The best way to enjoy AEW is to forget about the ratings and just enjoy the show. Tucker Carlson has been huffing that night, it doesn't matter. The next step is to not worry about where it goes from here or what the future holds.
AEW is a cult company. That's okay. All of us AEW fans can accept the fact that it won't grow much from what it is now. No matter the arena, we all dream of our little thing taking over the world. Soccer fans used to be there. Most of the people you work with listen to what you tell them about a band or singer. Fearing how mass popularity would warp what you'd come to adore. Fandom can be hard to understand.
AEW confirmed as much with the announcement last night that it is going to run a joint show with New Japan Pro Wrestling. The work of Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, the Youngbucks, and others gained the attention of fans in Japan. Minoru Suzuki, Jay White, Tomohiro Ishii, and others are all current stars or NJPW legends. Even if they hadn't changed their relationship status on Facebook, they had already been in bed together.
The big news in the wrestling industry last night and today only applies to the dedicated fan. Due to its limited access and the fact that most of its shows are on in the middle of the night, NJPW courts a certain type of creature. It is the after-hours club. You need a password to get in, as you need one on NJPW World, its streaming service. It is for you if you are the type to dance until 5 a.m. If you have to worry about your staff meeting tomorrow morning, it's not going to happen.
It is not for everyone. It is not for most. It is only a few. The show in June will be great for those who have already been trained. We are already dreaming of the matches we will book and how we will get to them, even though we know it will mostly be large tag matches to get as many people on the show as possible. Most of the show will be empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, They will be cool matches. There is some history for Hangman or the Bucks, but that will be the exception. It doesn't matter, as the thought of seeing Hiroshi Tanahashi or Tetsuya Naito live in the flesh would get most of us off.
And you know what? All of that is fine. It's great! After the company got out of the Pandemic and started doing live shows again, there was a fantasy that it would show the world. That the little show could become the dominant one, like the famous ones.
It's a different time now and every type of entertainment is fragmented. It's hard to see how anything that is niche by nature can rise up to something more. Let Vince chase his dream.
Something for a certain type of fan is provided twice a week by AEW. The more they keep that fan in place, the more likely it is that it will never go away. It will always give us something to do. It is always going to be the band that plays your favorite club once or twice a year. If it's not an arena, who gives afuck? How are you going to tell your friends about Danhausen?
The attendance and ratings of AEW are likely to stay where they are for the foreseeable future. We get obsessed with wars and competition, but it is clear that this is not what it is. AEW gives a lot of what a section of fans want, and that is probably all it will do. Working with NJPW proves that. He is never going to bring in casual fans. I'm going to mark the fuck out at the United Center in June when the sound of dropping coins hits and he walks out, but most people wouldn't.
Most people have an obsession with being right and that's why they want to see AEW grow. Being proven right is more important than just being right. You can see that everywhere you look. The AEW product is a better example of pro wrestling. Many AEW fans can feel right about that if it is affirmed by the mass. It isn't enough to be a cult for some, especially when non-Aew fans look for their validation in being right and wrong. They are both looking for better success for their company.
That should not matter. AEW has a home in the industry that is close to the top. It provides three hours a week that are entertaining for a certain type of fan. Why do you care how many others are having fun? It's here to stay, it's here to stay for enough people, and that's success.
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