(https://photos.moderncities.com/Cities/Jacksonville/Miscellaneous/All-Elite-Wrestling/i-gjtzcZh/0/5c35e0c0/L/2019073021462427-5855826758015829036-IMG_5722-L.jpg)
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Jacksonville-based All Elite Wrestling is disrupting the pro wrestling world - and boosting the River City's profile as an entertainment destination.
Read more: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/aew-is-making-jacksonville-a-wrestling-hotspot/
Hell yeah brother.
I don't pretend to know much about wrestling. If it gets events where people travel here, it's a good thing.
Yep, we need wrasslin', more monster trucks, chiropractors, and pawn shops.
This is awesome. Like others, I know very little about pro wrestling but I welcome the eyeballs, the visitors and the economic boost.
Quote from: Snaketoz on August 01, 2019, 10:54:08 AM
Yep, we need wrasslin', more monster trucks, chiropractors, and pawn shops.
Backstory: I'm in China and a few days ago I went to see a violin performance by my long-time virtuoso friend. Went to dinner with the artists and small crew and in the car ride was talking to the presenter of the recital who is also the principal bassist for the Royal Philharmonia in Bangkok. When he heard I live in Miami, Florida he immediately said that he and his wife had just visited...Jacksonville.
"Do you know it?"
"Yes that is where I am from. What brought you to Jacksonville?"
"We were visiting our close friends. They live on a beautiful beach, very few people."
"Is that in Ponte Vedra?"
"Yes yes that is it. Ponte Vedra"
"Did you enjoy it?"
"Yes. I love to go to pawn shops. Jacksonville has so many pawn shops."
I don't follow WWE anymore, but I did growing up because some friends were related to WCW a wrestler and avid fans. I will 100% be at the next AEW event in Jax. Looks like a great time.
Quote from: Snaketoz on August 01, 2019, 10:54:08 AM
Yep, we need wrasslin', more monster trucks, chiropractors, and pawn shops.
Yes. Who could forget the commercials during the Gator Bowl about all the fine pawn shops to visit in Jacksonville.
Great article!
One of the most weirdly underreported stories of the year, locally.
Shad Khan and his son launch new wrestling promotion to compete with WWE, sign best performers in the world, secure major primetime television deal, and as one of their first shows, holds a fundraiser at Daily's Place that raises $150,000 for victims of the Landing shooting.
Literally crickets across local media.
Quote from: KenFSU on August 01, 2019, 12:55:28 PM
Great article!
One of the most weirdly underreported stories of the year, locally.
Shad Khan and his son launch new wrestling promotion to compete with WWE, sign best performers in the world, secure major primetime television deal, and as one of their first shows, holds a fundraiser at Daily's Place that raises $150,000 for victims of the Landing shooting.
Literally crickets across local media.
Thanks Ken! Yeah, this story really isn't getting the coverage it deserves locally. I didn't realize until I started researching it, but AEW's really a pretty big deal already as far as attendance goes. If things keep going as they are, it'll be pretty damn huge.
And provide work for former Jags players...
More in the "the local media doesn't realize what a big deal this is," category:
AEW's next four shows have all sold out in minutes, crashing Ticketmaster's website on two separate occasions.
Execs in the event and arena industry are saying that demand for tickets is as big as the hottest concert tours of the last few years.
Chicago sold all 14,000 tickets at the Sears Center in less than 15 minutes:
https://www.si.com/wrestling/2019/06/14/aew-all-out-tickets-chicago-sellout
DC for their television debut sold out 17,000 tickets at Capitol One Arena in under an hour:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alfredkonuwa/2019/08/02/aew-on-tnt-tickets-sell-out-the-capitol-one-arena-in-hours-amid-continued-demand/#24ad547aebff
Boston and Philadelphia both sold out almost immediately (nearly 18,000) for weeks two and three of the TNT primetime show:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alfredkonuwa/2019/08/16/aew-stays-hot-sells-out-tnt-shows-in-boston-and-philadelphia/#4c04c2066424
Just crazy numbers for this Jacksonville-based company.
Although the brisk ticket sales for AEW in Jax and elsewhere are very promising, the real test will be the ratings and reception the league gets once its on TNT. If wrestling fans really take to the broadcasts, that will start some legitimate buzz about AEW. And I really hope their success along with their promising treatment of their wrestlers leads to the other wrestling companies improving the conditions, benefits, and opportunities for their roster of performers.
Three months in to Tony Khan's new wrestling venture, TNT has given AEW a monster $175 million, four-year extension and a second night of primetime television.
https://twitter.com/TonyKhan/status/1217484506392944640
Awesome news! I was skeptical about AEW at first, but I'm glad that they found their niche within pro wrestling.
If you haven't seen the news (it's been a bigger story nationally than it has been locally), AEW lost one of their wrestlers, Jon Huber, to an unknown lung ailment at age 41 earlier this week.
AEW put on what had to have been one of the greatest tributes to an athlete and their family that I've ever seen tonight on TNT from Daily's Place.
Tony Khan also signed the Huber's eight-year-old son to a contract to make sure that the family is taken care of for decades to come.
Quote from: Ken_FSU on December 30, 2020, 11:28:30 PM
Tony Khan also signed the Huber's eight-year-old son to a contract to make sure that the family is taken care of for decades to come.
very nice
Huge national tv night at Daily's Place as Shaquille O'Neal teams up with a lady wrestler from Jacksonville University on a match that has been promoted heavily for weeks now.
