Update On AEW's Plans For Mike Tyson
Will 'Iron Mike' be back in AEW anytime soon?
As teased on this week's episode of AEW Dynamite, Mike Tyson's confrontation with Chris Jericho was to kickstart a long-term program between the two.
This is the word of Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He writes that while it initially looked like Tyson's appearances would be a one-off, the angle (designed to ape the famous Tyson/Steve Austin confrontation that WWE ran in 1998) will lead to further interactions, with 5 September's All Out pay-per-view a likely blow-off point for the feud.
AEW is putting 'Iron Mike' on television for exposure. His appearances gained coverage on sites like ESPN, Yahoo, TMZ, and Sports Illustrated, but had little impact on outlets that wouldn't normally cover professional wrestling. Related terms didn't crack the 50,000-search mark on Google.
That this week's Dynamite saw an 18% increase in viewership is positive news, as Tyson's appearance was pre-advertised, and his fracas with Jericho drew almost twice what WWE NXT did for its main event spot, coming in at 822,000 viewers vs. 440,000. Still, it's likely that the angle's maligned execution will have left a nasty taste in many an audience member's mouth.