All Elite Wrestling ready for big Canadian debut in Toronto

Canadian pro wrestling audiences are different.

Ahead of WWE’s flagship program, Monday Night Raw, returning to Toronto in August for the first time since before the pandemic, there was a palpable buzz amongst those heading to the event. But it wasn’t just because Toronto area native Edge was set to make a return to his hometown.

Canadian cities are often referred to by fans and wrestlers alike as “bizzarro world.” Babyfaces will be jeered, heels will be cheered. It’s a feeling that few cities are able to relate to, with Toronto offering one of the most unique atmospheres in wrestling.

“I never, ever stop talking about how great Toronto is,” says Toronto native and All Elite Wrestling performer Allie, who also goes by The Bunny. “I know, not only are the fans looking forward to it, but I know our entire roster, and crew, just everybody is very excited to be going to Canada. I’m excited to go to Canada, but I’m mostly excited to be going to Toronto.”

All Elite Wrestling marks its international debut this week in Toronto with back-to-back dates on Wednesday and Thursday at Coca-Cola Coliseum, home of the AHL Marlies. The wrestling promotion was originally supposed to visit Canada in 2020 but the pandemic put those plans on hold.

“It’s been a long time coming for AEW to come to Canada,” AEW president Tony Khan said ahead of the debut. “I want to do various cities all over Canada. There’s so many good markets and wrestling cities in Canada, and Toronto, for us, had to be the first. It’s one of the best wrestling cities in the world, in my opinion.”

Echoing Khan’s sentiment, Allie said “Toronto fans are so passionate. There’s such a rich history of wrestling, not only in Canada, but in Toronto. If you think back to Maple Leaf Gardens, wrestling has been very big in Toronto for a long time, fans are very passionate. I think some of the members of our roster are going to be slapped in the face with a bit of Canadian reality on Wednesday.”

Toronto has been a hotbed for professional wrestling dating back to the early parts of the 20th century. Growing up in the Toronto area, Allie often went to pro wrestling events alongside her father and cites WWE Hall of Famer and Toronto native Trish Stratus as an influence.

In addition to Stratus, Canada has produced such other legendary wrestlers as Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Roddy Piper, and the aforementioned Edge, among many, many others, and that’s without mentioning some of the major Canadian stars on the AEW roster. Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega and Christian Cage headline the Canadian contingent in All Elite Wrestling, alongside such others as Kyle O’Reilly, Angelo Parker, Matt Menard, Ethan Page, Shawn Spears, Evil Uno and Luther.

“There’s definitely a lot of buzz about visiting Toronto,” said Khan. “Probably more so than we’ve had for any city. It’s always cool to debut in a new market, but this is special in so many ways.”

“I am so excited. I have not stopped talking about this,” added Allie. “I can’t wait to go back. I haven’t performed in Toronto for quite a few years so I’m thrilled to be going back to the city and to be going back with AEW, which is huge.”

Toronto will be the first Canadian city visited by AEW, but certainly not the last. While Khan declined to get into specifics as to where the promotion will head next, there are some obvious wrestling hotbeds within Canada.

“Selfishly, I really want to go to Calgary, I really want to go to Vancouver and Winnipeg,” said Allie. “I feel like the fans would love that going in that direction for sure.”

Also in the running for hottest crowds in Canada is Montreal, the hometown of WWE Superstar Sami Zayn. Earlier this year, Zayn told Sportsnet that, “the crowd is always, always, always amazing in Montreal, always. And I’m not just saying this as a homer, as a hometown guy here. All the wrestlers know that when you come to Montreal, it’s an amazing crowd.”

WWE’s next visit to Canada comes in December when the promotion visits Toronto.

Jericho, a Winnipeg native, is always one of the marquee attractions for AEW, but there is a particular focus on the eight-time world champ this week as he will defend the Ring of Honor World Championship. Meanwhile, Orangeville, Ont.'s Christian will accompany Luchasaurus to the ring for the latter’s grudge match against Jungle Boy.

“I know I keep saying this and it sounds so cliché, but I’m just so excited to be going back, I have so much energy,” noted Allie. “I really believe that the fans are not just there to watch the show, they’re part of the show and I feel like because this is our first time going to Canada, first time going to Toronto, the fans are going to be more energetic than usual, I would say, and I think that’s going to make the show extra special. I think it’s going to get all of us extra excited, and (we’ll) just put on a fantastic show.”