As previously reported, AEW President and CEO Tony Khan announced during a live interaction with fans at the AEW Dynamite TV taping on 34th Street that there were plans for the company to hold its inaugural episode of Dynamite at Madison Square Garden in New York City. However, Khan later revealed that the individuals who initially offered AEW the deal called him back to say, “We don’t want you anymore. We don’t want you to do the first episode of Dynamite here anymore because it would really upset somebody,” presumably referring to WWE.
Dave Meltzer mentioned in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that while he was aware of AEW discussing a date at Madison Square Garden in 2019, he was never informed that it would be for the inaugural episode of Dynamite, which ultimately became “a non-starter for all the reasons you’d expect.” Additionally, Meltzer pointed out that in recent years, he had been told that the costs associated with running an AEW event at Madison Square Garden would be too high, making Arthur Ashe Stadium a more economical choice for the promotion.
AEW eventually debuted at Arthur Ashe Stadium with the Dynamite Grand Slam in September 2021, and the inaugural episode of Dynamite was ultimately held at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
