Back in the 1980s heyday of the Dallas Sportatorium, some of the best wrestlers in the world traded fists and bodyslams each weekend. Ric Flair, Harley Race, The Fabulous Freebirds and, of course, Texas’ own Von Erich family were just some of the acts that competed in Fritz Von Erich’s World Class Championship Wrestling for thousands of screaming fans—not just once, but for days on end. These were the territorial days of professional wrestling, that pre-WWE time when dozens of cities across North America featured their own promotions and stars whom locals could count on seeing all year long.
That era died in the 1990s as the WWE (then known as the WWF) helped accelerate wrestling’s shift into a national product. The sport became a full-time touring operation, leaving North Texans who once packed the Sportatorium twice a week to wait until their favorite performers passed through town once or twice a year.
But at least for one summer, All Elite Wrestling, the country’s second-largest wrestling promotion, is bringing the territorial spirit back with its Path to All In Summer Series, a collection of 10 live wrestling events out of Esports Stadium Arlington. It’s a lead-up to AEW’s All In pay-per-view event at London’s Wembley Stadium on August 25. The series includes AEW’s weekly Saturday program on TNT, AEW Collision, as well as tapings and a special pay-per-view event for its Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion that airs through its own streaming platform.
The idea is spearheaded by AEW CEO Tony Khan, a wrestling fanatic who makes no bones about saying that the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area “is probably the greatest wrestling territory in the history of the planet.” In Khan’s eyes, it just made sense to bring back that weekly wrestling tradition to North Texas. “Really, the Dallas-Fort Worth area is so great for pro wrestling,” Khan says of the inspiration behind the summer series. “Just historically, it’s tried and true, and it works great. They’re very passionate, loyal fans, and we love being there.”
The residency marks the first time AEW has consecutively broadcast from the same location for multiple weeks since the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, AEW used Daily’s Place, an offshoot venue connected to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ EverBank Stadium, as its weekly television location. “Those are some really strong shows, and we built something very strong in Jacksonville,” says Khan, who is the son of Jaguars owner Shahid Khan and serves as the team’s chief football strategy officer.
Khan and the AEW team learned a lot during that era about the different advantages of “building and developing a home base.” North Texas made for a logical base for Collision this summer, and not only because of the region’s wrestling tradition. North Texas has hosted AEW and ROH shows for several years, most notably its annual Winter is Coming edition of weekly programming each December. Since 2021, Garland’s Curtis Culwell Center has hosted the event as a special edition of AEW’s Wednesday program on TBS, Dynamite, with Arlington’s College Park Center hosting last year’s Collision show as part of a two-event block. The Curtis Culwell Center has also hosted multiple ROH pay-per-view events.
The first show in the residency took place on July 20. Although unconventional in name, Esports Stadium Arlington made for an intimate venue that helped amplify the physicality and technical prowess of the wrestlers in the ring. Khan says the show was a sellout. He praised the energy of the crowd while noting that the show delivered the best TV ratings for Collision in a little more than two months. While the card featured plenty of AEW talent, Khan called in some familiar reinforcements, too: the Von Erichs themselves.
Kevin Von Erich, Fritz’s lone surviving son, appeared alongside his sons Marshall and Ross at last year’s Winter is Coming in Garland. His sons competed in a tag team match that ultimately led to Kevin making a post-match return to the ring to lock on the family’s signature Iron Claw maneuver. Khan praised the Von Erich family, calling them a “big part of what we do” in Texas. He says it’s “an honor to be in their territory” and a “dream come true” to have the opportunity to work with Kevin in North Texas.
Although not official members of the AEW or ROH rosters, Marshall and Ross Von Erich appeared with their father on Saturday and recently said they will appear on several shows during the residency. That included the ROH tapings following last weekend’s Collision, where they once again had a chance to share in the action with their father.
For Kevin Von Erich, seeing all his sons’ hard work pay off in the ring for promotions like AEW has helped reignite his passion for the sport.
“I know that when I see them in the ring then I can put my mind exactly where theirs is,” he says. “I mean, everything that happens to them in the ring has happened to me before. It’s like 20 years happening all in one match. Everything reminds me of so much. I can barely sit still. It’s rekindled a fire in me. I just was so tired of wrestling, and I can’t wait to see it now.”
As far as the future of AEW shows in the Dallas area, Khan addressed recent reports of a possible major AEW show heading to North Texas in an interview with ComicBook.com: “it’s not something we would be looking to do anytime here in the immediate future.”
Khan still left the door open for such an event down the road, though. “Certainly, for 2024, all of our pay-per-views have been announced, and we have a good plan for a 2024 pay-per-view calendar, but, you know, after that, anything’s possible,” Khan says, adding that those possibilities “absolutely” could include Dallas. “It’s one of the places we’ve always wanted to do an AEW pay-per-view.”
For now, though, he’s focused on the ongoing residency. “It’s like a throwback to the territory days,” Khan says. A welcome one.
The Path to All In Summer Series continues with ROH: Death Before Dishonor on July 26 at Esports Stadium Arlington. AEW: Collision events will follow on July 27 and August 1, 10 and 17. Four additional ROH tapings will take place between those shows, with two on July 28 and two on August 11. Tickets can be purchased here.
Author
