Vince Russo believes WWE made a mistake if it ever underestimated AEW — and he thinks Tony Khan’s financial backing is the biggest reason why.
While speaking on The Coach and Bro Show, Jonathan Coachman pointed to recent television ratings and suggested there may be a connection between AEW’s recent growth and WWE’s recent declines. Coach noted that Collision has been drawing stronger numbers, Dynamite is back above 750,000 viewers, and WWE’s flagship shows have seen some drops.
“I feel like right now, I don’t know if you saw the ratings for Collision, but I think there’s a correlation. I think there’s a direct correlation between Collision ratings way up, Dynamite up over 750, and Raw and SmackDown going down.”
Coach then referenced previous comments from Road Dogg and wondered if WWE may have underestimated AEW’s ability to become a legitimate competitor: “And Road Dogg even said it, we underestimated AEW. Do you think they’ve underestimated AEW?”
Russo immediately agreed and said he never understood how anyone could overlook a company backed by someone with Tony Khan’s resources: “Yeah. And I don’t know how. How do you underestimate a billionaire?”
He explained that it’s easier to dismiss a wrestling company that lacks major financial backing, but AEW was never in that position because Khan had the money to keep investing in the promotion.
“That’s because I could understand underestimating them if they don’t have a lot of money. I totally get that. You know, TNA, the Carters were not billionaires. Tony Khan was a billionaire. I would have never underestimated anything just knowing he had endless funds.”
Coach agreed and pointed out that the Khan family’s wealth extends far beyond just Tony Khan himself: “Exactly. And they’re worth 15 billion. He’s not just a billionaire. He could buy and sell Vince three or four times over now.” Russo could only shake his head at the scale of the numbers involved: “Yeah. It’s crazy, man.”
Whether fans agree with Coachman’s ratings theory or not, both men seemed to agree on one thing: AEW was never a company that should have been dismissed. With Tony Khan’s financial backing and the resources available to the promotion, Russo believes AEW was always going to be a serious player in the wrestling business.
Do you think WWE underestimated AEW when the company first launched? Let us know your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.
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