The Enigma of High Online Engagement and TV Ratings

Eric Bischoff, a pivotal figure in the wrestling industry and former WCW President, recently shared his insights on the disparity between online and TV viewer interest in wrestling. On his podcast “83 Weeks,” Bischoff delved into the phenomenon where certain wrestling segments garner millions of views online, yet don’t reflect the same enthusiasm in TV ratings.

A prime example highlighted was the clip featuring Adam Copeland (known to many as Edge) interacting with Tony Schiavone and Christian on AEW. The clip quickly amassed over five million views on YouTube, yet the live TV segment didn’t see a comparable surge in viewership. Bischoff believes that while the internet wrestling community is vast and engaged, it doesn’t necessarily translate to traditional TV views.

Bischoff further elaborated on the recent head-to-head ratings battles between WWE PL and AEW’s “Collision.” Despite the hype and online chatter, “Collision” consistently found itself overshadowed in the ratings when up against WWE PL. To Bischoff, this suggests a significant overlap between the two fan bases. He estimates that around 80% of AEW’s audience also tunes into WWE.

The crux of Bischoff’s argument is that while there’s a dedicated segment of fans exclusively watching AEW, it’s relatively small. The majority of wrestling fans, especially those interested in big names like Edge, might check out specific segments online but aren’t necessarily invested in the entirety of the AEW product.