• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

All Elite Wrestling announced; bankrolled by Tony Khan, son of Jacksonville Jaguars and Fullham FC owner Shahid Khan

Status
Not open for further replies.
RBH

RBH

Official ERA expert on Third Party Football
Member
Nov 2, 2017
32,854
It's been interesting to see the largely negative reaction to the $50 price point thus far.

AEW has been saying and doing a lot of right things since January, but this feels like their first real mis-step.

If they're doing PPV's every 3-4 months rather than monthly, then I can somewhat better understand the $50 pricing. But I think the reaction over the past 24 hours may be evidence enough that it's just going to be very difficult to re-adjust a lot of wrestling fans' expectations regarding the pricing of these kind of shows, especially when the WWE Network and NJPW World have largely undercut that old system in the wrestling world. Asking $50 for a historic show like this on a one-time basis is one thing, but asking for that on a regular basis is going to be tough.

My initial prediction was that they'd do the same price as All In ($40), which I think should've been the max price. I feel like the difference between $40 and $50 may be enough of a psychological barrier for people to not buy the show. The question is how many people does that represent, and is it significant enough?

We'll see how it plays out and whether it leads to changes in the pricing after Double or Nothing.
 
Snake Eater

Snake Eater

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
11,385
Right now the AEW audience is the hardcore wrestling crowd, many of whom will find a way to watch it free online, trying to squeeze another $50 out of the instead of having a low entry point to get back the fan who stopped watched years doesn't seem smart at all
 
Heromanz

Heromanz

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
20,202
B
chuckddd said:
There was a time when getting a pay-per-view was an event. You'd do it 2-3 times a year, rotate between your and few friends' houses, split the costs and have a party. Still do that sporadically for some boxing matches, but haven't done that for a wrestling event in a long long time and UFC has fallen by the wayside, too. Vince and Dana really fucked shit up when they decided to start doing ppv's once a month. In summary, $50 is too much if you're planning on sitting at home alone but fine if you split it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
But like they make way more money off of it. Monthly pay per view help save WWE. Like Dana right now means way more off of pay-per-view then Vince does off the network. people complain all the time about Pay-Per-View price at the end people will pay it if they want to see what is going on
 
SpaceSong

SpaceSong

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,013
RBH said:
It's been interesting to see the largely negative reaction to the $50 price point thus far.

AEW has been saying and doing a lot of right things since January, but this feels like their first real mis-step.

If they're doing PPV's every 3-4 months rather than monthly, then I can somewhat better understand the $50 pricing. But I think the reaction over the past 24 hours may be evidence enough that it's just going to be very difficult to re-adjust a lot of wrestling fans' expectations regarding the pricing of these kind of shows, especially when the WWE Network and NJPW World have largely undercut that old system in the wrestling world. Asking $50 for a historic show like this on a one-time basis is one thing, but asking for that on a regular basis is going to be tough.

My initial prediction was that they'd do the same price as All In ($40), which I think should've been the max price. I feel like the difference between $40 and $50 may be enough of a psychological barrier for people to not buy the show. The question is how many people does that represent, and is it significant enough?

We'll see how it plays out and whether it leads to changes in the pricing after Double or Nothing.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Food for thought, people buy Marvel hardcovers for $40 off the shelf. I think you're right about that mental barrier thing.

They need to rethink PPV's at that price to push Turner to rethink the strategy while they use B/R

yes, hello comics era. Physical comics are the worst and only buy physical off instocktrades. We're talking casual audience.
 
Last edited:
Anth0ny

Anth0ny

Member
Oct 25, 2017
46,815
It probably makes sense business-wise. Their hardcore base fly out to wrestling shows and spend hundreds of dollars on merch. $50 for a huge show like this one that sold out instantly is nothing.

It won't work if they expect people to buy monthly PPVs for $50 a pop, though. The "special" feeling goes away quick, and shit is way too easy to pirate these days.
 

Deleted member 17658

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,468
MrLuchador said:
Wait. So in WWE when the wrestlers are looking at the hard camera they're reading from a teleprompter? No way. I've been following for nearly 30 years, why do I find this the most shocking thing :|
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Pretty sure WWE dont use a teleprompter. In the late 80's, mostly all studio wrestling shows used teleprompters. Of course, this was a case by case basis as people like the four horsemen, Dusty Rhodes, and Magnum would not use them but it was frequently used then.
 
Snake Eater

Snake Eater

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
11,385
Anth0ny said:
It probably makes sense business-wise. Their hardcore base fly out to wrestling shows and spend hundreds of dollars on merch. $50 for a huge show like this one that sold out instantly is nothing.

