AS I SEE IT
Bob Magee
Pro Wrestling Between the Sheets
PWBTS.com
ALL IN Texas... by all estimates, even AEW's toughest
critics, was a huge success. The attempts to counter-program
it with NXT Great American Bash, Saturday Night Main Event
and Evolution did not succeed.
Estimates reported by Dave Meltzer indicate that this year's
ALL IN did better PPV numbers than last year's with a
current estimate of 175,000 buys; the fourth highest buy
rate in company history, and the highest PPV since AEW
Revolution 2024 (featuring Sting's retirement match). AEW
All Out 2021 was the highest with an estimated 215,000 buys,
AEW All In 2023 did an estimated 200,000 buys, and AEW
Revolution 2024 did an estimated 180,000 buys.
Attendance estimates by Dave Meltzer suggest the show drew
between 28,500-29,000, indicating a significant walk-
up...and without question getting large ticket sales during
the week before the event.
Merchandise sales were around $750,000 in merchandise
revenue, the largest for a non-WWE show in the US or
Canadian history.
Meanwhile, the Great American Bash was essentially held as a
suicide mission to run directly against ALL IN, and the July
12 Saturday Night Main Event going against All In: Texas did
the lowest in ratings since WWE brought back the show.
Evolution outperformed the effort in planning the event, and
managed to draw a respectable crowd despite going against a
sold-out Beyonce concert across the parking lot.
In an almost comical interview with Justin Barrasso of the
Boston Herald, Cody Rhodes discussed what he claimed was a
“gotcha culture” around political affiliations:
...I don’t want to be negative, but I will say there is
this whole ‘gotcha culture’ over who is a Democrat, who is a
Republican, who is a moderate, and who people support. None
of these things really should be anybody’s business –
because our business is going where our show goes, which is
all over the world, and hopefully bringing people
together... WWE is a non-partisan brand. We go where the
show goes. One of the biggest eye-opening moments when you
go to Saudi Arabia with WWE is when you look out at the fans
at the show… there is such a similarity between those who
are hungry for WWE back home and those who are hungry for it
in Europe and those who are so hungry for it all over the
world. I feel so honored, especially in tumultuous times, to
be able to go.
First of all, he got criticism for being part of a June 11
event where along with WWE Women's Champion Tiffany
Stratton, and then-WWE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits
warmed up the crowd for President Trump, singing a rendition
of "Happy Birthday" for the US Army in a clearly partisan
political speech at Fort Bragg.
Then, he deliberately spin-doctored people's objections
toward a murderous, misogynistic Saudi regime, and claimed
criticism of that regime meant people commenting hated the
Saudi people. He appears to be towing the new TKO political
line; not unlike CM Punk, who also got justified criticism
over his hypocrisy regarding his appearance in Saudi Arabia
at Night of Champions.
Finally...referring to WWE as "non-partisan" is such a
complete lie. Since Donald Trump took office and ended any
form of DEI, or even honoring of most public holidays that
he deems "woke"; after years of WWE acknowledging them,
there hasn't been one word about Black History Month, Pride
Month, Women's History Month, AAPI month... or Martin Luther
King's birthday and Juneteenth (actual Federal holidays).
Hell, even Vince McMahon, known for contributing millions to
Donald Trump, was smart enough to know that Democrats and
independents, women, and LGBT folks buy tickets. WWE honored
every single of those holidays under Vince McMahon,
particularly Martin Luther King Day. Since TKO purchased the
company and Trump took office...none of them have been
mentioned.
Then it was announced that Cody Rhodes will be part of the
WWE Late Night featuring Tony Hinchcliffe set for SummerSlam
weekend. To remind readers, he's the Trump-friendly comic
that did a widely panned Wrestlemania Roast event with
racist, misogynistic "humor" with "jokes" about Hitler,
Charlotte Flair's plastic surgery and divorces, Alberto Del
Rio abusing Paige, claims one female wrestler supposedly had
a penis, and another was into BDSM, Diddy's rape/sex orgies,
claims that Shinsuke Nakamura "eats dogs", saying Braun
Strowman looked like “a meth lab exploded next to a GNC",
Paul Heyman commenting on a female performer's "private
parts", claims Jinder Mahal was with ISIS, comments about
the suicide of Freddie Prinze, Jr.'s father, plus various
racist jokes about different WWE talent.