Shaq is staying at the Omni downtown:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CL9-jSfBTKL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Quote from: thelakelander on March 03, 2021, 03:36:02 PM
Shaq is staying at the Omni downtown:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CL9-jSfBTKL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
A majority of the wrestlers and crew live in central Florida and make the trek every week to Jacksonville for the Wednesday Night Dynamite on TNT. Commentator Jim Ross and wrestler Brian Pillman Jr. have since moved to Jax since it doesn't appear that traveling to different cities to perform is ever happening anytime soon. There are a couple YouTube series that some of the wrestlers do, Being the Elite (BTE) and Sammy Guevara Vlogs. They show a variety of shots from downtown Jax, along the riverwalk, the balcony by the Hyatt, shots from inside hotel rooms at The Omni, at TIAA Bank Field, Daily's Place, etc...
When I met Cody Rhodes, along with a slew of other wrestlers and his wife as well, I informed him that on the very grounds that AEW were starting from, just across the way was the old coliseum where his father used to wrestle for decades. I had actually seen the last WCW PPV "Greed" there with his father, Dusty and his brother Dustin who defeated Ric Flair and Jeff Jarrett, he was thrilled to learn that. It's his company as he's an Executive VP. So wrestling family ties are strong in Duval with the Rhodes family.
Quote from: duvaltilidie on March 04, 2021, 06:41:25 PM
Quote from: thelakelander on March 03, 2021, 03:36:02 PM
Shaq is staying at the Omni downtown:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CL9-jSfBTKL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
A majority of the wrestlers and crew live in central Florida and make the trek every week to Jacksonville for the Wednesday Night Dynamite on TNT. Commentator Jim Ross and wrestler Brian Pillman Jr. have since moved to Jax since it doesn't appear that traveling to different cities to perform is ever happening anytime soon. There are a couple YouTube series that some of the wrestlers do, Being the Elite (BTE) and Sammy Guevara Vlogs. They show a variety of shots from downtown Jax, along the riverwalk, the balcony by the Hyatt, shots from inside hotel rooms at The Omni, at TIAA Bank Field, Daily's Place, etc...
When I met Cody Rhodes, along with a slew of other wrestlers and his wife as well, I informed him that on the very grounds that AEW were starting from, just across the way was the old coliseum where his father used to wrestle for decades. I had actually seen the last WCW PPV "Greed" there with his father, Dusty and his brother Dustin who defeated Ric Flair and Jeff Jarrett, he was thrilled to learn that. It's his company as he's an Executive VP. So wrestling family ties are strong in Duval with the Rhodes family.
Awesome story, thanks for sharing!
I wonder if some sports radio guys will start whining in six months about how Shaq staying at the Omni is why we need to spend $170 million on subsidizing the Four Seasons.
Good to see AEW expanding it's television footprint. Also nice to see wrestling come back in a high profile way to the network that catapulted the careers of so many wrestlers to the national and international spotlight.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10003114-aew-rampage-to-debut-on-tnt-on-august-13-aew-dynamite-moving-to-tbs-in-january
Tony Khan before last night's show, perhaps a few drinks in, firing shots at the WWE and their head of business development, Nick Khan.
Guy cracks me up.
https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1398434531024281605?s=20
Pretty rad shot from Daily's Place last night from Twitter.
(https://i.postimg.cc/GpNwhSV0/42-CEAFBC-E8-A8-4-EBA-979-D-7-C87-EE16-D8-DA.webp)
Nice.
Man they jump high
Incredible video package tonight to end AEW's 16 month weekly run at Daily's Place during the pandemic.
https://mobile.twitter.com/AEWonTNT/status/1410418395783340032
Former Strongman competitor & WWE wrestler, aka "Strongest Man in the World" & current AEW employee, Mark Henry says he wants to do community involvement and wants the "City of Jacksonville to love this company (AEW) like they love the football team." at precisely 11 minutes into this video...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbE6udB9Uw0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbE6udB9Uw0)
^For a company with huge startup costs that will need year or two to break even, Tony Khan and AEW have been incredibly generous and active with charity work and donations, particularly in Jacksonville.
Proceeds from August 4th show at Daily's Place will go to Wounded Warrior (https://www.mandatory.com/wrestlezone/news/1245992-all-elite-wrestling-teams-up-with-wounded-warrior-project-for-charity-drive).
$100k from tonight's show goes to Safe Alliance to help victims of domestic violence.
They have previously made sizable donations to Florida's First Coast Relief Fund, Feeding Northeast Florida, and victims of Jax gun violence via the Vctim Assistance Advisory Council (https://twitter.com/dailysplace/status/1150496878179639296?s=20).
Wrestlers have been volunteering with Love-Alive locally:
https://prowrestlingnewshub.com/aew-news/a-number-of-aew-stars-help-out-those-in-need-in-jacksonville/
Another wrestler has been looking to open a homeless shelter in Jax:
https://itrwrestling.com/news/eddie-kingston-wants-to-open-homeless-shelter/
Seems like a really, really good group of people behind this thing.
Quote from: Ken_FSU
Seems like a really, really good group of people behind this thing.
Man, you're so right. They're much more of a family than other organizations, it seems.. and they love spreading the wealth.
Does anyone have the slightest idea about AEW's corporate operations and how many people they employ? Are they based within TIAA Bank Field?
I don't know how many people they employ. I believe their offices are inside TIAA like the Jags.
Can confirm their offices are in TIAA bank field. Their staffing is lean and may incorporate some Bold Events people, but I don't have an exact number.
A reality series titled "Rhodes to the Top" shows a lot of the last year and a half which was filmed mostly here in Jacksonville, Daily's Place, TIAA Bank Field, etc... You get to see a lot of Tony Khan, obviously, but also Jaguar EVP Megha (yes, spelled like that) Parekh and others. A List of All Elite Wrestling Personnel gives you a broader picture of who works behind the scenes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_All_Elite_Wrestling_personnel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_All_Elite_Wrestling_personnel)