AEW London 2023

[Keith Houchen]

4 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

The NFL is a global brand for sure. But outside of the US they’re ain’t many people who could name 10 teams let alone players. They could put two shit teams on at Wembley and it will be near capacity for the reasons I mentioned above. I’m not saying the AEW brand is anywhere near as well known as the NFL. But they have 90,000 seats to sell to people from all over the world.

But NFL games in Europe are not friendlies, they’re part of the season. And because there are so few seasonal games for a team, they’re always a hot ticket. That’s why many US fans travel over, because they only get 8 or so home games a year. 
 

I imagine this show would be like MLB in London. It was probably the biggest rivalry in baseball playing a competitive match on UK soil. Many Europeans saw this as possibly the only time they’d see an MLB season game so made an occasion out of it. Take this year, my partner and I know we will more than likely never go on holiday for a plethora of reasons. So our “Holiday” is going to the baseball. We put aside what we can every month for tickets and petrol and have a day at the ballgame in London. I imagine many European AEW fans will treat this show similarly. It’ll be a weekend break in a capital city with the added attraction of AEWs biggest ever show. 

[Supremo]

The answer is obvious. Mark Briscoe, Danhausen and Orange Cassidy on This Morning. Save Jungle Boy and Hook for Loose Women.

[RedRooster]

53 minutes ago, Loki said:

Do we really think that AEW is going to go with someone like Okada in their main event?? Are there even 30,000 people in Europe who’ve heard of him?  

I'd suggest that there are, but you're speaking as if it's a one match show. You need a main event that feels massive, of course; but that match doesn't in itself have to be the main draw for everyone. I don't personally give a shit about Okada, but he's the kind of person who a certain set of fans would travel to see live - and that's what they need - a card that people would travel to see. 

19 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

I think we all need to revisit what is and what isn’t niche.

99.9% of things you like are niche when you’re talking about selling a stadium.

I don't agree with what you seem to be saying here. AEW is niche, but just because something is niche, doesn't mean that it's not a sufficient draw among that audeince. Tribalism in wrestling annoys the fuck out of me, but fuck, it'll likely benefit them to some degree here. AEW has incredibly dedicated fans.

5 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

But, arguing that Danielson, Adam Page, Pac or whoever else alone will get the job done is actually mental. If that was even half true, the WWE - with bigger names - would be running it all the time. There's a reason they don't. It's really hard. I'm absolutely buzzing to see what they've got planned to get there.

WWE could draw a big crowd at Wembley, and perhaps even sell it out. But yes, if they ran it regularly, the novelty would wear off. But this is, presumably, a one-off show. That in itself is part of the appeal. They need to put on a card that people would fly in to see - something people want to be part of - but I don't think that means they have to change what they are to any significant degree. 

[Chris B]

Be a hell of a retirement match venue for Sting.

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, Chris B said:

Be a hell of a retirement match venue for Sting.

If someone had said in the '90s that there was a real prospect of both Hogan and Sting seeing out their careers in the UK, they'd have been laughed off the mailbag page of Power Slam.

[Chris B]

1 minute ago, Uncle Zeb said:

If someone had said in the '90s that there was a real prospect of both Hogan and Sting seeing out their careers in the UK, they'd have been laughed off the mailbag page of Power Slam.

And would you have guessed which would be at which Wembley?

[d-d-d-dAz]

23 minutes ago, RedRooster said:

I don't agree with what you seem to be saying here. AEW is niche, but just because something is niche, doesn't mean that it's not a sufficient draw among that audeince. Tribalism in wrestling annoys the fuck out of me, but fuck, it'll likely benefit them to some degree here. AEW has incredibly dedicated fans.

You misunderstand me.

My argument is more when it comes to selling a stadium, pretty much everything is niche. WWE and AEW both fall into that bracket.

WWE wouldn’t run Wembley Stadium without something special planned, and equally I don’t think AEW are going to do this without having something up their sleeve.

I’m not trying to be a dick, or anti-AEW in anyway, as I’ll definitely be going; but I have spent my adult life flogging tickets essentially to sporting events of various stripes at various sizes of venues and it can be a real, real slog.

They won’t do it with a regular show, but I suspect they know that. That’s my only point.

[garynysmon]

13 minutes ago, Uncle Zeb said:

If someone had said in the '90s that there was a real prospect of both Hogan and Sting seeing out their careers in the UK, they'd have been laughed off the mailbag page of Power Slam.

