AEW Collision ratings increase despite major competition
Last week's AEW Collision marked the one-year anniversary of the Saturday night show. The episode continued the build for Forbidden Door 2024 and saw an increase in ratings despite going up against the NHL's Stanley Cup final.
Saturday was a busy day for both wrestling and sports. Earlier in the day, WWE held its second-ever Clash at the Castle Premium Live Event in Scotland. At 8 p.m. ET, AEW Collision went up against Game 4 of the NHL Stanley Cup final, and UFC Fight Night aired directly afterward.
AEW Collision drew an average of 431,000 viewers with its latest episode, an 11% increase over the previous week's 388,000. It also pulled in a 0.13 rating, putting it at #2 for the night on cable behind ESPN Sportscenter, which also drew a 0.13. Collision ended up beating UFC Fight Night, to the surprise of many.
AEW is in a contract year, and negotiations with Warner Bros. Discovery are reportedly ongoing. Ranking so highly on Saturday night could provide a big boost for Tony Khan's company as he works to get a new deal hammered out.
What happened on AEW Collision? (June 15)
The latest episode of AEW Collision featured a stacked card in celebration of the show's one-year anniversary, as well as a Father's Day tribute from All Elite Wrestling's resident Patriarch, Christian Cage.
The Blackpool Combat Club took on NJPW's Lio Rush, TMDK, and Rocky Romero to kick things off. We also saw a hard-hitting bout between Thunder Rosa and Deonna Purrazzo, followed by a strange Forbidden Door encounter between Dalton Castle and CMLL's Hechicero.
Elsewhere on the card, Lee Moriarty faced off against Dante Martin and Kyle O'Reilly vanquished Anthony Henry. We also got a special message from Christian Cage, who invited fans to celebrate him as their father.
The show was headlined by an intense bout between House of Black and Bang Bang Gang. Malakai Black's stable ultimately got the win, becoming the number one contenders for the AEW Trios World Championship.