# REALITY CHECK for AEW: WWE is still king!



## cai1981 (Oct 2, 2016)

Final Numbers for last week:

WWE SUMMERSLAM:

Announced crowd of 51,000+ (Uncle Dave says the real number was north of 45k, but that is still impressive!)

WWE SMACKDOWN:

2.1 MILLION viewers

WWE RAW:

1.86 MILLION viewers

AEW Rampage

1.1 MILLION viewers

*have yet to see the dropoff from when Punk was done


AEW DYNAMITE:

975,000 viewers

*I will leave NXT out of this as we were all but told NXT is dead and is acknowledged as being the developmental brand as it always has been.

NOTES:

- Everyone knew Punk was going to be there and AEW delivered. HOWEVER, the show still fell just shy of a million viewers behind Smackdown and over 700k behind the God-awful RAW. As noted above, I am interested to see how many people left after Punk was done.

- AEW created a huge buzz with Punk's "surprise" return and had the attention of the entire wrestling world....BUT, WWE, even with Summerslam not being an overall good show, successfully stole back the headlines with the returns of Becky Lynch and Brock Lesnar. This shows that they are both bigger stars than Punk and that the WWE platform is still superior in this business.

- This shows that Punk is NOT the guy that is going to put AEW over the top as all they have to look forward to is him at 42 (almost 43) mixing it up with the young and green flippity floppers as well as the overrated so-called Elite. Dropping Pipebombs on WWE with stuff we heard 7 years ago on his appearance on Colt Cabana's podcast will get tired quick.

- The Bryan Danielsons, Bray Wyatts and so on that are coming in will not move the needle as they didn't in WWE. Their first appearances will give a slight ratings boost in the beginning, but the numbers will slide.

- AEW's fanbase is strong, but not strong enough or big enough to have the company be considered on WWE's level....despite the delusions of many.

- AEW NEEDS to build stars from the ground up to be able to maintain competitiveness long term.

Sorry kids, the future has the POTENTIAL to be bright, but AEW has a LOOOOOONG way to go! WWE is STILL the reigning undisputed champion of the wrestling business!


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## shandcraig (Mar 23, 2008)

Thanks dad, helpful man you are


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## Geert Wilders (Jan 18, 2021)

WWE fanboys are hilarious.


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## Dickhead1990 (Aug 31, 2016)

And why should anyone really care? AEW is running a highly successful start up business, that's pulling numbers not far off Raw and Smackdown after only two years.

WWE is making a good profit too.

Can't we just be happy for both?


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## Chelsea (Jul 26, 2018)

Gotta love this forum's obsession with numbers.


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## taker_2004 (Jul 1, 2017)




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## Prosper (Mar 25, 2015)

Lol


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## Jbardo37 (Aug 20, 2021)

Wwe have people watching just out of habit, the product itself is dreadful and has been for a while and this is coming from a wwe mark of 20 years.


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## rbl85 (Nov 21, 2017)

Someone feeling insecure


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## Doc (Oct 4, 2010)

Emmanuelle said:


> Gotta love this forum's obsession with numbers.


And also this forums obsession for one company over another. 

I said it earlier this weekend, only super marks bang on about one company been better than another. Wrestling fans want ALL wrestling companies to be successful with big views. It's how wrestling will get better.


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

I was wondering

thanks for reminding us


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## MrMeeseeks (Aug 6, 2020)

dont worry mark you'll be able to beat off to roman and brock finsiher spamming each other at blood money


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## A PG Attitude (Nov 5, 2012)

You say that Beckys and Brocks returns generated more buzz than punks. This is factually false.

Punks entrance has 5.5 million views on YouTube, Brocks and Becky each have 1.4 million.


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## Geeee (Aug 9, 2010)

I'm glad that wrestling is doing well all around. It's good for the boys and it's good for the fans!


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## Prized Fighter (Aug 31, 2016)




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## Dickhead1990 (Aug 31, 2016)

Jbardo37 said:


> Wwe have people watching just out of habit, the product itself is dreadful and has been for a while and this is coming from a wwe mark of 20 years.


This is true. I really realised that I was just watching out of habit around 2008, and again in 2014ish. I literally haven't watched more than the odd PPV since then, besides maybe some YouTube highlights.

Good on the people that enjoy it though, they're allowed their fun as much as the rest of us, but I can't relate.


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## JonAmbrose (Aug 4, 2021)

cai1981 said:


> Final Numbers for last week:
> 
> WWE SUMMERSLAM:
> 
> ...


Quantity doesnt equal Quality, wwe is hurt and sharks can smell the blood in the water. WWE had to put all the money on getting Lesnar, cant even get a pop similar to CM Punk cause I mean it's not like Lesnar left, he just wants paychecks. WWE cant sign any big names, all the decent guys going AEW  you just get the same shit in WWE


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## One Shed (Jan 7, 2014)

There really are WWE or nothing people? Weird. Go play with your Alexa doll.


