AEW - Non-Wrestling (Business, Money, Ratings etc.)

[PEN15v2]

They have micro transactions I'm assuming. Just a money dump most of the time. We don't have gambling apps in the States as it isn't legal in most States.

That makes all the sense in the world. It's weird to consider since here in Ontario, they have government arranged gambling sites and apps. My ex used to play slots on her ipad while I watched PPVs.

[CoLD]

Its why we have issues with Draft Kings and certain other apps. More and more States are starting to legalize it so hopefully it will be allowed soon. Its weird how you cant even Gamble in the country that always brags about Freedom huh.

[PEN15v2]

Every democracy is a hypocrisy. Canada is no better, just for different reasons.

[Oliver]

I don't know where to put this, given that the LU thread is probably dead now it's no longer happening and it doesn't seem to warrant it's own superstar thread either, but I see Marty 'The Moth' Martinez is back training at QT Marshall's training centre, on his recovery path from herniating discs in his back which have taken two years to heal through stem cell treatment.

Could be a route in to AEW for him should that go well? I loved him in LU, and although I'm not sure that would quite work in the AEW environment he can certainly go, and has done it against people that are currently in AEW.

https://www.bilibili.com/video/av35698254/

[Prime Time]

So this week they're both up, though it's AEW's turn to get the bigger lift.

AEW: 831,000 (+11.2%)
NXT: 734,000 (+2.9%)

This past week: AEW up again, NXT down

AEW: 934k (+12.3%)
NXT: 692k (-5.72%)

[Prime Time]

UK rating down slightly but still perfectly respectable for the final week of February. Remarkably stable after a rocky January.


Year 1 - first 6 months https://www.lopforums.com/forum/pro-...ge22#post51825
Year 1 - second 6 months https://www.lopforums.com/forum/pro-...ge26#post70138

Dynamite Year 2

October
1: 149,000
2: 143,000
3. 118,000
4. 155,000
5. 123,000

November

6. 99,000
7. 143,000
8. 164,000
9. 135,000

December

10. 138,000
11. 150,000
12: 98,000
13: <100,000

January

14: <105,000
15: 115,000
16: <103,000
17: 114,000
18: 91,000


February

19: 144,000
20: 124,000
21: 145,000
22. 141,000

[Team Farrell]

You know, I think Cody is an extremely underrated pro wrestler. I think he's getting close to Orton in the discussion of best professional wrestlers on the planet today given the little things he can do that so many others can't or don't. He's just such a natural.

And then he reminds me why people don't like him:

“You’d be surprised. If you’re ever backstage at AEW, no one’s talking about our competition as far as how it affects our job that night. We’re talking about how much we love or are excited to do what we’re about to do, and that won’t change.”

AEW: We don't give any thought to the competition. We're just cool kids doing our thing.
Also AEW: Let's have a match where a guy has to climb the ladder and grab a literal brass ring like everyone know Vince McMahon talks about.

Rent. Free.

[PEN15v2]

I still recall seeing the Throne Smashing and thinking how cheap and lame it wa , and knowing it would be a major clip. Cult said it would be forgotten quickly.

Isn't it still in the their Dynamite intro? Plus the quote about destroying NXT every week.

I guess for fans of Dynamite, it can be defended and adds to the fun. And I'm sure I reacted similarly on my teens when wwf won a ratings night VS WCW. But I'm 39 now. Grow up.

Paul Wight talks about leaving WWE on good terms and getting a congrats call from Vince. Shows up on Dynamite with No More BS t shirt.

Bucks taunting Jericho, saying he'd be curtain jerking on the other show if he wasn't in AEW.

Hopefully they'll mature one day. We'll see what Christian says tonight.

[Team Farrell]

I still recall seeing the Throne Smashing and thinking how cheap and lame it wa , and knowing it would be a major clip. Cult said it would be forgotten quickly.

Another time they tried using explosives and they didn't work!

AEW fans will say they're being ironic and appealing to the hardcore fans, but to me it just comes off like they're taking shots at a bigger company. That never worked out well for TNA.

[Oliver]

AEW fans will say they're being ironic and appealing to the hardcore fans, but to me it just comes off like they're taking shots at a bigger company. That never worked out well for TNA.

I think I said before, but AEW is the only side 'taking shots' in this 'war' - Raw and Smackdown has been basically AEW free (Sami mentioned them once, but any other time?) and NXT only really seems to focus on counter programming, for example stacking this week's show with two title matches and major announcements ahead of time while AEW is coming off their PPV. That might be coincidence, but it does seem like they were trying to make this show a big one against a big one for AEW.

