"They're just doubling down on their hardcore fans" – WCW star Konnan on why AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam drew poor ratings
Konnan, best known for his tenure at WCW, believes AEW is more intent on making hardcore wrestling fans happy rather than worrying about viewership.
While speaking on his podcast Keepin it 100, Konnan discussed numerous topics; notably his thoughts on AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam, unable to grab strong viewership.
He compared the management's mentality to former U.S. President Donald Trump and other pro-wrestling personalities like Jim Cornette and Vince Russo, who don't seem to care much about what others think.
Konnan cited the same rationale for AEW bringing Japanese legends like Minoru Suzuki as they appeal more to die-hard fans:
"It seems to me that they're just doubling down on their hardcore fans. And they just want to keep them happy. It's almost like when Trump, he just gave red meat to his hardcore fans. Jim Cornette, neither did Russo, care about what other people think. They just feed their hardcore fans. Think about it, who knows who Suzuki is? They just put some Japanese guy or girl, I don't know who it is, it's coming AEW. I've never even heard of him, and everybody was popping online because they just think about their hardcore fans," Konnan said.
In what will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest matches in #AEW and #AEWDynamite history, Bryan Danielson and Kenny Omega fight to a time-limit draw. It was a spectacle, and a TV match we will be talking about for a long time. https://t.co/ecAk4OOmlF
AEW garnered 1.273 million ratings for the Grand Slam episode of Dynamite; up from last week's 1.175 million.
Despite putting on a pay-per-view show, the numbers could've been much better, given that they had already beaten RAW in a key demo a few weeks ago. However, the show also competed with the season premieres of Masked Singer and Survivor, which explains the ratings.
AEW has lined up a loaded card for the upcoming edition of Dynamite
Major matchups THIS WEDNESDAY when #AEWDynamite is LIVE on TNT from Rochester:
-TNT Title: @ToBeMiro v @sammyguevara
-@AdamColePro v @boy_myth_legend
-@lucha_angel1/@MattSydal v @CodyRhodes/@BigShottyLee
-@ThePenelopeFord/#TheBunny v @annajay___/@TayConti_ https://t.co/VnJOaJVl9T
AEW's Grand Slam edition is in the history books now, and fans are looking forward to seeing what the company has in store moving forward. In the upcoming Dynamite episode, Miro will put his TNT Championship on the line against Sammy Guevara.
Adam Cole will also be in action as he takes on Jungle Boy in a singles match. Penelope Ford and The Bunny will continue their feud with Tay Conti & Anna Jay. Finally, Cody Rhodes and Lee Johnson will face Matt Sydal and Dante Martin. Given the stacked card, it'll be nothing short of an action-packed show for fans in New York.
What do you make of Konnan's statement? Sound off in the comments section below.