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## DaSlacker (Feb 9, 2020)

I watched all 4 hours of SummerSlam live and came out of it depressed. Whether it was Cena's huge bald spot, Goldberg's go away heat, Becky's weird heel turn, the hyping up of Blood Money VI during the fuck up in Afghanistan, or the the potential of another match between Reigns and Lesnar. That was WWE's load blown. Brock won't appear much and Becky's return/heel turn/winning back the gold was the biggest thing they could do. 

I watched Rampage live and came out excited for the next edition of Dynamite and the next PPV. 

WWE leads in the metrics but they are dead inside.


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## Dickhead1990 (Aug 31, 2016)

Doc said:


> And also this forums obsession for one company over another.
> 
> I said it earlier this weekend, only super marks bang on about one company been better than another. Wrestling fans want ALL wrestling companies to be successful with big views. It's how wrestling will get better.


Exactly! This is why I never understand why people repeatedly comment on threads just to bash a company. It was TNA 15 years ago, now it's AEW. When another company makes as big-a-splash, you can guarantee it'll be them too.

Just like you say, let's just enjoy wrestling! If you want to be a tribal muppet, go find a desert island and cover your privates with leaves.


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## shandcraig (Mar 23, 2008)

Doc said:


> And also this forums obsession for one company over another.
> 
> I said it earlier this weekend, only super marks bang on about one company been better than another. Wrestling fans want ALL wrestling companies to be successful with big views. It's how wrestling will get better.



I talk in a variety of forums for different promotions, I don't really see that. Wwe has gotten worse as a exciting brand year after year for 20 years now. No one can say factually that 2021 is a better time to be a wwe fan than bay other year before 
. Millions of people feel this way and they have that right. That being said they have the right to say specifically wwe is trash and that is not being a fab boy. With so many people with that mentally why do you assume people are just trying to be against them for the sake of it and pick the next best thing. 99 percent of people in this thread find aew to be more tolerable but still reapsible enough to point out many flaws aew has


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## justinkjones1993 (Dec 31, 2019)

ACKNOWLEDGE HIM


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## Wizak10 (Jul 9, 2020)

Brock is a bigger star but Becky? Nah, also Punk return felt like a bigger deal coz he was away for many years.


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## taker_2004 (Jul 1, 2017)

Dickhead1990 said:


> It was TNA 15 years ago, now it's AEW. When another company makes as big-a-splash, you can guarantee it'll be them too.


I remember it like clockwork.

Honestly, super markdom annoys me because it ruins productive discourse, but it's only the E-drones that bother me. Reason being is they are literal incarnations of Vince's hubris and resentment towards fans--that he will always be number one, and that he knows better than his customers what they want. Even a certain entitlement that WWE should be a monopoly with no meaningful competition, and if there is even an inkling of the latter, to habitually shit all over it.

Like, why do you think this guy isn't in the ROH or NJPW section spewing this? Because one actually isn't even approaching competition, and they other fed is a foreign company featuring foreign-language promos that doesn't have significant plans to scale internationally.

The thing about a slow burn like AEW is that it gives people a chance to try and piss out the fire, even if it is heating up.


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## Dickhead1990 (Aug 31, 2016)

taker_2004 said:


> I remember it like clockwork.
> 
> Honestly, super markdom annoys me because it ruins productive discourse, but it's only the E-drones that bother me. Reason being is they are literal incarnations of Vince's hubris and resentment towards fans--that he will always be number one, and that he knows better than his customers what they want. Even a certain entitlement that WWE should be a monopoly with no meaningful competition, and if there is even an inkling of the latter, to habitually shit all over it.
> 
> ...


Precisely! It's almost like football fandom. My team is the best, if you disagree, I'll glass you. If we lose, I'll trash the town centre.

Wrestling is far from highbrow or intellectual entertainment, but I like to think of it as being far more tongue in cheek than that. For the majority of fans, it is fortunately.

Basically, people shouldn't be like English football fans with wrestling.


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## Undertaker23RKO (Jun 11, 2011)

A PG Attitude said:


> You say that Beckys and Brocks returns generated more buzz than punks. This is factually false.
> 
> Punks entrance has 5.5 million views on YouTube, Brocks and Becky each have 1.4 million.


Idk how to copy the graph but Google Trends shows Punk blowing Brock & Becky away. Like nearly double the interest of those two combined.



https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=now%207-d&geo=US&q=becky%20lynch,brock%20lesnar,%2Fm%2F05l473


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## Botchy SinCara (Apr 24, 2013)

Rome wasn't built in a day and aew is growing while wwe numbers keep dropping ..id be more worried why smack down hovers around 2 mill on a network that is free and in over 300 million homes


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## Casual Fan #52 (Dec 23, 2010)

I am old enough to remember when WCW and WWE were competing, and the moron fans who sided with one show or the other as if they were somehow to be credited for "their" show, as if they wrote it or were a wrestler or something on it. Its stupid. As fans, we can enjoy both. Lets not do this same idiocy with WWE and AEW. If you want to go on about how WWE or AEW (or both) suck, at least do it because you ACTUALLY dislike the show, and not because of misplaced tribalism.


