AEW Collision Ratings This Week Deemed Significantly Important”

The ratings for AEW Collision have been a subject of discussion among fans, as they have experienced a decline over the first few weeks.

The premiere episode drew 816,000 total viewers with a 0.33 key demo rating. However, subsequent episodes saw a drop in viewership, with the June 24 episode garnering 595,000 viewers and the July 1 episode attracting 452,000 viewers. The July 8 episode saw a slight increase with 580,000 viewers.

While speaking about the topic of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer mentioned the significance of this week’s show within the promotion. He noted that AEW does not have high expectations for the third hour of the show, known as Battle of the Belts. Meltzer stated that if the ratings for this week’s episode are similar to those of the previous week, the company would be satisfied. However, if the ratings significantly drop, particularly considering the loaded lineup featuring a tag team title match and a match between CM Punk and Ricky Starks, it would be a cause for concern.

“For, that third hour (Battle of the Belts) is like, do they have high expectations for that third hour? Not that I’m aware of. No. I haven’t discussed that with anybody. I know that if they do a number (Collision’s ratings) similar to last week every Saturday, they will be very happy. If it’s way down from Saturday, they will not be happy, especially because it’s a loaded show with a tag team title match, and with the Punk match with Starks, I think that if it’s close to last week, it’s great. If it’s close to the July 4th weekend show, with this loaded lineup, it’s not good, you know? I don’t think that we still have a read on what Saturday’s gonna do on a normal week because I didn’t think last week was a normal show. Last week was much better than normal. As far as the normal show, I’m thinking, I don’t think this week is either, I’m thinking maybe Newark is when we’re gonna, like, kind of go, unless he totally loads up Newark too.”

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Meltzer also mentioned that it is difficult to gauge the ratings for the Saturday show on a normal week because the previous week’s show was exceptional. He believes that the upcoming show in Newark might provide more insights, as it is expected to have a strong lineup. Meltzer emphasized that AEW cannot take its audience for granted, as weaker shows can lead to a decline in viewership. He acknowledged that Wednesdays provide a more stable base audience, while Fridays have become less of a concern. However, the Saturday ratings hold significant importance for the company at present.

“I think on Saturday night, he has to kind of load it more than Wednesday because it’s just a harder night because people have more options on what they wanna do Wednesday. I think he’s got… he can’t take his audience for granted because when he does put on a weak show, the audience will go down. Yeah. That’s the reality. But I think that on Wednesday, you kind of have a base, and on Friday and Saturday, I don’t think that the base is much, much smaller. Friday’s (Rampage) kind of whatever, you know, nobody’s really worrying about what Friday does anymore. It’s like if it’s good if it’s bad, it doesn’t really matter. It doesn’t, you know. I mean, it matters, but it’s not of grave concern. But the Saturday number is something significant that everyone’s looking at right now. Yeah.”

As AEW continues to navigate its programming schedule, it remains to be seen how the ratings for AEW Collision will evolve and whether the promotion can sustain and build upon its viewership in the coming weeks.

What are your thoughts on the recent decline in ratings for AEW Collision? Do you think it’s a cause for concern, or do you believe it’s just a temporary fluctuation? Leave a comment.