All In, the self-financed event being put together by Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) held a media conference call today to promote the September 1st event.

Conrad Thompson opened the call and stated that it has been a little nerve-wracking for him as a first-time promoter, but that he is trying to put together something that he as a fan would want to see with Starrcast and that all 40 hours of content will be airing on FITE.tv and available on VOD. Conrad discussed the planned debate between Bruce Prichard and Eric Bischoff, before then noting that Frankie Kazarian will be playing bass during the Papa Buck Jam Session event. Thompson said that the original Katie Vick outfit, as well as Oz’s original robe, among other items will be on display as part of the WrestleCrap event, while the hardest thing to put together for Starrcast was getting Jim Johnston to appear, with Thompson noting that he wanted Johnston there as he grew up loving all of those original and amazing themes Johnston helped to create.

Jeff Jarrett joined the call and noted that he will be hosting a TNA panel. Jarrett noted that Thompson has been discussing with him the possibility of doing a podcast, but that they have not gotten to that point yet, but that they got him to agree to do the panel. Jarrett said that Don West will be part of the panel because this is a fan’s perspective and he always had a good eye for the fans, while Scott Steiner will also be on the panel. Jarrett then noted that there will also be rotating guests from the X-Division days, the Knockouts and more. Jarrett said that FITE was the perfect home for the Starrcast event because of the technology and said that he was amazed by their technology and as a talent, when he was invited to come on board, he knew that the platform was ready-made and said that you can watch it live or archive it for later, since it is Labor Day weekend and that there is no buffering and it is perfect viewing. Jarrett was then asked whether all of the success of All In and Starrcast reminded him of the old days. Jarrett said that it is bigger because of the reach that it has and said that his family was involved in the AWA Superclash III event, but to him, this is much larger and greater and has something for every type of wrestling fan over the last 50 years. Jarrett said that Conrad can’t keep saying that he’s just the mortgage guy, as he’s a promoter now. Jarrett said that he is looking forward to the Monday Night War debate, as he worked for Eric Bischoff and Bruce was involved in his WWF run from day one, while he is also interested in the Konnan podcast and has his eye on the Roast of Bruce Prichard too. Jarrett was then asked what talents have his attention rght now and said that he does not want to name just one, because it then puts an undue focus on someone, but noted that the talent pool is as deep as it has ever been. Jarrett said that All In sold out within a matter of minutes and that is proof of that. Jarrett said that World Of Sport is on ITV, New Japan Pro Wrestling are doing well and AAA will have 22,000 fans at TripleMania XXVI this weekend, which proves that the business is healthy. Jarrett was then asked if he ever saw this sort of boom in the independent promotions back during the time period that his family was promoting. Jarrett said that the territory era was a different time as there were 22 regional companies, while the Monday Night Wars were also a different time, but that when Vince McMahon bought his competition in 2001, it began a growing process for TNA and Ring Of Honor and that also allowed time for groups to grow and change with technology and allowed for others to follow and learn about them and become fans.

