Despite selling record number of tickets, has the AEW All In buzz died down?
AEW has undoubtedly made a mark on the pro-wrestling community even before All In Wembley has taken place. While the ticket sales are impressive, the proverbial "buzz" around the show is seemingly a different matter.
Ever since the inception of the Jacksonville-based promotion, it has been presented as an alternative of WWE both in its wrestling style and the creative department. The company has certainly stood the test of time so far, with AEW growing over the last few years to be a credible competitor.
Perhaps the biggest success of the promotion so far has been the upcoming All In PPV. Selling over 80,000 tickets, the pay-per-view has already surpassed expectations of many. It should be noted that the majority of the sales took place even before a single match was announced for the event.
However, WWE has also grown significantly over the last couple of years. The Stamford-based company has been breaking through milestones of its own. Furthermore, AEW has been constantly marred by backstage issues particularly involving one of the biggest names on the roster, CM Punk. This has certainly shifted the spotlight away from the positives of the company of late.
Another factor to consider ahead of All In is the venue, which is in UK. The audience there is not used to major live wrestling shows as frequently as in the US, which has helped in the ticket. Despite the numbers, the hype around the show may have slightly gone down as the event draws closer.
The AEW management has been heavily criticized by Eric Bischoff
Despite praising the success of All In, Eric Bischoff has been harshly critical of the issues behind the scenes in Tony Khan's company.
Speaking on the Strictly Business podcast, the veteran fired shots at the All Elite president for his mismanagement.
"It's literally the inmates running the asylum at this point, and the entire company looks like a giant clown car filled with juvenile, unprofessional, self-absorbed children. Not all of them obviously, I don't want to cast such a broad net, but I've never seen anything like this before. Could you imagine if Tony Khan would have been able to buy WWE? You can't manage a clown car at this point." [H/T WrestlingINC]
Whether the issues have led to a downfall in the 'buzz' for All In or not, is upto the fans to decide at this point. Nevertheless, the show is shaping up to be one of the biggest events in the pro-wrestling business.