You’re starting to see it more and more on Twitter and other social media platforms, pictures of sparse crowds just before the start of AEW events around the country.
All of this coming too after what seemed to be a successful showing at Wembley Stadium a few weeks ago which AEW claimed to be the biggest wrestling show in history, something we are now beginning to learn that the attendance numbers were inflated.
Shocker I know. Wrestling promotions never inflate attendance numbers and everything they say whether it be AEW or WWE should be taken at face value.
Nonetheless, Wembley was a success for AEW and something you’d think they’d be able to ride as they made their way back to the United States. Maybe they could get some of the magic back like they saw earlier last year when they were without a doubt the most talked about wrestling promotion in the World.
A ride of momentum for AEW after Wembley just hasn’t been the case though. Instead, we’re seeing picture after picture of the aforementioned near-empty arenas at AEW tapings… not house shows… tapings!
It’s really something you’re starting to notice on television as well.
If AEW had anything over WWE in the recent past it was crowd interaction. Last year it seemed like the atmosphere was far better at AEW events with the WWE seemingly having good attendance but an absolutely dead audience.
Now, when you watch AEW tapings the atmosphere seems empty and uninterested, and who could blame those attending? The product has gotten bad, storylines are all over the place, and Tony Kahn seems to have zero clue on how to navigate the company out of this current tailspin. In fact, it seems like AEW is making the same mistakes that WCW made before they died and before IMPACT became a shell of what it once was.
Meanwhile, WWE as they enter a new era for themselves, is riding an absolute high coming off arguably its biggest storyline ever in the Bloodline, successfully booking some of the biggest stars in the business in LA Knight, Gunther, and Rhea Ripley, and probably just had their biggest Smackdown of the year when the Rock, John Cena, and Pat McAfee all appeared in the same show.
The magic is back for the WWE. Which is good. What isn’t good is getting another time and place in professional wrestling here in the United States where one company essentially has a monopoly on the business. It’s not good for the wrestlers who are seeking fair and competitive wages and it’s not good for fans who are looking for an engaging product.
Get your shit together AEW.
