All Elite Wrestling delivers surprises during special 3-hour show in Independence
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- AEW announced a return to Kansas City after a special three-hour go-home show
- AEW showcased top stars, factions and title feuds to hype WrestleDream.
- Kansas City crowd responded loudly, reinforcing AEW’s value for future dates.
All Elite Wrestling owner Tony Khan made a bold proclamation Wednesday evening as he stood atop the entrance stage at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence.
Khan, also the AEW’s president and CEO, announced that the pro wrestling company will return to Kansas City in the near future.
“This will definitely not be the last time we will be coming back here,” Khan told the crowd.
AEW has drawn big crowds in Kansas City before. On Wednesday, AEW presented a special three-hour telecast featuring both “Dynamite” and “Collision” just ahead of their pay-per-view event “WrestleDream” on Saturday night.
The go-home show hyped multiple big matchups. AEW stars “Hangman” Adam Page, Samoa Joe, Kenny Omega, Jon Moxley and Darby Allin were among the wrestlers to appear in different segments throughout the night.
And for many fans, Wednesday’s show was worth the wait.
“I’ve been waiting two months for this,” AEW fan Walker Slinger said. “You know, Kansas City is like a wrestling town anyway. This is like one of the best towns in the whole world. You come in here and you feel the energy left and right. Yeah it’s great. I’m excited to be here.”
Slinger made the short trip from Belton, Missouri. He arrived wearing a T-shirt featuring AEW star Will Ospreay and enjoyed all the surprises AEW had to offer.
Moxley arrived with his Death Riders faction in grand style. The group — which features fellow AEW stars Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta, PAC and Marina Shafir — interacted with the crowd on multiple occasions.
Castagnoli defeated Roderick Strong in a singles match. Later, Garcia and Yuta picked up a victory in tag-team action over Kyle O’Reilly and Orange Cassidy.
The action didn’t stop there. Fans were treated to beloved AEW star Kenny Omega in a trios tag match. Omega arrived with his signature pyro, catching the attention of those in attendance.
“It was the first time seeing Kenny Omega live,” Slinger said. “I’m pretty pumped to see Kenny Omega. It’s not about storytelling here. It’s about straight matches.”
AEW filled their match card with frenetic action. There was something for every wrestling fan on the night. AEW Women’s World Champion Kris Statlander and “Timeless” Toni Storm began the night with a final faceoff.
Storm will challenge Statlander for her title at WrestleDream. They showed each other some mutual respect before brawling to begin the show.
“Dynamite” ended with Page — the AEW Men’s World Champion — standing tall over Joe before their WrestleDream main event match.
“I love wrestling and I’ve watched wrestling my whole life,” AEW fan Juan Mejia said. “I have to come to every show. I heard this was coming and my brother bought me some tickets.”
Kansas City brought the energy all night.
At one point, AEW heel manager Don Callis played on the crowd’s emotion by calling out Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes and declaring St. Louis the better city. It got a rise out of the crowd, which responded with several boos.
Meanwhile, fans were firmly behind top babyfaces — good guys in wrestling — such as The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin and MVP) as well as Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron.
AEW has done shows in Kansas City since its inception. The first was in 2020 and the company has continued to roll through the area.
There’s always been a passion for pro wrestling and Wednesday’s event might have given AEW more to consider when building out its next schedule.
“We definitely need more wrestling here,” Mejia said. “We have a lot of indie shows and stuff. They get some traction, but nothing like AEW or WWE. We get a couple of shows here and there throughout the year. But I feel like if we got more traction from them (AEW or WWE) in particular, I think we really will show out for them.”
This story was originally published October 16, 2025 at 9:57 AM with the headline "All Elite Wrestling delivers surprises during special 3-hour show in Independence."
