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WHY WWE CROWDS HAVE CHANGED, TONY KHAN LOVES THE BLADE (AND NOT THE ONE WITH THE BUTCHER), BOOKER OF THE YEAR AND MORE

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In the past year, WWE kept doing strong houses for most televised events and what's even more impressive, I've felt a genuinely positive, enthusiastic vibe from most of those crowds. None of that 'hijacking the show' b.s that we've seen before, the audience seems happy to go along with the ride, truly self-indulgent or cynical chants or reactions are rare, fans are actually putting over their favorite and least favorite stars, instead of themselves. This is very much contrary to the smark-heavy crowds we've seen in the past decade, especially in major towns, and smaller markets are also showing loud interest in the product again. It's almost like WWE has somehow managed to find a brand new audience, which is incredible in this day and age. I remember Mike Johnson writing something similar after attending a WWE show in Hartford, CT earlier this year. Could this be the case? And if so, who might these people be that the much improved product attracts? Could they be the young Cena fans coming back to wrestling, as young adults or young moms/dads even? Are they lapsed casuals, who simply stopped watching and never enjoyed the alternatives aimed at the hardcore internet fanbase? Or somebody else altogether? Thank you for your opinions and keeping PWInsider the most unbiased place for wrestling news on the world wide web!

I think a part of it is that WWE has found many new fans.  I think the main reason fans hijacked the shows in the past is because they didn’t like what Vince McMahon was giving them.  His booking was lame so they took over shows to entertain themselves.  They sat on their hands because Vince bored them.  Since Paul Levesque took over, the product has changed.  Characters are being booked in a way that appeals to the audience.  Stories are being told that they are interested in.  WWE has gotten the crowd engaged, both the newer fans and the older fans.  They don’t have to find a way to have fun now, WWE is making it fun for them.

We’ve had heterosexual relationships become fodder for storylines for decades, so I am riveted to see where the MJF-Platinum Max Caster storyline goes. However, wrestling has rarely portrayed LGBTQ characters or stories tastefully, so I fear the Max & Max storyline will turn into another sophomoric gay joke. How do you think this story will culminate? 

I don’t see Tony Khan doing that.  He’s not a good booker, but he’s not that bad of a booker.  As for how it will end, it will probably be with a turn.  That’s a Tony Khan staple.

Wouldn’t it be a giant step forward for the genre if AEW made their world champion gay, while still booking him credibly - while treating a same sex relationship with Caster respectfully?

Honestly, I am one of those people who just prefers that we don’t even talk about the first this or the first that.  If the person deserves to be the champ, just make them the champ.  We don’t hear about other champions’ partners in the storylines so I don’t need to start if we get a gay World Champion.

Thoughts on Dave Meltzer telling his voters not to embarrass him again this year by voting for Tony Khan for Booker Of The Year?  And, how do you think Tony took him doing it?

I commend him because electing Khan for the award last year showed that the people who voted in his poll were just AEW fan boys.  That would embarrass me if we did polls because it would mean I have a dim readership.  The flip side is, you get the readership that you cater to.  It’s always been my goal to cater to the smarter, sensible fan.  That doesn’t mean that a fan can’t like AEW better.  It means that they have to be fair enough to say that when the data is considered, there is no other legitimate choice for Booker Of The Year than Paul Levesque.  As for Tony, I am sure it upset him.  He has said in the past how much winning that vote means to him.  Why it means something to him, well that I can’t explain.

I was able to catch AEW Dynamite live for the first time in a long time, and in the first 7 minutes they have Juice blade up for a match. I honestly do not see why it was necessary to have him bleed in this match other than to try and pop Philly fans. So does Tony have a penchant for blood or what?

I would think that is a fair statement.  He sure does present a lot of it on his shows.  In the old days, it was done for effect.  Now, it’s more like a comedy spot to me, albeit unintentional.  It doesn’t mean anything in AEW anymore.

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