Wrestling in 2018: ALL IN, WWE and the Great Indie Divide

2018 in professional wrestling is nothing short of a roller coaster. Taking the crazy ball that is traveling forward since 2016 with Matt Hardy at the helm to 2017 bereft of dividing lines between what's acceptable and what is not, 2018 seemed it might neuter this surprise element for stability.

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So far we are from the truth 12 months later as the blockbuster year comes to an end. That stability might be found in 2019 now that the line in sand forms between WWE and it's growing competition with New Japan Pro Wrestling on the other end, far east.

In the middle of this all?

Not just the flashy Independent scene in America but surprisingly the independent wrestling scene of the world specifically the drifting island known as the United Kingdom.

However at the core of it, are another group of denizens; renegades changing the face of the future of wrestling by the sheer might of a signature on paper.

That group is none other than the ELITE.

A picture asks a thousand questions

Whichever paper they do sign on, there's a clear distinction yet odd blurring of lines now more than ever in the world of pro wrestling.

Independents have also taken their stance, as well as other growing companies. As Baron Corbin has so aptly put it on Monday Night RAW, it's time to decide what side of history you are on.

For some, it's under the umbrella of the juggernaut that is WWE. Whether they're leeching you dry or overwhelming your product with the talent of their own, it doesn't matter.

For many small companies, the chance to continuously stay in WWE's radar and reap the benefits of their visibility is important.

As such the likes of PROGRESS and EVOLVE Wrestling know where they accurately stand in this changing of the guard.

At the same time, a fight back against the monopolization of wrestling comes from the other end, with New Japan's growing partnerships with ROH and Rev Pro Wrestling forging forward in the face of this torrential backlash.

EVOLVE and PROGRESS's relations with WWE are eerily reminiscent of ECW's own time with the company, one that kept it afloat but also bled it dry

That they produce is a thousand times better and that WWE's pettiness showed in the limitations it places on its fringe partners, means that there is a thriving sect of independent wrestling still willing to add to its rank and file for an incoming collision.

As aforementioned though, one factor poses an intriguing challenge.

The ELITE, a group/subgroup of wrestlers in New Japan and Ring of Honor, carry the torch as a microcosm for the changing face of wrestlers in this industry.

Do they decide the dictating terms of this divide by choosing sides or are they the sign of talent breaking away from larger entities (specifically in this case the WWE) to create something out of nothing for themselves if not a union for wrestlers?

It depends on what the end game of each of these men is, the ELITE's core understanding comes from a desire to bring change to the industry.

Yet none would really begrudge them if they sought that change by working within the larger frame of the system rather than outside it.

By that definition, if they join WWE, they could try with the singular determination where the disparate elements of the independents, have failed.

Secondly, if they stick to where they are, the rewarding loyalty proves the no matter the strength or vigor; a company can't fully outwash a movement in opposition to them.

Stephanie McMahon envisions WWE becoming as big as Disney

WWE knows this is the truth if they are to will themselves to become the Disney of wrestling and more (which they already are in some aspects) than they have to expect the competition from smaller products in direct contrast to their own.

It gives their audition a niche variation to look into, but not the same product keeping theirs fresh and intact (fresh in superficial terms, not realistically speaking considering the modern-day products bloatedness).

So to outwardly take away the ELITE with the lure of money, would once more be a simple singular purchase to show up the competition rather than shut it down outright.

After all the big city McMahon's needs to keep the outer system running so as they may have a feeder for their programming for generations to come.

A third option, one dead center in the middle of this struggle remains for the ELITE and by definition the wrestling one at large.

One that tests the bounds of loyalty with the larger frame of the global wrestling movement, yet also sends a clear message to the iron-fisted WWE; that they do not control the talent. The proverbial 'Us versus them' brand of wrestling that fans got a quick taste of this summer.

We, of course, are speaking of ALL IN. The wrestler backed event was a highlight of the 2018 year, a showcase that determination and precision, as well as boatloads of goodwill and passion to change, can create a wrestling monstrosity that no company can combat.

The will of the Wrestler is a profound thing, one which is artfully explored in the ring. Yet here ALL IN with it brought the will to the backstage, to production and all just from a few exchanges on Twitter.

ALL IN and the rumored AEW wrestling promotion backed by big money figures, but handled most likely from within the community of wrestlers is a historic alternative to build towards a wrestling legacy by the talent and for the talent.

If it is to come to pass and succeed, there's a drive needed to carry over from that one event on a daily basis.

Triple H has clear plans for a worldwide NXT Takeover, but for all its good; does that not become factory-like production from a singular machine? Does wrestling not need variation to survive?

It's no easy task, undoubtedly but can become a beacon of change for the art of pro wrestling. Most importantly if the ELITE can find support in the companies that staked their bets on their talent, if it can mend fences with a WWE aware that with no competition there is no thriving.

That ALL IN and the ELITE could do the alternative, not by being the ground zero in the battle lines of an all-out war but rather a mediator between the two sides. Of course, corporate greed and capitalist functionality tell us this is impossible. Revolutions and fringe elements bowing down defeat the purpose of their very existence.

It's not like New Japan and WWE need to come together or come to terms with each other's existence, in some ways they already have. Yet the smaller companies, the ones balking against WWE's self-centered but just mandates have to look to a bigger picture.

One that isn't so bleak yet can find each part aiding the other in existence. WWE knows all too well the price of losing, but it also knows the price of losing its competitive rivals.

That hit to the WCW and ECW, by and large, dragged the industry a peg down, there's no surety where a complete global dominance might take the company. The well of fortunes could dry out quickly.

Eating into its own tail is how the myth of the Ouroboros is born, of infinity coming and going. Something WWE seeks in the plans of a full NXT Takeover, one bolstered by the very ethos of modern-day corporate growth.

Yet at the end of the day, the Ouroboros is nothing but a snake eating into itself. At face value, that's the destruction of an industry by the industry and wrestling surely won't survive the hit again.

Hence why these dividing lines, are the blurring of lines and a hopeful ray in the ELITE of the changing system of wrestling. 2018 is going to undoubtedly sign off as the year professional wrestling took center stage for a great wave of change.

The questions remain for 2019 and beyond to answer if that is for the better or for the worse.