Well folks, it looks like AEW CEO Tony Khan has a lot on his plate—kind of like trying to juggle flaming bowling pins while riding a unicycle. Sure, the August 14 episode of “AEW Dynamite” ranked first out of all cable TV shows, but let’s not pop the champagne just yet. While Khan might be fist-pumping over that No. 1 ranking, the rest of the news isn’t exactly the stuff of ticker-tape parades.
You see, “Dynamite” pulled in just over 700,000 viewers, which sounds like a solid number—if you’re grading on a curve. But if you’ve been paying attention (and Dave Meltzer certainly has), you’d know that’s a 25% drop from the same week last year and a staggering 50% plummet since the show’s debut in 2019. Yes, that’s right folks, Khan’s numbers are heading south faster than a snowbird in December.
Now, Meltzer isn’t here to kick a man while he’s down. He’s just shining a light on what everyone’s been whispering about in the dark corners of the wrestling world. According to Meltzer, all the hoopla about All In Texas, the upcoming AEW debut in Australia, and those new media rights deals is just a way to distract from the elephant in the room—a 400-pound teenage elephant that just ghosted AEW.
Meltzer pointed out that AEW’s golden goose, the coveted 18-34 demographic, is slipping away faster than a bar of soap in a prison shower. Sure, the 35-49 demo is holding steady, but let’s face it, those folks are more likely to be shopping for orthopedic shoes than tuning into a wrestling match. The real money, the real future, is with those teenagers who are already swiping left on AEW in search of the next big thing.
And let’s not forget WWE—still out there like the Homecoming King who peaked in high school but somehow keeps winning Prom King year after year. WWE’s product is stronger than ever, which isn’t helping AEW’s case. In the end, while Khan has a lot to celebrate, he might also want to invest in some Kleenex—because those ratings are giving him plenty to cry about.