

Being involved with the Bullet Club did work wonders for Omega! It wouldn't be long before he captured his first title for NJPW by becoming the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion beating Ryusuke Taguchi at Wrestle Kingdom 9! He would held the belt for a second and final time this time beating KUSHIDA. When Shinsuke Nakamura left the company to go to WWE, the IWGP Intercontinental Championship was vacated. Omega had a hellacious match against Hiroshi Tanahashi for said belt which he won!

It wouldn't be long before Omega saw himself the new leader of Bullet Club when he along with other members kicked out AJ Styles. Just in 2017 he became the inaugural IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion accomplishing a feat for his dream to bring New Japan into a worldwide audience! He had an impressive 210 day reign with the belt beating challengers such as Juice Robinson, YOSHI-HASHI, Berreta, and of course the great Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom 11!

Finally in Dominion of June 2018 the title that eluded him his whole career, he finally was able to become the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion defeating his greatest rival: Kazuchika Okada in their 4th singles meeting! Ending what is a legendary 720 day reign from The Rainmaker! In the middle of all this Omega also had altercations with fellow BC members such as Cody Rhodes & Tama Tonga and has reunited with his old lover Kota Ibushi reforming the Golden Lovers!

Now Kenny is still set on dominating the world of professional wrestling. Without a doubt, he has carved a great career for himself already without even stepping in a WWE ring! From PWG to DDT, now at ROH and New Japan, this time at ALL IN, the former WWE reject is going to continue to prove why he is The Best Bout Machine!

Pentagon Jr.
Besides Rey Mysterio, there is no question that the biggest name out of any luchadors in professional wrestling today is none other than Pentagon Jr! Not much is known of Penta's past, nobody even knows of his real name same with a lot of luchadors hiding their identities. The only known thing about his family is that two of his brothers also wrestle: Rey Fenix and Niño de Fuego.

His original home promotion is with AAA being a former AAA Latin America Champion, World Tag-Team Champion, and World Mixed Tag-Team Champion. He actively wrestled for the company for 7 years, but while in the middle of his AAA run he also joined Lucha Underground and started to wrestle as "Pentagon Dark."

As Pentagon Dark he managed to become the Lucha Underground Champion, defeating then champion Prince Puma and had an amazing 622 day run making him the longest reigning LU Champion in history, before being defeated by Marty Martinez. (SPOILERS: Penta would wound up winning the belt again but loss it as just as fast to Jake Strong fka Jack Swagger.) Starting in 2015 Pentagon wrestled for the indies around the world as well such as PWG, AAW, and The Crash. Recently he has also made his presence felt at CMLL, the oldest active promotion in the world!

This year he made his way into IMPACT Wrestling due to the LU partnership and became the first ever masked wrestler to hold the IMPACT World Championship! Currently he is experiencing success both as a singles star and tag-team with his brother Fenix as the "Lucha Bros." Thanks to his all around abilities in the ring whether technical, highflying, or hardcore, Pentagon can deliver!

He has made a name for himself wrestling around the world and has proven that he is one of the biggest stars in the independent circuit today! Now at ALL IN Pentagon Jr. will go one on one for the first time against Kenny Omega, in what many consider as a dream match!

Prediction: Kenny Omega Wins

Singles Match:
Marty Scurll vs. Kazuchika Okada

Will The Rainmaker make it rain against The Villain?!

Kazuchika Okada
Arguably the greatest wrestler in all of Japan perhaps even the whole world is none other than The Rainmaker himself... Kazuchika Okada! Already with a total combined day reign of 1,156 days as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Okada is right up there with the likes of Inoki, Fujinami, Hashimoto, and Tanahashi as New Japan's finest talents in the history of the company's existence! It's not an exaggeration, it's just simply a fact.

Okada is a student of Ultimo Dragon. He started out wrestling in 2004 but would enter the New Japan dojo in 2007. His excursion as a young lion was spent in TNA from 2010 to 2011 where he wrestled under odd gimmicks, during the same timeframe he would make sporadic appearances for NJPW and CMLL.

At Wrestle Kingdom 6 Okada returned and had a match with fellow young upstart YOSHI-HASHI in what many considered as the worst match for both men's careers as it was a 4 minute lackluster match, you can hear a pin drop during the whole outing for crying out loud! Luckily though both men were managed to bounce back from such a terrible match up and then Okada would begin his legendary feud with Hiroshi Tanahashi.

Right from the get go Okada was already deemed as the next top star for the company. He's got the in-ring skills and charisma to back it all up as well! He would join in with Shinsuke Nakamura's stable "CHAOS" and would later on be named the new leader after Nakamura's departure from NJPW.

