Why Vince McMahon Doesn't Fear AEW (But SHOULD)
WWE, per weekly reports on the Raw and SmackDown ratings, their demographics, and their trends, are losing viewers of all age at faster rate than ever before. This has been consistent since around 2014, or if its easier to remember it this way, that time Triple H mocked audiences for disliking the product and said the only thing they’d do about it would be to call their friend “Mark” or complain on the internet about it.
It felt like this company-mandated take was eating itself as he unleashed it, but it’s been regurgitated and swallowed all over again like billions acid reflux ever since. And look upon those online fans he spoke so disdainfully of, simply for having the gall to want to enjoy a product they paid handsomely for. What of those now? Some still protest impotently then tune in the following week in the faint hope things will improve. Most simply moved away from wrestling. Or, from around 2015 discovered New Japan Pro Wrestling, or their local independent, or another country’s local independent. Or, in 2019, All Elite Wrestling.
Dynamite’s a fabulous show, most wrestlers speak of the place as a fabulous company to work for, and All Elite Wrestling has done a fabulous job of laying down a marker as North American opposition to WWE in a manner we’ve not seen since Eric Bischoff got f*cking serious about reimagining WCW in 1994, or, very generously, Jeff Jarrett and Dixie Carter attempted countless times with TNA 2002-2012 inclusive. What’s great for fans that remember either of those is in how rooted this latest attempt feels in building its own stars in harmony with sensible use of familiar, mainstream-ready names. The likes of MJF, Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin are pulling healthy quarter hours, and they've never ran WWE's ropes.
McMahon's either naive, wrong or both about the company's "investments", and that's not just a subjective take...
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