Latest news with #AEWCollision
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Fan-Favorite AEW Star Breaks Silence On Long Absence
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Keith Lee has addressed his ongoing absence from AEW television. After months of speculation, Lee stated that his return to the ring is not up to him. The "Limitless One" took to social media to provide an update. He responded to fans who were wondering about his status with the company. Keith Lee Says AEW Return Is Out Of His Hands Lee was pulled from the Worlds End pay-per-view in late 2023 due to an injury. He later revealed he had been dealing with the issue since 2022. When a fan wished him well, Lee offered a direct response. He clarified that he is feeling fine but is not in control of his comeback. "I am quite fine," Lee posted. "It is not up to me when it comes to a return. But blessings to you as well." When another fan suggested a campaign to push for his return, Lee declined. He said that things will happen as they are meant to. "I've been good for quite some time, though I do appreciate the concern," he wrote. "But no campaign required. Things happen the way they are suppose to, and eventually, the purpose will show itself." All Elite Wrestling ALL IN at Wembley Stadium in London on August 27, 2023. All Elite Wrestling ALL IN at Wembley Stadium in London on August 27, 2023. Courtesy of AEW More news: WWE News: Steve Austin Reveals Real-Life Vince McMahon Confrontation I've been good for quite some time, though I do appreciate the concern. But no campaign required. Things happen the way they are suppose to, and eventually, the purpose will show itself. — Loving Lee (@RealKeithLee) June 26, 2025 Again, I am quite fine. It is not up to me when it comes to a return. But blessings to you as well. — Loving Lee (@RealKeithLee) June 26, 2025 AEW's Keith Lee Still Not Medically Cleared Lee's comments suggest that he is waiting for either medical clearance or a creative decision from AEW management. As of early 2024, reports indicated he was still not medically cleared to compete. His last match took place in December 2023 on an episode of AEW Collision. He defeated Brian Cage at the Holiday Bash special. Aside from a brief backstage appearance at an AEW event in Texas earlier this year, Lee has been completely absent from television. Lee's WWE career began with a dominant run in NXT. His unique blend of size and agility made him a breakout star, culminating in a historic moment where he became the first person to hold both the NXT Championship and the NXT North American Championship simultaneously. His main roster run was less successful, plagued by inconsistent booking before his release. In 2022, Lee debuted in AEW, where he quickly formed a tag team with Swerve Strickland known as Swerve in Our Glory. The duo captured the AEW World Tag Team Championship, marking Lee's first major title in the company. After the team imploded, Lee engaged in a feud with Strickland before being sidelined by an injury in late 2023, where he has remained since. More WWE News: For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WWE vs. AEW: Who's winning 2025's wrestling war?
If there's one thing that titillates wrestling obsessives, it's when one of the major promotions — WWE or AEW — makes an explicit reference to the other. These days the digs and attacks tend to be much rarer than in the past, but that doesn't stop them from being thrilling when they happen. Witness the social-media flutter this past May when an enterprising journalist used AEW's Double or Nothing press huddle to ask Tony Khan his opinions on WWE's none-too-subtle tactic of booking NXT premium live events against AEW's most important pay-per-view shows — one of the most aggressive competitive moves WWE has made against Khan's company. Advertisement That the AEW founder delivered an impeccably diplomatic answer did little to quell the excitement of those who spend their hours musing on the state of competition between WWE and AEW. Of course, here at Uncrowned, we have much less reason to mince our words on these things. So here's an analysis of the status of the battle between the two big promotions. The valuation gap Before making any kind of comparison between the two promotions, you need to acknowledge the 10-ton elephant that squats over this topic. Whatever you make of the rival products, WWE is objectively a much larger company than AEW in terms of money in the bank (no pun intended). Advertisement Even the most flattering estimates value AEW at around $2 billion, which is still less than a quarter of what TKO paid for WWE two years ago. And that latter number was before WWE finalized its massive Netflix deal, which has helped add some billions to TKO's overall market cap in the past year. None of this means there aren't specific areas where the numbers are closer (television viewing figures, for example), but it would be silly to pretend WWE doesn't have a massive edge due to its size and history. Media rights and viewing figures For all the