Professional wrestler Swerve Strickland poses with the crowd during AEW’s Winter Is Coming event at the College Park Center on the campus of UT Tyler.

ARLINGTON — Already with two trips to Arlington planned to cover #bEASTTexas football teams at the UIL State Football Championships at AT&T Stadium, I decided to make one more on Wednesday, Dec. 13 for All Elite Wrestling Dynamite: Winter is Coming.

AEW has made it a tradition to visit the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex during that week each year. This time, however, the show came to the College Park Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington.

The show started with a promo from Samoa Joe, which was interrupted first by Hangman Adam Page and then by Roderick Strong and The Kingdom (Mike Bennett and Matt Taven). That led into the opening match between Strong and Page. Page picked up the victory.

Next was a Continental Classic Blue League match between Brody King and Andrade El Idolo. Andrade El Idiolo was able to pick up the win to pick up three points and move to nine overall at the time.

There was then a backstage interview with the Von Erichs as their movie, “The Iron Claw,” was set to come out on Dec. 22. The younger Von Erichs were asked to team up with Orange Cassidy in a six-man tag match on Rampage.

The Golden Jets (Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho) came to the ring. The fans in attendance sang along to Jericho’s “Judas.” They were interrupted by Big Bill and Ricky Starks, setting up a tag team championship match at Worlds End on Dec. 30.

AEW Women’s World Champion Timeless Toni Storm joined the commentary desk for the next match between Ruby Soho and Riho. Riho picked up the victory.

That was followed by a Continental Classic Gold League match between Rush and Jay Lethal. Rush picked up the win via submission to get his sixth point in the event.

The next match was Switchblade Jay White against Mark Briscoe in a Continental Classic Gold League match. Jay White took the win to move up to nine points.

The main event was a match between the two first-place competitors in the Continental Classic Gold League with Swerve Strickland against Jon Moxley. In a fantastic match, Jon Moxley pulled out the win as the 20-minute time limit was nearly up. Moxley moved to 12 points with the win.

The Continental Classic is a round-robin style tournament consisting of two leagues, Blue and Gold, with six competitors each. Each entrant competes in five individual matches vying to become the top points earner in their league. The Blue League and Gold League finals will take place on the Dec. 27 episode of AEW Dynamite, and the tournament winner will be crowned at AEW Worlds End taking place Dec. 30 on Pay-Per-View. Each match had a 20-minutes time limit with three points for a win and one point for a draw. Everyone is banned from ringside during each match.

Also on that Wednesday night, they filmed the episode of AEW Rampage, which aired on Friday, Dec. 15.

The opening match was the six-man tag with Orange Cassidy, Marshall Von Erich and Ross Von Erich against Jake Hager, Daddy Magic Matt Menard and Cool Hand Angelo Parker. Orange Cassidy is always entertaining. Marshall Von Erich got the surprising pinfall victory. We also got an appearance from Kevin Von Erich after the match, and he delivered the Iron Claw to Hager as his sons did the same to Parker and Menard.

We got a backstage segment with Lethal and Briscoe.

Powerhouse Hobbs and Kyle Fletcher of the Don Callis Family had a squash match against Hunter Grey and Paul Titan. Callis then had words with Jericho, who is on the commentary desk on Friday night’s show.

There was then a match between Anna Jay and Red Velvet. Anna Jay got the victory for her 57th AEW win.

The main event was Top Flight (Daunte and Darius Martin) and Action Andretti, who came on to the scene at this same event last year in Garland, against Penta El Zero Miedo, Komander and El Hijo del Vikingo. This match had the crowd buzzing the entire way. Myself and others I talked to following the show considered this the second best match of the night behind Swerve vs. Moxley. Top Flight and Action Andretti picked up the win.

It was a great ending to a great night of professional wrestling.

Later in the week, they returned to the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, which is usually where they do AEW Dynamite: Winter is Coming.

Ring of Honor Final Battle was on Friday, Dec. 15, while AEW Collision was on Saturday, Dec. 16. I was unable to attend because as previously mentioned, #bEASTTexas playing for football state championships.

I look forward to the next time AEW makes its way to Texas, hopefully with some shows in the summer.