Over 10 singles matches between both Okada & Tanahashi, they've definitely brought the best out of one another, creating a complete resurgence for New Japan in the process, taking them away from their twilight years under the "Inokism" tyrant way of leadership. In 2012 it was truly a coronation moment for Okada as he finally was able to defeat Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the first time, which is funny enough the only title he's ever held in his entire career so far! He has already broken records with his fourth reign at 720 days beating Hiroshi Tanahashi's 404 days run as champion!

His other notable rival would be Kenny Omega where the two also had a fantastic set of matches together, culminating for now at Dominion on June this month when Okada was finally dethroned by Kenny after 12 successful title defenses!

Now Okada is tasked to take on another notable member of The Bullet Club in "The Villain" Marty Scurll, although he isn't the same Okada we have seen before, he seems to be out of control at the moment ever since losing the title that meant so much to him! Will this be an advantage or disadvantage for his victory against Marty?!

Marty Scurll
Who would ever thought that a 5'9'' and 183 lbs man from Cambridge, England would become one of the hottest commodities in the independent wrestling today? Marty Scurll certainly dreamed of being so and it has paid off well so far for him!

During his early years of wrestling, Scurll squandered around numerous indie promotions in the UK before finally landing a spot at PROGRESS Wrestling where he would really shine as one of the company's top stars! In 2014 Marty had a change of attitude, from being the fun party loving dude, turned into a villainous individual willing to bend the rules and fingers of his opponents just to take the victory! Plus he carries an umbrella around too, thus The Villain was born!

Last year in May of 2017 Scurll's popularity even grew bigger thanks to him joining the Bullet Club in ROH, alligning himself with the likes of Kenny Omega, Young Bucks, Cody, and Hangman Page! Now that group itself along with Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi are under the Bullet Club Elite group when the faction itself was divided thanks to an ongoing tension of leadership!

Going strong for a decade now, he has already held a plethora of championships all over the world most notably being a 2x PROGRESS World Champion, RevPro British Heavyweight Champion, ROH World Television Champion, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, and wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship. Backed up with his cravings for breaking people's limbs and fingers, along with his technical abilities both of modern wrestling and old school British World of Sport-esque style, Marty Scurll has continued to impress fans not only in the UK but also in America and Japan!

Now Marty will be facing off his biggest and toughest challenge to date at ALL IN wherein he will face Kazuchika Okada for the first time 1 on 1 inside the squared circle! The clash of styles between both men will certainly be interesting. The odds on favorite going in to this match is Okada, with Marty being diminished due to him being a "Junior Heavyweight" and even The Rainmaker himself mocking him as a "205 Live Superstar." Everyone is saying he is fucked, but I'm sure The Villain isn't willing to put up a fight against one of the best in the world today!

Prediction: Kazuchika Okada Wins

6 Man Tag-Team Match:
Rey Mysterio, Fenix, Bandido vs. Golden Elite

Lucha Libre's finest versus a Golden brand of Elite!

Rey Mysterio Jr.
Without a shadow of a doubt, Rey Mysterio Jr. is the most well known and influential luchador to ever step foot in a wrestling ring! Yes, El Santo was a cultural icon, he ain't the God of Lucha Libre for nothing. But Rey is a global figure, every kids and they mommas know who Rey is and most fans probably own a merchandise of his, especially the masks! There is no denying of Rey's legacy in the business thanks to his years of ongoing service whether in Mexico, WCW, WWE, or now at the indie circuit!

Rey got his in-ring name from his uncle Rey Misterio Sr. a luchador as well. He debuted in pro wrestling at the young age of 14 years old! He was already crazy athletic at such a young age and would later on find stints working for promotions such as AAA and ECW during the early 90's. It was in WCW however where he fully flourished as a performer being part of the legendary cruiserweight division of the company! You got guys like Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Chris Jericho, Billy Kidman, Ultimo Dragon, Psychosis, and even Jushin "Thunder" Liger, among many other highflyers at the time!

His first big title win was becoming the WCW World Cruiserweight Champion in 1996 beating Dean Malenko. He would go on to hold the belt 5 more times later on in his career along with other titles in WCW such as the World Tag-Team and Cruiserweight Tag-Team Titles, Rey wrestled for WCW until it's closure in 2001 when the company was bought in by the WWF. After WCW folded it's doors, Rey wrestled in the indies for a short while such as in CMLL, IWA-Mid South, XWF, and HWA having matches with guys like Eddie & CM Punk. He also wrestled for Carlos Colon's WWC in Puerto Rico during this timeframe.