focus on live shows, the modern pro-wrestling game is a television business: Both WWE and AEW make most of their money by selling their product to television and streaming networks. Advertisement For a rough comparison, WWE's various deals (Netflix, Peacock, NBCUniversal, etc.) bring in somewhere in the region of $1 billion per year. By contrast, AEW's recent media deal with Warner Bros. Discovery is valued at around $185 million per year — so less than a fifth of what WWE brings in. The big prize here is the Netflix deal, which was rightly hailed as a bit of a game-changer for wrestling when it was confirmed last year. The slight wrinkle on that front is WWE's Netflix viewing figures haven't been as huge as some expected, prompting some whispers about whether the streaming giant paid too much. As for viewership, AEW's U.S. television audience is around half of WWE's. 'AEW Collision' typically draws around 600,000 viewers in the U.S., compared to 1.2 million for 'WWE SmackDown.' That said, AEW's numbers have dipped over the past year or so, but now appear to be stabilizing. (Hat tip to the excellent Wrestlenomics, who publish detailed numbers on this.) The verdict: Advantage WWE John Cena and CM Punk face off during "WWE Raw." (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images) (WWE via Getty Images) Live shows and ticket gates As much as we get tired of TKO's obsession with announcing all these record gates at every PLE, there's no denying WWE's audience revenue is seriously impressive at the moment. It just did $3 million for 'WWE Raw' in London, for example. Advertisement On top of that, TKO's current focus is persuading cities to pay hefty 'site fees' for the right to host bigger events — like New Jersey paying $7 million to host this year's WWE SummerSlam double-header. That's almost certainly a big factor in why WrestleMania is heading back to Las Vegas in 2026. On the other hand, AEW's gate revenue is much lower. Double or Nothing made $600,000 last month, for example. That said, their overseas events are still big league: All In at London's Wembley Stadium made $9 million and $6 million in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Gate revenues are one thing, but what about the crowds? On average, AEW's weekly shows draw around one quarter of the WWE audience (around 3,000 compared to 11,000 fans) — a ratio that has gotten steeper in WWE's favor over the past two years. AEW's bigger shows are still drawing decent crowds (in the 10,000 range) that are on par with the smaller WWE PLEs. At the end of the day, though, there's one wrestling promotion that can fill giant American stadiums like Allegiant in Las Vegas or MetLife in New Jersey — and it isn't Khan's. Advertisement The verdict: Advantage WWE The talent Defining a great wrestler is always going to involve subjective judgments. But on a business level, I'd argue that it usually boils down to one particular metric: the strength of the personal brand in terms of drawing viewers. If we're taking stock of the two promotions, there's no question both have some massive talents. But does AEW really have anyone who matches the Hollywood-level star power of The Rock, John Cena and Rhea Ripley? I'd venture not. It's that kind of clout that allows WWE to poach talent from its rival when it wants to. Just look at Mariah May and Jade Cargill, for example. Both had plenty of momentum in AEW and were likely making decent wages, but when the bigger brand came knocking, they were happy to make the jump. Advertisement That said, we shouldn't fully discount AEW's tagline of being 'where the best wrestle.' It's a good insight into how Khan sees his brand — and plenty of wrestling aficionados would agree that he's doing a great job on that front. Just look at the rave reaction to 2025's Double or Nothing show, for example. The verdict: Advantage WWE Kenny Omega's return has bolstered AEW's roster. () (Etsuo Hara via Getty Images) The product In many ways, this is the big question: Is the product any good? Television deals, gate revenue and site fees might bring in the bacon, but, at the end of the day, they're all downstream from the quality of the product. So how do the promotions compare right now? Let's start with WWE. Going into 2025, the company was widely regarded to be on fire — particularly with the Netflix deal incoming and the anticipation of John Cena's retirement tour. But there's a growing sense the product has been losing steam over the past few months. Advertisement Perhaps the success of the Bloodline/Cody Rhodes era gave us unrealistic expectations, or maybe we're all overreacting to the anticlimactic payoff to this year's WrestleMania. But it doesn't change the fact there's been a significant vibe shift from the fan base. And what of AEW? It's had some rough moments, for sure, but the most recent shows have begun to turn a corner. Double or Nothing was an absolute slam dunk and seems to be setting things up nicely for their biggest show of the year with July's All In. On a long-term view, though, the fundamentals haven't changed: WWE is still the granddaddy of pro wrestling. But if we're talking strictly about momentum — i.e. where things are moving right now — then AEW's lines are pointing in the right direction, while WWE's are floundering slightly. The verdict: (Slight) advantage AEW