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## taker_2004 (Jul 1, 2017)

Casual Fan #52 said:


> Lets not do this same idiocy with WWE and AEW. If you want to go on about how WWE or AEW (or both) suck, at least do it because you ACTUALLY dislike the show, and not because of misplaced tribalism.


/thread

Lmao, like for real, is that too much to ask? If you're gonna piss on someone's parade, at least do it because you're convicted it's shit, not just "ooga ooga my team betta."


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## Dickhead1990 (Aug 31, 2016)

Casual Fan #52 said:


> I am old enough to remember when WCW and WWE were competing, and the moron fans who sided with one show or the other as if they were somehow to be credited for "their" show, as if they wrote it or were a wrestler or something on it. Its stupid. As fans, we can enjoy both. Lets not do this same idiocy with WWE and AEW. If you want to go on about how WWE or AEW (or both) suck, at least do it because you ACTUALLY dislike the show, and not because of misplaced tribalism.


Everyone listen to this man!

To make it even worse today is that you can actually watch both easily, without needing to record on a VCR on another TV.


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## Lesnar Turtle (Dec 6, 2011)

The numbers AEW does are obviously measured relative to the fact that they've only been around for a little over 2 years. Nobody is going to match the WWE that quickly, but I would say AEW has closed the gap more in 2 years than TNA managed in its entire existence. With Vince being old as shit. lots of big name free agents around and AEW having a lot of money to spend you certainly couldnt rule out the possibility of them matching or overtaking the WWE by the end of the decade.


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## Freelancer (Aug 24, 2010)

Rampage was on Friday night at 10pm with no confirmation that Punk was actually going to be there. I'd say a million + viewers is pretty good considering that was only the 2nd episode.


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## Erik. (Mar 17, 2014)

I for one am absolutely shocked that a global juggernaut has beaten a t-shirt company in ratings.

Luckily, ratings don't equal entertainment. So said global juggernaut is still hideously boring.


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

A PG Attitude said:


> You say that Beckys and Brocks returns generated more buzz than punks. This is factually false.
> 
> Punks entrance has 5.5 million views on YouTube, Brocks and Becky each have 1.4 million.


another 6m on twitter


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## validreasoning (Jul 4, 2012)

Botchy SinCara said:


> Rome wasn't built in a day and aew is growing while wwe numbers keep dropping ..id be more worried why smack down hovers around 2 mill on a network that is free and in over 300 million homes


Lol there is 120 million TV households in the US so just slightly off..

SD right now is doing far better numbers than the what UFC on Fox was doing last three years of its run on the same network


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

validreasoning said:


> Lol there is 120 million TV households in the US so just slightly off..
> 
> SD right now is doing far better numbers than the what UFC on Fox was doing last three years of its run on the same network


the question Fox will ask themselves come renewal time is ‘can we get AEW for cheaper, and get the same ratings’


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## Soul Man Danny B (Dec 30, 2013)

Smackdown lost in several demos to a program in it's second week of existence.


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## validreasoning (Jul 4, 2012)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> the question Fox will ask themselves come renewal time is ‘can we get AEW for cheaper, and get the same ratings’


They won't because then there would be bidding war with Turner driving price up. Also guaranteed AEW is only doing fraction of ad revenue that Raw/SD is.

There isn't going to be massive jump going from TNT to Fox either, certainly not coming close to averaging SD numbers on Friday year round anyway.


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

validreasoning said:


> They won't because then there would be bidding war with Turner driving price up. Also guaranteed AEW is only doing fraction of ad revenue than Raw/SD is.
> 
> There isn't going to be massive jump going from TNT to Fox either, certainly not coming close to averaging SD numbers on Friday year round anyway.


i’m not so sure and neither will tv execs be


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## TheGreatBanana (Jul 7, 2012)

I predicted 1.5 million viewers, but that is a disappointing number especially with all the hype. They only managed to increase their viewership by 400k. All these AEW marks were acting like AEW was the no 1 promotion in the world. The numbers have silenced them.


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

Oy vey, here comes the tourists


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## Upstart474 (May 13, 2018)

OP putting AEW fans on notice.... I like all wrestling promotions!


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## cai1981 (Oct 2, 2016)

LOL...so let me get this straight:

On Friday, all the AEW fangirls were calling AEW the greatest wrestling company and WWE was dead because Punk showed up!

NOW, after the numbers come out showing he didn't get them much closer to WWE than they already were, its: "they're just starting out" and "Rome wasn't built in a day" and "why can't we just enjoy both".... please!!!!!!!


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## MarkOfAllMarks (Apr 7, 2018)

Ok buddy.


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## rbl85 (Nov 21, 2017)

So much insecurity in that poor soul....


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

Isn’t this just straight bait now?


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## Corporate Rock (Apr 9, 2014)

Why is everything constant bitching about WWE v AEW by both fan bases? Fucks sake just stop watching one if you hate it so much. I’m actually able to enjoy parts of both products but if I hated one, I’d just stop.