It was in 2002 where Rey Mysterio finally debuted in the WWE, now donning his mask again due to it being unmasked before in WCW, he quickly rose to fame thanks to his highflying abilities and natural charisma especially with the younger audience! His first high profile rivalry was against his best friend Eddie Guerrero, the feud really peaked during that odd yet memorable stipulation match, where the two fought for the custody of Rey's son Dominic!

Perhaps one of the biggest moments of his career was winning the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22 beating Kurt Angle & Randy Orton, dedicating the victory to his late friend Eddie! It was an emotional title win for Rey, although the reign itself was lackluster. After that Rey continued to be one of WWE's biggest stars until his departure from the company in 2015, after a total of 14 years wrestling for the WWE machine.

Ever since leaving the WWE, Rey is one of the most on-demand stars in the independent circuit today! Wrestling all over the world whether in Mexico, US, UK, or Japan. He made his NJPW debut at Dominion this June being involved in a 6 man tag with legends Hiroshi Tanahashi & Jushin Liger in a losing effort against The Bullet Club. He prominently wrestles for AAA and Lucha Underground as well for the most part and will now be involved at ALL IN.

He has pretty much done it all in his career, making a name for himself during the early years, to becoming the big star that he is at WWE, and now wrestling wherever he wants in the indies still continuing to entertain the fans, without a doubt Rey Mysterio Jr. is a bonafied Living Legend.

Fenix
We've already talked about his brother Pentagon, now let us go to Fenix. Started out in 2007 in various Mexican indies, it wasn't until in 2011 where he got his first big break at AAA, wherein he would wrestle for 6 years while also competing for other promotions later on. His first and only title win in AAA was becoming the inaugural AAA Fusion Champion.

Later on Fenix would wrestle for a plethora of other promotions around the world. He challenged Taiji Ishimori for the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Championship at NOAH on his 2013 tour with the Japanese promotion, he would also wrestle for Akebono's Odo promotion where he wrestled against his brother Pentagon Jr.

Western fans got a better glimpse at Fenix thanks to his successful ongoing run with Lucha Underground! He is the first wrestler to hold all championships by the company; LU Championship, Gift of the Gods Championship, and the LU Trios Tag-Team Championships. While also still competing in Mexican promotions: CMLL, The Crash, and Perros Del Mal, Fenix continues to actively wrestle for IMPACT, PWG, and AAW too. Whether as a singles competitor or teaming up with his brother!

There is no doubt that Fenix is one of the greatest highflyers in the world today and his ongoing presence at the independent circuit is a welcomed one! Definitely will be a big star in the future and could reach the ranks of Lucha Legends such as Mysterio and Eddie in the coming years.

Bandido
He may not be as a big of a star as Rey Mysterio or Fenix, but Bandido is a hidden gem among luchadors and will be given his time to shine finally at All In, this is without a doubt his biggest match to date yet! Not much is known about Bandido right now as he is still just recently making waves among different independent promotions.

Perhaps best known for his ongoing tag-team run with fellow luchador Flamita, at 23 years old Bandido has already accomplished quite a bit in his career. An active wrestler for Konnan's The Crash promotion in Mexico where he captured The Crash Tag-Team Championships with Flamita and The Crash Cruiserweight Championship. As of the writing of this post him and Flamita are the current PROGRESS Tag-Team Champions in the UK. He also constantly wrestles for PWG.

A second generation wrestler, the future is bright for this young man and he is lucky enough to be chosen in such a high profile match at the biggest indie wrestling show in history no doubt!

Kota Ibushi
Ibushi is one of the greatest all around wrestlers ever in the world today yet he is never THE GUY so to speak, but still manages to always stay relevant! Pretty much speaks volumes for his greatness.

Although he isn't really fully affiliated with a single promotion to call his "home" many people will agree however that DDT runs through the veins of Ibushi. It is where he started afterall and found continious success, carving out a name for himself in the process. If wrestling under DDT for 13 years doesn't make him one of the greatest, if not the greatest, star of the company's history then I don't know what would.

He is a 3x KO-D Openweight Champion, 5x KO-D Tag-Team Champion, and 2x KO-D Six Man Tag-Team Champion. It is in DDT where Ibushi also formed a connection with his now best pal Kenny Omega, together they are known as The Golden Lovers. While they did depart from each other, it wasn't until last year where they finally reunited in an NJPW ring much to to the adulation of the fans!

