AEW moves Dynamite shows scheduled for the next two weeks

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

AEW issued the following statement via AEWrestling.com to announce the status of their upcoming Dynamite events that were scheduled for Rochester, New York and Newark, New Jersey.

ROCHESTER:

As a precautionary measure against COVID-19, we are relocating next week’s AEW DYNAMITE show on March 18 from Rochester, NY, to Jacksonville, FL. This show will be televised live on TNT from Daily’s Place, and be managed under a restricted attendance policy. The DYNAMITE show in Rochester will be rescheduled for Wednesday, July 8, at Blue Cross Arena.

Fans who have already purchased tickets to the Rochester show will be offered a refund via the point of purchase, or have their original ticket valid for admission to the event on July 8. Additional details will be forthcoming.

NEWARK:

In addition, the DYNAMITE show on March 25 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, will be relocated to a new venue, which will be announced shortly. This show will be televised live on TNT on March 25, and be managed under a restricted attendance policy. The DYNAMITE show in Newark will be rescheduled for Wednesday, July 22, at the Prudential Center.

Fans who have already purchased tickets to the Newark show will be offered a refund via the point of purchase, or have their original ticket valid for admission to the event on July 22. Additional details will be forthcoming.

We appreciate your understanding as the safety and well-being of our fans and talent is always our top priority. We will continue to closely monitor this evolving situation related to COVID-19 and be guided by government officials, health organizations and venue management.

Powell’s POV: AEW had its hand forced. The city of Rochester cancelled events due to a case of the coronavirus in the area in addition to the general threat of the virus, and Prudential Center in Newark opted to postpone all of its scheduled events through the end of March. It’s a bold move for the company to continue running its events given the number of professional sports leagues that have opted to suspend or cancel their events. One can only hope that the “restricted attendance policy” mentioned in their statement will help, but it’s still a lot to ask the crew of wrestlers, production, etc. to travel, even if they are given the option of doing so voluntarily.