Backstage Update Regarding AEW Dark's Future At Universal Studios

"AEW Dark" has been hitting the road as of late, taping either before or after episodes of "AEW Rampage" and "AEW Dynamite," and not from the friendly confines of Universal Studios in Florida, which had become the norm. Evidently though, it looks like AEW will be returning to familiar grounds soon enough for the show, at least during the final few weeks of the year.

According to Fightful Select, "AEW Dark" is tentatively set to be filmed at Universal Studios once again on Saturday, December 17. It would be the first time AEW has taped "Dark" in Universal Studios since August; the last "Dark" episode to air from the area was on October 4, headlined by Dante Martin and Matt Sydal defeating the Workhorsemen — Anthony Henry and JD Drake.

As noted, "Dark" has since been filmed on the road more with AEW expanding its number of live "Rampage" episodes during the fall. As a plus though, these "Dark" episodes allowed wrestlers to get more of a feel for wrestling in front of bigger crowds, compared to the smaller audiences at Universal Studios, and also allowed AEW to get a better look at local talent in the cities they visited. Nevertheless, several regulars of the "Dark" tapings in Universal Studios are happy about the return, hoping it will lead to more bookings.

Whether these tapings will lead to AEW taping "Dark" at Universal Studios the majority of the time moving forward, as they did from September 2021 to August of this year, remains to be seen. Thus far, AEW has announced two live "Rampage" episodes in early 2023 – on January 6 in Portland, Oregon, and on March 3 in San Francisco — suggesting there will be at least two "Dark" episodes in major arenas coming over the next few months.