All Elite Wrestling (AEW) celebrates the fifth anniversary of their national television debut on TBS Wednesday night October 2nd. For an upstart wrestling promotion born in the era of WWE’s global monopoly on the industry, it’s a huge accomplishment.
AEW has brought a much needed alternative to the wrestling space, helped create new stars, and quite honestly forced WWE to build a much better product (although Vince McMahon’s departure also has a lot to do with that). For all that they should be applauded. And to top it off, they finally announced their new TV deal with Warner Bros. Discovery that will secure the company’s future.
However, on this important anniversary, AEW is also dealing with its fair share of struggles. Not only are ratings and attendance sinking, but backstage drama has often outshone what’s happened in the ring. Combine with criticism about illogical and rushed booking decisions and the company’s lack of storytelling, and AEW is arguably at a low point as a television product.
Where does AEW go from here? How can they recapture the magic? Chris Novak and Robert O’Neill share what AEW can do to turn things back around.
Where can AEW improve in digital media?
Robert O’Neill: I think the biggest thing, which I’m hoping will be addressed in the upcoming media rights deal, is the lack of a streaming service to watch AEW’s library. WWE, TNA, Ring of Honor, and New Japan Pro Wrestling all have dedicated streaming services where you can watch shows from the company’s history. AEW doesn’t have this despite a seemingly high demand for it. That’s a no-brainer, to me. You own all that footage anyway, why not monetize it?
Christopher Novak: Have to agree with Rob on a need for an archive somewhere. Wrestling fans love doing one thing and it’s watching things from the past. Even if AEW’s history isn’t “long,” there’s plenty of things fans would love to relive. It’s simply not available right now and to serve their fans, they should make a concerted effort to get the footage somewhere.
How can AEW improve their struggling attendance?
Robert O’Neill: I think it’s a process that will need small steps and won’t happen overnight. I think community outreach in the cities they’re taping shows would be a great idea. Get the locals involved, give them a reason to show up. Announce big matches ahead of time. AEW has a tremendous roster and could make dozens of high-profile matches at the drop of a hat, but far too often they announce them hours before that day’s show. You have to give people time to get to the building.
Christopher Novak: Too often this question is answered by saying “improve the booking” or whatever. They’ll need a compelling show, but further, they could clearly use more marketing on the ground. They should also continue to have the wrestlers appear on local TV networks, on their newscasts, to help promote the show. Like Rob said, simply giving people a reason to show up will improve things..
AEW’s ratings have plummeted in the last year but they finally announced their long awaited WBD TV deal. What pressure exists to turn the numbers around?
Robert O’Neill: I think the ratings talk can be interesting but too many people take a slanted or biased viewpoint while discussing them. In terms of total viewership and the demographic they’re down, but Dynamite is still regularly one of the top three shows on cable every Wednesday night. It seems like WBD are pleased with the ratings if they’re comfortable renewing AEW.
Christopher Novak: It’s one of those things you can’t ignore trend-wise, but it is what it is. The current TV climate is so uncertain that a lot of ratings discussions always end up falling short. Even though they’ve trended down, they’ve obviously stood upright on their own. I don’t think they can afford to keep descending, at some point, they’re going to have to improve. The fact that their first quarter-hour peaks viewership on basically a weekly basis is telling and not in a great way. But it’s also not really the end-all either.
How will AEW look five years from now? What will wrestling look like in five years?
Christopher Novak: Something of an interesting question.
For AEW, simply surviving is the option. But we’ve seen that wrestling companies tend to have a long lifespan. Look at TNA Wrestling, pronounced dead so many times over the years, and they’ve lived long enough to have an ongoing partnership with WWE. It’s hard to really envision them squandering what they have, but the business is at such an interesting point, with wrestlers trading companies, and WWE being at a point where they’re going to look much different soon.
In general, I tend to think that women will be at the forefront of the next big wave of wrestling over the next few years. WWE has all of their eggs in the basket for that, given their increasing wealth of talent. AEW is making progress in this area, but it’s been a blatant weakness for them for their entire existence. It also hasn’t made any sort of indent on their fanbase, with viewership frequently not being great for any of their women’s angles or matches. That will simply have to improve, and will need a lot of work done. In 2024, going on 2025, women’s sports are everywhere. In wrestling, that’s been something that’s been going on for ten years now, dating back to the work done in NXT. AEW needs to lean further into their women and make them stars and not risk looking archaic with their men’s wrestlers predominantly driving the show.
Anyhow, it’s hard to say what AEW is going to look like. Right now their attendance numbers are ghoulish and their TV is down. They’re bound for some good luck and fortune along the way, but it will all hinge on how they do. In reality, they’ll be around, but how relevant they are will be dictated by their decision-making and what happens around them in the business.
Robert O’Neill: I’m definitely with you there, Chris. The women are the future. It’s hard to believe next August will mark 10 years since the iconic NXT Takeover match between Bayley and Sasha Banks. We’ve already seen that match inspiring multiple current wrestlers, and I think it’ll lead to even more.
AEW will benefit from focusing on the women, as their division has steadily improved over the past few years. If they make it an enhanced focus for the rest of the decade it could pay off big time.