It won't work if they expect people to buy monthly PPVs for $50 a pop, though. The "special" feeling goes away quick, and shit is way too easy to pirate these days.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

There is going to be countless free live streams and the next day it will be everywhere to download, I would've been ok paying $15 for it
 
Stall_19

Stall_19

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,992
It's kinda hard for me to justify buying DoN for $50 when I get a month of WWE Network+New Japan World+Stardom World+DDT Universe all for for less than $40 and any one of those services will have more content than one ppv.
 
Radiophonic

Radiophonic

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,598
I'll be there for the TNT show, but forget it on the PPV. I understand their hands are tied, but that's too bad for them. DoN looks like it will have some decent stuff, but wrestling prices have been set for this kind of thing, and this is ludicrously expensive in that regard. Six months of NJPW or one ppv? Hmm, let me think about that
 
Brass Body Dave

Brass Body Dave

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
16,568
RS1984 said:
It sounds like it was not their decision from what I've read. They based the $50 price on the average price of UFC and boxing PPV's. Also, it appears the contract with Turner requires steaming events cannot be less than cable prices.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
That also sucks because that means there probably won't be any room to backpedal on that price in the future, either.
 
Sweeney Swift

Sweeney Swift

User Requested Ban
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,743
#IStandWithTaylor
If they had to get one thing right, weekly/live TV or occasional PPVs, I'm going to say they did the right choice long-term by choosing TNT. Short-term it's going to suck because the first things they're offering are PPVs that nowhere near everyone is going to pay that much for. But TNT was always going to be a larger potential audience than that was going to provide

This company got announced the first week of January and got teased for at least a full month before even that. Everyone was comfortable waiting nearly half a year for their first matches before this announcement. 5 more months for TV where everyone will be able to watch no matter what ain't that bad. I don't think this has any effect on its audience for October, even if it has an obvious effect on its audience for next week
 
DMczaf

DMczaf

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,265
Las Vegas, NV
Lonewolf said:
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


RBH

giphy.gif
 
Lonewolf

Lonewolf

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
3,900
Oregon
It all feels so earnest and heartfelt, ya know? As someone who grew up watching WCW since the 80's, I wish them the best of luck.
 
BoboBrazil

BoboBrazil

Attempted to circumvent a ban with an alt
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
18,765
I was always a bigger WCW fan than WWE, so this is awesome to see. I can't wait to see the show.
 
Buckle

Buckle

Member
Oct 27, 2017
41,041
Having PPVs only every three to four months is the only way they can soften the blow even if its just abit.

They would still lose a huge amount of potential viewers but the drop off from DON to the next one probably wouldn't be as savage like it would on a monthly schedule.
 

Nightside

Member
Oct 28, 2017
625
I'm the video Cody said DON it's on fite TV but I can't see it listed on the site.
Anyway I don't think AEW will make monthly PPVs, it would be wiser to go for a big event every 3 or 4 months. It works with takeover at least quality wise (in my opinion)
 
Last edited:
Bronx-Man

Bronx-Man

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
15,351
AEW ppv's are monthly. Fyter Fest is next month, Fight for the Fallen is July, and All In 2 is probably in August. Meaning they'll have to rely on live attendance, merch, and tv ratings/ads for profit because I can't imagine many people are gonna spend $50 a month on a unproven product.
 
spookyduzt

spookyduzt

Drive-In Mutant
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
10,837
Buckle said:
Having PPVs only every three to four months is the only way they can soften the blow.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah, making these things an event that only happens every 3-4 months would make it easier to accept. My problem with paying $9.99 for the WWE Network is that their monthly ppv almost always feels like an extended version of Raw or Smackdown. They're just nothing shows that I'm not upset about if I forget to watch, and I don't bother rewatching them if I do. I just move on to Raw the following day. There's no hype, the booking is usually terrible, etc.

I'd feel more ripped off by spending $50 spread over five months on piss poor WWE ppvs than spending $50 on one AEW ppv that blows my socks off every 3-4 months.
 
RBH

RBH

Official ERA expert on Third Party Football
Member
Nov 2, 2017
32,854
Bronx-Man said:
AEW ppv's are monthly. Fyter Fest is next month, Fight for the Fallen is July, and All In 2 is probably in August. Meaning they'll have to rely on live attendance, merch, and tv ratings/ads for profit because I can't imagine many people are gonna spend $50 a month on a unproven product.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Are we sure that Fyter Fest and Fight for the Fallen are PPV's?

Because that wasn't my understanding.
 
Var

Var

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
1,310
I highly doubt Fyter Fest will be PPV. The last show they did with CEO was streaming on twitch. I could see Fight for the Fallen ending up on PPV but I haven't heard them say that.
 

Deleted member 17658

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,468
yea im pretty sure fyter fest is a Kenny project that AEW is backing. I highly doubt it will be PPV. more likely will be streamed on Twitch
 
Disco

Disco

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,444
RS1984 said:
It sounds like it was not their decision from what I've read. They based the $50 price on the average price of UFC and boxing PPV's. Also, it appears the contract with Turner requires steaming events cannot be less than cable prices.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

thats gonna hurt them. hopefully they have these events set up for Warner's upcoming streaming service as well.
 
