The rise of independent professional wrestling to the mainstream continues to be a hot topic of conversation among fans. Companies like Impact Wrestling, Evolve Wrestling, Lucha Underground and Progress Wrestling have found loyal audiences that support the product and follow it everyday.
But the big two on the independent scene are of course Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Both companies have streaming services and both have programs on TV.
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Some of the best talent in WWE today came from both ROH and NJPW. But the two companies are not feeder systems for Vince McMahon’s empire. Ring of Honor and New Japan stand on their own without any affiliation with WWE or any other major company.
ROH and NJPW are truly taking the wrestling world by storm. That’s never been truer than now, with their upcoming 2019 event at Madison Square Garden.
The G1 Supercard will take place on Saturday, April 6 2019 at the World’s Most Famous Arena. According to The Wrestling Observer, the historic show has indeed made history by selling out between 13 and 16 minutes.
All 15,000 seats sold out so quickly that it ranks among the fastest selling pro wrestling events in the history of MSG. But it’s made all the more impressive by the fact that April is still eight months away and no matches have been announced for the card yet.
[lawrence-related id=836383]Fans of both companies are surely celebrating this achievement and it is indeed an important one for the industry. WWE has virtually had a stranglehold on the business since WCW closed its doors in 2000. But nearly a decade later, pro wrestling has regenerated and is alive and well.
That was abundantly clear when September 1’s ALL IN sold out 10,000 seats in less than 30 minutes. Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks are the men behind this event, which is the first show outside of WWE or WCW to sell that many tickets since 1993.
Of course some fans are a bit concerned for the G1 Supercard however, due to the status of four top stars. The contracts of Rhodes, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks will all expire before the end of 2018. Unless Ring of Honor can re-sign them, there’s a possibility that one or more of them could jump ship and join WWE before April 6.
But if all four of them remain in ROH, then the G1 Supercard will undoubtedly be the biggest night in the history of American independent pro wrestling.
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