By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW issued the following press release on Thursday to announce a series of events that will be held in Arlington, Texas at Esports Stadium.
May 16, 2024 – All Elite Wrestling and the City of Arlington today announced a historic partnership that will feature AEW hosting a summer series of events on the Path To All In from the world class Esports Stadium in Arlington beginning Saturday, July 20.
Esports Stadium Arlington is set to be a hub of cutting-edge wrestling action, hosting a multitude of AEW and Ring of Honor events throughout July and August. The lineup includes TNT’s AEW: Collision, Battle of the Belts and the highly anticipated ROH: Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view event on Friday, July 26.
The Path To All In dates at Esports Stadium Arlington are as follows. Additional Ring of Honor dates will be announced in the near future:
– Saturday, July 20 – AEW: Collision
– Friday, July 26 – ROH: Death Before Dishonor
– Saturday, July 27 – AEW: Collision
– Thursday, August 1 – AEW: Collision (Taped to air Saturday, August 3)
– Saturday, August 10 – AEW: Collision
– Saturday, August 17 – AEW: Collision
Tickets for the Path To All In summer series will go on sale Thursday, June 6 at 10 A.M. CT via ETix.com and AEWTix.com. Fans interested in exclusive pre-sale opportunities can register to become an AEW Insider by visiting allelitewrestling.com/aew-insider.
Esports Stadium Arlington is the largest dedicated esports stadium in North America, making Arlington a global destination for competitive sporting and gaming events.
“We are thrilled to partner with the City of Arlington for AEW’s first-ever events at Esports Stadium. This AEW summer series will add to the rich legacy of major professional wrestling events held in the great state of Texas and serve as the ultimate springboard for AEW: All In London on August 25 at Wembley Stadium,” said AEW CEO, General Manager and Head of Creative Tony Khan. “This partnership would not have been possible without the tireless support of Matt Wilson, Justin Grimsley, the Arlington Sports Commission and City of Arlington teams and of course, our incredibly passionate fanbase throughout Texas.”
“We are honored to team with Tony Khan and All Elite Wrestling for this incredible opportunity,” said Arlington Sports Commission Executive Director Matt Wilson. “The ability to host TNT’s wildly popular AEW: Collision program is another milestone achievement to bring worldwide events to Arlington and shine a global weekly spotlight on our beautiful city.”
Powell’s POV: AEW is essentially doing a residency by running so many shows in the same venue. This approach will save the company money on production and travel expenses. The only potential negative is that holding a batch of shows in the same venue can be tough to sell and there is the risk of apathetic live crowds if the fans become overexposed to the product. The venue’s listed capacity is 2,500, which does not take in account the seats that will be eliminated due to the ring and staging. I think this is a logical approach to take from a cost savings standpoint and it’s better than drawing small crowds while running in major NBA or NHL arenas.
A tiny building for Esports dorks is exactly where AEW should be these days.