"Don't think we'll see that anytime soon" - Hall of Famer on if Tony Khan's AEW will overtake WWE in ratings (Exclusive)
Since AEW arrived on the scene, TV ratings have become a hot topic again. WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson, however, believes that Tony Khan's company won't be overtaking Vince McMahon's anytime soon.
WWE has built its monopoly on professional wrestling over multiple decades. Yet there hasn't been a competitive presence like AEW to challenge Vince's dominance since the days of WCW.
In the three years since its inception, All Elite Wrestling has posted consistent year-on-year growth. Meanwhile, WWE's ratings have been diving for the last decade, despite the record profits generated by its deals with FOX and the Saudi Kingdom.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Riju Dasgupta, Arn Anderson was asked if fans will eventually see AEW overtake WWE's flagging TV ratings the way WCW did in the late '90s. Here's what Arn had to say on the matter:
"I don't know if that will ever happen again because it was a different time. You had a lot of talent with those two companies who were seasoned, who were veterans, who had been around. (...) Today we have a few veterans in the locker room and mostly young guys and ladies, and it's hard for them because they don't have enough tools on their tool belt yet as far as having experience to be able to pull that off. So if it happens down the road, who knows? I don't think we'll see that anytime soon." (4:30)
You can check out Arn's full interview below.
Arn Anderson is one of the expert panelists for the first-ever Sportskeeda Wrestling Awards.
You can join him and other experts in determining the biggest winners of 2021 by casting your vote in the link here.
AEW's Dynamite's move to TBS has been largely successful
Last week's edition of Dynamite drew 1.01 million total viewers, up 29% over a rare slump the week before. More impressively, it marks a 21.5% increase in viewership over the same week in 2021.
Dynamite has been thriving since its jump to TBS in January. The move from AEW's traditional home on TNT was reportedly made to avoid conflict and preemption from NHL and NBA games, both of which often air on Wednesday nights.
On January 5th, we go back to the Mothership as #AEWDynamite brings wrestling back to @TBSNetwork https://t.co/r7ReWndFDk
Dynamite's continued year-over-year growth has been helped by global stars like CM Punk and Bryan Danielson joining the company. Fans have also been drawn to the promotion by Tony Khan's attention to detail when building long-term stories and characters like Hangman Adam Page.
Although AEW is not set to overtake WWE in the ratings anytime soon, the sheer variety of options for wrestling enthusiasts right now makes this one of the sport's most exciting eras.
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You can also check out Arn Anderson in conversation with other celebrities on Ad Free Shows.
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