WWE/TKO and ESPN desperately don't understand this stuff. While there's overlap in the WWE/AEW audience, it's not anywhere near what they assume. This idea that they can go head-to-head and strip away their viewship is so misguided.
Lemme tell you, I'm a dude who's been watching wrestling for a long time, and guess what? I don't watch or care about any sports. Zero. Nada. I attend my local USL soccer team's games with my kids because they enjoy it. Otherwise? Nothing. Combat sports are too toxic to bother with anymore, and whatever love I had for them winnowed away years ago.
I haven't touched WWE since the Saudi deal happened, and probably never will again. It's too bad, they've got a lot of great talent, and I'm sure some of it is really fun. While I am under no delusion that any company or individual in wrestling will share my values, at least watching AEW isn't helping push destructive agendas and line the pockets of some of the worst people imaginable today. The Harvey Weinstein of pro wrestling indeed.
On the other side, AEW--not without its faults--feels closer to being an actual wrestling show that cares about wrestling. There's a decent part of the AEW audience that's closer to me than whatever fan WWE thinks they're going to steal away. Someone who doesn't care about sports, doesn't like WWE's politics, history and culture, and who has limited time to waste on watching stuff that comes with too many problems to be able to enjoy it.
I mean, look.
WWE/TKO and ESPN desperately don't understand this stuff. While there's overlap in the WWE/AEW audience, it's not anywhere near what they assume. This idea that they can go head-to-head and strip away their viewship is so misguided.
Lemme tell you, I'm a dude who's been watching wrestling for a long time, and guess what? I don't watch or care about any sports. Zero. Nada. I attend my local USL soccer team's games with my kids because they enjoy it. Otherwise? Nothing. Combat sports are too toxic to bother with anymore, and whatever love I had for them winnowed away years ago.
I haven't touched WWE since the Saudi deal happened, and probably never will again. It's too bad, they've got a lot of great talent, and I'm sure some of it is really fun. While I am under no delusion that any company or individual in wrestling will share my values, at least watching AEW isn't helping push destructive agendas and line the pockets of some of the worst people imaginable today. The Harvey Weinstein of pro wrestling indeed.
On the other side, AEW--not without its faults--feels closer to being an actual wrestling show that cares about wrestling. There's a decent part of the AEW audience that's closer to me than whatever fan WWE thinks they're going to steal away. Someone who doesn't care about sports, doesn't like WWE's politics, history and culture, and who has limited time to waste on watching stuff that comes with too many problems to be able to enjoy it.