There has been a cultural renaissance in professional wrestling.
With interest spiking around the world, the city of Arlington wanted to get involved and join the forefront of the industry’s innovation.
It will get to do just that this summer when All Elite Wrestling partners with the city to present “AEW: Path To All In Summer Series” at Esports Stadium Arlington starting Saturday, July 20, the wrestling promotion told The Dallas Morning News.
The summer series of events, a residency of sorts, will feature a month’s worth of shows from July into August as the city plays host to the final weeks of the build-up to one of All Elite Wrestling’s biggest shows of the year — “AEW: All In” at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
“There’s always been a great affinity toward pro wrestling around Dallas. And recently pro wrestling is red hot nationwide,” AEW CEO and general manager Tony Khan told The News this week. “The folks in Arlington have given us this amazing opportunity to bring this series and our top stars right there to Arlington, and [we] hope to build this AEW Summer Series into something very special.”
Esports Stadium Arlington will be the home of All Elite Wrestling’s weekly television program “AEW: Collision,” which airs on Saturday nights nationally on TNT. The arena also will be hosting various Ring of Honor events, another promotion under the AEW umbrella, including the “ROH: Death Before Dishonor” pay-per-view on Friday, July 26.
The building is the largest dedicated esports stadium in North America, making Arlington a global destination for competitive gaming events, but it has also hosted events such as the Professional Fighters League in 2022.
AEW stars Claudio Castagnoli and Kip Sabian will participate in the celebrity Warhammer event at Esports Stadium Arlington on Thursday night to announce the deal.
“This is a partnership, and this is a deal where we felt like there was some great opportunity to showcase not only that building, but showcase Arlington,” Arlington Sports Commission executive director Matt Wilson told The News.
“We came together on an agreement that is beneficial for them from a financial standpoint, but also beneficial for us in that we feel like we’re getting a lot of run on the Arlington name and that’s something that’s very important to us, our brand and our identity as a city — we’re continuing to emerge as a destination city.”
All Elite Wrestling’s stay in Arlington does come at a busy time for the city. In addition to the Texas Rangers hosting the 2024 MLB All-Star Game (along with the week of events that come with it), AT&T Stadium will see the return to the ring of boxing legend Mike Tyson on July 20 against Jake Paul.
“I’m most pleased by the forward-thinking of AEW, and how innovative they are and how willing they are to try new things and kind of push the edge,” Wilson said. “I think what the wrestling fans are going to see is some innovation, and they’re going to see some ability to maybe do some things that, you know, haven’t been done before. And that’s a pretty cool thing to be a part of.”
How will Esports Stadium Arlington transition into a temporary hub of professional wrestling? Official seating arrangements are yet to be determined, but both sides are excited about the possibilities the 2,500-seat facility can provide.
“I think we’ve got an exciting plan to utilize the esports stadium to make it a natural home to pro wrestling,” Khan said. “We’ve taken some venues historically that had never hosted wrestling before, and found dynamic ways to utilize them, and I know that we’re going to do that again here in Arlington.”
Between the weekly episodes of “AEW: Collision,” the pay-per-view event and other to-be-determined Ring of Honor events, Esports Stadium Arlington is also expected to have a flexible seating capacity to help accommodate each show’s needs. The additional dates for Ring of Honor shows will be announced in the near future.
“We know that [AEW is] going to do some very special things while they’re here in town,” Wilson said.
“I think the feeling of being able to be up close and personal in a smaller venue like this builds some excitement for the fans to be able to be in there. So, I’m very confident in our ability to sell [tickets for such a large number of shows] and sell them very well.”
Tickets for the “AEW: Path To All In Summer Series” will go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 6, via AEWTix.com and ETix.com. Fans interested in pre-sale opportunities can register here.
Meanwhile, Khan revels in the prospect of bringing the feeling of territorial wrestling back to a region which wrestling families like the Von Erichs once made so famous.
“I’m a huge fan of World Class Championship Wrestling,” Khan said. “It’s been an honor to spend time with Kevin Von Erich and work with his sons Marshall and Ross Von Erich. The Von Erichs built the greatest tradition of pro wrestling around the Dallas area, their contributions to the pro wrestling business are felt to this day and I expect they’ll be felt for many generations to come, and it’s an honor to be able to go to their territory with their blessing and come in and do pro wrestling every Saturday night.
“I know that the Texas fans have been some of the most rabid and loyal fans we’ve ever had in AEW, and I’m excited to bring them something new in many ways for AEW.”
Schedule of AEW/ROH shows in Arlington
Saturday, July 20 – AEW: Collision
Friday, July 26 – ROH: Death Before Dishonor PPV*
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
*Additional Ring of Honor dates will be announced in the future.
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