ALLENTOWN, Pa. — For decades, Allentown has been less a stop on the pro wrestling map than the ultimate proving ground.
Inside Agricultural Hall at Allentown Fairgrounds, the then-World Wrestling Federation turned a modest venue into a television factory in the late 1970s and early 1980s, taping matches that helped define what pro wrestling would become.
Week after week, future headliners cycled through — not yet icons but close enough to test what worked. If a character connected in Allentown, it had a shot anywhere.
Now, that lineage is circling back to one of its most important homes.
World Xtreme Wrestling soon will relaunch in Allentown, returning to Mountainville Memorial Hall (Mountainville Youth Center), the longtime base of the promotion founded by the late WWE Hall of Famer Afa Anoaʻi Sr.
Presented by Battlefield Pro Wrestling, the revival will begin May 3 with “WXW: Homecoming,” with plans to run shows the first Sunday of every month.
It seeks to revive a dynamic that made the city a pipeline for pro wrestling — where wrestlers came through to sharpen personas, refine timing and learn how to work in front of a crowd that knew the difference.
Stars such as Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, Sgt. Slaughter, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper all passed through, part of a steady churn of talent using Allentown as a launching pad to worldwide stardom.
Later, names including Yokozuna, Billy Kidman and Dave Bautista followed in those footsteps, training locally under Afa Anoaʻi Sr., who operated The Wild Samoan Training Center.
That influence still resonates. On WWE "Raw" last month — broadcast to a global audience on Netflix — CM Punk reflected on his early days making the trip from Philadelphia to Allentown, where he said he was “paid in knowledge sitting under the Wild Samoans learning tree.”
'Has always been home'
For Afa Anoaʻi Jr., the return is more than nostalgia. It’s an attempt to re-establish Allentown’s role in the wrestling ecosystem, not just as a place that remembers its history, but as one that actively builds what comes next.
That vision is rooted in place as much as ambition.
“WXW, to me, has always been Allentown,” Anoaʻi Jr. said. “That’s where my dad lived. That’s where the whole WXW idea was born — in the Lehigh Valley.”
He traces that history through a network of now-defunct venues and training spaces, from the first gym tucked under Jordan Lanes to television tapings at the Days Inn & Conference Center off Route 22.
But Mountainville, he said, remained the constant.
“Mountainville specifically has always been home, and that’s always been the monthly show for all these guys getting ready to go on TV,” he said.
“It was a place, a platform for my father’s students to always, you know, chop it up with the best in the business.”
'The next pipeline'
The goal now is not just to return, but to rebuild that function.
“Allentown is always in our plans, as far as being the next pipeline,” Anoaʻi Jr. said.
That pipeline already exists in pieces. Anoaʻi Jr. runs a training center in the Poconos and has spent recent years rebuilding a roster that now approaches 100 wrestlers, enough to sustain multiple brands under the Battlefield umbrella.
The intent is to develop talent locally, give them consistent ring time and, ultimately, position them for opportunities with larger promotions.
“We’ve helped KC Navarro. He just recently returned to TNA,” Anoaʻi Jr. said.
“We have guys in NWA right now. We also have guys on AEW. We had guys sign with NXT. We had Jacob Fatu here right before he went full time" with WWE.
Fatu was on the largest stage of them all over the weekend, battling the “Scottish Warrior” Drew McIntyre in an “unsanctioned” match at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas.
But for those chasing that level, the path is neither quick nor uniform, he said.
“From my experience and people within my family, it’s usually around 10 years that you’re on this journey,” Anoaʻi Jr. said.
"People have been always asking, when’s WXW coming back? When’s it coming back to Mountainville? And now we’re back.”Afa Anoa'i Jr. on bringing WXW back to Allentown
“Now, guys are able to fast forward that journey a lot. But to me, you can’t beat experience.”
That emphasis on repetition and live crowds is central to the WXW model. Anoaʻi Jr. pointed to a broader industry shift away from house shows (non-televised events), which he believes have limited opportunities for wrestlers to develop in front of audiences.
“To me, a first-time match should never be on TV first,” he said. “You should get a couple of house shows in before you bring it to TV, just to see if it works or not.”
The monthly schedule in Allentown is designed to recreate that environment, both for performers and fans.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “People have been always asking, when’s WXW coming back? When’s it coming back to Mountainville? And now we’re back.”
What fans will see, he said, is a blend of tradition and updated production.
“You could expect the quality that WXW has always given," he said. "However, now you could expect a little more bells and whistles.
“It’s a mix of old mixed with new, and it’s more produced. We’re all in-house now, everything that we’re doing.”
That includes not just the wrestlers, but the broader operation, from camera work to music, much of it handled by trainees within the system.
"It’s all our students, and we take great pride in that,” he said.
‘The foundation that built this business’
For Anoaʻi Jr., the project also carries the weight of family legacy. His father was a foundational figure in the industry and in the Lehigh Valley wrestling scene in particular.
His cousin Joe Anoaʻi, better known by his ring name Roman Reigns, beat CM Punk in Sunday’s WrestleMania night two main event to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship — Reigns’ 11th time in a WrestleMania main event.
Jonathan and Joshua Fatu (Jimmy and Jey Uso), who opened night one of WrestleMania with a match simulcast on ESPN, also are part of the renowned Anoaʻi family.
“I think he would tell me that he’s proud of me."Afa Anoa'i Jr. on how his late father would feel about WXW returning to Allentown
That reach underscores a family dynasty that has shaped the highest levels of the industry.
“I just want to carry on my father’s legacy the best that I can and make sure that his name lives forever as it should,” Anoaʻi Jr. said.
“Because my dad was part of the foundation that built this business.”
Asked what his father might say about the relaunch, he didn’t hesitate.
“I think he would tell me that he’s proud of me,” he said.
The first show will offer a snapshot of what that legacy looks like in practice: a two-hour card, roughly 10 matches and direct interaction between fans and wrestlers.
“You’re gonna experience hard hitting live action like you’ve never seen it before,” Anoaʻi Jr. said. “There’s no commercial breaks. You’ll be able to feel the action up close and personal. You’ll be able to meet all the wrestlers and mingle with them.”
It is, in many ways, a return to the fundamentals that once made Allentown essential to wrestling’s growth.
The difference now is that the city is not just revisiting its past, but positioning itself to shape what comes next.
“We’re great for the community. We love the Lehigh Valley,” he said. “Come on out and give us a shot. I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
What: WXW Homecoming
Where: Mountainville Memorial Hall (Mountainville Youth Center) in Allentown
When: 5 p.m. Sunday, May 3.
Tickets and information: https://wxwprowrestling.com/
