The alarming AEW trend is similar to WCW in 2000

What can only be described as an alarming AEW trend is similar to what WCW did starting in 2000 when they were struggling financially.

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If you follow wrestling accounts on Twitter, you’ve probably seen the pictures from time to time. Specifically, that of half-empty AEW arenas. People joke that there are no fans in the hard camera positions – that anything not on camera is basically abandoned. And now this alarming AEW trend appears to resemble what WCW faced in 2000.

Sure, Tony Khan will tout the new television deal between Warner Brothers and Discovery as proof that all is well. Except, it may not be the case. Yes, signing the new television deal will motivate Khan to change things on television. But it doesn’t change half-empty arenas. At least not unless Khan starts using the WBD money to buy the tickets and distribute them to many interested fans.

The poor attendance is worrying

As the Wrestling Observer pointed out, the footage of the barely half-full arena is a bit concerning. Particularly in the half-empty arenas, AEW is approaching crowd levels not seen since WCW circled the drainpipes. WCW quickly went downhill, with sparse attendance at shows with empty seats outnumbering fans. This was a sign of things to come, and AEW appears to be emulating this alarming trend.

While AEW may have just secured its future on television for the next few years, was it too late? The Observer is quick to establish a few points. First, despite the terrible visitor numbers, the product is theoretically better. The roster has insane depth (perhaps too insane), and while the numbers don’t reflect it, the cage fighting has largely been among the best of any company so far. This means that while visitor numbers are falling sharply and showing us an alarming trend, the outliers themselves do not indicate problems that need to be addressed.

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