AEW Homecoming is a periodic professional wrestling television special produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established by the promotion in 2020, it celebrates the company's return to its home venue of Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida. After producing Homecoming events in 2020 and 2021, the special was briefly discontinued until its return in 2024. The event originally aired as a special episode of Wednesday Night Dynamite on TNT, but in 2024, it was expanded to a two-part special, also encompassing Friday Night Rampage, with Dynamite now airing on TBS and Rampage on TNT
| AEW Homecoming | |
|---|---|
 The 2024 Homecoming logo for Dynamite, which incorporated the Daily's Place logo below the "Homecoming" text | |
| Promotions | All Elite Wrestling (AEW) |
| First event | 2020 |
| Event gimmick | AEW's return to its home venue of Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida |
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the vast majority of the promotion's shows had to be held at Daily's Place from March 2020 to June 2021, but these were not produced as Homecoming events due to the circumstances. Additionally, although AEW returned to Daily's Place in 2022 for episodes of Dynamite and Rampage, these were not held as Homecoming specials.
History
edit
After the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) was founded in January 2019, the company held its third-ever event, Fight for the Fallen, on July 13 that year at Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida.[1] Daily's Place is an open-air amphitheater located on the same complex as the EverBank Stadium (formerly TIAA Bank Field; renamed in 2023), the home stadium of the Jacksonville Jaguars, a National Football League team that is also owned by AEW President and Chief Executive Officer Tony Khan. As such, the stadium itself is AEW's de facto headquarters, with Daily's Place becoming AEW's home base. On January 1, 2020, AEW held a special episode of its weekly television program, Wednesday Night Dynamite on TNT, at Daily's Place titled Homecoming, in reference to the venue.[2]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that began effecting the industry in mid-March 2020, AEW held the majority of its programs from Daily's Place;[3] these events were originally held without fans, but the company began running shows at 10–15% capacity in August, before eventually running full capacity shows in May 2021.[4] Although held at Daily's Place, these shows were not "Homecoming" events due to the circumstances. In May, AEW announced that it would be returning to live touring, beginning with a special episode of Dynamite titled Road Rager on July 7.[5] Road Rager was also the first of a four-week span of special Dynamite episodes as part of AEW's "Welcome Back" tour, which continued with the two-part Fyter Fest on July 14 and 21 and concluded with Fight for the Fallen on July 28.[6][7] In early July, AEW scheduled a second Homecoming episode to be held after the conclusion of the "Welcome Back" tour, briefly returning AEW to Daily's Place on August 4. The event was promoted as the final event to be held at Daily's Place for Summer 2021.[8][9][10] AEW would then return to Daily's Place in December that year, but that event was held as the New Year's Smash special.[11]
Although AEW returned to Daily's Place in 2022 for episodes of Dynamite and their secondary program, Friday Night Rampage (which premiered on TNT on August 13, 2021), these were regular episodes that were not produced as Homecoming specials.[12][13] AEW did not hold any shows at Daily's Place in 2023, but scheduled a return to the venue in January 2024. The company in turn revived the Homecoming special with the third event held on January 10, 2024. Unlike the prior two events, the 2024 Homecoming expanded the show to a two-part special, with the first part airing live as a special episode of Dynamite on TBS (the program moved from TNT to TBS in January 2022), with the second part taped the same night to air on tape delay on January 12 as a special episode of Rampage on TNT.[14] AEW returned to Daily's Place in late April 2024 for episodes of Dynamite, Rampage, and its third program, Saturday Night Collision (which premiered on TNT in June 2023), but these were not held as Homecoming specials.[15]
Events
editAll AEW Homecoming events are held at Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida.