Speaking of NJPW, it is where Ibushi currently actively wrestles and has had matches with them over the years. He is already a 3x IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion and is now competing for the heavyweight division, recently just reached the finals of the G1 Climax 28, losing in a fantastic match against Hiroshi Tanahashi! He pretty much also wrestled for every other existing promotion in Japan, big or small, you name it.

In 2016 Ibushi had a short run with the WWE, competing for their inaugural Cruiserweight Classic tournament, where wrestlers all over the world competed to become the new WWE Cruiserweight Champion. He would reach the semi-finals before being defeated by eventual winner; TJ Perkins. Speaking of TJP, they had a short tag-team run together for NXT's Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic the same year where they managed to reach the quarter finals, losing to SANITY (Alexander Wolfe & Sawyer Fulton.) His final match under the WWE is against Bobby Roode in an NXT Live event.

From Wrestle Kingdom 9 where he wrestled Shinsuke Nakamura for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship to where he is now a part of the Golden Elite group, Kota Ibushi is arguably one of the greatest Puroresu stars of this generation and will be considered an all-time great once his career ends. The Golden Star will continue to shine.

The Young Bucks
No question or doubt about it, the greatest tag-team in the whole world today whether you like it or not is the team of Matt and Nick Jackson; The Young Bucks. I think being a 29x Tag-Team Champion across 15 promotions such as ROH, NJPW, PWG, CHIKARA, and Dragon Gate speaks for itself!

When the topic independent wrestling comes to mind, especially in this day and age, The Young Bucks are always in the forefront of the subject. THEY are the living embodiments of indie success. They worked hard to get where they are today starting out in their family's backyard all the way to headlining multiple events all over the world!

It is in Pro Wrestling Guerilla (PWG) where The Young Bucks really solidified themselves as top stars of the industry. With their athletic abilities and natural charisma, they were able to differ themselves from other tag-teams, and form a legacy of their own while also taking inspirations from teams of the past such as The Rock N' Roll Express, The Rockers, and Hardy Boyz.

They have held the PWG World Tag-Team Championships four times with a total combined reign of 2,052 days! It's an historic feat in it of itself. But it wasn't only in PWG where The Bucks left their marks, as mentioned they are two of the top stars of ROH to this day and a constant attraction for CHIKARA. They would also find themselves working for the WWE during their early years but they weren't established yet and their TNA run under different personas was just forgettable.

The Bucks found success in overseas too however especially for New Japan Pro Wrestling and Dragon Gate. They've held NJPW's IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag-Team Championships more than any other team in history, a total of 7 reigns! Since joining New Japan, they also managed to become founding members of The Bullet Club and to this day are still the most prominent members of the global phenonemenon of a faction.

Ever since joining BC and forming "The Elite" trio with Kenny Omega, The Bucks became bigger than ever! Only few wrestlers can say they are true big names not in the WWE, Matt & Nick can atest to that. Their web series on YouTube, Being The Elite, also helped in the rise of their fandoms and in continuing the various storylines they are involved in.

Now they are tasked in running All In with Cody Rhodes while also competing in this "Dream 6 Man Tag" against the finest wrestlers Lucha Libre has to offer. Another Superkick Party shall ensue!

Prediction: Golden Elite Wins

Singles Match:
Joey Janela vs. Hangman Page

A killer battle between Hangman and The Bad Boy!

Adam "Hangman" Page
His career is still fairly young but Adam Page has pretty much risen from the ashes from a nobody trained by "Handsome" Jimmy Valiant to becoming one of the top stars of independent wrestling today! He made his debut in 2008 but would find his stride in ROH when he started wrestling for the company in 2011.

Page first wrestled as your typical young upstart vanilla character, trying to make a name for himself amongst the big names at ROH. At Glory By Honor XII in 2013, he had his first real big match against Jimmy Jacobs but was defeated. The same year he had his first title match ever in a losing effort against Matt Taven for the ROH World Television Championship.

The following year Page feuded with the stable; The Decade compromised of ROH veterans such as Roderick Strong, BJ Whitmer, and Jimmy Jacobs, but in the end would be a part of the stable itself as a part of the "young recruits" including Briscoes and ACH. Page would leave The Decade and feuded with BJ Whitmer and finally becoming a babyface.

It wouldn't be for long though as in 2016 he finally found his stride by turning heel joining The Bullet Club. During a ten man tag-team match, he betrayed his partners and hanged Chris Sabin in a noose, gaining the "hangman" moniker in the process. It wasn't a fast transition to success, but thanks to the Being The Elite series and Page's own continious improvements in the ring, he became a well received member of BC!

