Why AEW didn’t use video screens during the start of the pandemic like WWE

While appearing on Talk is Jericho, retired AEW television producer Keith Mitchell talked about why the company didn’t use video screens during the start of the pandemic like WWE did with the Thunderdome…

“From us, there was several different things. The zoom wall or this, and I really didn’t want to do that. I don’t know if I talked Tony out of doing it. To me, it just felt like it would be canned, it just didn’t seem like to me it would come across well on television. That was my concern. It was difficult to mix the sound of the people, the look, to me it just came across like it was going to look real plastic, and real fake. Not that energy that I was talking about earlier with the crowd. You wouldn’t have felt you were sitting at ringside, you would feel like you’re watching a video game or whatever.”

“It was a big transition. But I think having the guys come in, you know the talent sitting at ringside was a genius idea. I think that was probably Tony’s idea. It helped out a lot of guys, brought them in so they could work on Dark and Elevation. It was enough.” (quotes courtesy of WrestlingInc.com)