AEW’s ticket woes continue ahead of Chicago return in November

Although All Elite Wrestling is based in Jacksonville, FL, its special connection with Chicago dates back to 2018, where the inaugural All In event took place, setting the stage for the promotion’s birth in 2019.

Since then, AEW’s owner, Tony Khan, has brought his brand of wrestling to the Windy City for nearly two dozen television events and pay-per-view extravaganzas. This presence in Chicago increased significantly after Khan signed hometown hero CM Punk in 2021. AEW has held four pay-per-view events in Chicago since then, including back-to-back visits in 2022 for Forbidden Door and the infamous All Out event.

Now, AEW is preparing for another show in Chicago, with Dynamite scheduled for Nov. 22 at the Wintrust Arena. This event coincides with WWE’s Survivor Series at the nearby Allstate Arena in Rosemont three days later, where speculation that now former AEW star CM Punk will return to AEW-Dub’s rival continues to grow. All of this may have something to do with current ticket sales, which, as it stands, do not look promising for Dynamite.

According to WrestleTix, a source for wrestling ticket information on social media, AEW has sold fewer than 2,000 tickets for the event. The arena is set up to accommodate 5,224 attendees. Comparatively, the last AEW event in this venue took place in June, attracting 6,291 fans, according to WrestleTix.

In response, one fan wrote:

“Stop going to Chicago without Punk, once a year max”

It’s been suggested that AEW’s slumping ticket sales are partly due to its frequent return to the same markets. Though Chicago and its surrounding areas were once a hotbed for All Elite action, that trend appears to be cooling off and may suggest that it’s time for Tony Khan to at least space out its return to Chi-Town in the future.