AEW News: Photo Shows Bad Turnout For ‘Dynamite,’ Cody Rhodes Responds With Facts
The business of professional wrestling is one that is always about who can do better, and AEW is trying to prove that they belong with the big boys. Ever since Dynamite debuted in early October, it has done good numbers on television, but NXT has caught up and started beating it in the ratings. A photo going around social media shows a reported poor turnout for this week’s episode, and Cody Rhodes decided to address it with facts and stats.
Wrestling is nowhere near the height that it was years ago during the “Monday Night Wars” and WWE’s Attitude Era, but it might never get there again. There are the struggles of changing tastes and the sport having to alter itself to keep up with how things are today.
At the beginning of December, a photo circulated from the WWE Network special called Starrcade, and it showed a poor crowd turnout. Reports stated that the fans in attendance were all moved to the hard-camera side so the empty seats wouldn’t be shown on the WWE Network.
Wrestling Inc. took notice of a picture circulating from this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite and it showed a similar scene. The image shows a lot of empty seats at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas, where the show took place, and the Twitter user who originally shared the photo called it “embarrassing.”
The best and most influential fans get the recognition they deserve. We couldn't do anything without YOU ? pic.twitter.com/1hjPF9zPJ9
— AEW on TV (@AEWonTV) December 12, 2019
It certainly doesn’t look very good when seeing a picture like this, but many shows end up like this these days and it is just how things are. Gone are the days of all shows being sold out, and it’s bound to happen at any event, no matter how long the promotion has been active.
Rhodes isn’t only an active wrestler in AEW, but he is also one of the executive vice presidents of the company. Upon seeing the picture and reading some of the comments from those on Twitter, he chose to address everything that was being said.
Rhodes made sure to let everyone know that the arena was being utilized at 80 percent, with more than 4,500 people in attendance. Depending on the setup for the event taking place, the Curtis Culwell Center can hold around 6,860 people.
Cody Rhodes says that All Elite Wrestling will return to the arena even though some fans think the show was a failure due to the attendance issues. While some may feel as if it is a problem for AEW and professional wrestling, Rhodes feels as if the night was a success for all involved.
