AEW is set for an extended stay in Philadelphia, announcing a seven-show residency at the historic 2300 Arena (formerly the ECW Arena) later this year. Dave Meltzer, in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, detailed the run, which follows AEW’s Forbidden Door event in London.
The Philadelphia residency includes ROH Death Before Dishonor on September 5, along with three episodes of AEW Dynamite (August 27, September 3, September 10) and three episodes of AEW Collision (August 30, September 6, and a special Thursday edition on September 11). Meltzer noted, “I always expected Tony Khan would run an ROH show there… but running three straight weeks of both Dynamite and Collision surprised me,” given the venue’s smaller capacity (estimated 800-1,000 for TV).
Tony Khan reportedly explained the strategy, stating that “taping this way saves hundreds of thousands of dollars in loading in and out,” but emphasized the primary motivation isn’t just cost-cutting. “He thinks the tapings in the building will be special partially because of the nostalgia of wrestling in that building and because he expects the energy of the live crowd in that building to be a huge positive,” Meltzer wrote. Khan believes the improved crowd reactions will “make for better television,” outweighing any loss from fewer ticket sales. Meltzer added, “He basically said that while it does cut cost and improve the bottom line… he wouldn’t do that if he didn’t think the crowd reactions wouldn’t improve the show itself.”
Meltzer also noted, “There is talk of more residencies as well,” suggesting this Philadelphia run could be a model for future AEW touring.