5 Ups & 7 Downs For AEW In 2023 (So Far)

4. Dynamite Is No Longer Appointment TV?

This point is definitely arguable.

Go back and watch the earlier episodes of Dynamite post-launch in 2019. Then, fire up one from 2023 and see if you can spot one of the biggest differences. High-quality wrestling is still there, and some of the storytelling is perfectly fine. There isn't the same pull generally though.

Dynamite once felt like can't miss telly for wrestling fans. It was vibrant, different and a clear alternative to plodding programming over on the WWE side. AEW's flagship doesn't have that same appeal these days, sadly. The ratings curve has flattened, and it's hard to see how TK grows his audience exponentially.

Hell, maybe he doesn't need to. Maybe execs at TNT/TBS are happy with the numbers, and it's fair to say wrestling has other measurable metrics that count too (check out the 'Ups' for that!). AEW is hardly in trouble, but Dynamite no longer comes across as the most must-see wrestling broadcast of the week.