May 27, 2024 Observer Newsletter: AEW celebrates five years, El Hijo del Santo retiring, weekend preview

By Dave Meltzer
Published: 24 May 2024, 05:40

Ever since WBD earmarked Collision last year, giving AEW five hours of weekly television on TBS and TNT, it was known that 2024 would be the most important year, since the first year, in company history.

The promotion, No. 2 in the world in popularity and revenue, as well as expenses, celebrates five years since its debut show, the first Double or Nothing, with a PPV at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

WWE would celebrate historical milestones usually with a big television show, promoting it well and building to much larger ratings than usual. And perhaps AEW is saving that for the five year television anniversary the first week of October.

There have been mentions of this, but it’s hardly been pushed in any major way. There have been no promos from the guys there from the start talking about the launch, clips from the original show or press conference leading to the show, or any celebration regarding the company outlasting almost all expectations there were for it, its successes and its failures. Then again, WWE really wouldn’t talk much about its failures in its celebrations either.

The past is the past. Most in wrestling did not believe it still would be here in one year, let alone five. And if they knew a pandemic was coming that would shut down live events, they’d peg the odds of success even lower than most did.

The past does include some tremendous television episodes, including the tribute to Brodie Lee show which may have been the best televised show ever, and many of the best matches ever held on American-based television. The PPVs and PPV business has been way above any reasonable expectations when it comes to both show quality long-term and business.

Creative certainly has questions. A lot of money has been spent on some talent that has contributed very little. AEW went from the fun place to work with the great backstage camaraderie when WWE talent for the most part were walking on eggshells, to a place with a lot of frustration from wrestlers making a nice and even great living but not getting anywhere near the ring time nor upward mobility hoped for.

It’s also led to both fair and in some cases ridiculously unfair rhetoric. Aspects that have been hugely successful, match quality for instance, have been denied by some or even somehow been painted as a negative. Crowds going nuts at great matches has been derided as being easy crowds and thus their reactions don’t count.