It’s absolutely amazing that in 2024, professional wrestling is more widespread, accessible, and better produced than ever before, yet neither of the giants of professional wrestling have any idea how to make a pay-per-view that audiences can enjoy. WWE and AEW are hosting their own shows two weeks in a row, and each has their own unique approach to producing their shows. think Wrestling fans were hoping for that, but in both cases they were disappointed.
AEW × NJPW Forbidden Door While the show aired first and was always expected to be a longer super show, we got a ridiculously overstated 15-match card that included a total of 205 minutes of in-ring wrestling and a total running time of over four hours. PPV pacing has long been an issue for AEW, as they have always taken a “more is better” approach, cramming as many matches as possible onto the card, and doing it in a way that makes it impossible to fully enjoy any one match in isolation, as there is just too much for us as viewers to take in. As a result, burnout really does set in, and some of the top matches on AEW cards are more often than not met with a “I wish this was over” reaction rather than the excitement they deserve.
At the other end of the spectrum is WWE, which blatantly disregards its viewers as anything other than consumers. Money in the bank was one of the most lacking, least transparent and awful shows the company has ever produced, with more in-show advertising than actual wrestling. The card only had five matches total, totaling 86 minutes of wrestling in a three-hour show. Endless advertisements for Prime Hydration, The Boys streaming on Prime Video and Wheatley American Vodka were tiresomely served up to satisfy PR executives in the boardroom at the expense of fans in their living rooms.
How did both companies fail so badly?
Corporate tribalism breeds stupidity
Not long ago, both companies ran tight, three-hour shows that packed in enough wrestling for everyone to enjoy without feeling too long, but now, in their desperate efforts to prove themselves, both WWE and AEW seem to be going to ridiculous extremes.
AEW continues to brand itself as a “real wrestling organization,” but doesn’t that mean they’re cramming so much wrestling into their shows that they no longer have any impact? Forget the 8-match cards of the past and do 10, 11, 12 matches. How about 15 matches? The shorter WWE runs get, the longer AEW runs get, and no one in the building seems to understand pacing or viewer fatigue. Sure, it’s all well and good to say “we’re giving you 15 matches for 50 bucks,” but editing is an art, and AEW desperately needs it on their card.
Conversely, WWE has gotten into the business of commodifying its audience more than ever before, and belittling them in the process. A three-hour show with only an hour and 20 minutes of wrestling is a travesty, clearly designed to boost stock prices and make money for advertisers. No one has ever said, “This show is light,” and if they did, they’d be yelled at. It’s an extension of what we see every week. Living and smack downNow wrestling has become a distant memory, replaced by advertisements and vignettes.
What was the PPV?
Looking back at wrestling’s most successful era, the “Attitude Era” when WWE and WCW were going all out, both companies were much better at putting on a cohesive show. Going back to the summer of 1997, both companies were putting on very tight shows under three hours that didn’t feel lackluster or pretentious.
- WWF King of the Ring: 2 hours 46 minutes, 8 matches (103 minutes in the ring)
- WCW Bash at the Beach 2 hours 45 minutes, 9 matches (110 minutes in the ring)
Neither show felt lacking in in-ring action or storylines, and they were both within 10 minutes of each other in actual wrestling, with roughly the same airtime. A big reason for this was the way pay-per-view slots were booked; cable companies, by design, only had three hours to book and air their shows.
Now that streaming has taken over, there are basically no adults left to tell companies what to do or not do, and while AEW feels they have to put on a massive four-hour+ show to justify the $50 price tag, WWE knows they don’t even have to try anymore because their media deal with Peacock for PPV mandates them to put on shows with no say in quality.
Without the pressure of actually selling shows, WWE can pull stunts like spending most of its time on advertising instead of wrestling.
Can we return to a more balanced show?
probably. Forbidden Door and Money in the bank There’s more talk than ever among pro wrestling fans about how these companies are running their shows and what they’re doing wrong.
This really shouldn’t be all that complicated. I’m not asking AEW or WWE to reinvent the wheel. Just give us a show under three hours where at least half the show is actual wrestling in a ring. Concise enough to be enjoyed for a night, but not so flimsy that it feels like it was made by a TikTok user on Adderall.
WWE has already had success with its NXT shows. heat wave It was a near perfectly paced show, now it’s time to apply that to the main cast.
AEW needs to learn that less is more. WWE needs to learn that the bare minimum feels like the bare minimum. Give wrestling back to the wrestling fans. Give wrestling back to petty wars and corporate overlords.
