SUMMARY
- AEW has not had the most productive time in terms of ticket sales in recent times.
- However, the Tony Khan-led promotion has been using some cool production tricks to hide empty seats.
Once touted as the successor to WWE’s throne, All Elite Wrestling now finds itself in a very desperate state. Starting in summer of 2019, AEW emerged as the fastest-rising product in the pro wrestling history, quickly establishing itself as a viable competitor to WWE’s monopoly over the industry.
Unfortunately, the company’s honeymoon ended in the fall of 2022, and they have
struggled to bounce back ever since. The constant injuries, bad booking decisions, Cody Rhodes’ departure, and the complete CM Punk vs. AEW drama have dampened the
promotion’s credibility in all the worst ways.
FULL AEW ALL IN FIGHT BETWEEN JACK PERRY & CM PUNK!
Did @TonyKhan Just Bury His Own Company? pic.twitter.com/RgznJpUk7S
— We R Wrestling (@WeRWrestlingg) April 11, 2024
Despite bringing in world-class talents like Adam Copeland, Kazuchika Okada, and Will
Ospreay, the company has struggled to reach its initial popularity, which is reflected in its
poor ticket sales over the last few months. However, Tony Khan and his crew have now come up with a clever tactic to prevent the empty seats from affecting the vibe of their TV shows.
AEW brings camera angles into full effect to hide disappointing ticket Sales
AEW production crew have altered their strategy to make the shows appear more lively. As seen in the given clip from AEW Collision, the company is now focusing primarily on the full side of the arena to accommodate maximum audience in a single frame.
Smart of AEW to only focus on the full side of the arena. Fake it till you make it I guess.🤷🏽♂️ #AEWCollision pic.twitter.com/HxJdzrwI8r
— CM Punk never botched he makes happy mistakes ⚡️ (@lifer_wwe) April 14, 2024
Furthermore, the crew is using Zoom-ins and camera cuts to distract the fans at home from the lack of audience in the arena. There is a dedicated effort at not using full-arena camera shots for the time being.
The new production tactic seems like a wise move at Tony Khan’s part to help him preserve the quality of the show. It also buys him some more time to rethink about his product and attract new viewers to the show.
As for the dwindling ticket sales, it is AEW’s questionable booking decisions that are to blame. Despite having a world-class roster that even outshines the WWE in many ways, the promotion has failed to meet the desired expectations.
Tony Khan letting go of CM Punk and Cody Rhodes really did hurt them and the AEW fanbase is very toxic that I don’t even want to watch the product.
— SnowJudo (@AlbertMejia_) March 15, 2024
Their unhealthy obsession with WWE hasn’t helped their case either. The constant shots at their rival have backfired, with AEW no longer having the goodwill of the fans.
Their recent Dynamite segment involving the Young Bucks further worsened the issues for Tony Khan’s company. In an effort to embarrass CM Punk through the All-In footage, the crew ended up validating his statements. The footage might have helped them pop a rating, but it significantly impacted the promotion’s popularity.