AEW is a great alternative to WWE, WWE still has world wide brand status and Hollywood like production, let it go.


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## Mongstyle (Oct 8, 2017)

Ain't gonna lie, this shit is hilarious. It's hilarious how suddenly the conversation shifted to demo from viewership when AEW came along. And it's hilarious watching AEW neckbeards on Twitter and Reddit trying to pretend this number by Punk is somehow impressive. All this talk of death hour and Friday or whatever.

Imagine John Cena showed up on AEW. Believe me, it ain't peaking at 1.3 million viewers in a quarter hour regardless of the time. That shit is going north of 2 million for the entire show. Imagine Rock showed up. He'll obliterate even 2 million. Hell, Roman fucking showing up on AEW would produce a better number than this. Yet you had all those butthurt dudes because Reigns said Punk wasn't as big as Cena or Rock in 2012.

Raw is a complete and utter shit show with no stars. If AEW Dynamite can't even come close to that in numbers this Wednesday, you can just go ahead and file this promotion away as the next TNA. Because it's nowhere but down from here.


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## Freelancer (Aug 24, 2010)

Ratings aside, Punks debut completely overshadowed anything WWE did over the weekend.


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## somerandomfan (Dec 13, 2013)

You'd think the WWE tribalists would be more worried that their ratings are sliding while the #2 company's B-Show broke a million on hopes of something they didn't announce was going to happen. (which actually delivered)

But why be a brand loyalist? You're just limiting your own options by blindly hating something, I watch WWE _and_ AEW, and Impact, and ROH, trying to get back into NJPW. Trying to "pick a side" about two different things in the same industry that don't even go head to head anymore is just petty.


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

somerandomfan said:


> You'd think the WWE tribalists would be more worried that their ratings are sliding while the #2 company's B-Show broke a million on hopes of something they didn't announce was going to happen. (which actually delivered)
> 
> But why be a brand loyalist? You're just limiting your own options by blindly hating something, I watch WWE _and_ AEW, and Impact, and ROH, trying to get back into NJPW. Trying to "pick a side" about two different things in the same industry that don't even go head to head anymore is just petty.


i only watch aew / but i’m not over there shitting all over their show

like what is the point in trying to take somebody’s joy away - what is there possibly to gain?

it is so fucking weird to me


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

WWE is the top, but AEW is still enjoyable. Similar to gaming systems Sony and Microsoft both have enjoyable games worth playing.


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## jobber81 (Oct 10, 2016)

WWE









AEW


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## Doc (Oct 4, 2010)

shandcraig said:


> I talk in a variety of forums for different promotions, I don't really see that. Wwe has gotten worse as a exciting brand year after year for 20 years now. No one can say factually that 2021 is a better time to be a wwe fan than bay other year before
> . Millions of people feel this way and they have that right. That being said they have the right to say specifically wwe is trash and that is not being a fab boy. With so many people with that mentally why do you assume people are just trying to be against them for the sake of it and pick the next best thing. 99 percent of people in this thread find aew to be more tolerable but still reapsible enough to point out many flaws aew has


That's what super marks do though.

Look at what TNA originally tried to do and they got shit on by WWE marks and basically had to start from the bottom again. 

WWE smarks and AEW smarks are just as bad as each other. Competition doesn't have to be do or die to be competitive.


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

jobber81 said:


> WWE
> View attachment 106893
> 
> 
> ...


Exactly both entertain, but for slightly different reasons lol


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## jobber81 (Oct 10, 2016)

RapShepard said:


> Exactly both entertain, but for slightly different reasons lol


I was going for a rich vs. poor comparison...but, you could be right lol


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## 3venflow (Feb 3, 2019)

Mongstyle said:


> Imagine John Cena showed up on AEW. Believe me, it ain't peaking at 1.3 million viewers in a quarter hour regardless of the time.


Cena's advertised return did 786k in the 18-49. Punk's unadvertised return did 842k in the graveyard spot.

A lot of insecurity in this thread. Any hint of a challenge to the Fed brings this out. Of course AEW will lag behind in ratings, it's up against a decades-old brand that many boomers and others watch out of a lifelong habit, even though the product is stale, repetitive and has produced very little spontaneous or memorable television for years now.

AEW is a young brand but growing in nearly every metric (only dinosaurs see TV ratings as the only thing worth a damn - check WWE's press releases where they big up their socials) and has already superseded TNA in every way.


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## adamclark52 (Nov 27, 2015)

Smackdown gets more viewers than Raw!?


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## Doc (Oct 4, 2010)

Corporate Rock said:


> Why is everything constant bitching about WWE v AEW by both fan bases? Fucks sake just stop watching one if you hate it so much. I’m actually able to enjoy parts of both products but if I hated one, I’d just stop.
> 
> AEW is a great alternative to WWE, WWE still has world wide brand status and Hollywood like production, let it go.


100%.


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## AthleticGirth (Jul 25, 2020)

As Ghandi said _"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win"_.

