Kenny Omega truly believes AEW can make some big strides in their audience.
Kenny’s knowledge of wrestling and the audience shows in more than how he works the crowd for matches, but from an executive standpoint, probably a good thing with his status as an Executive Vice President in AEW. However, he knows that while AEW is doing a great job in the ratings, there’s always room to grow. And that growth may have to come by them trying different things we’ve yet to see. Omega spoke with Wrestling Observer Radio and thinks that being unafraid to tread to new places could help increase their audience.
“I think there is never any harm in experimenting with new ideas. If you go out with the idea that we are going to put together great matches with the cast of characters that we have and pound the pavement so to speak, we are going to end up competing for the same hardcore fan base. It’s a great feather in your cap to have taken the numbers from the wrestling fan, but I believe that number sort of tops out at about 1 million. If you can steal a million viewers, you have a million wrestling fans watching our show that drifts back and forth between our show and NXT. Two great shows that offer a very similar in-ring product. Both have an incredible roster with guys that can go. What do the fans want to watch? They may say ‘I think this match will be interesting. Let’s watch this one and then we will flip back and see what is going on with the other show.’
We have fans like that and that’s cool if they support everything. They just want to watch good wrestling. But, I believe that number tops off at about 1 million. I think once you break that 1 million barrier, now you have drawn in a new fan. It’s either a casual fan or now you’ve actually made the hardcore, the not switching channel fan, not switch over. I think when we accomplish that, that’s when you really have won some sort of battle that means something. I don’t feel like we are in competition with someone else. I never feel that way. I always feel we are in competition with ourselves because if we are not attracting the wrestling fan that’s already committed to watching wrestling on Wednesdays, then we haven’t put our best foot forward because we have the ability to have the best match on whatever quarter that is. I still think there is room to do something more and to attract even more people, whether that is via the entertainment aspects of what professional wrestling allows or via someone on our roster that we don’t have yet. I don’t know but we need to experiment more and time will tell because we are about to get very experimental. Whether it works or not, you are not going to know until you try. The best thing that can happen is that it works. The worst thing that can happen is that it fails and we lose the 100-200,00 people that flip back and forth. I think the worst thing we can do is become complacent and exist in this constant battle for the same fans.”
Getting experimental could mean all sorts of things. Utilizing talent in ways never seen before, match ups that are fresh and new, or just trying various things to see if any of them stick in ways that draw in an audience. However, Omega has shown interest in trying to bring some of the creativity that has made him one of the best inside the ring to outside of it as they try to increase their audience as they go head to head with NXT.
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