| # | Event | Date | Main Event | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2020 | Dynamite: January 1, 2020 |
The Elite (Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, and Nick Jackson) vs. Death Triangle (Pac, Pentagón Jr., and Rey Fénix) | [16][17] |
| 2 | 2021 | Dynamite: August 4, 2021 |
Malakai Black vs. Cody Rhodes | [9] |
| 3 | 2024 | Night 1: Dynamite – January 10, 2024 |
Sting and Darby Allin vs. The Don Callis Family (Konosuke Takeshita and Powerhouse Hobbs) in a Texas Tornado match | [18] |
| Night 2: Rampage – January 10, 2024 (aired January 12) |
The Dark Order (Evil Uno, John Silver, and Alex Reynolds) vs. Matt Menard, Angelo Parker, and Jake Hager | [19] |
Results
edit2020
edit| Homecoming | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuring various AEW wrestlers | |||
| Promotion | All Elite Wrestling | ||
| Date | January 1, 2020 | ||
| City | Jacksonville, Florida | ||
| Venue | Daily's Place | ||
| Attendance | 3,900 | ||
| Homecoming chronology | |||
| |||
| AEW Dynamite special episodes chronology | |||
| |||
The 2020 Homecoming was the inaugural Homecoming professional wrestling television special produced by AEW. The event marked the promotion's return to its home base of Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida, following the company's debut at the venue during Fight for the Fallen in July the previous year. It was held on New Year's Day on January 1, 2020, and was broadcast on TNT as a special episode of AEW's weekly television program, Wednesday Night Dynamite.[2]
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cody (with Arn Anderson) defeated Darby Allin | Singles match[20] | 17:18 | ||
| 2 | Riho (c) defeated Britt Baker, Hikaru Shida, and Nyla Rose | Four-way match for the AEW Women's World Championship[20] | 9:49 | ||
| 3 | Jon Moxley defeated Trent (with Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy) | Singles match[20] | 11:02 | ||
| 4 | Sammy Guevara defeated Dustin Rhodes | Singles match[20] | 11:23 | ||
| 5 | The Elite (Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, and Nick Jackson) defeated Death Triangle (Pac, Pentagón Jr., and Rey Fénix) | Six-man tag team match[20] | 12:26 | ||
| |||||
2021
edit| Homecoming | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuring various AEW wrestlers | |||
| Promotion | All Elite Wrestling | ||
| Date | August 4, 2021 | ||
| City | Jacksonville, Florida | ||
| Venue | Daily's Place | ||
| Attendance | ~3,000[21] | ||
| Homecoming chronology | |||
| |||
| AEW Dynamite special episodes chronology | |||
| |||
The 2021 Homecoming was the second Homecoming professional wrestling television special produced by AEW. The event marked a brief return to AEW's home venue of Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida, which is where they had produced shows through the majority of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 – June 2021), and came after the conclusion of AEW's "Welcome Back" tour, which celebrated the company's resumption of live touring. It was held on August 4, 2021, and was broadcast on TNT as a special episode of AEW's weekly television program, Wednesday Night Dynamite.[9] This was the final Homecoming special produced until 2024, as despite AEW returning to Daily's Place in 2022 for episodes of Dynamite and their Friday night program Rampage, these were not produced as Homecoming specials,[12][13] and no shows were held at Daily's Place in 2023.
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times[25] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Jericho defeated Juventud Guerrera | Singles match[22] Jericho had to perform a top rope maneuver to win.[23] | 9:55 | ||
| 2 | Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, and Darby Allin (with Sting) defeated 2.0 (Matt Lee and Jeff Parker) and Daniel Garcia | Six-man tag team match[24] | 10:11 | ||
| 3 | Christian Cage defeated The Blade (with The Bunny) | Singles match[22] | 10:14 | ||
| 4 | Miro (c) defeated Lee Johnson (with Dustin Rhodes) | Singles match for the AEW TNT Championship[22] | 9:48 | ||
| 5 | "Legit" Leyla Hirsch defeated The Bunny | NWA World Women's Championship Eliminator Match The winner became the #1 contender to the NWA World Women's Championship | 8:19 | ||
| 6 | Malakai Black defeated Cody Rhodes | Singles match[22] | 5:09 | ||
| |||||
2024
edit| Homecoming | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster for Night 2 | |||
| Promotion | All Elite Wrestling | ||
| Date | January 10, 2024 (aired January 10 and 12, 2024) | ||
| City | Jacksonville, Florida | ||
| Venue | Daily's Place | ||
| Attendance | 3,183 | ||
| Event chronology | |||
| |||
| AEW Dynamite special episodes chronology | |||
