DALLAS — All Elite Wrestling is making a successful run as an alternative U.S. wrestling company, and is looking at Dallas as a key market, as they're running three shows around the metroplex this week.
The week of wrestling kicks off this Wednesday as AEW will host its flagship show, AEW Dynamite, at 7 p.m. at College Park Center in Arlington. Then, at 6 p.m. on Friday, AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor, will host a PPV at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland called Final Battle. Then, on Friday, AEW concludes their run of shows with AEW Collision, which starts at 7 p.m. and is also at the Curtis Culwell Center.
AEW's presence in North Texas has grown every December for the past two years. In 2021, they held one Dynamite taping here, then in 2022, they held Dynamite and ROH Final Battle, and now, in 2023, they have three separate shows all in a span of four days around the metroplex.
Chris Jericho, an AEW wrestler who has competed in WWE, Mexico and Japan as well, calls "Winter is Coming," the name of the specially-themed Dallas Dynamite show, one of AEW's tentpole events of the year.
"Dallas is a great wrestling city, for sure," Jericho said. "I think there's certain areas of the country where you can kind of have that history. Dallas obviously has it and Calgary has it and Portland has it and Florida has it. So, there's always generations of fans that appreciate the sport, especially here in Texas, and especially here in Dallas, which is one of the reasons why we're here the whole week."
While Jericho won't be wrestling this week, he said he will be speaking on Dynamite this week. He calls storytelling the most important thing done in wrestling.
"The matches are important, but what leads to those matches and kind of the trials and tribulations behind them, is what matters more than anything," Jericho said. "And that's what really hooks the fans is the good stories and the characters and the personalities that are behind them."
Shockwaves recently hit the wrestling world when CM Punk, who was fired from AEW in September, returned to WWE at the end of November. But Jericho says, for the AEW roster, it was business as usual.
"It's good for the business that guys have the ability to go between companies," Jericho said. "It's great for the fans, and it's great for the talent overall. It just makes the business stronger, and that's the most important thing."
One difference between AEW and WWE that some wrestlers prefer about AEW is that they don't have multiple writers telling them what to say and that they are relied upon to come up with their own lines, or, as wrestlers call them, promos. Jericho said that's one of the things that appealed to him right at the start of AEW in 2019.
"When you're a true pro, you know how to go to the ring and explain what you're trying to explain in your own words," Jericho said. "If it's a longer promo, I'll write the whole thing down myself, and it should be that way."
For more information about the upcoming AEW shows in Dallas and to buy tickets, visit AEW's website here.