In 2020 AEW, crafted a longing for their product so deep that people desperately wanted to pay for it.
Fans were prepared to pay for t-shirts, pay-per-views, Fite TV subscriptions and - when they were permitted again - tickets. Having already extended Dynamite's deal with TNT, network executives were just as keen to put dollars down and presented the Rampage offer along with the flagship's eventual move to TBS in order to avoid constant sports-related shifts that have bruised the show's momentum almost every time.
You can't build an entire business on a feeling, but Tony Khan and his spreadsheet guru Chris Harrington are still trying to find a new sweet spot now that Rampage is a living breathing thing rather than a concept. AEW has built a reputation as a company that listens to its audience thanks to several key creative course corrections over the years, but it's likely that rationale, reason and data helped with this process. Hopefully they'll triangulate the figures that figure out why Fridays just aren't quite as fun a time as most people expected.
That's not to say the numbers that matter most aren't decent. But these aren't the only ones to consider.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
