WWE and AEW are leading the pro wrestling industry in its hottest period since the late 1990s and early 2000s, when WWE, WCW and ECW were dominating the business with captivating storylines and uniquely talented performers.
AEW just filled out a venue atypical to the 10,000-person wrestling shows they have hosted before, with over 81,000 people attending its biggest event yet at Wembley Stadium for All In. Similarly, WWE sold 90,000 tickets for WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia, and routinely fills stadiums for the Grandest Stage of Them All, the Royal Rumble and SummerSlam.
Seth Rollins has taken notice of not only WWE’s success but also AEW’s, and he recently commented on the “boom” of pro wrestling on WWE’s After the Bell podcast, citing the large number of fans that are attending events (h/t Fightful for transcription).
We are in the boom. You have to understand, there is another company that just put 80,000 people in a stadium for one night. A week before that, we sold 90,000 tickets to WrestleMania, broke the all-time gate on the first day. There are seven, eight different television programs of pro wrestling on a week, not counting premium live events or pay-per-views. The talent roster, across the board, is beyond what any generation has ever put forward. It’s very easy to look back at the past with rose-colored glasses and say, ‘but this, but that,’ I’m not taking anything away from the guys who paved the way, I stand on the shoulders of these guys. I don’t do what I do without the legends of our industry that have defined their own generations, but they should be proud, and I know they are, because they are the people who got us to where we are now.
Rollins also said that the pro wrestling industry is “healthier” — a term used for the abundance of big-name companies providing opportunities for performers to flourish and the high level of talent present.
The business is bigger than it’s ever been, it makes more money than ever, it’s healthier. The future of the business is so bright and I’m so happy to be a part of it in any capacity. I can’t tell you the pride I take when I see young cats coming up and succeeding in our industry and pushing the thing forward or guys getting an opportunity to prove their worth, and they do because they are capable and seeing guys like Edge, who is close to deciding to hang it up one way or another, going out there and tear the house down with Sheamus in Toronto. On every level, it’s just firing.
Rollins’ excitement about the state of the industry is palpable, and others likely feel the same way. Pro wrestling just had a red-hot summer, and it will be interesting to see what’s next for it.
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