Sting’s looking for red trackie bottoms as we speak.

I have no idea what the CM Punk situation is, nor do I keep up with AEW other than what I read on here, but his presence wouldn’t hurt ticket sales.

Edited April 6, 2023 by garynysmon

[garynysmon]

51 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

The NFL is a global brand for sure. But outside of the US they’re ain’t many people who could name 10 teams let alone players. They could put two shit teams on at Wembley and it will be near capacity for the reasons I mentioned above. I’m not saying the AEW brand is anywhere near as well known as the NFL. But they have 90,000 seats to sell to people from all over the world.

WWE is a very close analogy. I’m willing to bet a large percentage of the crowd at Clash in the Castle didn’t have a clue who most of the current roster were, but heard a big and well promoted show was in town and went along to watch ‘the wrestling’.

I have no doubt the ITV publicity machine will be in full effect with Adam Page popping into the Woolpack for a pint.

[TheBurningRed]

Sting to bring back the cricket bat to pop the British fans like he did when TNA was over here.

[Infinity Land]

18 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

You misunderstand me.

My argument is more when it comes to selling a stadium, pretty much everything is niche. WWE and AEW both fall into that bracket.

WWE wouldn’t run Wembley Stadium without something special planned, and equally I don’t think AEW are going to do this without having something up their sleeve.

I’m not trying to be a dick, or anti-AEW in anyway, as I’ll definitely be going; but I have spent my adult life flogging tickets essentially to sporting events of various stripes at various sizes of venues and it can be a real, real slog.

They won’t do it with a regular show, but I suspect they know that. That’s my only point.

Even then I don't think WWE and AEW are in the same bracket.

There's a difference here. In that WWE wouldn't run Wembley unless they thought they had a real shot at selling out. They wouldn't want a half empty venue. Especially when people would compare it to SummerSlam 92.

AEW won't be operating to the same standard. The financial side will be the consideration, but from an optics stand point they'd make whatever crowd they get work.

[RedRooster]

26 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

You misunderstand me.

My argument is more when it comes to selling a stadium, pretty much everything is niche. WWE and AEW both fall into that bracket.

WWE wouldn’t run Wembley Stadium without something special planned, and equally I don’t think AEW are going to do this without having something up their sleeve.

I’m not trying to be a dick, or anti-AEW in anyway, as I’ll definitely be going; but I have spent my adult life flogging tickets essentially to sporting events of various stripes at various sizes of venues and it can be a real, real slog.

They won’t do it with a regular show, but I suspect they know that. That’s my only point.

I hate that you feel the need to say this - I understand why you did, because anything that can be construed as negative can lead to that very accusation. I don't think you're being anti-AEW at all, and I don't think anyone on this forum has anything other than nuanced criticism. That's not criticism of you - just a general observation. Tribalism exists everywhere, sadly. 

I suspect they will have something special planned - as in, it won't be a bog-standard card - but I also suspect the company itself has a dedicated enough fanbase to draw a decent-sized fly-in crowd. I don't necessarily think they need to bring in anyone in order to do that, but I'd be very surprised if there weren't at least a few big names from other companies involved. 

Edited April 6, 2023 by RedRooster

[d-d-d-dAz]

2 minutes ago, Infinity Land said:

Even then I don't think WWE and AEW are in the same bracket.

There's a difference here. In that WWE wouldn't run Wembley unless they thought they had a real shot at selling out. They wouldn't want a half empty venue. Especially when people would compare it to SummerSlam 92.

AEW won't be operating to the same standard. The financial side will be the consideration, but from an optics stand point they'd make whatever crowd they get work.

Sure, there’s a sliding scale and WWE would always have a better shot. Which just makes it harder for AEW, but it’s always hard.

They’ve either got a plan, or a sweet deal which means they won’t take a bath if they only sell half the tickets.

[Guest]

I feel like there are AEW diehards who will sell a kidney not just to be there and enjoy the show, but almost more importantly, to do their bit in making ticket sales respectable. "Don't worry Tony, we've got your back here mate. Which tier do you need me to buy?"

[FUM]

The idea that NFL is a niche product in the UK in 2023 is one of the larger cases of lacking awareness I’ve seen on here.

Edited April 6, 2023 by FUM