Trying to pack a stadium with enthusiastic fans is a tough nut to crack in pro wrestling. But WWE has been successfully doing that for 8 weeks in a row. What should be noted is that these 8 weeks are the ones for which John Cena has been present on SmackDown.
These high numbers also show why WWE is well ahead of AEW in the digits game.
SmackDown draws 10,000+ fans for the 8th week in a row
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Pro wrestling fans know well that there are two top players in the game currently: WWE and AEW. And WWE recently proved that they are supreme in the Tuesday Night War courtesy of the appearance of legends like The Undertaker and John Cena. WWE NXT got a total of 921,000 viewers in the 18-49 demo. AEW Dynamite on the other hand had an audience of 609,000 viewers in the same demographic.
Now, once again WWE proved why Tony Khan should pack his bags after SmackDown sold out more than 10,000+ tickets tonight. And it’s not just tonight, but SmackDown has been clocking these numbers on the last 7 occasions as well. Obviously, the packed arenas are courtesy of the return of John Cena and also Roman Reigns, who fans so eagerly want to catch a glimpse of.
Tonight's #SmackDown will be the 8th SmackDown in a row to draw over 10,000 fans.
Incredible.
(WrestleTix) pic.twitter.com/ClV82ANt4O
— Wrestle Features (@WrestleFeatures) October 27, 2023
Maybe if Cena and Reigns were not present, the final numbers would be a little different. But let’s also take a look at the numbers for AEW’s weekly shows.
AEW’s weekly shows have less than half the attendance of SmackDown
AEW must have beaten WWE by having the biggest crowd ever in pro wrestling history at All In with 81,035 sold out tickets. But the same cannot be said for its weekly shows. Although AEW has a huge fan following in the pro wrestling market, it doesn’t translate into arena packing fans every week.
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For example, AEW’s recent Rampage numbers were just 4,457. Even the last episode of Dynamite where Tony Khan announced Ric Flair as Sting’s retirement gift drew a crowd of only around 5,673, almost half the numbers of Smackdown.
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Watch this story: After Mandy Rose, 34-Year-Old WWE Star Aims to Make Millions as She Ventures into Raunchy Content Business
Yes, we can’t deny the fact that AEW is just 4 years old while WWE is a 40+ year sports entertainment behemoth. But it’s still not looking good for the newer promotion. What do you think should Tony Khan do next to increase the number of wrestling fans coming for AEW’s weekly shows?