In 2017 he finally gained his first championship by becoming ROH Six Man Tag-Team Champions with The Young Bucks. They held those belts for 201 days before being ended by SoCal Uncensored. Since 2016 Hangman also started wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling, it was just recently though where he really made a name for himself there by participating in his first ever G1 Climax!

Hangman only won twice in his entire tournament run, not that smooth of a debut in terms of victories, but he was able to amaze the crowds with his great abilities in the ring. He had wins over LIJ's EVIL and the legendary Minoru Suzuki. Just recently he also made his debut for PWG losing to a championship match against PWG World Champion: Keith Lee.

He isn't only making headlines inside the squared circle though, as if you're an avid viewer of Being the Elite series, you know Hangman is doing his damndest in hiding the fact that he murdered famous dick wrestler, Joey Ryan over a feud on who has the better.... well, dick. Some say it is not Hangman, but some beg to differ. It is a mystery that continues to haunt him to the ends of his boots, and now he is facing Joey at All In, Joey Janela that is, for the first time!

Joey Janela
There are two kinds of people in this world, those who find The Bad Boy good, and those who find The Bad Boy... um, bad. Joey Janela has easily been one of the most polarizing figures in wrestling today, and whether you like him or hate him, you cannot deny the fact that he has made a name for himself in a business filled with amazing top stars!

When Pro Wrestling Syndicate superstar; Starman mysteriously vanished from Earth, Joey Janela had a resurgence in his career! Similar to Page in some ways, Janela also started as a nobody mainly wrestling for small indie companies. It wasn't until two years ago where he focused on a character-based style of wrestling and somewhat reviving deathmatch wrestling made popular by Atsushi Onita and his cohorts of FMW in Japan during the late 90's!

Janela is pretty much wrestling everywhere from CZW to PWG, and WWN to GCW just to name a few. He has also fought a who's who of wrestlers ever since becoming an online sensation thanks to his charisma and vocal promos. Names such as Marty Jannetty, PCO, Ultimo Dragon, Jinsei Shinzaki, and a living legend himself: Virgil! His "Lost In (City Name)" and "Spring Break" events are some of the most talked about wrestling shows online among the fans.

Now The Bad Boy finds himself in a match against a suspected murderer, things will definitely be interesting to say the least... as is with every Joey Janela match.

Prediction: Joey Janela via interference from Joey Ryan's ghost. And no I am not Vince Russo. Promise.

Singles Match:
Christopher Daniels vs. Stephen Amell

Will Arrow triumph over The Fallen Angel?

Christopher Daniels
They do not call him the "King of the Indies" for nothing and now he will be participating in the biggest independent wrestling event in history! Christopher Daniels has had a storied career in wrestling already and there are only few people who are as universally respected as him in the business!

In his ongoing two decade career in wrestling, Daniels has collected a plethora of championships throughout his career! Started off with low profile independent promotions to prominent ones such as ROH and later on TNA/IMPACT. That triple threat with AJ Styles & Samoa Joe is still the greatest triple threat match of all time in my opinion! He also briefly wrestled for the WWE & WCW but that was mainly as a jobber.

I tried to list down all of his accolades but it would take too much time, the man has accomplished so much already and that is all well deserved. He is one of the greatest workers of his generation, dare I say Daniels is a little underrated among the general consensus on fans as one of the all time greats! He has it all; in-ring talent, promo skills, charisma, and the right attitude for wrestling.

Whether as a singles star or a tag-team, Daniels has perfected and managed to evolve his style as the years go by. People's tastes change, and so he was able to work up his craft to where it is today. His most major title run was with the ROH World Championship, a title that alluded him for the bulk of his career but finally won it at ROH's 15th Anniversary Show defeating Adam Cole!

Now he is currently involved in a trio stable with his two best friends Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky, together they are known as "SoCal Uncensored." The three of them are still having great matches and they've rejuvinated their careers thanks to their involvement with The Young Bucks' "Being The Elite" series. It is where this match was taken into consideration to begin with.

There isn't any other better wrestler for Stephen Amell to have a match with against a ring general such as Christopher Daniels. (P.S. Curry Man sends his regards.)

Stephen Amell
Usually celebrity involvement in wrestling is loathed in this day and age, and you can't blame the fans for doing so due to the shitfest that is the "Celebrity Guest Host" era of the WWE. But there are still a few who know their place and are genuine wrestling fans, one of those celebs is Stephen Amell.

Admittedly I do not know much about Amell's resume in his acting career, all I know he is the star of Arrow, a show I don't even watch but seems to be a polarizing show in it of itself. The first time I got to see of Stephen Amell in action was his guestings with the WWE in 2015 where he feuded with Cody Rho... erm I mean Stardust!