Old Man Vince would have been on his hands and knees giving Brock a blank cheque just to counter what the little ole outlaw mud show in Florida is doing. The landscape's changing, and it can only be good for pro wrestling. 😊


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## taker_2004 (Jul 1, 2017)

adamclark52 said:


> Smackdown gets more viewers than Raw!?


Yeah, it has for a while now. RAW is a dumpster fire. 3 hours of wasted time. Not like SmackDown is a shining beacon of professional wrestling, but it now has pretty much all the A-players.

A part of the reason (some will say most) is because SmackDown is on FOX now, which is Free Over Air as opposed to RAW on USA which is a cable channel, which almost always guarantees the former more exposure/viewership. Plus FOX has a stronger cable/network brand than NBCU does, even though the latter is a much larger company.


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## CMPunkRock316 (Jan 17, 2016)

WWE effin' sucks go to their board and beat off there please. 

Funny how people who bitched about Brock for 5 years being a part-timer champion are now like "Yea Brock" going for the Title again 🤣


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## Rozzop (Aug 26, 2019)

Who gives a fuck.

I don't particularly like either brand but you like what you like, who cares what anybody else thinks. 

If AEW fans think there's is the superior show then that's up to them.


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## Mr316 (Dec 3, 2020)

I just came here to say I didn’t read a single word you wrote except the dumbass title of your dumbass thread.


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## Vitamin R (Jun 15, 2020)

I can see the delusional neckbeards still pretend that flat-assed feminist Lynch is a draw. Raw was still getting 3 million viewers until her push drove a million of those viewers away (they never came back).

Lesnar is a part timer who was brought in to be fed to Reigns then fuck off again. Same old shit that did not generate more buzz than Punk.

WWE is still king because it's been an established big company for decades. Loyalists (which WWE has more of than AEW) will watch it regardless of how good or bad it is or who is featured. A Lesnar or Reigns in AEW sure as hell isn't going to get AEW millions of TV viewers. I don't see AEW ever going past 1.6 million TV viewers regardless of which wrestlers they hire. WWE has killed the interest the general public had in pro-wrestling over the past 20 years. This will of course also effect interest in AEW negatively.


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## The XL 2 (Sep 13, 2016)

Unless Cena, Rock, Austin, Batista or Lesnar ever joined AEW full time, they're never going to get to 2 million, and that's never going to happen. Punks not that tier of star. Its still a great get for them


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## hardcorewrasslin (Jun 29, 2016)

OP is Joe from Hicksville KY


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## MickeyMenthol (Jun 12, 2021)

I think all that these numbers show is that AEW is doing respectable business relative to the fact that his may an all time down time in the industry. There are still years to go to watch the dynamic between these two companies play out. Remember the lean years of the New Gen era brought on the Monday Night Wars, the NWO, and Austin/Rock.


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## Boba Fett (Jul 9, 2013)

Who gives a fuck ?


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## somerandomfan (Dec 13, 2013)

jobber81 said:


> I was going for a rich vs. poor comparison...but, you could be right lol


See when I saw Corbin's king gimmick vs Corbin's current gimmick I almost thought you were trying to put over AEW. Dull and stale with a flashy presentation King Corbin vs this gimmick almost didn't make sense but it's the most entertaining shit he's done in years (possibly ever) and one of the high points of the show.


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## Brodus Clay (Jan 6, 2012)

Yes WWE it's a bad habit, we know.


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## dsnotgood (Jun 28, 2011)

What people don’t realize is these ratings aren’t representstive of what people truly watched. The “real” # of people watching aew I can promise you 70% of Rawls or smack downs. Other than kids and older folk who don’t want to watch anything other than wwe, aew wins.
rstings are literally generated by 2-10k people NATIONWIDE who have those rstings boxes. These people prob don’t even use the internet or YouTube that much. which is why aew dominates YouTube views compared to wwe. The ratings system is trash and isn’t accurate.


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## Prized Fighter (Aug 31, 2016)

So much in wrestling fandom can be tracked back to schadenfreude. I will never understand people popping boners by trying to diminish other peoples enjoyment. I can only assume these people are under 18.


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## TD_DDT (Jul 28, 2015)

I don't get money regardless of which one does better so I don't really care and I don't really know why anyone would. I want AEW numbers to be good so they stick around and if they beat WWE that would probably be good because maybe WWE would make a decent product again.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk


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## dsnotgood (Jun 28, 2011)

How Do Television Ratings Work?


A show that has several million viewers may seem popular to us, but a network may need millions more watching that program to make it a financial success. How do they figure out how many people are watching a show?




entertainment.howstuffworks.com





Around 20,000 households are included in the representative sample for the national ratings estimates. Though this number is a small percentage of the 121 million homes with TVs in the U.S., panels are selected so that they mirror the makeup and behavior of the larger populations that they represent.



so basically 20k households determine these ratings. And if a large portion of that household watches trash like cnn, think that YouTube is full of cat videos, and doesn’t even know what a search engine is … chances is those people aren’t going to watch aew as it’s the new fresh wrestling show.
basically ratings numbers are trash. Youtube / twatter metrics are much more indicative of what people truly care about and watch.


