AS I SEE IT
Bob Magee
Pro Wrestling Between the Sheets
PWBTS.com
As of Sunday, ALL IN has distributed 37,113 tickets, with
just short of four weeks to go, with 40,000 at the show a
probability, and 45,000 still a possibility. The lineup for
ALL IN as of right now is:
AEW Men's World Championship/Main Event
AEW Men's World Champion Kenny Omega defends against Will
Ospreay
AEW Women’s World Championship
AEW Women’s World Champion Willow Nightingale defends
against Mercedes Mone
AEW World Tag Team Championship
AEW World Tag Team Champions Adam Copeland/Christian Cage
defend against the Young Bucks (Matt/Nick Jackson)
AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship
AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions Divine Dominion (Megan
Bayne/Lena Kross) defend against The Brawling Birds (Jamie
Hayter/Alex Windsor)
Men’s Casino gauntlet match
Andrade is the #1 participant
AEW Continental Challenge Cup Final:
Finals of the 16-person single-elimination tournament to
crown the new AEW Continental Champion
As mentioned in past weeks, WWE announced is doing a NXT/AAA
dual show on Sunday, August 30 to run head-to-head with ALL
IN, as AAA and NXT will run literally back-to-back starting
at Noon ET. The AAA show has been given an inventive title
‘Ola de Calor’ (in English) Heatwave. Featured on the AAA
promotional material are AAA Mega Champion Dominik Mysterio,
El Grande Americano, La Catalina, Penta, Rey Mysterio, and
Rey Fenix; which will kick things off at 11:00 AM CDT,
followed immediately by NXT Heatwave. Both shows will be
held at the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, TX, and will be
"buy one ticket and get two shows" with AAA at 12 noon
Eastern, NXT at 3 pm ET. AAA will be broadcast on YouTube in
the U.S. and on FOX in Mexico, Central America and South
America (excluding Brazil). NXT Heatwave will be broadcast
on CW as a "premium live event on TV" and on Netflix
internationally.
But it isn't only ALL IN being counter-programmed. On Monday
night's Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer addressed
what he has heard about Roman Reigns and AAA after the
segment at the very end of RAW on Netflix. The ending
featured WWE Hall of Famer and AAA GM Rey Mysterio waiting
for Roman Reigns backstage in the Gorilla position telling
Reigns that he needed to run something by him. After Reigns
walked in, Mysterio shook his hands and said, “You know
I’m the General Manager of AAA, right?” to which Roman
replied “I do now!”. “Let me run something by
you,” Mysterio added, as Reigns nodded, and the two
walked out of the frame.
Meltzer noted that Reigns isn't scheduled for the AAA x NXT
Heatwave event in Edinburg, TX running head-to-head with ALL
IN Wembley on Sunday, August 30, nor TripleMania 34 Night 1
on September 11 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Meltzer said: “Well, obviously they’re gonna put him on a
show. Now, what I can tell you is it is not going to be the
MGM Grand show. My two first picks were the MGM Grand show
or the show in Edinburg, Texas, which goes against All In,
because those made sense as far as they’re the next two
upcoming. "I only know that he is not on the Texas show, and
he’s not on the MGM Grand show.”
Before then, WWE announced a tournament featuring the best
luchadores from Raw, Smackdown, and AAA, with the winner
will challenge Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Title
on Raw in Mexico City on September 14.
After that, the most obvious date for WWE to use Reigns is
AAA/NXT Worlds Collide at the Allstate Arena in Chicago on
September 26, which goes head-to-head with ALL OUT at the
NOW Arena. At the very least, CM Punk will work Worlds
Collide given the show is in Chicago.
Meltzer suggested: “It could be Chicago because that’s a
big one. They’re running the Allstate Arena. I figured Punk
would work that show. I didn’t figure Roman would work that
show, but they might. And I’m sure Punk will. I’m not sure,
but I certainly expect Punk will work the show. Maybe they
want Roman to work the show. It is head-to-head with AEW’s
pay-per-view in the same city. Obviously, they’re gonna do
some sort of a special on it, whether it be YouTube or
elsewhere, Netflix, something somewhere. Probably YouTube.
