AEW London 2023

[Jazzy G]

They'll paper it if they have to, but I'm sure they'll have contingency plans for making the place look full if it isn't. 

[Matthew]

1 hour ago, BomberPat said:

If rumours of Sting's retirement match happening on this show turn out to be true,

Where are these rumours? The only mention of a Sting retirement match are fans booking an imaginary card, so hopefully people won’t be too disappointed if it doesn’t happen when it was never so much as reported as a rumour. Let alone only came from the minds of fans.

[BomberPat]

It's guesswork, but it's educated guesswork.

Sting has said he's planning on retiring this year, Meltzer's speculated that it will happen at Wembley, and it'll be the biggest show they run this year, so as good a place for it as any. That doesn't mean the match is happening for sure, of course, but it's one of the options on the table.

It's more a question of what matches they can announce that would be big enough to drive another surge of ticket sales in the tens of thousands, and I think they have a few up their sleeve if it comes down to it.

[SuperBacon]

11 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

It's more a question of what matches they can announce that would be big enough to drive another surge of ticket sales in the tens of thousands, and I think they have a few up their sleeve if it comes down to it.

Sorry I don't think there is any match that they currently have that would surge ticket sales in the tens of thousands.

I don't know whether this will sell out, but I reckon that the vast majority of people who wanted a ticket have already done so, or will do so in the next presale, and there are actually very few people that will wait for the card to be announced.

Everyone yesterday bought a ticket despite the fact that this could be headlined by random wrestler vs random wrestler (I don't know enough about AEW to pick two "shit" wrestlers) 

AEW in London is the draw here, not the card so much, and sure there will be some who might think "oooooh Punk is back" or "ooooh Stings last match" but not in the tens of thousands. 

Of course the card will still likely be brilliant, but I'd very surprised if they sell the same amount again.

Be great if they did, but I just can't see it happening. 

[Keith Houchen]

I thought the Sting retirement match being in London rumours came about because he tweeted a picture of his new National Express Senior Coachcard with the caption “Can’t wait to make the most of this”

[WyattSheepMask]

1 minute ago, Keith Houchen said:

I thought the Sting retirement match being in London rumours came about because he tweeted a picture of his new National Express Senior Coachcard with the caption “Can’t wait to make the most of this”

Is he coming from Birmingham too?

[BomberPat]

17 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

Sorry I don't think there is any match that they currently have that would surge ticket sales in the tens of thousands.

Not individually, perhaps. But I think an indication of the card will start to draw more people in, beyond the majority for whom AEW and the novelty of a Wembley show are the main draw.

Officially, we've had no confirmation that CM Punk is on this show - he's not back on TV, he's not on the poster or any of the advertising graphics, hasn't been mentioned in AEW for months, so unless you're following the ins and outs of it all online, you wouldn't know that's even on the cards. If and when he's confirmed, I think that will result in another big push for tickets, on top of the inevitable second wave at general sale.

When I went to a TNA show ten years ago at Wembley Arena, obviously it's on a much smaller scale, but I didn't get the impression that anyone around me in the cheap seats was there because they were an avid TNA fan, but because it had guys they remembered from the WWF on the card. I think there's a massive casual and lapsed WWE watcher potential market that might not be too fussed about getting in for tickets straight away, are keeping their options open, but something like a big CM Punk match or, to a lesser extent, a Sting match will tip them towards buying tickets. 

I think, based on AEW's core roster, there's not a match they could book now that would sell any more tickets than the AEW name alone. But they're more than capable of reaching outside of that die-hard audience once the hype for this show really gets rolling, and barring any major new signings, or celebrity involvement, CM Punk or a match with long-term consequences like a retirement match are the best routes to that, when coupled with the kind of cross-media hype this show will generate.

[Statto]

@Matthew really needs to show up with a "I bussed 230 miles to see [INSERT MAIN EVENT] despite living round the corner" sign.

