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Jim Ross has been the voice of several generations of fans, dedicating decades of his life to the business. He’s certainly an integral part of AEW and he is always open about his thoughts on any matter and that is why Ross made it clear that he believes AEW pay-per-views are too long.
Earlier this year, Jim Ross inked one-year deal with the company and has been part of every major AEW pay-per-view since then and that includes the company’s latest event, AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door.
The event got a lot of praise but many complained about the fact that it was far too long, as it had around 14 matches including the pre-show. While speaking on Grilling JR, Jim Ross stated that he believes a pay-per-view should ideally be three hours long, stating that this duration provides ample time for the event’s proceedings. He suggested that if a promotion cannot effectively manage its content within three hours, it may need to reassess its planning.
“I believe that, you know, it’s a tough question. I believe that a pay-per-view should be three hours—plenty of time. If you can’t conduct your business in three hours, you need to re-evaluate your plan. At least that’s my take on it. But those four and five-hour pay-per-views are daunting, to say the least.”
Reflecting on his experience, Ross contrasted with past practices at WCW, where pay-per-views typically lasted around two hours and fifty minutes. He emphasized the importance of respecting the audience’s attention span, particularly as he feels his own has shortened with age. Ross emphasized that exceeding three hours risks testing viewer endurance and could undermine the impact of the main event, which he views as crucial for audience satisfaction.
”So, I am of the belief that somebody said, ‘Well, when you were down at WCW back in the day, how long were your pay-per-views?’ I said they were two hours and 50 minutes long, and that’s a fact. So, I think somewhere more in the 2 hour and 15-minute range is better than—or three hours, just say three hours for simplicity’s sake, is more my wheelhouse. And now that I’m getting older, my attention span has been affected. So, I think three hours is a nice starting point for a pay-per-view.
That’s just me because you first got to cater to your audience, and, you know, I just—I think that when you get past three, you’re gambling. And I don’t know that that’s a smart thing to do, gamble with your audience’s attention span. Because no matter what we say, the heavy stuff is at the end. It’s called the main event, and I think that’s something that’s very important. You’ve got to cater to that audience, make sure they’re covered, make sure they like what they’re—they like the order. And it’s just hard. It’s hard to figure that out. But I think somewhere in that three-hour range would be my preference.”
We have also reported on the early estimated pay-per-view buys for AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door. Regardless, it is likely many fans will agree with what Jim Ross had to say, especially since WWE Premium Live Events end in three hours as well.
Do you believe AEW should reduce the length of their pay-per-views? Let us know in the comments section below!
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
