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For two straight weeks, AEW Dynamite has lost over 200,000 viewers from the Mox-Punk segments to the Trios matches. I have seen so many “reporters” act like it isn’t a story while I think it proves that things that hardcore fans love don’t appeal to the masses. What say you?
I say what I have always said, the problem with super hardcore fans doing the booking is that they don’t realize that it will turn some people off. A lot of fans couldn’t care less what happens in New Japan, which is why ratings were down during the Forbidden Door month. For the week of 8/17, Dynamite lost over 200,000 viewers from the Punk standoff to the return of Kenny Omega. Hardcore fans loved Kenny’s return but he lost over 200,000 viewers for it. The numbers don’t lie but some people out there think that the stuff that the super hardcore fans love is better than WWE and they don’t want to admit that while they love it, the masses like their pro wrestling to be more like WWE than AEW.
Which was the bigger mistake for Tony Khan, booking the Punk-Moxley match in the horrible way that he did, or putting it on at the top of the hour?
Well, since Khan knew that over 200,000 tuned out for Kenny’s return in a Trios tournament that only the hardest of the hardcore care about, it was probably the location of the match. He knew it wouldn’t even go into a second quarter since he booked it that way. He knew people tuned out after Punk and Mox last week. He knew they tuned out for the return of Omega in the tournament. As an analytics guy, I don’t see why he didn’t understand that. But like the hardcore fans, he loves New Japan and Trios action so he thought the masses would too. He was wrong. That match should have opened the show. He should have started Punk-Mox around 9:10 after hyping it was coming up. He could play the TBS has allowed us to go until we have a finish trope. Then it should have gone until at least 9:20 so that he got value out of two quarters. Instead, he made it easy for over 200,000 people to change the channel. Now he will reportedly try to get those people to pay $50 to watch the rematch at All Out. Good luck with that!
I really want to be at the first AEW in Toronto and want ringside seats. But with everybody getting tossed in guardrail is it really worth it? What happens if gets hurt or do you gotta sign a waver or something?
They have been out of control with that recently. A few weeks ago there was a little girl sitting in the line of fire and I said to myself, they will be smart enough to notice that. WRONG. They wiped the poor kid out. There are a lot of things Tony Khan needs to get under control and that is one of them. There’s no way I would ever put myself in that kind of spot zone and I sure as hell wouldn’t sign a waver. I would be calling a lawyer if a wrestler wiped me out due to carelessness.
With Triple H now running things, do you see your site getting more access to talent and calls?
Too soon to say. I hope so. Triple H always seem to appreciate the wrestling media when he was running NXT.
Is there anyone not working that Tony Khan could potentially get to help with their creative? Any names come to mind?
Hell, there are plenty of people are working for him that can help him with the booking. He doesn’t seem to want it, which is a huge mistake in my opinion.
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