[SuperBacon]

21 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

Officially, we've had no confirmation that CM Punk is on this show - he's not back on TV, he's not on the poster or any of the advertising graphics, hasn't been mentioned in AEW for months, so unless you're following the ins and outs of it all online, you wouldn't know that's even on the cards. If and when he's confirmed, I think that will result in another big push for tickets, on top of the inevitable second wave at general sale.

As much as I love Punk, I think this is completely overestimating his appeal.

Of course there will be a small surge in tickets if he is announced, same with a Sting retirement match, but again, I reckon that the majority of people that would be interested in either of those things, has or will buy a ticket this week. There's every chance there will be another 10/15k sales this week which would put them at 50ish? 

And again, this isn't me downplaying it, it'd be great for them to sell it out, but I just don't see it happening.

Is the thinking that if they announce Stings retirement, fans who weren't planning to go from over the world would go? Another 10/15k? 

What I'm saying is they need to book Gangrel in a 'crisps on a pole' match and take away the NO CHINESE Britwres rule to sell it out.

[Supremo]

I‘m far from a Conrad guy but he’s nailed this take.

Before Double J? The highest they did was 20k. Double J on the roster? They’re clearing 35k on the pre-sale alone. You can prove anything with facts.

Campaign starts now though. Get Eddie Kingston healthy. Get him back on Dynamite. And then get him in front of that record setting crowd. No man deserves it more. Maybe he can give another shout out to Wolverhampton.

I understand the need for a Goldberg, Sting or CM Punk to attract the bigger audience, but for me? I want a victory lap of all the stars they’ve created these past three years. Wrestlers I’d barely heard of, who are now firm favourites. Cassidy. Hangman. Kingston. Wardlow. Danhausen. Hayter. The Acclaimed. Sue. I can’t wait.

[Pinc]

I will weep salt tears if Eddie Kingston isn’t there.

[Tim Healys Chutney Spoon]

If they want exWWE names to boost numbers then 

Dean Ambrose v Chris Jericho

Cesaro v Christian 

Saraya v Ruby Riott w/Vicky Guerrero

Hardy Boyz v FTR

Surfer Sting v JJ

 

Sorted bruv

Edited May 3, 2023 by Big'Olympic_Hero'Pete

[69MeDon]

2 hours ago, Supremo said:

I‘m far from a Conrad guy but he’s nailed this take.

Before Double J? The highest they did was 20k. Double J on the roster? They’re clearing 35k on the pre-sale alone. You can prove anything with facts.

I cannot wait to hear the BEE WOO BEE WOO BEE WOO WEE at Wembley. Not even joking here.

[LaGoosh]

2 hours ago, Pinc said:

I will weep salt tears if Eddie Kingston isn’t there.

He's injured isn't he? Hopefully all better (and back on the main roster where he belongs) in time. Thousands chanting his name would be glorious. 

[BomberPat]

3 hours ago, Supremo said:

I understand the need for a Goldberg, Sting or CM Punk to attract the bigger audience, but for me? I want a victory lap of all the stars they’ve created these past three years. Wrestlers I’d barely heard of, who are now firm favourites. Cassidy. Hangman. Kingston. Wardlow. Danhausen. Hayter. The Acclaimed. Sue. I can’t wait.

I'm there too. Chatting with my girlfriend about it yesterday, and we said it's pretty much the only instance where we won't complain if the show ends up with a marathon 12 match+ card, because we just want to be able to enjoy seeing a combination of the wrestlers we grew to love from watching AEW, and those we knew before AEW and celebrate the fact that they're getting to wrestle on a massive show.

As nice as it would be to tick some of the bigger names off our list, the two we mostly came away excited about were Danhausen, even if all he does is walk to the ring with Orange Cassidy and curse somebody, and Jamie Hayter, because my girlfriend worked with her in tiny venues really early on in both of their careers, and to be able to then see her (deservedly!) get a hero's welcome at Wembley will be incredible. 

The other one I'm hoping for, that's more of a long short in terms of how little she gets booked, is Emi Sakura - her being able to perform at Wembley, doing the Freddy Mercury schtick, would be amazing.