Former ROH Employee Recalls Booking All In Venue For The Elite
In the wrestling history books, 2018's All In pay-per-view remains special. The card was significant because, at the time, American wrestling promotions outside of WWE hadn't been able to draw over 10,000 fans in a building since the days of WCW. And while the show had both the backing and production of Ring of Honor, its reputation was largely driven by the presence of Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks, all of whom had been stars for both New Japan Pro-Wrestling and ROH. That particular event continues to have a lasting impact on the landscape of professional wrestling today, with many viewing All In as the launching pad for AEW.
Serving as a guest on "The Insiders," former ROH Director of Operations Gary Juster looked back on booking the venue for the one-of-a-kind event and shared when everyone involved knew All In would be a success.
"That we realized right away," Juster said. "I booked the building for them and did all the ticketing and the whole thing. We were in Chicago at the Odeum for an event the day it went on sale. It was Mother's Day, and when the building called me and said we'd sold like 6,000 tickets in the first half an hour, I knew that it was like nothing we'd ever done."
Juster added that he knew the show would sell out on the first day once he got word of those early sales. He also said that while ROH produced the show, there was no doubt that The Elite were the drivers that made All In what it was.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Insiders," with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.