The feud culminated at that year's SummerSlam where Amell teamed up with Neville to defeat the team of Stardust & King Barrett. Unlike most celebrities however, Amell actually managed to hold his own in the match, sure he wouldn't drop 5 star classics out of his boots but the man can hang with the best of them. Him and Cody are good friends and even managed to hook up the latter in a gig for Arrow!

Two years later Stephen Amell got involved with Ring of Honor appearing for their PPV "Survival of the Fittest" wherein he officially joined The Bullet Club. At the same show he teamed up with fellow BC members; Cody, Kenny, and The Bucks to take on SoCal Uncensored and Flip Gordon. Amell himself was even put through a table by Daniels & Kazarian!

Amell since then has been booked for All In and will be having his first ever singles match against Christopher Daniels. The two have been taking shots agaisnt one another at social media, and now they'l
l finally be able to settle their differences at the squared circle!

Prediction: Stephen Amell (probably via roll up or some shady shenanigans)

ROH World Championship:
Jay Lethal (c) vs. Battle Royale Winner

Jay Lethal
He calls himself the greatest "First Generation Wrestler" and it can't be denied that Lethal is surely one of the all time greats of his generation! Started out as a young upstart to now being a World Class veteran in the squared circle.

Lethal got his first stint at Jersey All-Pro Wrestling (JAPW) wherein he held the JAPW Heavyweight Championship and Light Heavyweight Championship, the latter being twice. He consistently wrestled for the company from 2001 to 2009 while also competing for other promotions.

In 2003 he made his ROH debut, with his first major storyline being Samoa Joe's protege. His first major title win for ROH was in 2005 becoming the ROH Pure Champion defeating John Walters. Around the same timeframe Lethal would also work for TNA being a part of their X-Divison initially and there he made his famous "Black Machismo" character, paying homage to "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

He is a 6x TNA X-Division Champion, holding the record for most title wins with said belt. My most favorite moment of his in TNA though was getting into a feud with The Nature Boy himself; Ric Flair! I think most of us can agree that Flair wrestling after his HBK retirement match is a shame, but at least it brought us one of the best promo battles of all time with Lethal impersonating another legend this time it being Naitch himself! If you haven't seen it yet, then do yourself a favor and type it up on YouTube!

Lethal's run with TNA was both good and bad, it sure had it's highlights but some lowlights too. He was unable to capture the TNA World Heavyweight Championship during his time there and in 2011 returned to ROH. He got his first World Title win back in 2015 where he defeated Jay Briscoe to become the ROH World Champion while also being the ROH World Television Champion at the time!

During his reign Lethal lived up to the moniker of World Champion and defended the belt across the globe! He had matches in the UK such as in RevPro, PCW, and WCPW (now Defiant) beating guys such as Noam Dar, Doug Williams, and Mark Haskins. He also defended the belt in NJPW against Michael Elgin, Tomoaki Honma, and Satoshi Kojima. Of course he spent the bulk of his run defending it in an ROH ring from a variety of wrestlers such as AJ Styles, Lance Storm, Colt Cabana, and yes even CHEESEBURGER!

For a total of 427 days he is the third longest reigning ROH World Champion behind the runs of Bryan Danielson (462) and Nigel McGuiness (545.) His first run was ended by Adam Cole at Death Before Dishonor XIV. Afterwards Lethal floundered a bit in the ROH scene, while also still competing for other indie promotions. He suffered multiple losses before finally having a resurgence of sorts and just recently on a television taping won back the ROH World Title in a Four Way match with then champion Dalton Castle, Cody, and Matt Taven.

He has already defeated Jonathan Gresham in a 30 minute iron man match for the belt and Mark Haskins during ROH's UK Tour. Now the veteran Jay Lethal is looking to put the ROH World Championship on the line once again at ALL IN, as he faces whoever wins the 15 man Over The Budget battle royale.

Prediction: Jay Lethal Wins

Four Way Women's Match:
Madison Rayne vs. Tessa Blanchard vs. Britt Baker vs. Chelsea Green

Four of the most prominent names in women's indie wrestling today!

Madison Rayne
Started training in 2005, Madison Rayne has been a prominent figure in women's wrestling for quite some time now. During her early years she has competed for an array of independent promotions most notably at Ohio Championship Wrestling where she won the Women's Championship there twice as her real name Ashley Lane.

