"It blows my mind" - Vince Russo points out his biggest gripe with AEW (Exclusive)
Vince Russo recently slammed AEW over for promoting their flagship show, Dynamite on Rampage, instead of booking anything of consequence.
AEW Rampage began airing in August 2021 after it became clear a two-hour show just wasn't enough to showcase the promotion's deep and talented roster. While it was initially well-received by fans, many began to criticize the promotion for not booking any significant storyline developments on the show.
As a result, Rampage's ratings began to decline, and it hasn't yet come close to the numbers it hit for the first few episodes. Speaking on Sportskeeda's Legion of RAW, Vince Russo slammed All Elite Wrestling for mainly promoting Dynamite on Rampage instead of presenting must-see TV.
He pointed out that around half of Dynamite's audience watches Rampage, and those who do, are aware of what's lined up for Wednesday night. Russo explained that this rendered the extensive promotions pointless.
"Rampage is like half the audience of Dynamite. All they do on Rampage is promote Dynamite. Now wouldn't you assume, bro, those people watching Rampage are also already watching Dynamite? Wouldn't you assume that? They spend so much time promoting a show that those viewers are already watching, bro. It blows my mind," said Vince Russo (From 27:12 - 27:57)
Check out the video below:
AEW Rampage saw an improvement in ratings for last week's episode
Rampage witnessed a significant upswing in its ratings on Friday night, registering 600,000 viewers. It saw a 31.58% hike over the previous week's numbers, where it could garner 456,000 fans.
Even in the much sought-after 18-49 demo, Rampage saw a remarkable 66.66 % increase, with 328,000 viewers tuning in, compared to last Friday's 193,000. The upswing can be attributed to the star power on the episode, with both Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley competing.
The Great Yuta? Or just no college basketball games or other Mania weekend shows?
AEW Rampage was watched by 600,000 viewers on average, including 328,000 in 18-49 and 0.25 rating.
This was Rampage's highest P18-49 viewership since Oct1 & highest total viewership since Jan. 28.
While The American Dragon defeated Trent Beretta at the event, Mox beat Wheeler Yuta in the night's violent main event. It'll be interesting to see if AEW books any top stars for this week's Rampage, as it could help the promotion sustain or even improve upon the numbers.
Do you agree with Vince Russo's assessment of Rampage's situation? Sound off in the comments section below.
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