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## PhenomenalOne11 (Oct 2, 2016)

Don't be one of those marks that loves one company and hates the others. You should like both.

There's no legitimate reason to hate either AEW or WWE.


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## taker_2004 (Jul 1, 2017)

Mr316 said:


> I just came here to say I didn’t read a single word you wrote except the dumbass title of your dumbass thread.


I must say that you are taking this face turn very seriously. 🤣


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## shandcraig (Mar 23, 2008)

Doc said:


> That's what super marks do though.
> 
> Look at what TNA originally tried to do and they got shit on by WWE marks and basically had to start from the bottom again.
> 
> WWE smarks and AEW smarks are just as bad as each other. Competition doesn't have to be do or die to be competitive.


I agree with you but my statement is valid for millions of people. To them including myself I simply couldn't care less what wwe does or comparing them. To us millions we gave up because it got bad enough and facts are since that time it hasn't got better but continues to go opposite direction for us. So we can just enjoy 1 promotion in peace


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## PatWrestling (Oct 9, 2018)

1) AEW is entertaining. 
2) WWE is on fast forward mode for me
.
.
Signed: A 30 plus years fan of WRESTLING


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## MonkasaurusRex (Jul 3, 2016)

Dickhead1990 said:


> And why should anyone really care? AEW is running a highly successful start up business, that's pulling numbers not far off Raw and Smackdown after only two years.
> 
> WWE is making a good profit too.
> 
> Can't we just be happy for both?


No, it's a WAR!!

Anyone who fails to choose a side shall be punished.


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## Nickademus_Eternal (Feb 24, 2014)

cai1981 said:


> Final Numbers for last week:
> 
> WWE SUMMERSLAM:
> 
> ...


Not to my eyes they're not. It's still fuck WWE. AEW is by far the more entertaining promotion over WWE. And talk all the shit you want, but we know what's up.


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## Boldgerg (Apr 2, 2017)

WWE will probably always be "King" in terms of ratings (although that one looks by far the least safe at the moment), profitability, commercial success and mainstream attention.

But after less than two and a half years of existence, AEW is already "King" of excitement, fun, talent, surprise factor, unforgettable moments and overall product quality.

I know which "King" I value higher as a fan.


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## Nickademus_Eternal (Feb 24, 2014)

taker_2004 said:


> I remember it like clockwork.
> 
> Honestly, super markdom annoys me because it ruins productive discourse, but it's only the E-drones that bother me. Reason being is they are literal incarnations of Vince's hubris and resentment towards fans--that he will always be number one, and that he knows better than his customers what they want. Even a certain entitlement that WWE should be a monopoly with no meaningful competition, and if there is even an inkling of the latter, to habitually shit all over it.
> 
> ...


Fandom in general is annoying. It's the same shit. This company over that company. it's ridiculous after awhile.


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## shandcraig (Mar 23, 2008)

it seems this section has gone to utter shit since punk debuted. All it took was one guy from wwe to bring attention to wwe guys?

can we get back to good threads again in here or is it time to enjoy life more and less warrior land


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## IronMan8 (Dec 25, 2015)

That's not a reality check - I already knew WWE is going to coast on their long past history for a while longer. It'll take at least a year of AEW continuing to produce better TV over a long period of time, and even longer for the less-engaged casuals who only know about WWE's 20+ year monopoly on the entertainment form.


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## Nickademus_Eternal (Feb 24, 2014)

TheGreatBanana said:


> I predicted 1.5 million viewers, but that is a disappointing number especially with all the hype. They only managed to increase their viewership by 400k. All these AEW marks were acting like AEW was the no 1 promotion in the world. The numbers have silenced them.


Silenced who? You're full of shit. Idc about numbers like you and everyone else on here does. I care about being entertained and aew has done that.


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## Nickademus_Eternal (Feb 24, 2014)

shandcraig said:


> it seems this section has gone to utter shit since punk debuted. All it took was one guy from wwe to bring attention to wwe guys?
> 
> can we get back to good threads again in here or is it time to enjoy life more and less warrior land


This whole place has gone to shit since aew has existed.


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## yeahbaby! (Jan 27, 2014)

Well AEW must be crying in to their cornflakes over this groundbreaking news.


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## Blade Runner (Jan 24, 2012)

Wow

I was expecting a much stronger number for Punk given all the hype around it. Oh well...


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## TheGreatBanana (Jul 7, 2012)

Nickademus_Eternal said:


> Silenced who? You're full of shit. Idc about numbers like you and everyone else on here does. I care about being entertained and aew has done that.


No one gives a fuck about your opinion. Stop quoting me with your nonsense. End of the day the AEW fanboys here were acting like Rampage was going to beat Smackdown in viewership. It didn’t happen. Now get lost. Ignored.


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## YoshiMadness (Jul 25, 2021)

What if I told y'all that WWE and AEW both fucking suck?