In short, Rhodes is associating himself with that kind of
material. I'm waiting to see how patient Rhodes is with
misogynist or racist humor. If he's too patient, Brandi will
have him sleeping on the couch.
Meanwhile, the new AEW Champion Adam Page said some time
back about what AEW's very different vision of wrestling and
the world was:
To me, that championship was to be a shining light, a
beacon to show the world what these 3 letters (AEW) meant...
it was about competition, it was about creativity, it was
about compassion, passion, and the human dignity with which
we all treat each other.”
Then this past Wednesday:
“You are the ones who needed and demanded a better
wrestling, a fully realized professional wrestling. You are
the ones who supported a grassroots, do-it-yourself approach
to pro wrestling...
He also talked about toxic masculinity:
"I did shed a few years, and there are people like Jon
Moxley who would say that made me weak. They would say that
made me less of a man. But I want you to look at me. I
have a wife and two kids who love me, I have thousands and
millions of people watching AEW that can look at me and
respect me.
Think the corporate monolith of TKO is talking about
anything "grass-roots" or toxic masculinity?
Plus a reminder of what Page said at Grand Slam Mexico:
"Hi, my name is Hangman and I wanna apologize for my
Spanish cause it's not the best, but it's a little better
than much gringos, so I will try. When I was young my family
had a tobacco farm, and every Summer, like 6 men would come
from Ruiz, Nayarit to work [says their names]. Every year I
worked with them, and they taught me about Mexico. They were
hard workers, honest, and cared for their families. They
taught me that we are all better when we work together. This is why I want to say thank you--thank you for having us
in your house tonight. Thanks for this collaboration between
AEW and CMLL cause when we work together, we can change
the world.
Just a little bit different vision there, you think? These
aren't kayfabe or stances that a character is taking. These
are the real-life actions and thought of Cody Runnels and
Stephen Woltz filters slightly if at all through the
characters of Cody Rhodes and Adam Page ...two men who
perform for two wrestling companies with very different
visions of programing style and more importantly, world
view..
Hell, even IN character, AEW's Queen Aminata tweeted last
Wednesday that if she won a "$100,000 4-way match", she'd
donate the money to an anti-ICE charity (she didn't, which
makes the mention interesting in a different way.
Meanwhile, in more Warner Brothers Discovery-AEW synergy, DC
has announced the latest DC Comics event, "DC K.O,"
featuring a variant cover showcasing the new AEW World
Champion, Hangman Adam Page, facing off against Lobo. These
will be available from October 8.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported this past Thursday
afternoon that ALL IN London was officially announced for
Saturday, August 30, 2026 at Wembley Stadium in London,
England.
To close, here's a Christmas in July thought.
In 2024, independent wrestling promotions helped their
communities during the Holiday season through wrestling
shows, Comic-Cons, playing video games,10-day marathons
sitting on top of a trailer, bowling parties, online trivia
contests, chicken BBQ's, portrait sittings, Twitch streams,
and a dozen other means.
Fans in 31 states and provinces gave and gave and
gave at 170 charity shows/events/efforts that took
place to help their communities for the Holidays with that
came to 369,707.70 in cash donations, 18,081
pounds (that's OVER NINE TONS) of canned and non-
perishable food, 26,843 toys; at least 60 winter
jackets, at least 70 pairs of socks and underwear, 250
backpacks, "bags full of winter clothes" and "tons of school
supplies", 40 blankets, 8 pairs of gloves, a dozen pair of
wool socks, 4 knit hats, over 200assorted "personal
care items"; as well as animal blankets, cat litter, indoor
dry/wet food, cat/dog toys, and unscented baby wipes for
animal rescue groups.
It may be a sweltering July 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 2025'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 causes. Indies,
start thinking now about what your promotion can do for your
community this Holiday season.
If you'd like to contact me, you can do so at my
bobmagee1@hotmail.com account or to through Facebook
Messenger at https://www.facebook.com/bob.magee.180, direct
message me at https://twitter.com/BobMage70323520, or
contact me at BlueSky at
https://bsky.app/profile/bobmagee940.bsky.social