Eric Bischoff was the next person to join the call and said that himself and Bruce Prichard have been friends since the first time that he walked into a WWE set in 2002 and considered Bruce one of his best friends. Bischoff said that he can count his friends on one hand and have fingers left over, however he takes his career seriously. Bischoff said that the Monday Night War was an important part of his life and he’ll always defend it. Bischoff said that is not going to pull punches and hopes that himself and Prichard are still friends when it is all over and thinks that they will. Bischoff said that he expects Prichard to come at him with the gloves off and what he hopes will happen is that the audience will decide for themselves what perspective that they believe in the most and that when you have two people who were on opposite sides of a war, they will believe in their perspective 100%, but that the fan will be able to decide for themselves what really happened. Bischoff said that the biggest misconception surrounding WCW is that they only succeeded because they outspent and stole WWE’s talents, but that the talents came to him. Bischoff said that Vince McMahon painted the idea that he was an underdog with the Billionaire Ted skits, but that he was the guy who actually did raid talent from the territories and put them out of business. Bischoff said that WCW’s talent expenditures are probably in the same area that WWE’s are likely at today and that they were more aggressive and realized that the audience had changed, while WWE was entrenched in their kiddie-friendly style and that they were dying, noting that had WCW not changed the business then it is possible that the WWE would not exist today. Bischoff said that he does not have the words to put over Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks for everything that they have done with this event, but that when you go and put the money in and stick your neck out so publicly, knowing that it could not work, he has such great respect for that and said that they have made wrestling cool again and said that as long as he has been in the business, the one thing that everyone laments is how do we make wrestling cool again. Bischoff said that Cody, The Young Bucks and others on the indpendent scene have made wrestling cool again and that what WWE has done is incredible, but their content has a sameness to it and that when you see or hear about it, it has been processed through the WWE filter, while Cody and The Young Bucks have created ther own filter that is different from the WWE, is cooler and has success. Bischoff said that fans love the WWE, but also want something that is cooler and different in its own right. Bischoff said that he is looking forward to seeing the energy for the 4 days and how the event will sustain itself for those 4 days and also wonders if 4 days is enough to contain everything that is planned. Bischoff said a great wrestling show is a buffet and that represents a good wrestling show, meaning that so much of what you have at Starrcast is the best wrestling buffet on the planet.

Bruce Prichard was next to join the call and said that he does not know if he is looking forward to being roasted as he is not sure what he has got himself into, noting that there are a lot of people who want to castrate him on stage, but said that he is equally looking forward to it and dreading it. Prichard said that in regards to the Monday Night War debate, he believes that people will be shocked at how much himself and Bischoff will agree on and said that if they are going to be honest, it will be a lot of stories about why each company did what they did and believes that Bischoff is frustrated that his narrative is not out there as much, but in the end, the WWE won the war and they will discuss that, but that their debate will be their viewpoints from two completely different perspectives. Prichard was asked if he knew who was going to roast him on the day, noting that he is going in there blind and does not know, but that he is looking forward to it and waiting to see what is going to happen. Prichard was then asked if he ever envisioned the independent wrestling scene the way that it is today. Prichard said that when he was coming up in Houston, those events were considered outlaw promotions, because they were opposite the big boys and that his pet peeve is that when fans want people to get fired or want promotions to go under, because you need the independent scene for talents to have the best opportunities they have to showcase themselves and make money for their family and that is the beauty of today with groups such as MLW and ROH as they get to go out and entertain everyone and that is great. Prichard was then asked what he thought the All In sellout meant for the future of the business. Prichard said that it is a statement that the business is healthy and that the fans are hungry for more, which makes him happy and proud and said that it is a hell of a statement for the business when people have always said that it is going to die, which will not happen, noting that the business is going to continue to be healthy and grow. Prichard was then asked to compare the differences in WWE and TNA Wrestling when he left those companies and the locker rooms today. Prichard said that today is a more business attitude versus the old loud attitude back in the day, noting that talents have changed and that they have become more business-like in how they approach the business. Prichard was asked about potential future stars and mentioned Tom Lawlor, noting that Lawlor has the right attitude and look to pull it off, calling him a diamond that is going to shine brightly. Prichard was then asked about his karaoke song and had fun singing With My Baby Tonight, before noting that anything country or AC/DC are his go-to. Prichard was then asked if he would believe someone who said that Cody Rhodes would be part of selling out a 10,000 seat arena. Prichard said that he would, because a decade ago, he thought that Cody would sell out stadiums and said that he read something recently that said that charisma skips a generation, but he can’t think of two guys who have stepped out more and made a name for themselves more than Cody Rhodes and Goldust and sad that this is just a step and the next one is stadiums, noting that Cody has that charisma and the world is his oyster.

