It’s a HOT Summer for WWE and AEW

Some might want to ignore it, some might want to downplay it, some might want to flat out deny reality, but that doesn’t change the truth. Both AEW and WWE are putting out products that are creating an incredibly hot summer for fans of both companies and pro wrestling in general. Both companies are putting out quality products that are generating real interest in wrestling at a pace that hasn’t been seen in years. Now, sure, AEW is not at the same level as WWE, but they don’t need to be. Anyone that is denying their success is doing so intentionally to crap on their product.

Sure, AEW doesn’t get over 1 million viewers an episode. We need to take into account how people consume media in 2023. More and more homes are cutting cable and moving to streaming. The ratings that a Dynamite show gets today cannot be unfairly compared to the ratings a show got a year or two ago. The data is out there on people cutting cable. The ratings are not the same for anything nowadays because of this phenomenon. So, when you see a tweet that says something like “wHaT? No mILliOn? AeW IN tHe MuD,” then you should know it’s pretty disingenuous. Some people would rather sling dirt instead of learning how TV works with a google search. Is there work to be done to garner a growing audience? Yes, there is. They have yet to create a storyline that drives interest to the level that The Bloodline has done for WWE. Now, just because that hasn’t happened for them since CM Punk returned two years ago, it doesn’t mean they’re failing.

As for WWE, their ratings are on the rise for a few reasons. The biggest reason, however, is that it’s simply a HOT product right now. Those that said the Bloodline story was dead after WrestleMania have been proven wrong because the interest is still there and there is no sign of it stopping. This has influenced attendance as well with the rise in interest. They’re selling out arenas they couldn’t get half full two years ago. It’s amazing what happens when you actually put out a product that people actually want to see. Who knew, right?

Let me try to put something to bed too. If WBD was so worried about AEW’s ratings, they wouldn’t have given them another TV show and they wouldn’t be on the verge of agreeing to a new deal that is rumored to be a BILLION dollars. That’s just a fact. If that deal comes through, then imagine what WWE is going to get when they sign their new deals with ratings ON THE RISE. They got massive deals when their ratings were in freefall year-to-year. If AEW is about to cash in, then expect WWE to get even more.

The point is, it’s ridiculous that some people in wrestling circles have dug in one way or another against this product or that product when we are in such an awesome period for pro wrestling. We arguably haven’t had two mainstream wrestling companies putting out a quality product at the same time since 1997. I’m sure other people can point to other years or other eras, but 1997 sticks out to me since it was the height of the NWO and WWE was in the beginning of the Attitude Era. Ratings were at an all-time high. We will never see those kinds of numbers again, but to deny that we’re in a hot period is to deny reality, no matter what company you wave the flag for.