Former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega has given his thoughts on the increased pay-per-view calendar.
For the first couple of years, All Elite Wrestling relied on their four big shows each year; Revolution, Double Or Nothing, All Out and Full Gear. 2022 would see the addition of the NJPW crossover show Forbidden Door and 2023 would expand even further with the inclusions of UK show All In, WrestleDream and the upcoming December show World’s End. With the promotion now holding double the number of pay-per-views it did back in 2019 and the shows set to be annual fixtures, fans are starting to ask if there are too many big shows.
Although the main competitor WWE holds 12 Premium Live Events each year, this is included in a Peacock subscription in the United States at as little as $5.99. As AEW charges $50 per pay-per-view in the United States, fans could effectively see a whole year’s worth of WWE content for a little more than it costs to purchase one AEW SuperShow. With the world also in a cost-of-living crisis, fans are being more careful with their money than ever, potentially choosing a select number of shows instead of the core 4 that they religiously bought a couple of years ago.
Executive Vice President Kenny Omega spoke with Bleacher Report about the growth of AEW from its inception in 2019. When discussing the number of pay-per-views, Omega stated that the pay-per-views should be presented because it is a big night and not a necessity:
“If we can recreate that feeling, then let’s do it every week. We have wrestlers on our roster who could wrestle 365 days a year, and they want to because they love this business. Does that mean that we should wrestle every day of the year? Absolutely not. I don’t think so. That is sort of the same feeling I have toward PPVs.
I think they should feel special. I think that when you’re building toward a PPV, there should be enough time to build stories and emotions to a fever pitch. You are either going to be satisfied or extremely dissatisfied with the outcome, but you’re going to want to watch the show the week after on Dynamite.
Omega continued, stating that there is no ideal number of PPVs but did stress that it should be quality over quantity:
“I really do think when it comes to big-match PPVs for in-ring quality, I think AEW still has the best product on the planet. What’s the magic number for PPVs? I don’t know, but I think it’s best to baby-crawl up than to just toss out a ridiculously high number and have people burned out from the get-go.
“It’s not just about having oodles of content. It’s about having oodles of satisfied fans.”
One match that is sure to satisfy fans will see Kenny Omega return to singles action when he faces Ethan Page on the December 9th edition of AEW Collision
AEW Seeking New President
Along with Omega, The Young Bucks also serve as EVPs within the promotion. Looking to expand the backstage personnel, AEW has recently posted a job advert to seek a new vice president to work within the company.