She would also become a big part of SHIMMER, one of the most well known women's wrestling promotions, competing for the company on and off over the years. At SHIMMER she held the Tag-Team Titles with partner Nevaeh and had notable matches with the likes of Awesome Kong and Sara Del Rey. When Jimmy Hart opened his Wrestlicious promotion she also competed there for a short time.

However her most well known run were probably from her days at TNA where she got donned the name "Madison Rayne." She would be a part of "The Beautiful People" stable along with other diva-esque wrestlers such as Angelina Love, Velvet Sky, and Lacey Von Erich. Cute Kip of all people even joined the group! Yes that is former DX member, Cute Kip we're talking about...

Anyways Madison had a great run with TNA becoming a 5x Knockouts Champion over the course of her entire run! Also a 2x Knockouts Tag-Team Champions once as a part of The Beautiful People, defending them via Freebird Rules and another one with Gail Kim. Later on she'd be a part of Jeff Jarrett's Global Force Wrestling as well. Last year she had a brief run at ROH's Women of Honor division and returned to IMPACT for a short while before leaving for the independents altogether.

Currently rumor has it that she has signed a contract with the WWE and will be competing for their second annual Mae Young Classic tournament under the name "Ashley Rayne."

Never been a fan of Madison Raybe myself, yes she is an accomplished wrestler especially in TNA, but I personally am not impressed with her body of work. There are certainly way better women's wrestlers such as Su Young and Rosemary just to name a few, but I can respect the dedication.

Tessa Blanchard
In my opinion the best wrestler out of all four of these women is the 3rd generation wrestler herself; Tessa Blanchard. Bound for greatness right from the beginning, Tessa as her last name suggests belongs to the Blanchard Wrestling Dynasty.

Her grandfather Joltin' Joe Blanchard was a prominent figure of the territory days during the 50's up until the early 70's. Of course her father Tully Blanchard is an original member of the legendary Four Horsemen, while never really achieving the top spot, Tully is still considered by many as one of the all time greats especially in the United States. Tessa's stepfather ironically enough is Magnum TA, Tully's best rival in the ring, so she definitely learned from the best of them.

After being trained by her fathers and George South, Tessa embarked on the wrestling scene in 2014. Thanks to her lineage and fast improvement of talent, she quickly became a high demand talent amongst indie promotions across the world! In fact as of the writing of this post, she currently holds 7 championships from 7 different promotions alone! Most notably the IMPACT Knockout's Championship.

It's not only in the indie scene where Tessa has been making waves but in the WWE as well. In 2016 she sporadically appeared and wrestled for NXT and the following year participated in the inaugural Mae Young Classic women's tournament but got eliminated in the first round by eventual winner: Kairi Sane.

Right now she is still proving herself whether in the US or Japan, Tessa Blanchard is definitely a star in the making and could very well pass the legacies of her grandfather & father if given the time!

Britt Baker
Just making her debut as recent as 2015 her career is still young but Britt Baker is slowly becoming one of the "must watch" talents among women's wrestlers today. I personally have never seen a single match of her yet besides that squash match against Nia Jax on a RAW episode, so I really won't be able to do her justice.

She currently holds three different women's titles such as the IWC Women's Championship a belt she already held twice, the MFPW Girls Championship, and the Remix Pro Fury Championship. Nothing major yet but if she continues to prove her worth, we might see her be a notable roster member for Women of Honor, SHIMMER, or even Joshi promotions like Stardom and Ice Ribbon.

Chelsea Green
Another one who is still fairly new to the wrestling business only making her debut in 2014, but has already quite made a name for herself especially at IMPACT Wrestling. Chelsea Green or you might know her for the alter ego; Laurel Van Ness continues to make headlines as a member of the Knockouts Division.

Before that however she did wrestle for some indies here and there, and even competed for WWE's Tough Enough reaching 4th place amongst the females. She also went to the WWE tryouts but nothing came off of that it seems like.

Last year in 2017 she debuted her maniacal bride gimmick "Laural Van Ness" her new alter ego being involved in storylines with the likes of Grado and Kongo Kong. As Laurel Van Ness, she won the IMPACT Knockout's Championship for the first time after being vacated by a retiring Gail Kim, only held it for 65 days before being defeated by Allie. She will be making her debut for Lucha Underground on the program's season this year as well.

Honestly not a fan of her work as well, I don't think she is on par say with the likes of Session Moth or Su Young who are both playing these weird crazy women's gimmicks, certainly a far cry from the late great Luna Vachon. But Chelsea Green/Laurel Van Ness has created a buzz for herself thanks to her consistent character work, but you won't see me watching and enjoying a match of her's anytime soon, at least mainly in a singles format.