Buckle

Buckle

Member
Oct 27, 2017
41,041
Missing the BOSJ for this.

I swear to god, AEW, you better make this worth it..

*shakes fist*
 
steveovig

steveovig

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,171
Did some of you realistically expect DON to be like $20 or something? Shit, the In Your House shows were the only $15-$20 PPVs in 1995!!!! I expected $40, which isn't too far off from the actual price.
 
TarpitCarnivore

TarpitCarnivore

Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,209
steveovig said:
Did some of you realistically expect DON to be like $20 or something? Shit, the In Your House shows were the only $15-$20 PPVs in 1995!!!! I expected $40, which isn't too far off from the actual price.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Well a lot of other shows are 15/20/30, like gCW last weekend was $30 for the weekend pass. Plus factor in every streaming service being sup $10 and people set expectations around cost.
 
Buckle

Buckle

Member
Oct 27, 2017
41,041
steveovig said:
Did some of you realistically expect DON to be like $20 or something? Shit, the In Your House shows were the only $15-$20 PPVs in 1995!!!! I expected $40, which isn't too far off from the actual price.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Considering the actual standard rate for wrestling PPVs is a lot lower (five times less), yeah, I did.
 
Last edited:
Sweeney Swift

Sweeney Swift

User Requested Ban
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,743
#IStandWithTaylor
https://www.tvinsider.com/778328/chris-jericho-aew-double-or-nothing-tnt/

Chris Jericho said:
We've had this slow build, all of it done without TV. We're doing it with social media and word of mouth, which is a real testament to the potential and excitement and the buzz surrounding AEW. Double or Nothing is the biggest show in AEW's existence, probably forever. There will probably be bigger shows, but there is the old saying that you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

That's why we are going with Jericho versus Kenny as the first-ever main event. A lot of people are asking, 'Why don't you wait for that and build toward it?' There is no waiting. There is no assumption there is going to be a second show. We have to come out of the gates with the best show possible to really catch everybody by surprise or to make everybody believe what they already know. That this is going to be a strong, solid, legit contender to be the greatest pro wrestling company in the world.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

AEW is an important schedule, but it's not a full-time schedule. As we get up and rolling and get into the weekly TV sort of stuff, we'll have to structure Fozzy tours accordingly. But it's not like this is 150 days a year type of deal nor will it ever be. It was one of the reasons why I decided to sign with AEW. The schedule they gave me was very much conducive to still having a busy schedule with Fozzy and continue the run with the band we've been building for the last 20 years.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I'm not surprised. I will say this…everyone in WWE owes Chris Jericho a thank you because the moment I signed with AEW, it became legit. That's when everyone started getting these huge raises to not go. It was very similar to what happened to Bobby Hull in the early 1970s when he signed with the WHA (World Hockey Association) for a million dollars. Every other player got a huge raise to not jump with him. My dad [Ted Irvine] went from a $35,000 to a $100,000 a year because they didn't want him going to the WHA.

It's the same thing Vince is doing with WWE. You're hearing about prelim guys getting $400,000, $500,000 a year deals. Everyone deserves the money they make, but they never would have gotten that before and wouldn't get it somewhere else. They can be ones who will never draw a dime. It doesn't matter. Vince doesn't want anyone coming to AEW. Doesn't want there to be a mass exodus whether you are an opening match jobber or a main event Roman Reigns. He doesn't want anybody to go.

This is a war. Even if you don't want it to be, it just is. There hasn't been any competition for WWE on a national basis for 20 years or more. I think this is something they didn't really want, but it's great for the fans and great for the guys. I think in the long run it's going to make a difference because it gives people a choice. And it's always good to have a choice.

I don't think you are going to see an over-scripted type of show. We have no intention of being WWE lite. WWE is the best in the world at what they do. We won't be doing that. We have a different mindset. I think when you look at what goes on during a New Japan show, that might be what the in-ring product looks like when you think about the way it's shot, and guys have a lot more input in what they're doing from a creative standpoint and character standpoint.

If I produce something and think it's good, I don't have to get it approved by 10 different people before I post it. I'll have 500,000 people see something, and they say they wish they can see more of that in WWE. The reason for that is because it comes from me. Not five other people. When AEW starts, I'm sure everyone on the show will be getting a little bit of direction. But you have a lot of creative freedom to make your own moves and name for yourself. I think that is a real positive for us.

You know your character best. I think that gives everybody involved a lot more confidence and freedom to be that character. I think it's going to be like the way things used to be in WWE. Not that it's better or worse, but when I came to WWE the opening promo I did where I interrupted The Rock, I wrote it myself. There was no rehearsal. Nobody going through it first. If you liked it, it was all me. If you didn't like it, it was all me. That gives you confidence to succeed.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.