TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay is now “All Elite.”

What You Need To Know

  • All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is holding its first Tampa show Wednesday night at the Yuengling Center

  • AEW started in 2019 as a competitor to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)

  • The show begins at 7:30 p.m. and can be seen on TBS at 8 p.m.

  • For more information, visit AEW Dynamite Rampage Tampa

The upstart All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is making its Tampa debut Wednesday night at the Yuengling Center.

AEW started in 2019 as a competitor to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), showcasing both new and familiar wrestlers in state-of-the-art matches.

The promotion broadcasts several shows a week around the world.

On Wednesday, AEW will present the 200th episode of “Dynamite,” its weekly show that airs on TBS.

While the company has toured all around the U.S. and Florida, they have not held a Tampa event until now, which is a city with a lot of pro wrestling history.

Thousands are expected to come out to the show. Just last week, competitor WWE held Monday Night Raw at Amalie Arena, making Tampa a wrestling destination two weeks in a row.

Pro wrestling legend Mark Henry, a former Olympic weightlifter and WWE Hall of Famer, joined AEW in 2021 as a commentator and coach for the younger talent.

He says AEW is bringing something new to pro wrestling, which has been dominated by WWE since World Championship Wrestling closed in 2001.

“When you say pro wrestling, you have to say AEW,” Henry said in an interview. “The thing that’s different about AEW compared to other companies is the crowd. It’s wild man.”

AEW features many well-known wrestlers including Jon Moxley, Kenny Omega, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Sting and Chris Jericho, who is a Bay area resident. Younger wrestlers like AEW Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Jack Perry, Darby Allin and Sammy Guevara have also made a name for themselves in AEW and will be on the show.

The Tampa show comes at a time of expansion for AEW, which just started a new Saturday show called Collision on TNT. The promotion also recently launched its first video game and will host more than 75,000 fans at historic Wembley Stadium in London later this month.

“There’s never been a better time for pro wrestling in history,” Henry said. “Pro wrestling is now on TV seven days a week. It’s incredible to have that much wrestling and no one is getting tired of it.”

The show starts on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Yuengling Center. It airs live on TBS at 8 p.m. It also includes a taping of AEW Rampage, which will air Friday on TNT at 10 p.m. Tickets are still available. For more information visit, AEW Dynamite Rampage Tampa.