[Team Farrell]

I've said this before: there is no war. Or, at least, there's a one sided war that AEW is the only one fighting.

Vince McMahon has just about every major pro wrestling superstar of the last 30 years under contract. If he was fighting a war, Roman Reigns would have teamed up with Adam Cole to take on Edge and Finn Balor this week. John Cena would have made the announcement about the two night Takeover via satellite.

NXT is just doing NXT. They're doing exactly what Vince did during MNW and putting on the product they believe is best without acknowledging the competition (other than a handful of skits they did on Raw in the 90s). Do they counterprogram? From time to time, of course. But I think it's less "counterprogramming" and more "trying to put on a show that they think will draw the most eyeballs".

As I said, there are 1.5 million people watching wrestling on Wednesday. They fluctuate between one or the other from week to week, and more usually land on AEW (which makes sense given you can watch NXT the next day on The Network).

But that's the reason I'm never impressed when AEW fanboys tout NXT getting "destroyed" 850-650 this week, and 940-560 next week. Congrats. You won the bigger number of the small number of people who watch every week. Neither show has drawn one new eyeball in 18 months. They started at a combined 2.2-ish million with the initial novelty of a "new wrestling war", and by four weeks in they were right around a combined 1.5 million. Sometimes they top that number a little, but it lasts that week and is gone again.

So, yeah, congrats to whichever show draws more of the 200,000 people every week that fluctuate between the two shows. When NXT has run unopposed, they're up about 200k people to 800k. When AEW runs unopposed, they're up 200k people to 1 million. It doesn't matter.

Or, as I said before more succinctly: Vince McMahon lives rent free in these peoples' heads.

[Powder]

In addition, with the recent and semi-recent signings of, Chris Jericho (I know he is an AEW original), Jake Hagar, John Moxley, Matt Hardy, Brodie Lee, FTR, Miro, Matt Sydal, Pac, Justin Roberts, and Now Paul Wight and Christian, you could argue that AEW is dangerously close to becoming WCW, where they took so many former, older, and WWF/E castoffs that it clogged their programming.

So far AEW still pushes their own, but on night 1, Christian came out to confront Omega. In my opinion, he should not have. Taking a guy who has been on the shelf for years, makes a comeback in the Rumble, and then gets directly into a program with the top champion of his former companies 'rival' promotion? That is pushing someone else's talent/castoff.

MJF's new group consists of FTR and Shawn Spears, three guys who made their names in WWE, they are not AEW guys.

I worry that AEW will not push their younger talent that they were doing for their first year of life. I do not want AEW to forget who they are, I do not want them to become place for anyone who was not happy in the WWE.

[Team Farrell]

I don't think that's going to be a problem. MJF is apparently the centrepiece of this new faction. Kenny Omega is the Champion and it's been rumored for months that Adam Page is the guy to eventually unseat him. Cody and Penta just began a feud that'll be heavily featured. Darby Allin is the TNT Champion looking like he's about to enter a high profile feud with Scorpio Sky.

They are signing guys who have appeared in WWE, but it's not the end of the world.

And the need for "homegrown talent" is a silly myth. You need stars. It doesn't matter where they come from to anyone other than snarky smart fans that want to care about it.

You could argue that other than Powerhouse Hobbs and maybe Darby, there aren't really any high profile talent in that company that are "homegrown" since the majority gained attention in ROH, New Japan or AAA.

[Team Farrell]

AEW: 743,000 (0.32 in 18-49)
NXT: 691,000 (0.18 in 18-49)

Oooooooooooor......... Say it with me folks: give or take the same million and a half people combined.

[Oliver]

In addition, with the recent and semi-recent signings of, Chris Jericho (I know he is an AEW original), Jake Hagar, John Moxley, Matt Hardy, Brodie Lee, FTR, Miro, Matt Sydal, Pac, Justin Roberts, and Now Paul Wight and Christian, you could argue that AEW is dangerously close to becoming WCW, where they took so many former, older, and WWF/E castoffs that it clogged their programming.

I'd say this was a lot closer to TNA than it was WCW. At least WCW skimmed (largely) from the main event of WWF. The only (current) main eventer AEW have ended up with is Moxley, everyone else is basically a midcard old hand. Jericho you can argue doesn't meet that description.

Basically - to parallel 2007/8 TNA - Moxley is their Angle, Jericho is their Sting, Omega is their Samoa Joe, and Hangman is their AJ Styles.

Or maybe Jericho is Jeff Jarrett.