AEW have been stepping into hostile territory as they enter the north east of the United States for episodes of AEW Dynamite. In what will likely be the first case of this, the Heritage Bank Center (formerly known as U.S Bank Arena) in Cincinnati, OH is refusing to host any All Elite Wrestling events due to their existing relationship with WWE. WWE most recently ran a live event there in December 2019, as well as Starrcade 2018 & Cyber Sunday 2006.
This type of loyalty is what almost stopped last years NJPW/ROH joint event at Madison Square Garden, as due to the history of WWE there, they can shut down other promotions from running the iconic venue.
AEW has other options to run their shows from in Cincinnati, OH, such as the Cintas Center at Xavier University, which has a capacity of 10,000. Finding a venue isn’t the issue in this situation, but other towns could be tricky as well thanks to WWE.
Venues Don’t Want To Risk Losing A Top Draw For AEW
While WWE hasn’t been in the greatest shape in recent years, they are still able to push insane amounts of tickets wherever they show up. This makes them a safe bet for venues to rely on for events. With WWE reducing live event dates, shows will also be more sought after. If a venue WWE normally runs lets their competition in, they could be looked over by WWE the next time they’re looking to run that town. This is the true war that WWE & AEW are fighting, not over ratings or talent, but rather places they can do their shows.
AEW also do great numbers a their shows, and in time will become a safe bet like WWE has become, at which point this issue will sort itself out. They simply need to build the same reputation WWE has been for many years. Until then, in some towns they will need to book smaller venues. That isn’t a bad thing, as it will ensure their crowds are even louder on TV, and could help the build faith if they pack in these 5k to 10k arenas.
Do you think arenas should take a gamble on ruining their long lasting relationships with WWE for AEW? Let us know what you think about this situation in the comment section down below.
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