Gotta love when smarks simp for billionaire scumbags like Vince and Khan.

Like, you guys realize there's an entire world of wrestling outside of the big 2, right?


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## CovidFan (Aug 19, 2020)

TheGreatBanana said:


> No one gives a fuck about your opinion. Stop quoting me with your nonsense. End of the day the AEW fanboys here were acting like Rampage was going to beat Smackdown in viewership. It didn’t happen. Now get lost. Ignored.


If you actually look at the threads here, not a single person said they'd beat smackdown for viewership. Almost everyone predicted less or right around what they did...


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> i only watch aew / but i’m not over there shitting all over their show
> 
> like what is the point in trying to take somebody’s joy away - what is there possibly to gain?
> 
> it is so fucking weird to me


I haven't seen you over there but many of the AEW fans on this forum have been over on the WWE section praising AEW and trying to antagonise the WWE fans. That pisses off the WWE fans and then you get retaliation which I would say is why we've seen an influx of WWE fans in here lately.









Brock Lesnar Returns LMFAO


Vince's answer to CM Punk going to AEW WWE releases tons of talents but Vince has no issue throwing dump trucks of $$ at Bork Laser. Is Vince seriously gonna pull the plug on Roman as heel with Heyman betraying him in favor of his old client and turning Roman face.




www.wrestlingforum.com





Personally I find the tribalism pretty cringey as well but can't blame the WWE fans for giving the AEW fans a taste of their own medicine. Admittedly I don't know who started all this though.


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## Randy Lahey (Apr 14, 2014)

I’ve noticed that 90% of the WWE loyalists are from outside of the United States.

Clearly, they are more popular abroad, but AEW is far hotter in the US.


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## Nickademus_Eternal (Feb 24, 2014)

TheGreatBanana said:


> No one gives a fuck about your opinion. Stop quoting me with your nonsense. End of the day the AEW fanboys here were acting like Rampage was going to beat Smackdown in viewership. It didn’t happen. Now get lost. Ignored.


Fucking crybaby. Ignoring someone because you can't handle their opinion.


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

Randy Lahey said:


> I’ve noticed that 90% of the WWE loyalists are from outside of the United States.
> 
> Clearly, they are more popular abroad, but AEW is far hotter in the US.


Oh yeah? If that is true why did WWE have 51,000 people in attendance for a show in Nevada and AEW's maximum attendance is less than half that?

WWE is the bigger promotion and that is FINE because AEW has only been around for a couple of years.


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## Rhetro (Feb 14, 2015)

Bro they just had Kross come out like a bedazzled show tunes boy. Get help.


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## taker_2004 (Jul 1, 2017)

Rhetro said:


> Bro they just had Kross come out like a bedazzled show tunes boy. Get help.


HBK wore bedazzled chaps and he's one of the greatest to lace up a pair of boots. He was the most homoerotic wrestler not intentionally portrayed as a gay trope (like Goldust) ever. You might not be a fan, but seems like a pretty dumb point. Not everybody can be a red-neck or "Hollywood."


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## One Shed (Jan 7, 2014)

taker_2004 said:


> HBK wore bedazzled chaps and he's one of the greatest to lace up a pair of boots. He was the most homoerotic wrestler not intentionally portrayed as a gay trope (like Goldust) ever. You might not be a fan, but seems like a pretty dumb point. Not everybody can be a red-neck or "Hollywood."


He was ANDROGENOUS, pal.


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## taker_2004 (Jul 1, 2017)

Two Sheds said:


> He was ANDROGENOUS, pal.


I'm sure that makes all the men insecure in their masculinity/heterosexuality feel much better.


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## BrrrGoesWooo! (Mar 29, 2021)

Chip Chipperson said:


> Oh yeah? If that is true why did WWE have 51,000 people in attendance for a show in Nevada and AEW's maximum attendance is less than half that?
> 
> WWE is the bigger promotion and that is FINE because AEW has only been around for a couple of years.


Big difference is that AEW is actually gaining on their number, which is something that almost no tv show does these days. They did a .53 in 18-49 vs Smackdown doing .57 with Smackdown having a million more viewers on network TV with FOX.

Wouldn't be surprised if they did 1.4 or more for Dynamite next week... What other show is actually able to gain viewers (or even match it) after their debut?

edit: 

Also, what other show is able to do that number for their price?


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## One Shed (Jan 7, 2014)

taker_2004 said:


> I'm sure that makes all the men insecure in their masculinity/heterosexuality feel much better.


I like Dustin, but I do not think he was making any straight guys confused when he was in a wig and painted gold haha.


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

BrrrGoesWooo! said:


> Big difference is that AEW is actually gaining on their number, which is something that almost no tv show does these days. They did a .53 in 18-49 vs Smackdown doing .57 with Smackdown having a million more viewers on network TV with FOX.
> 
> Wouldn't be surprised if they did 1.4 or more for Dynamite next week... What other show is actually able to gain viewers (or even match it) after their debut?


