GARLAND, Texas — Thousands of DFW residents and others who drove hours to the area packed the Curtis Culwell Center last night in Garland to witness one of All Elite Wrestling's biggest TV events of the year -- "Winter is Coming."
Excited fans were lined up outside the building hours before the show, some with signs, or wearing wrestling merchandise or even being replica championship belts with them. Everyone there was overjoyed and ecstatic to be together to witness another big AEW card.
This is actually the second big wrestling event in the past few days to be put on in Dallas-Fort Worth by AEW Promoter Tony Khan, who is also the owner of wrestling promotion Ring of Honor.
ROH held its biggest pay-per-view of the year Saturday on the UT-Arlington campus, featuring a wild, bloody brawl many are calling match of the year, and fits perfectly in the pantheon of famous wrestling matches in DFW.
For those who may be unaware, DFW has deep roots in pro wrestling dating back to the mid-'60s when Fritz Von Erich founded World Class Championship Wrestling. Patriarch of the Von Erich family, he and his sons -- Kevin, Kerry and David -- were local celebrities in the early '80s, drawing thousands to the Dallas Sportatorium, Reunion Arena and even Texas Stadium and the Cotton Bowl on several occasions.
And that history still resonates in Dallas-Fort Worth today, with numerous fans bringing signs referencing the Von Erich's famous finishing move, "The Iron Claw," with signs such as "Give MJF the iron claw," referring to the AEW World Champion MJF.
The world title was on the line for the second year in a row in Dallas. The previous "Winter is Coming" held at the same venue saw Bryan Danielson take then-AEW Champion Hangman Page to a 60-minute draw that kept the crowd enthralled from the beginning to the end. And while this year's world title match between MJF and Texas resident Ricky Starks didn't go nearly that long at only about 20 minutes, the crowd was just as hot, with cheering split between the villainous champion and the challenger with Texas roots.
While AEW wouldn't confirm an exact number of tickets sold to this year's event, they did say it outdrew last year's event, which drew about 6,400 attendees to Garland.
And the fans in attendance are what brings the energy to an AEW show. This isn't like a WWE show, where they peddle what they call "sports entertainment." These aren't "superstars," these are pro wrestlers. This is a wrestling show and they are proud to call it pro wrestling, which allows the fans to enjoy the show without resentment or shame. It's a communal experience when they get to sing along to "Wild Thing" as Jon Moxley enters the arena through the crowd, or when Jungle Boy comes out to "Tarzan Boy."
The show saw its own heated 6-man tag match like the old Freebirds vs Von Erichs matches of old, between The Elite (Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks) and Death Triangle (PAC, Pentagon El Zero M and Rey Fenix). You don't need to be a hardcore wrestling fan to enjoy a match like this, anyone can sit back and be amazed at the athleticism and technical proficiency these wrestlers are able to put on display against each other.
With a successful week of shows in Dallas, AEW is sure to be back before too long. They're already booked to come back to Texas in February when they'll be running El Paso and Laredo, and they've run a number of big events in Dallas already in just their three years of existence.
Tune in at 9 p.m. CT Friday night on TNT to see the conclusion of AEW's week in Dallas on AEW Rampage.
