The owner of All Elite Wrestling, Tony Khan, delivered a strong statement on Wednesday night while standing on the entrance stage at the Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence.
Khan, who also serves as AEW's president and CEO, stated that the professional wrestling organization will make a return to Kansas City soon.
"This will certainly not be the final time we return here," Khan said to the audience.
AEW has previously attracted large audiences in Kansas City. On Wednesday, AEW held aspecial three-hour telecastshowcasing both "Dynamite" and "Collision" shortly before their pay-per-view event "WrestleDream" on Saturday night.
The closing show generated excitement around several major matches. AEW wrestlers "Hangman" Adam Page, Samoa Joe, Kenny Omega, Jon Moxley, and Darby Allin were part of various segments during the evening.
And for numerous supporters, Wednesday's episode was worth the anticipation.
I've been waiting for two months for this," said AEW fan Walker Slinger. "You know, Kansas City is basically a wrestling city. It's one of the top cities in the world. When you come here, you can feel the energy everywhere. Yeah, it's amazing. I'm thrilled to be here.
Slinger took a brief journey from Belton, Missouri. He arrived in a T-shirt showcasing AEW wrestler Will Ospreay and experienced all the surprises that AEW had to provide.
Moxley made a dramatic entrance with his Death Riders group. The team, which includes AEW stars Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta, PAC, and Marina Shafir, engaged with the audience several times.
Castagnoli bested Roderick Strong in an individual contest. Later, Garcia and Yutapicked up a victoryin a tag team match involving Kyle O'Reilly and Orange Cassidy.
The action didn't end there. Fans were treated to the return of popular AEW wrestler Kenny Omega in a three-on-three tag team match. Omega made his entrance with his trademark pyrotechnics, drawing the attention of those present.
It was the first time witnessing Kenny Omega in person," Slinger remarked. "I'm really excited to watch Kenny Omega. It's not about the narrative here. It's all about the actual matches.
AEW packed their match lineup with high-energy action. There was something to enjoy for every wrestling enthusiast that evening. AEW Women's World Champion Kris Statlander and "Timeless" Toni Storm opened the night with a decisive confrontation.
Storm will face Statlander for the championship at WrestleDream. They demonstrated mutual respect before engaging in a brawl to kick off the event.
"Dynamite" concluded with Page -the AEW Men's World Champion- towering over Joe before their WrestleDream main event match.
I'm a huge fan of wrestling and have been watching it my entire life," said AEW supporter Juan Mejia. "I make sure to attend every event. I heard about this one coming up, and my brother got me some tickets.
Kansas City provided constant energy throughout the night.
At a certain moment, AEW heel manager Don Callis appealed to the audience's feelings by mentioning Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes and stating that St. Louis is the superior city. This prompted a reaction from the crowd, which responded with multiple boos.
Meanwhile, supporters strongly backed the leading good guys in wrestling — known as top babyfaces — including The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP), along with Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron.
AEW has held events in Kansas City since the beginning. The initial one took place in 2020, and the organization has kept returning to the region.
There has always been a strong interest in professional wrestling, and the event on Wednesday could have provided AEW with additional factors to think about when planning its upcoming schedule.
We definitely need more wrestling here," Mejia stated. "We have a lot of independent shows and events. They gain some attention, but not to the level of AEW or WWE. We have a few shows scattered throughout the year. However, I believe if AEW or WWE gave us more support, we would really come through for them.