The big thing is that they’re gonna go head-to-head with the
AEW pay-per-view in the same city, and they want to draw a
bigger crowd, and they probably will. They’re in the
Allstate Arena and AEW’s in the NOW Arena, so they’re in a
bigger arena to begin with. They’re a little bit ahead in
ticket sales, even though it’s not a pay-per-view going
against a pay-per-view.“
What's the reason for all this? Meltzer believes WWE is
counterprogramming AEW despite short term money loss so they
can get rid of AEW in long term, resulting in wrestlers
losing leverage and taking paycuts:
“They’re fighting AEW so hard, so that they can get back
the control that they thought that they were going to have,
and then they don’t have to be escalating salaries anymore
and they’d have even bigger profits.
That’s their loss-leader mentality. It’s like, yeah, we’ll
take some short-term money losses, but if we can get rid of
them... If somehow we get rid of them as far as being major
competition to us, maybe we can start asking guys to take
pay cuts because they don’t have the leverage of going
somewhere else.
The ones that we see on TV on Raw and SmackDown, the ones on
the main roster, they’re all doing great, far, far, far
beyond their dreams of what they ever thought they would
make in pro wrestling, partially because revenues increased
and more so because AEW exists and it’s raised everyone’s
salary.”
It's a hot August day as you read this, but it's not too
soon for local independent wrestling promotions to think
about what efforts they can undertake to help their
communities during 2026's Holiday season. Given the
political environment, more help will be needed from every
private source possible to help the hungry, the sick, the
cold, the homeless, sexual/domestic violence victims, animal
welfare, and too many more.
There are already 39 shows already scheduled (one
already held):
* Mystery Wrestling/Fighting Back: Wrestling With Cancer
together presented the Infinite Rumble June 22-23 and again
set a record for the longest wrestling match in history;
while raising $33,106 CA/23,362.54 US.
* Capital City Championship Combat will return to Ottawa, ON
at the Preston Event Center on August 14 for Fighting Back:
Wrestling with Cancer to benefit the Canadian Cancer Society
with Eddie Kingston, Ortiz, Joseph Sawyer (fka Joe Gacy).
* Midwest All-Star Wrestling returns to Mankato, MN on
August 15, benefiting Bravo Zulu Women’s House, a dedicated
sober living home for female veterans in recovery
* Relentless Pro Wrestling returns to Garden Grove, CA on
August 15, benefits Roxy Astor's "Wrestling is 4 the Dogs,"
and The Good Pawject
* 1CW Pro Wrestling returns to Harrington, DE on August 22
to benefit the HPS Foundation.
* Memphis Wrestling comes to Tupelo, MS at the Tupelo
Furniture Market on August 22 to raise money for St. Jude
Children's Research Hospital.
* Victory Pro Wrestling returns to Portland, CT on August
29, benefiting A Fight Against, raising funds and awareness
for cancer research
* GCW Charity Wrestling/Comic Con comes to Barrie, ON this
September 5, collecting canned and non-perishables for the
local food bank.
* EMERGE Wrestling presents Stock The Shelves on Columbus,
IN on September 5, collecting food for the Love Chapel Food
Pantry
* GCW Charity Wrestling/Comic Con comes to Kingston, ON this
September 12 collecting canned and non-perishables for the
local food bank.
* 1CW Pro Wrestling returns to Harrington, DE on September
12 to benefit a local family through the Milford Moose.
* Wrestle Against Hunger returned to Tulsa, OK on September
13, distributing an average of 700 pounds of food,
including meats, canned goods, non-perishables, and assorted
foodstuffs.
* Magnum Wrestling returns to Ralston, NE on September 19,
proceeds from this event will benefit Nebraska Adaptive
Sports.
* GCW Charity Wrestling comes to Shelbourne, ON this
September 27 collecting canned and non-perishables for the
local food bank.
* FLEX Wrestling returns to the LECOM Event Center in
Elmira, NY on October 2 for Toys for Tots.
