Wrestling Thread 5: FKA The Viking Experience • Page 196

I mean sure but All Out sells out in 15 minutes and WWE can't sell out 8 of the 12 PPVs they put out.

 

Nah, it will be a Rowan interference which will parley right into a tag team main event with Rollins teaming with some overlooked babyface.

 

Yeah but at the same AEWsJacksonville show and fyter fest haven't sold out yet. I'm not disagreeing with you. But its a factor.

 

for sure but I also think those shows would sell out if they were happening once AEW is on television and you get that build for it.

 

WWE can't sell out PPV that they have hours of television per week to build to while AEW is doing similar numbers without any television product and relying on build through socials/youtube

 

It just makes me wonder how they are gonna do TV. Like where will they go, how big of venues, how good will weekly TV sell. It's gonna be very interesting to see.

 

If AEW is selling out every single ppv in 3 years, then we can talk "AEW putting WWE out of business"

 

I have zero faith in WWE ever improving their product - it's going to be like this for a long time.

 

they are a reactionary product now instead of being proactive.

 

IT THE BIG DAWG

 

nah he's gotta deal with Drew and Elias and Shane and the Revival and

 

Sure I can if my ultimate complaint is haphazard booking with no plan in place and no story being told haha

 

exactly - the wrestling in the match will be good but why should anyone be invested in it?

 

Got free suite tickets to Smackdown next week. Not super excited, but should be interesting to see how awful it sellls. Can't see a lot of people showing up at 5PM on a Tuesday lol

 

And to double down, why should anyone be invested in the Smackdown tag titles if one of their champions is being pushed towards a different program.

 

Debating on if I should go to SDL on the 2nd. Didn’t go last time.

 

It’s also weird because impact is having a show here on the 5th also and I wanna go to that but I’ll be out of town. I am going to NXT this Thursday though most likely

 

i would love AEW to make WWE sweat but it is years away from happening in any sort of meaningful sense. WWE IS pro wrestling to the mainstream - it they've even stopped calling it WWF. every iconic moment, name, and show is their IP. the biggest match AEW can run to that audience is Mox/Jericho and that was a mid card feud no one gave a shit about years ago in WWE. it's going to take so much more than ratings and sellouts to "beat" them. WWE can afford to not sell put PPVs and barely have to give a shit. they are in a place of luxury the industry has never seen before, they can rest on their laurels and its smooth sailing for now.

the AEW is killing WWE next year shit is middle school fantasy booking. just enjoy the show you like and ignore the one you dont, im having a very easy time with it

 

And if the only time they've had a tag match since winning them was against a team that's now on RAW (and on the kickoff show...). Or the Smackdown womens division if, despite it being insanely stacked, the first woman to challenge Bayley is gonna be a RAW wrestler?

Kofi might be the only SD title holder to actually defend his title against someone on SD come Sunday. While all the RAW champs defend against RAW people.

 

I'm gonna hit you with the just stop watching then! I did and it's great!! Liberating I tell you!!

 

Right after the next couple manias are gonna be very interesting, most big stars contracts end after mania for the next 3 years or so. I think this helps AEW out though. Give them time to grow and get experience then get some even more real deal big name talent.

 

exactly. i think AEW can exist in a way where they are making money hand over fist and changing wrestling for the better - but good luck getting those people who give Roman Reigjs vids 30 million views to give a shit. AEW has their market and WWE has theirs. WWE's is bigger but more complacent and will watch no matter what happens. AEW's is more passionate, demanding, and their target demo has a ton of disposable income. a scenario where they compete directly is far off because they're both sitting pretty right now.

 

like, im excited to see what AEW can do with sponsorships and advertising. they are cool and they are inclusive - which in terms of cool wrestling has not been in 15 years, or in terms of inclusiveness, ever.

 

Doing TV is a whole different animal than doing a big show every 3 months too, I'm optimistic but it may be real shaky to begin with. Who knows. It's gonna be a fascinating fucking exciting time for wrestling.

 

To be fair, if booked right, an Ambrose/Jericho feud could've easily been at the top of WWE. And it did have its share of memorable moments (the potted plant, the jacket...) so its not like no one gave a shit about it then.

That being said, NXT has been putting on a significantly better produce than Raw or Smackdown for years now. And yet Raw and Smackdown are still far more popular. So its definitely foolish to think AEW is rivaling WWE in terms of popularity any time soon. But it isn't because AEW's biggest match is a rehash of an old midcard WWE feud and if anything. Its just like you said, they are in a place of extreme luxury and can just coast and still be the most popular promotion.