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Hi Dave: at this point, do the ratings really matter for AEW. Tony already said they are getting a huge increase for all 3 shows. It seems like WBD is willing to pay them huge money since they’re the only ones allowed to negotiations. I can’t imagine Tony saying it’s a sure thing unless the deal is done.
Tony says a lot of things that I don’t believe and until we hear about the new TV deal and get the real numbers of what AEW is getting paid, I am not just going to take Tony’s word on it. With that said, are you kidding me? Ratings always matter. They are a major factor in how much the broadcaster can charge advertisers for placements during the show. Generally, the higher they are, the more money a company can get. Worse that that, if you keep dropping year to year, that can hurt how much money that you can get.
I am totally serious when I ask, do you think Darby Allin is trying to kill himself in a wrestling match?
I can’t say one way or another but it sure seems like he is. The harmful things he does to himself defies logic. Someone can’t care about their well being and do some of the stupid things that he does. I know if he wants to die but he sure doesn’t seem to want to live a long life.
Do you think Cody Rhodes ever pinched himself that he had the courage to go back to WWE? Not only is he the biggest babyface in the industry, he won 2 consecutive Royal Rumbles, is going to main event 2 Wrestlemanias in a row, and is in program with The Rock! Also, do you think he sees the current state of AEW and thinks he got off a sinking ship?
I can’t speak for the man but if I were him, I would be happy as hell I went back to WWE and just as happy that I left AEW.
Right now, you have some long streaks going on with champions going into Wrestlemania. Seth is close to a year as champ. Rhea will be a year as champ. Gunther and Roman are having historic runs. I don’t remember a time when so many titles were held this long. But storylines suggest all these wrestlers will lose their belts at WM. Cody, Becky, Drew and Zayn look poised to have big moments. But that feels like a reset. Are there any streaks you see remaining unbroken at Mania?
The only Title I think will, and should, change is Cody beating Roman. At this point, I think Rhea beats Becky. She is white hot right now and there is no way that I take the belt off of her. I could see her wrestling Becky straight up and keep going towards the babyface side. Given the odds against Seth, it seems that Drew will win but we still don’t know if he has resigned with WWE or if he is working on an extension. Obviously they won’t put the belt on him if he is leaving. At this moment, I wouldn’t take the belt off of Gunther either so I don’t see all of the changes that you do. We shall see!
Besides your issues with booking and character development, don’t you think AEW has a marketing problem? They seem so into not making wrestlers work on days they don’t have matches, it feels like they don’t take advantage of getting the word out to markets they are hosting shows in and attendance numbers are dropping. When they did that last promotional push in NYC, they had a record number of walk up ticket sales. That should show them that booking wrestlers for TV and radio appearances helps. In addition, they don’t promote anything their wrestlers do outside of the ring. Copeland is on a TV show. Samoa Joe is too. They are throwing out first pitches and appearing on red carpets but no one even knows. Shouldn’t they highlight this more to give that superstar perception so that their wrestlers appear larger than life like WWE wrestlers do? Social media is not enough. They really need to elevate their talent better. Would you agree?
I agree 100 percent. If the wrestlers don’t want to promote the product on their own, Tony Khan should make them. He certainly pays them well enough.
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