* Crossfire Wrestling returns to St Catharines, ON on
October 3; partial proceeds will go to The Niagara Peninsula
Foundation for Children
* IWF Wrestling returns on October 3 in Nutley, NJ to
benefit the Greater Nutley Cancer Foundation
* GCW Charity Wrestling/Comic Con comes to Aurora, ON this
October 4 collecting canned and non-perishables for the
local food bank.
* GCW Charity Wrestling comes to Peterborough, ON this
October 5 collecting canned and non-perishables for the
local food bank.
* Timmy Global Health presents the 25th annual Timmy
Takedown on October 10 in Kirklin, IN. The event is run by
Dr. Chuck Dietzen (fka independent professional wrestler Dr.
Death and Dr. Doom), founder of Timmy Global Health. Timmy
Global Health works to engage volunteers for global health
for children worldwide.
* Wrestle Against Hunger returned to Tulsa, OK on October
11, distributing an average of 700 pounds of food,
including meats, canned goods, non-perishables, and assorted
foodstuffs.
* 1CW Pro Wrestling returns to Harrington, DE on October 12
to benefit the Cancer Society
* Primetime Wrestling returns to Prince George, BC on
October 16 for its biggest show ever as a charity fundraiser
* GCW Charity Wrestling/Comic Con comes to North Bay, ON
this October 17 collecting canned and non-perishables for
the local food bank.
* Stunt Cat and Friends Save Christmas Stunt Cat & Friends
Save Christmas returns to Dunsmore, PA on November 7 in a
live professional wrestling event to raise money for the
United Cerebral Palsy Angel Tree, which provides Christmas
gifts for children and adults with medical challenges.
* 1CW Pro Wrestling returns to Harrington, DE on November 7
to benefit Autism Delaware
* GCW Charity Wrestling/Comic Con comes to Lindsay, ON this
November 8 collecting canned and non-perishables for the
local food bank.
* IWF Wrestling returns on November 14 in North Arlington,
NJ to benefit the Michael Robert Cammett Memorial Foundation
* GCW Charity Wrestling/Comic Con comes to Newmarket, ON
this November 14 collecting canned and non-perishables for
the local food bank.
* Wrestle Against Hunger returned to Tulsa, OK on November
15, distributing an average of 700 pounds of food,
including meats, canned goods, non-perishables, and assorted
foodstuffs
* GCW Charity Wrestling/Comic Con comes to Owen Sound, ON
this November 21 collecting canned and non-perishables for
the local food bank.
* GCW Charity Wrestling/Comic Con comes to Thornbury, ON
this November 22 collecting canned and non-perishables for
the local food bank.
* LIVE Pro Wrestling & Portuguese Kids team up for Cojo's
Toy World annual Toy Drive event, presenting Wrestle Festa
(Dos) LIVE at The Vault Performing Arts Center & Pub on
November 22.
* UWC Pro Wrestling will return for its 32nd annual Toys for
Tots Show on November 29 in New Egypt, NJ, with admission a
new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots.
* Wrestling With Purpose presents December 4 in Pembroke, NC
for the Clash 4 The Kids Toys for Tots show.
* APW returns to Statesboro, GA on December 5 for the 27th
annual Steam StampedeToys for Tots Dinner Show
* Stuff The Bus Panama City 14th annual Toy Drive in Panama
City, FL from December 6-16.
* 1CW Pro Wrestling returns to Harrington, DE on December 12
to benefit Toys for Tots
* Wrestle Against Hunger returned to Tulsa, OK on December
13, distributing an average of 700 pounds of food,
including meats, canned goods, non-perishables, and assorted
foodstuffs
* GCW Charity Wrestling/Comic Con comes to Oshawa, ON this
December 27 collecting canned and non-perishables for the
local food bank.
So...indies, start thinking about what you can do now. If
you're aware of shows your local indie is scheduling this
Christmas season, let me know at the addresses below.
If you'd like to contact me, you can do so at my
bobmagee1@hotmail.com account or to through Messenger at
https://www.facebook.com/bob.magee.180 , direct message me
at https://x.com/BobMage70323520, or contact me at BlueSky
at https://bsky.app/profile/bobmagee940.bsky.social
