Who Should Main Event All In?

I’m not sure if you guys have heard about this or not, but All In is coming up this Saturday night. It’s the biggest night that non-WWE American-based wrestling has seen in quite some time. Cody Rhodes & the Young Bucks have put together quite the array of talent & have drawn the attention of thousands of people traveling to Chicago to the occasion, along with the folks that will find other ways to watch.

Everybody that follows wrestling in 2018 knows that there’s one thing every wrestling fan likes to debate. Who should go on last?

ALL IN Main Event

There are three matches that I would consider legitimate choices to go on last. With all due respect to Jay Lethal & the ROH World Championship, his match with the winner of the Over the Budget Battle Royal isn’t one of them. (I’m rooting for Jordynne Grace myself. Representing the intergender genre on a show celebrating independent wrestling makes sense. Then again, having Lethal beat up a woman might not be the best of ideas considering the situation with Taeler Hendrix. There’d be an ickiness factor there regardless of whether the allegations are true or not.)

Let’s take a look at each match and weigh the pros & cons of their serving as the main event. We know which one will, but it’s not like we stop debating which match should main event WWE PPVs even when we all know it’ll be the Roman Reigns match.

Cody vs Nick Aldis

Pros: Cody is one of the top forces behind this show happening in the first place. He was the one that accepted Dave Meltzer’s challenge to draw 10,000 fans in an arena. He’s one of the main reasons the non-WWE scene is as strong as it’s been in decades. His potentially winning the championship his father’s life revolved around as champion, challenger & booker for over a decade has to be a big deal for him & his fans. This makes sense to close ALL IN.

Cons: Don’t get me wrong. Billy Corgan has done a lot to rebuild the NWA brand name. People haven’t been this interested in what the NWA is doing since they were partnered with TNA. That being said, Aldis isn’t over enough with the type of fan attending All In for the main event slot here, and the NWA title isn’t quite at that level yet. Maybe it’ll get there if Cody wins it and becomes half the first father/son pairing to hold the title.

Kenny Omega vs Pentagon Jr.

Pros: This is the most interesting match on the card. I have to admit I was a little underwhelmed with some of the announced matches, and thought the show might not live up to expectations. They added this match pitting two of everybody’s favorite wrestlers against each other in a first-time meeting, and I was ok with it. These two guys don’t work the same places. It’s one of those matches you weren’t sure you’d see unless people jumped promotions. Indy supershows need matches like this, and ALL IN is the perfect setting.

Cons: The IWGP Heavyweight Championship isn’t on the line. It makes the result less predictable, but the stakes are less important. If the belt was on the line I’d say this should be the main without question. It’s still the match I’m most looking forward to.

Rey Mysterio Jr./Fenix/Bandido vs Kota Ibushi/Young Bucks

Pros: Mysterio is the biggest star on the show. Even with all that the Bullet Club guys have done to increase their fame without the WWE machine, Rey is still in a league of his own here as a legendary figure. He’s teaming with the present & future of lucha against two guys that promoted the show & a popular Japanese star that fits in with these guys’ high-flying ring style. Let’s be honest. These guys are going to have a complete spotfest. Lots of GIFfable stuff, good & probably bad too. No need for psychology here. Nobody would be able to follow it.

Cons: I mean, outside of wondering if Bandido deserves to main event at this stage of his career, I got nothing. I haven’t seen the kid wrestle so it’s tough for me to say. I can say that he wasn’t even born when Mysterio made his U.S. PPV debut at When Worlds Collide. He kind of stands out from Rey, Fenix, Kota & the Bucks, all of who have proven themselves able to carry the position on shows of varying size. This is his chance. Why am I listing this as a Con?

This is the type of match you either open or close a show with. The idea of closing the show with a feel-good sprint with six popular wrestlers & everybody showing mutual respect while the fans chant things makes sense for a super-show. Aldis retaining by hook or by crook would be good if it was an episode of Raw. Kenny vs. Pentagon probably won’t end in mutual respect due to the fact that Pentagon is involved.

Two spots on a card matter the most: the opening match & the closing match. All In is 1 for 1 on their decisions so far.