DETROIT – All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan heard passionate “pay-per-view” chants from Detroit, Michigan, fans after AEW Dynamite on May 7, 2025. “I can guarantee we’re gonna do that,” he responded. “I might need a bigger building.” Khan ironically heard those chants in 2023 when AEW Dynamite fit around 8,000 fans into the city’s Little Caesars Arena – a show headlined by Kenny Omega versus Jon Moxley inside a steel cage. The previous year, AEW’s inaugural Detroit show garnered over 10,000 fans, headlined by Blackpool Combat Club versus the Jericho Appreciation Society in Blood & Guts.
Around 3,000 people watched AEW Dynamite at The Masonic Temple Detroit this year. But ignoring the elephant of a downward trend, the promotion’s move to smaller venues has ushered in a unique change of scenery. Opened in 1926, the historic Masonic features grand neo-gothic architecture that houses three theatres, two ballrooms, a chapel and more in a total of 1,037 rooms. The vintage wooden, backstage pre-tape area surely made AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm proud in between winning a four-way against Thunder Rosa, Anna Jay and Penelope Ford in the show’s opener.
The main theatre’s auditorium seating validated the cliche of not having a bad seat in the house, except of course behind the large support columns of the balcony. The acoustics reverberated Detroit’s energy, which stayed loud even for Ring of Honor tapings at 7:30 p.m. Sporting a Detroit Pistons jersey, “One in a Billion” Satnam Singh got cheered like a colosseum lion in his squash match. ROH Women’s World Television Champion Red Velvet followed in an exhibition, and ROH World Champion Bandido defeated Gringo Loco in a 10-minute match that received “this is awesome” chants.
An outside view of The Masonic Temple Detroit, the largest Masonic Temple in the world. Photo by Matthew McFarlin
Justin Roberts hosted throughout the night, and Dynamite started at 8 p.m. with infectious pyro – a small but effective touch. “Cowboy sh–” chants turned to “holy sh–” chants when “Hangman” Adam Page met Will Ospreay in-ring before the Owen Hart Cup finals at Double or Nothing on May 25. Don Callis and the Don Callis Family interrupted to drowning jeers, similar to the jeers thrown at Stokely Hathaway and FTR in the following segment.
Completing the trifecta, fans directed “bullsh–” chants at ROH World Television Champion Nick Wayne when he defeated hometown hero Rhino in his AEW debut. “The Patriarch” Christian Cage said he hand-selected Rhino in their old stomping grounds of Detroit (or “one of the dirtiest cities in the world” as Cage announced to proud cheers). Much like during his TNA Hall of Fame induction speech last year, a cameo from Rhino in Detroit is guaranteed a pop and “ECW” chants.
Another guarantee was The Young Bucks and Ricochet showing out in a Pro Wrestling Guerrilla-style six-man tag team match – this time winning against Mark Briscoe, “Speedball” Mike Bailey and Swerve Strickland. “Whose house?” chants for Strickland, and similarly “we hurt people” chants for The Hurt Syndicate, were fan favorites. Less guaranteed but happily surprising, AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada put on his working boots against upstart Kevin Knight in a solid exchange.
Okada attacked Knight post-match, and hopes of a Kenny Omega save died in a hush. The iconic Okada-Omega rivalry is anticipated to renew at All In Texas on July 12, a show struggling to fill up Globe Life Field in Arlington. During a commercial break, Roberts mediated a rock paper scissors match between two fans, and the winner received two free tickets to All In Texas.
Declining ticket sales are parallel to declining television ratings, which many blame the Death Riders for. The group’s Claudio Castagnoli main-evented against AEW World Trios Champion Samoa Joe, and the two veterans at least garnered big-fight feel. Death Riders leader Jon Moxley made a brief post-match appearance, actually marking the first time the AEW World Champion has appeared in Detroit (CM Punk and MJF were absent in 2022 and 2023 respectively).
Many also blame creative-head Tony Khan, who closed the show to mixed reactions. Thanks to his father Shahid Khan’s involvement in the automotive industry, Tony said he spent a lot of his childhood in the Motor City. “I can’t wait to bring a pay-per-view to Detroit someday,” he said. Although he claimed Detroit was integral to the existence of AEW, the city is seemingly little bro’d by Chicago, Illinois, where AEW Beach Break is held next week, on an annual basis.
TOP PHOTO: Justin Roberts welcomes around 3,000 Detroit fans to AEW Dynamite at The Masonic Temple Detroit. Photo by Matthew McFarlin
