When Tony Khan hired Jeff Jarrett last year, it was reported that one of the jobs assigned to the TNA founder and WWE Hall of Famer would be a non-televised live event, aka house shows.
AEW has only run one house show in its four years of existence, 2021’s “The House Always Wins”. Khan and others have indicated that will change in 2023, and sure enough, AEW announced tonight (February 1) that they will begin running live, non-televised shows under the “House Rules” banner next month.
Here is the piston:
Twitter AEW
AEW announces the launch of its live event series: “AEW House Rules.”
– Weekend Intimate Events Kick Off in Markets Across the US, Starting March 18th in Troy, Ohio –
February 1, 2023 – AEW CEO, General Manager and Chief Creative Officer Tony Khan today announced the launch of “AEW House Rules,” a live event series that takes place on select weekends in markets across the country. Continuing the promotion’s massive rise and following the success of “AEW: Dynamite” on Wednesdays on TBS and “AEW: Rampage” on Fridays on TNT, fans can expect an up close, personal experience at local venues combined with a stunning, engaging environment.
These non-televised live events will feature an exciting mix of matches featuring AEW superstars. Each event offers a more immersive experience for fans, including customized merchandise, unique ways to interact with featured talent and in-show interactions that are different from what is featured on AEW television programming.
The first ever AEW House Rules show will take place Saturday, March 18th in Troy, Ohio at the Hobart Arena and will feature Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Dr. Brett Baker, Darby Allen, Orange Cassidy, and many more. Tickets to all AEW House Rules shows start at $20 plus fees and can be purchased at AEWTIX.com beginning Friday, February 3 at 10 a.m. ET. Other showtimes will be announced in the coming weeks.
“As a lifelong fan of professional wrestling who grew up attending house shows, AEW House Rules is an exciting next step in our journey, giving fans a new level of access to top-tier professional wrestling,” said Tony Khan. “We are always looking for meaningful ways to interact with our fans, and the AEW House Rules will be a great way for them to connect with our amazing talent and experience AEW in an intimate setting.”
“AEW’s extraordinary success has changed the landscape of professional wrestling as a whole, not only by introducing a fresh new product, but also by raising the bar in a way that many considered impossible a few years ago,” said Jeff Jarrett, Director of AEW. Business Development.
“Now as we expand to offer live home shows, fans can expect an innovative approach and get up close to the best talent in professional wrestling. In addition to satisfying the passion of die-hard fans, we are excited to create new fans of all ages through these entertaining events.”
“I look forward to collaborating with Jeff Jarrett to oversee the expansion and growth of the live event touring schedule,” said Rafael Murphy, AEW Vice President of Live Events. “The AEW House Rules reinforce our commitment to creating positive and memorable experiences for fans at our shows, and we are excited to launch the initiative on March 18th in Troy, Ohio.”
Hobart Arena has fewer than 4,000 seats. Combined with the announcement’s mention of “intimate” settings, it appears that AEW will focus on smaller to mid-sized stadiums. And that’s a smart move, especially in the beginning.
It will be interesting to see if they can grow from there. One of the issues that AEW has been dealing with this past year has been low attendance for their weekly shows. Some of that has been attributed to running the same markets over and over again, however, you might assume that “house rules” wouldn’t hit cities like Philadelphia or Newark. From the sketch, it also appears that Ring of Honor will be represented on these shows, which could be more incentivized with plans calling for ROH storylines, titles, and wrestlers to have a smaller role on AEW TV this year.
We’ll see how it goes. What do you think of this ad, Cagesiders?