Yup, they did gain a pretty big number but that is with the biggest return in pro wrestling. They'll also do a pretty big number this week on Dynamite which will likely rival the 1.4 - 1.5 million they did with their debut episode.

But once Punk settles in will it continue to grow? Does Tony Khan have the booking chops to book a show so compelling and interesting that the people are tuning in to see just what in the hell is going to happen next because they're afraid to miss it? I say no.

Look at Dynamite's card this week. Malakai Black squashing a jobber, mid 40's Matt Hardy Vs Orange Cassidy, Lucha Brothers Vs Varsity Blondes and Jamie Hayter Vs Red Velvet.

1.5 million might tune in but how many are sticking around past Punk for that card?


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## cai1981 (Oct 2, 2016)

TheGreatBanana said:


> I predicted 1.5 million viewers, but that is a disappointing number especially with all the hype. They only managed to increase their viewership by 400k. All these AEW marks were acting like AEW was the no 1 promotion in the world. The numbers have silenced them.


It didn't silence them...it just changed their tune! On Friday, they were claiming AEW was now #1 and WWE was dead. NOW, they are hit with FACTS that proves both notions to be dead wrong and it is a different story! 

Dynamite will hit over a million on Wednesday and may even come close to that 1.4M they did on their first ever show. However, even with Punk, they will slip back down to the steady 750-900k. The hype will die down. Bryan will give them another small bump for the NY show, but back down it will go soon after.


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## BrrrGoesWooo! (Mar 29, 2021)

Chip Chipperson said:


> Yup, they did gain a pretty big number but that is with the biggest return in pro wrestling. They'll also do a pretty big number this week on Dynamite which will likely rival the 1.4 - 1.5 million they did with their debut episode.
> 
> But once Punk settles in will it continue to grow? Does Tony Khan have the booking chops to book a show so compelling and interesting that the people are tuning in to see just what in the hell is going to happen next because they're afraid to miss it? I say no.
> 
> ...


More than you think.

Tbh that show sounds pretty fun, so long as you're not a jaded wrestling fan, or even worse a -- (_shudder_) body mark !!!


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## taker_2004 (Jul 1, 2017)

Two Sheds said:


> I like Dustin, but I do not think he was making any straight guys confused when he was in a wig and painted gold haha.


lol it was a sly jab at the guy before saying AEW's horrible because they had a wrestler in bedazzled gear. I don't think those types care whether the it's gay, cross-dressing, androgyny etc., it's all "queer shit" to them lol.


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## BrrrGoesWooo! (Mar 29, 2021)

cai1981 said:


> It didn't silence them...it just changed their tune! On Friday, they were claiming AEW was now #1 and WWE was dead. NOW, they are hit with FACTS that proves both notions to be dead wrong and it is a different story!
> 
> Dynamite will hit over a million on Wednesday and may even come close to that 1.4M they did on their first ever show. However, even with Punk, they will slip back down to the steady 750-900k. The hype will die down. Bryan will give them another small bump for the NY show, but back down it will go soon after.


Seems like it brought out more of you bitter bitties, that's for sure!


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## BrrrGoesWooo! (Mar 29, 2021)

taker_2004 said:


> lol it was a sly jab at the guy before saying AEW's horrible because they had a wrestler in bedazzled gear. I don't think those types care whether the it's gay, cross-dressing, androgyny etc., it's all "queer shit" to them lol.


Sadly true.


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## Nickademus_Eternal (Feb 24, 2014)

cai1981 said:


> It didn't silence them...it just changed their tune! On Friday, they were claiming AEW was now #1 and WWE was dead. NOW, they are hit with FACTS that proves both notions to be dead wrong and it is a different story!
> 
> Dynamite will hit over a million on Wednesday and may even come close to that 1.4M they did on their first ever show. However, even with Punk, they will slip back down to the steady 750-900k. The hype will die down. Bryan will give them another small bump for the NY show, but back down it will go soon after.


Lol they were hitting 1mill+ weeks before cm punk showed up. Even before it was announced he signed they hit 1mill+ but ok.


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## Seafort (Jun 5, 2014)

cai1981 said:


> Final Numbers for last week:
> 
> WWE SUMMERSLAM:
> 
> ...


WWE is still the clear number one brand, but that can change in a couple of years. While unless rights deals collapse for WWE, they will still make more money than AEW for many years. But in other metrics - viewership, attendance, pop culture relevance - AEW has a stronger likelihood of success in the next five years than WWE.

Something else not truly appreciated. WWE is in a pickle right now in regards to their roster management. Their main roster is older and certainly overexposed. They’ve gutted NXT, so there is little in the way of new talent that will suddenly debut. That leaves going after AEW talent, and WWE might have to pay a real premium to get a MJF to jump.


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## alex0816 (Jul 27, 2011)

reality check!! wwe is trash....


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

BrrrGoesWooo! said:


> More than you think.


Lets come back to this post in 4 weeks.


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## CM Buck (Sep 2, 2012)

No shit.


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