| |||
| AEW Rampage special episodes chronology | |||
| |||
The 2024 Homecoming was the third Homecoming professional wrestling television special produced by AEW. The event marked the company's return to its home venue of Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida for the first time since October 2022, although it was the first Homecoming special since 2021. It was held on January 10, 2024. Unlike the prior two Homecoming specials, which only aired as a special episode of Wednesday Night Dynamite, the 2024 event expanded Homecoming to a two-part special, also encompassing Friday Night Rampage. Dynamite aired live on TBS while Rampage aired on tape delay on January 12 on TNT.[26][27] The event also paid tribute to Mr. Brodie Lee, an AEW wrestler and leader of The Dark Order who was a prominent figure during the company's time at Daily's Place during the COVID-19 pandemic from March to October 2020 before his death that December.[28]
Night 1
edit| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times[18] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Hangman" Adam Page defeated Claudio Castagnoli by pinfall | Singles match | 17:00 |
| 2 | Adam Copeland, Dustin Rhodes, Orange Cassidy, and Preston Vance defeated Lance Archer and The Mogul Embassy (Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun, and Toa Liona) (with Jake Roberts and Prince Nana) by pinfall | Brodie Lee memorial Eight-man tag team match | 10:25 |
| 3 | Sammy Guevara defeated Ricky Starks by pinfall | Singles match[29] | 9:00 |
| 4 | Anna Jay, Kris Statlander, Thunder Rosa, and Willow Nightingale defeated Julia Hart, Skye Blue, and The Outcasts (Saraya and Ruby Soho) (with Harley Cameron) by submission | Brodie Lee memorial Eight-woman tag team match | 9:00 |
| 5 | Roderick Strong (with Adam Cole, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, and Wardlow) defeated Bryan Keith by pinfall | Singles match | 4:20 |
| 6 | Sting and Darby Allin (with Ric Flair) defeated The Don Callis Family (Konosuke Takeshita and Powerhouse Hobbs) (with Don Callis) by pinfall | Texas Tornado match[30] | 10:00 |
Night 2
edit| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times[19] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddie Kingston (c) defeated Wheeler Yuta by pinfall | Singles match for the Continental Crown Championship (AEW Continental Championship, ROH World Championship, and the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship) | 17:50 | ||
| 2 | Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana) defeated Matt Sydal by pinfall | Singles match | 4:00 | ||
| 3 | Hikaru Shida defeated Queen Aminata by pinfall | Singles match | 9:00 | ||
| 4 | The Dark Order (Evil Uno, John Silver, and Alex Reynolds) (with "Negative One" Brodie Lee Jr.) defeated Matt Menard, Angelo Parker, and Jake Hager by pinfall | Trios match | 10:00 | ||
| |||||
Reception
editTelevision ratings
editThe 2020 Homecoming averaged 967,000 television viewers on TNT and a 0.36 rating in AEW's key demographic.[31]
The 2021 Homecoming averaged 1,102,000 television viewers on TNT, with a 0.46 rating in AEW's key demographic.[32]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Currier, Joseph (March 4, 2019). "AEW reveals date and venue for Fight for the Fallen". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ a b Powell, Jason (October 28, 2019). "AEW announces New Year's Day event". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ^ Mealey, Jason (13 March 2020). "AEW moves show from Rochester to Jacksonville due to coronavirus". News4Jax. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Mike (May 5, 2021). "Double or Nothing 2021 PPV notes". PWInsider. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
- ^ Heydorn, Zack (May 10, 2021). "AEW announces a return to touring starting in July (w/ Heydorn's Analysis)". PWTorch. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ Nason, Josh (June 11, 2021). "AEW ANNOUNCES DATES FOR FYTER FEST, FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN, ROAD RAGER". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ Casey, Connor (June 11, 2021). "AEW Announces Welcome Back Tour for AEW Dynamite's July Episodes". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ "AEW Dynamite Homecoming". All Elite Wrestling. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ a b c Boone, Matt (July 2, 2021). "AEW Touts Dynamite: Homecoming This August In Jacksonville As "Last #DUUUVAL Show Of The Summer"". eWrestling. