Could AEW Set Another Attendance Record With Upcoming Show?
AEW has been on a bit of a hot streak recently when it comes to live gates, with their Double or Nothing and Forbidden Door events each reportedly drawing over $1 million from ticket sales. And it appears that the promotion will be aiming for some more attendance records coming up, both with AEW Grand Slam at Arthur Ashe Stadium in September and with another set of tapings to take place earlier in the month.
Shortly after last night's episode of "AEW Dynamite", the promotion officially announced they would be making their debut in another New York market.
"Feel the fallout of AEW All Out LIVE for AEW's Buffalo, NY debut at AEW Dynamite & AEW Rampage Wednesday, September 7th at the KeyBank Center!" AEW's Twitter posted. "Tickets (starting at $29+fees) go on sale FRIDAY 7/22 at 10AM ET."
Feel the fallout of #AEWAllOut LIVE for #AEW's Buffalo, NY debut at #AEWDynamite & #AEWRampage Wednesday, September 7th @KeyBankCtr!
Tickets (starting at $29+fees) go on sale FRIDAY 7/22 at 10AM ET 🎟 https://t.co/UN1cNj1kQq pic.twitter.com/q0MolYhWkP
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) July 7, 2022
Home to the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, the KeyBank Center is capable of fitting over 19,000 fans in attendance. While it's unknown how AEW will choose to scale the event in terms of seating, it's likely the promotion will be looking to draw over 10,000 fans for their first trip to Buffalo, similar to what they did in their debuts in Los Angeles and Detroit earlier this year.
While the potential configuration of these tapings could allow the promotion to have one of their highest attended events to date, the Buffalo show would still not be the biggest crowd ever to attend an AEW event. That distinction would still go to the first AEW Grand Slam event in September 2021, which drew over 20,000 fans to view episodes of "Dynamite" and "Rampage" that were taped that evening.
The Buffalo tapings will be a homecoming for several AEW talents, including the Butcher and the Blade and Jericho Appreciation Society member Daniel Garcia, all of whom hail from the area. Garcia may arrive at the event with some gold as well, as he'll challenge Wheeler Yuta for the Ring of Honor Pure Championship at ROH Death Before Dishonor on Sunday, July 24, in Lowell, Massachussetts.