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
AEW Collision Viewership Decreases On 5/22, Demo Stays Even
AEW Collision saw a decrease in viewership on May 22 when the show moved back to Thursday and had to compete with the NBA and NHL Playoffs. According to Wrestlenomics, Collision averaged 353,000 viewers on Thursday. The show drew a 0.08 rating in the 18 to 49 demographic. The viewership is down from last week's episode, when an average of 398,000 viewers tuned in. The demo stayed even from last week's show (0.08 rating in the same demographic). Viewership for Thursday's show on MAX is also unknown at this time. What happened on AEW Collision this week? This week's show kicked off with an in-ring contract signing between FTR, Daniel Garcia, and Nigel McGuinness for their tag team match at Double or Nothing. Advertisement In women's action, Mercedes Moné defeated Reyna Isis to retain the TBS Championship. Elsewhere on the show, Josh Alexander defeated AR Fox. In the main event of the evening, Speedball Mike Bailey and Komander defeated RUSH and Dralistico. Kazuchika Okada confronted Bailey after the match. READ MORE: Report: AEW's Original Plans For Darby Allin Revealed What did you think of AEW Collision this week? What was your favorite match or segment? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below. The post AEW Collision Viewership Decreases On 5/22, Demo Stays Even appeared first on Wrestlezone.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
AEW Collision Viewership Increases On 5/31, Demo Also Rises
AEW Collision saw an increase in viewership on May 31 when the show aired late on Saturday night following the NBA Playoffs. According to Wrestlenomics, Collision averaged 504,000 viewers on Saturday. The show drew a 0.18 rating in the 18 to 49 demographic. The viewership is up from last week's episode, when an average of 353,000 viewers tuned in. The demo also rose from last week's show (0.08 rating in the same demographic). Viewership for Saturday's show on MAX is also unknown at this time. What happened on AEW Collision this week? This week's show kicked off with Claudio Castagnoli defeating Komander to advance to the four-way for the International Championship on Dynamite. Advertisement In women's action, Mina Shirakawa defeated Skye Blue. Julia Hart attacked Shirakawa after the match, but Toni Storm made the save. Elsewhere on the show, Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada defeated Anthony Bowens in an Eliminator Match. In the main event of the evening, Mascara Dorada defeated Hechicero to claim the final spot in the four-way International Championship this week on Dynamite. READ MORE: MVP Comments On The Possibility Of Adding Cedric Alexander To The Hurt Syndicate What did you think of AEW Collision this week? What was your favorite match or segment? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below. The post AEW Collision Viewership Increases On 5/31, Demo Also Rises appeared first on Wrestlezone.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
AEW Collision Spoilers For 5/31 From El Paso, TX
On May 28, All Elite Wrestling taped AEW Collision at the El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, for May 31. These matches will air on this Saturday's episode. The spoilers, courtesy of PWInsider, are as follows: spoiler alert AEW Collision for May 31: Claudio Castagnoli defeated Komander AEW International Title Number One Contender Tournament Match Tony Schiavone interviewed FTR and Stokely Hathaway in the ring. Atlantis Jr. and Templario interrupt and fend off an attempted attack from FTR Don Callis Family (Trent Beretta, Rocky Romero, & Konosuke Takeshita) defeated Tomohiro Ishii & Paragon (Roderick Strong & Kyle O'Reilly) Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Anthony Bowens in an AEW Continental Championship Eliminator match Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland brawl backstage Mina Shirakawa defeated Skye Blue. Julia Hart attacked Shirakawa after the match, which brought Toni Storm out to make the save. Gates Of Agony (Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun) win a tag team squash match RUSH, Dralistico & The Beast Mortos defeated AR Fox & Top Flight Mascara Dorada defeated Hechicero in an AEW International Title Number One Contender Tournament Match Advertisement WrestleZone will have live coverage of AEW Collision as it airs on Saturday evening. READ MORE: Will Ospreay Gives Honest Advice To Latest Round Of WWE Releases What do you make of these spoilers for AEW Collision overall? Do these results make you more excited to check out the show on Saturday? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below. The post AEW Collision Spoilers For 5/31 From El Paso, TX appeared first on Wrestlezone.