Prediction: Tessa Blanchard Wins

Tag-Team Match:
The Briscoes vs. SoCal Uncensored

Brothers by Blood vs. Brothers by Bond.

The Briscoes
Jay & Mark Briscoe have been a part of independent wrestling for so long now. They are the only competition of The Young Bucks as the "greatest tag-team" in the world today, and besides them, not a single tag-team can even come close!

The Briscoes, not to be confused for legends Jack & Gerry, have been prominent stars for Ring of Honor ever since the company's inception. They are the only three wrestlers actively still with the company along with Christopher Daniels who have participated with ROH's first ever event in 2002! Certainly loyal members and deservingly so as they paid their dues over the years.

Currently in their record 9th reign as the ROH World Tag-Team Championships, together they are a 10x World Tag-Team Championships as they also held the IWGP Tag-Team Championships at NJPW. The brothers also had notable runs with CZW, JAPW, and PWG. From 2004 to 2005 however they had an hiatus from in-ring competition after Mark suffered an injury from a motorcycle accident and Jay refused to wrestle without his brother.

The following year they returned to in-ring action full time and continued their pursuits at ROH while also wrestling for other promotions such as NOAH where they held the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag-Team Championships. In 2009 they tried out for the WWE but they aren't "cosmetically pleasing" for WWE's standards, which I call bullshit but whatever, let bygones be bygones.

Individually it is Jay Briscoe who gained more success as a singles star becoming a 2x ROH World Champion. They would also hold the NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag-Team Championships twice as members of CHAOS in NJPW and the ROH 6 Man Tag-Team Championships with Bully Ray.

Like them or hate them, The Briscoes have certainly left their mark in the independent wrestling industry and they did so by delivering great match after great match especially against their eternal rivals; The Young Bucks. From the deathmatch days of CZW, to seeing ROH's rise, now they are ALL IN.

Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky (SCU!)
We got two more respected veterans of the indie scene this time representing SoCal Uncensored (SCU!) it's Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky! The two have just recently been in a team together, but they individually carved names for themselves across the world.

Kazarian is best known for his stints at TNA, ROH, and PWG wherein he held championships for all three companies whether as a singles or tag-team wrestler. Kaz also tried out for the WWE and wrestled in their developmental territory at the time; OVW around 2005.

Scorpio Sky on the other hand doesn't have much success in comparison to his two other SCU compatriots, but he is a notable star for Championship Wrestling from Hollywood and was a part of the crazy show Wrestling Society X. Sky also wrestled matches for PWG and is now a full fledged member of the ROH roster and is the head trainer at NJPW's LA Dojo along with Katsuyori Shibata.

Along with Christopher Daniels, they've recently formed SoCal Uncensored and are a prominent part of Ring of Honor programming! They will be competing against The Briscoes at ALL IN in what could possibly be, The Worst Town They've Ever Been In!!!

Prediction: Briscoes Wins

15 Man Over The Budget Battle Royal

Winner faces Jay Lethal later on the night for the ROH World Championship.

CONFIRMED ENTRANTS:
Billy Gunn - He's an Ass Man. That's all you need to know really.

Brian Cage - Been making waves in various promotions such as PWG, AAA, LU, and just recently IMPACT. He's a Big Boy that's for sure.

Colt Cabana - Chicago's Greatest Wrestler. Know any other else?

Ethan Page - A young star looking to make a name for himself, he is All about Ego.

Jimmy Jacobs - From hardcore wrestling enthusiast to writing stories for Vince to posting IG pics with friends, Jimmy Jacobs seems to have done almost all of it all!

Jordynn Grace - Yes, she is a woman. And yes she is another young up and coming star. Only knew about her thanks to her involvement at Great North Wrestling.

Marko Stunt - He is Mr. Fun Size, a 22 year old currently wrestling for numerous independent promotions. Will be interesting to see his career prosper.

MOOSE - After ending a career in football, MOOSE became one of the best big man in wrestling today, making a name for himself in IMPACT as a 2x Grand Champion.

Rocky Romero - Everyone's least favorite rapper but I like him anyway! An accomplished junior heavyweight tag-team in NJPW and currently Roppongi 3K's manager.

Prediction: Flip Gordon Wins, out of nowhere enters himself in the match, thus gaining a ROH World Title shot!
#BookFlip

Catch ALL IN live at Sears Centre in Chicago, Illinois on 9.1.2018.

The show will also be streamed at the FITE TV App and ROH's streaming service; Honor Club.

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"THIS IS WRESTLING!"

Thanks For Reading.

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