Amid a noted downturn in business metrics, including live event touring and attendance, AEW is taking strategic steps to adapt and maintain its status as the second-biggest wrestling promotion in the world. In November, AEW began focusing on smaller, more intimate venues, including their debut at New York City’s iconic Hammerstein Ballroom, to enhance the fan experience and create a unique atmosphere for their shows.
During an appearance on Josh Martinez of Z100, AEW star Chris Jericho praised this pivot, emphasizing the benefits of hosting events in mid-sized venues.
Jericho explained, “Yeah, it really is man [being excited about the move] I think the worst thing you could ever do is to kind of in any business overprice yourself or overextend yourself. We’re at a place where to go to some of the middle-size venues not in every city but in some of them, it’s a very smart move. For many reasons, but most importantly, just the vibe of the fans and like you want to put 10,000 people into an arena, and if you can, you do. If you’re down to 5,000 but you go to a 4,000-seat arena, it increases demand. It just makes the show that much more exciting, and it translates so much better on TV.”
He continued, “I think right now, with all of the different choices that people have to buy tickets to go to shows, I think we’re smart to moving to some of these, like you mentioned, different-sized venues. Because it just makes it cooler, and we have always had the cool factor in AEW, especially when we started and then going into the pandemic and coming out of the pandemic. I think one way is the supply and demand. If you have this many tickets for sale and they’re gone. It just makes the product hotter and you can just continue to grow.”
Jericho’s remarks come following his victory at ROH Final Battle on Friday night, where he successfully defended the ROH World Title against Matt Cardona. The shift in venue strategy reflects AEW’s commitment to innovation and staying connected with its passionate fan base while navigating the challenges of a competitive market.
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
