Wrestle Pedia
AEW has transformed itself from an underdog promotion to a direct competitor to its rival, WWE with a stacked roster and producing enthralling shows on a weekly basis. They upped the ante further with the signings of three of the biggest wrestling stars of the modern era.
The top free agent signing spree with The Rainmaker, Kazuchika Okada from NJPW who already has become champion in the company and aligned himself with the EVPs of the promotion, Matthew and Nicholas Jackson, The Young Bucks.
This was followed by the addition of The Aerial Assassin Will Ospreay who has delivered some memorable performances including his recent win over Bryan Danielson at AEW Dynasty in dream showdown.
The top signings concluded with the acquisition of former WWE star, Mercedes Mone last March marking a top-caliber roster for Tony Khan’s company. However, a user on X noted disappointed numbers in terms of viewership for AEW despite signing three of the top free agents in history.
- March 6: 779,000
- March 13: 798,000
- March 20: 800,000
- March 27: 747,000
- April 3: 752,000
- April 10: 819,000 (CM Punk’s footage)
- April 17: 762,000
- April 24: 683,000
The numbers so far, clearly prove that Tony Khan’s big dollar spending has not garnered the results AEW had anticipated. When calculating the average numbers of the last eight weeks of television, AEW is only averaging 767, 500 viewers per show since bringing on the additional talents under big money contract deals.
We will have to wait and see if the numbers can go up moving forward as Okada, Ospreay, and Mone continue to command top spots on AEW television programming.
What are your thoughts on the disappointing numbers done by AEW despite signing three of the top stars in wrestling? Sound off in the comments!