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ All Elite Wrestling [@AEW] (July 2, 2021). "Experience another special #AEW moment @dailysplace #AEWDynamite returns to Jacksonville, FL Wednesday August 4 for our last #DUUUVAL show of the summer! Tickets go on-sale Friday, July 9 10am http://AEWTIX.COM http://Ticketmaster.com" (Tweet). Retrieved July 2, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Rose, Bryan (November 8, 2021). "Tony Khan confirms Jacksonville return for Dynamite & Rampage". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ a b Wilkins, Rob (March 2, 2022). "AEW Dynamite Results For 3/2/22 Adam Cole and reDRagon vs. Adam Page, John Silver, and Alex Reynolds". Fightful. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ a b Boone, Matt (October 21, 2022). "AEW Rampage Results – October 21, 2022". PWMania. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ Renner, Ethan (January 5, 2024). "Ricky Starks vs. Sammy Guevara booked for AEW Dynamite Homecoming". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ "AEW Dynamite/Rampage at Daily's Place". Downtown Jacksonville. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
- ^ "All Elite Wrestling Event Results". All Elite Wrestling. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "AEW Dynamite #13 - Homecoming Edition". Cagematch.net. Archived from the original on July 10, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ^ a b Powell, Jason (January 10, 2024). "AEW Dynamite results (1/10): Powell's live review of Sting and Darby Allin vs. Konosuke Takeshita and Powerhouse Hobbs in a Texas Tornado match, Hangman Page vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Sammy Guevara vs. Ricky Starks". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ a b Murphy, Don (January 12, 2024). "AEW Rampage results (1/12): Murphy's review of Eddie Kingston vs. Wheeler Yuta for the Continental Crown Championship, Swerve Strickland vs. Matt Sydal, Queen Aminata vs. Hikaru Shida". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "AEW Dynamite #13 - Homecoming Edition". Cagematch.net. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ^ @davemeltzerWON (August 5, 2021). "Tonight will be the second largest crowd since COVID for AEW in Jacksonville. Right now they are at 1600 paid and another nearly 1,000 a special guests, 600 kids through community outreach and the Wounded Warrior promotion" (Tweet). Retrieved August 5, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c d Powell, Jason (July 29, 2021). "AEW Dynamite preview: The "Homecoming" lineup for Wednesday's TNT show". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (July 30, 2021). "AEW Draws Domino's Ire for Ad Placement During Chris Jericho-Nick Gage No DQ Match". Yahoo! News. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
After his match with Gage, MJF announced that Jericho will next have to face his old rival Juventud Guerrera with the stipulation that Jericho must win with a top rope maneuver to move on to the fourth labour.
- ^ All Elite Wrestling [@AEW] (August 3, 2021). "2.0 (Matt Lee & Jeff Parker) have arrived in #AEW, & aren't wasting any time! They've aligned with Daniel Garcia & challenged 3 of the top names in AEW @JonMoxley, @MadKing1981 & @DarbyAllin! GM @TonyKhan has just sanctioned this match for #AEWDynamite TOMORROW night Live on TNT!" (Tweet). Retrieved August 3, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Barnett, Jake (August 4, 2021). "8/4 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of "Homecoming" with Malakai Black vs. Cody Rhodes, Chris Jericho vs. Juventud Guerrera, Miro vs. Lee Johnson for the TNT Title, The Bunny vs. Leyla Hirsch for a shot at the NWA Women's Title, Christian Cage vs. The Blade". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
- ^ Johnson, Scott (January 9, 2024). "AEW Homecoming Wednesday night in Jacksonville". News4Jax. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Renner, Ethan (January 10, 2024). "Continental Crown defense booked for AEW Rampage Homecoming". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ^ Chase, Stephanie (January 9, 2024). "AEW to pay tribute to Brodie Lee on Homecoming Dynamite". Digital Spy. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Renner, Ethan (January 5, 2024). "Ricky Starks vs. Sammy Guevara booked for AEW Dynamite Homecoming". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Rusell, Skylar (January 3, 2024). "Powerhouse Hobbs & Konosuke Takeshita vs. Sting & Darby Allin, More Set For 1/10 AEW Dynamite". Fightful. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (January 3, 2020). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.1.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
- ^ Wilen, Jerome (August 5, 2021). "AEW Dynamite Ratings: Viewership tops 1 million for the the [sic] fourth straight week". Fightful. Retrieved August 6, 2021.