Hey AEW and WWE, Make Washington, D.C. One of Your Flagship Cities
Professional wrestling belongs in the nation’s capital. Frequently visited but never utilized to its fullest potential, Washington, D.C. has everything a promotion needs to host annual, massive weekends.
History
AEW returns to Washington, D.C. next week for two shows at the Entertainment and Sports Arena. It’s their first trip back to D.C. since launching their flagship show, Dynamite, at the Capital One Arena on October 2, 2019. If you launch your product in D.C., you’re always going to be tied to D.C., even if you’re usually in Florida.
Before World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), before the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), before the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), what is now known as WWE was Capitol Wrestling Corporation. Started by Jess McMahon (Vincent Kennedy McMahon’s grandfather) or Vince McMahon (Vincent Kennedy McMahon’s father) (it’s unclear who founded the CWC, we just know it’s a McMahon), the CWC was originally based in Washington, D.C., specifically at Turner’s Arena, located off 14th and W at 1342 W St NW. (There’s no reason to visit the address. It was torn down in 1965. It’s currently condos.)
Though both are based in Florida, AEW and WWE technically began their companies in Washington, D.C. Why not capitalize on the history? It’s not like WWE didn’t acknowledge the history by naming its NXT facility after the original WWE facility from October 2020 to September 2021.
Venues
Capital One Arena is a perfectly fine American arena. It’s hosted dozens of WWE events since its opening and even a few Pay-Per-Views (the poster for 2011’s Capitol Punishment is especially great/awful/memorable). We’ve already acknowledged it’s where AEW Dynamite began its run. But what makes D.C. exciting are the rarely and never-before-used wrestling facilities.
Nationals Park would make a great home for a spring, summer or fall Pay-Per-View. If the stadium is able to host a Winter Classic and a two-month Christmas extravaganza, it can handle a weekend of grappling.
Nearby Audi Field is another excellent option. The best looking stadium during the 2020 XFL run would give another Pay-Per-View a different look.
Both Nats Park and Audi Field have dozens of nearby bars and restaurants that would love to cater to wrestling fans on an otherwise eventful weekend, the biggest being the Bullpen, the massive, outdoor ‘bar’ right outside the Metra stop. The spot could also host a smaller wrestling show, something it already did in 2015.
If you’re looking to get out of the baseball/soccer stadium area, the former train stop home of the Washington Football Team would be a good start. The DC Armory hosted a handful of WWF, WCW and NWA events in the late 80s and early 90s and occasionally hosts ESPN and HBO boxing cards. If either promotion was looking for a grungier feel, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more appropriate venue.
Another smaller option is The Anthem. NXT already produced a show there in 2018 and it looked fantastic.
One of the biggest reasons D.C. is so appealing is all of the venues in the city that could run independent shows. AEW and WWE can and will be fine most every major metropolis they visit. But the shows unofficially tied to a Pay-Per-View weekend is what could set it apart. Indies could run at one of D.C.’s many fine breweries. The March 7, 2020 Prime Time Pro Wrestling Presents: Butch Versus Gore at DC Brau was the a marriage of two worlds that belong together: indie wrestling and craft brewing. It was packed with all walks of life and all types of fans. It was the kind of show that could make people that say they hate this kid stuff want to attend the next show.
Location
D.C. is easy to access. You can fly in to the city at DCA. It’s quite easy to get to D.C. from BWI or Dulles. There’s a major train station. There are dozens of buses that come from dozens of American cities every day. There’s a relatively OK regional bus and train system (If it ran later, it’d be better. If the trains didn’t get pulled because they occasionally erupt in flames, it’d be even better). You do not need a car to access any of the venues I’ve mentioned. This is not the case for most everywhere AEW and WWE host Pay-Per-Views.
No matter how much you want the suburbs to be considered part of the city, the suburbs are not part of the city. Schaumburg is not Chicago. Sorry AEW. East Rutherford, New Jersey is not New York City. Sorry WWE. So when I’m pitching D.C. as home to a flagship Pay-Per-View, I mean D.C., not the greater DMV.
Extras
There’s a cottage industry surrounding flagship Pay-Per-Views. From Starrcast to WrestleCon, almost as many fans attend extracurricular activities than the Pay-Per-View. D.C. can easily handle any convention at the Washington Convention Center or one of the dozens of hotels that regularly host events featuring extremely credentialed individuals. But to make things a little classier, why not utilize The Kennedy Center? The venue hosts every type of podcast and live event already, why couldn’t a pro wrestling promotion fit in? Whether it’s a convention with panels or podcast recordings or independent vendors hawking merch, the Kennedy Center is already doing all of this.
If you’re a wrestling fan, you know most every halfway decent wrestling has a book. If you’re literate and in D.C., you’ve visited a bookstore. D.C. has one of the healthiest visiting authors scenes, with nightly events at Politics and Prose and frequent signings at places like Kramers, Loyalty Books and Sixth & I.
Finally, the DC Improv has already hosted folks like Mick Foley and Jim Ross and the DC Comedy Loft has hosted Jake The Snake Roberts. The post-ring comedy infrastructure is present.
The history is there. The venues are plentiful. The access is easy. The supplementals are ready. D.C. is the nation’s capital because of politics. D.C. needs to become the nation’s capital of America’s finest form of entertainment.
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