WWE Dominates AEW In Terms Of Online Popularity

WWE used to open all of its shows with a voiceover proclaiming the company the “worldwide leader in sports entertainment.” That claim still holds to this day. Despite much stiffer competition from AEW, WWE continues to be the most popular wrestling company in the world.

Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics recently did a deep dive into online trends in the world of pro wrestling. One of the most striking findings was just how popular WWE is compared to the competition. As far as Google search activity, no other wrestling organization comes close.

To date in 2022, WWE has garnered a staggering 80.1% share of Google web searches among promotions. AEW is the next closest at 12.4%. New Japan Pro Wrestling was able to garner 5% of those searches. No other promotion broke 2%.

Thurston reported that Impact was the fourth most popular among wrestling fans on Google. Their national television presence helped them gain a 1.5% share. Ring of Honor, the NWA, and MLW combined for a total of 1%.

The report also showed that AEW has steadily been gaining popularity. WWE has the advantage of having existed for decades. Still, the wide gap will take some time and an incredible effort to overcome.

A twelve-month moving average has shown that AEW is growing. Around the time of WrestleMania 38, WWE finally saw a spike in searches after a steady decline. AEW still has a lot of ground to make up. For the moment, WWE is king when it comes to online popularity.

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