Dave Meltzer: "Wrestling Is The Hottest It's Been Since 2001"
WWE's merchandise sales are currently outdoing even the Attitude Era.
The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer is of the belief that professional wrestling is currently hotter than it has been since 2001.
Meltzer expressed this belief on Wrestling Observer Radio, noting that last week's SmackDown drew the show's best P18-49 rating since March 2020. Additionally, SmackDown ranked first for the week amongst all television shows, potentially becoming the first professional wrestling broadcast to ever accomplish such a feat - a run that stretches back 75 years.
Booming live event attendances and SmackDown drawing its latest domestic gate at Madison Square Garden (7 July) were also cited.
Meltzer stated that even when Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant were at the top of the card, WWE was "number 33 on television." Even during the Attitude Era, Raw and SmackDown weren't outdoing the week's top shows, making wrestling the hottest it has been since 2001.
Interestingly, it was stated that merchandise is currently hotter than it has ever been, outdoing even the Attitude and Hulk Hogan eras.
Meltzer called Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns "the catalyst", noting, too, that Cody Rhodes is "doing great on Raw." He is of the belief that the momentum is only going to continue, stating "we are nowhere close to an endpoint."