New York is All Elite – and so is New Jersey.
AEW CEO Tony Khan joined Moose & Maggie on WFAN Wednesday to make one long-awaited announcement and one huge one: the former being that the AEW Dynamite show that was scheduled for Prudential Center in Newark before COVID-19 hit has been rescheduled, and will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 15.
“This is a reschedule of a show we had sold a ton of tickets for and were excited about right before the pandemic started, so we got canceled,” Khan told Moose & Maggie, “but that’s not the big announcement!”
No, indeed, this is: one week later, on Wednesday, Sept. 22, AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam will be held at Arthur Ashe Stadium on the campus of the USTA/Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.
This will be the first wrestling event they’ve ever done. We’re excited about bringing AEW to New York for the first time, and I’m excited to be able to make this announcement here,” Khan said.
Tickets for that event will go on sale July 16 and start at $25, and as Khan said, every seat at Ashe Stadium feels like the best seat in the house.
“It’s one of our most iconic sporting venues and every seat is a great seat, and I think it will be a tremendous crowd,” Khan said. “In terms of seating and capacity, I couldn’t find a better venue. It’s non-traditional, but I think a tennis stadium is a great venue for us and sets up beautifully, and this one is the best in the world.”
Khan is hoping this event can start a new tradition for AEW, and, when asked about their competition with global giant (and locally-owned) WWE, Khan
“It’s an intense competition, no doubt about it, and we’re excited to be a challenger brand. For a long time, wrestling fans have demanded an alternative, and AEW on TNT has given them that,” he said.
Due to the NBA Playoffs, AEW’s flagship show has been airing on Friday nights instead of Wednesday, but they will be returning to their normal timeslot in a few weeks – and this fall, adding a new show called AEW Rampage that will air on Fridays full-time.
“We’ve been on Fridays during NBA playoffs, but before that, we’ve carved out a great fan base and made a name for ourselves on Wednesdays,” Khan said. “We had competition before from another show, which we don’t have anymore, but we did well in the ratings during that…and when we add Rampage on Fridays, hopefully we can do the same on that night.”
For more information on the Newark and Queens events, as well as ticket info, you can check out AEW’s events page – and listen to Khan’s entire segment with Moose & Maggie below!
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