Since word of AEW’s newest weekly television programme, Collision, began to circulate, some have criticised the show.
The two-hour Saturday night programme is centred on CM Punk. Since its debut three weeks ago, the show has had strong ratings, but it has also suffered a consistent dip in total viewing and the important demo rating. The reduction in ratings was predicted, as all programmes see a drop after their premiere.
The episode, which also served as the premiere of Collision, drew 816,000 total viewers and a 0.33 key demo rating on June 17th. Last week’s programme drew 595,000 viewers with a 0.21 key demo rating and 452,000 viewers with a 0.13 key demo rating.
FTR’s Dax Harwood responded to former WWE ring announcer Jonathan Coachman’s criticism on how fans should’ve been alerted and the drop in Collision’s ratings.
Former WWE personality Jonathan Coachman has previously stated that Saturday nights are not ideal for airing wrestling shows. In response to a fan’s suggestion that individuals should have been warned, Coachaman responded the following:
“Wrestling shoes [sic] do not work on Saturdays. Never have. Never will. Now you all can try and come up with something else but try and understand some of us who are in the business kind of know what we are talking about. All that said I would never float about being right and an entire fan base being wrong. Not my style. ?????”
AEW’s Dax Harwood responded to Coachman:
“Hey Coach. We’re trying to build a brand. It will take time; we understand that. Hopefully you do too! This roster absolutely loves wrestling. Like, an entity. LOVES it. I know you probably can’t relate to that. Will this Saturday night tv show endeavor work? Who knows. What I do know is, we’ll all work our asses off to MAKE it work. I hope you, & people like you, give us an opportunity to show you, professional wrestling IS alive. I know you know how Monday nights work, but maybe you’ll give us more than 3 weeks to make this work. If not, you’re more than welcome to tell me I’m wrong. What I’m not wrong about is, wrestling fans love wrestling. And we’ll always work to make them proud. Give us a chance.”
Hey Coach. We’re trying to build a brand. It will take time; we understand that. Hopefully you do too! This roster absolutely loves wrestling. Like, an entity. LOVES it. I know you probably can’t relate to that. Will this Saturday night tv show endeavor work? Who knows. What I…
— Uncle Dax FTR (@DaxFTR) July 6, 2023