Cody was the next on the call and had some fun with Conrad, noting that he has been on the call the entire time, as he thought Conrad would give him a fake time. Cody was asked whether he thought this was going to be a major deal. Cody said that he had a good feeling texting back and forth with Conrad and had a good feeling about him stating that they were shooting for the moon and may have landed on it. Cody said that he is a fan first and foremost and he’s creating a fan convention, noting that fans are going to wonder when they next one is when they walk out. Cody was asked what he has learned the most about accessability with the fans and how is he bringing that towards Starrcast. Cody said that the relationship between wrestler and fan had been gripped in concrete with the idea that we know what they want and said that in some ways, it is still that narrative, but what he has learned since he has hooked up with the BULLET CLUB is that you can not force things upon them as they have a gag reflex and will push back hard. Cody said that everyone today goes out and does their thing and maybe they don’t get the reaction that they wanted, but it brings him a new mindset and a different perspective, The Young Bucks bring him a different perspective and that they want to bring a buffet of things that the fans like. Cody said that while they were planning the event, they were in Osaka in Japan at the airport and asked a New Japan official about talent availability and that they had different calendars out for each promotion trying to figure out when was the best day for the event and it was Saturday, September 1st. Cody said that Chicago was a place where everyone could get to and once they hit that, it stuck. Cody said that there is lots of moving parts however for the different companies. Cody then said that there have been a lot of discussions about the future in recent weeks, but that one thing that is special to that group that he is part of is that himself, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Hangman Page and Kenny Omega have made a verbal commitment to each other that they will all take the next step together. Cody said that it could be the best thing for them, or it could be a very dumb idea, but that they are all going to do things together. Cody said that history has been made in that they will bring wrestling to WGN and that they made history in selling out with their own money. Cody said that the show has to matter and that the show has to be able to feel something, the same way you do when you see a good movie and said that with all the controversy and politics in the world today, it can be a downtrodden place and wrestling always gives you a big payoff, noting that he wants that spirit and wants fans to have that entire weekend and to have a great experience. Cody said that WWE is very good at what they do, but they do not own wrestling, no one does and that this is everyone’s chance to experience everything that there is.

Cody was then asked about his brother Goldust’s reaction to his success. Cody said that himself and Dustin have been in more contact than they ever were, noting that they did not grow up together, but that when they had the chance to do the Brotherhood tag team, that was the chance for them to learn about each other as people. Cody said that they do not have to call each other every day, but that is the love that they have for each other and said that they are also really competitive. Cody said that people are surprised by that and said that if you think about Dusty Rhodes, he is on the Mount Rushmore of wrestling for everything that he did and that leaves a big shadow for his children in the business. Cody said that people always talk about Dusty’s NXT kids, but that Dusty also had two real kids in the business and that leads to them working even harder to make their mark. Cody was then asked when he realized that it was the right time to do All In. Cody said that at the ROH War of the Worlds event that was happening when they were in either Buffalo or Pittsburgh, there were 1,200 fans there and it sounded like there were 20,000 fans and said that when the show was over, no one wanted to leave. Cody said that he never was on last in the WWE, but that he was that night and it was palpable that the BULLET CLUB/Being The Elite energy was there and that was when Hot Topic and Funko came through and he knew then that the crew could draw 10,000 and that it was that tour where they started to sway others to that belief. Cody was then asked what All In match he was most looking forward to. Cody said that it changes on a daily basis, bringing up several matches, but thinks there is a chance for people who have been deemed undesirable in the past, who will end up being undeniable as talents when the show is all over. Cody was then asked about putting the card together and said that there were two booking meetings, the first coming at a fitness center in a Marriot and the second in a Delta Skyclub. Cody said that he would be remiss to say that 3 guys put their money in, but the cast of Being The Elite made the show. Cody said that they asked Okada if he could be part of the show and that Cody has a Chewbacca-like loyalty to Nick Jackson for how Nick helped him and treated him when Okada was in the IMPACT Wrestling locker room years back and that sort of loyalty and spirit was created, which they want to give to the audience. Cody said that Conrad made it possible for the fans to have the 4 days to enjoy this event. Cody said that Chicago is one of the major historical wrestling cities and that they looked at a lot of places, but a lot of this is about what is in their gut feeling and said that the AllState Arena is special and that community is special and that they made it a point to make sure that the first show is in Chicago. Cody said that there is something special and different in the air with the fans in Chicago as you can’t force it on them and they just let you know.