Wrestling expert Bully Ray has shared his thoughts on the fact that AEW has started scheduling their events in smaller venues. He pointed out that this move mirrors the path followed by other successful wrestling promotions which have also experienced ‘valleys’ of audience figures.
In recent times, AEW has been holding their matches in smaller locations, which is a shift from their previous run of events in larger stadiums, which were often not fully occupied.
During his appearance on the “Busted Open Radio” podcast, Ray expressed support for AEW’s decision to shift to smaller venues. He stated,
“Going to smaller venues is actually a smart move, and every single wrestling company since the beginning of time who has achieved success also has to go through the valleys sometimes. You get the peaks where you’re successful, and you come down on the other end and you get the valleys. You go from arenas to smaller buildings, it’s happened to the WWE, it happened to WCW, it happens in Japan, it happens in any company that grows exponentially and becomes really, really big because you can’t stay that hot that long.”
Bully Ray’s remarks were prompted by the news that AEW had relocated its Grand Slam: Australia event from the massive Suncorp Stadium to the relatively smaller Brisbane Entertainment Center.
Suncorp Stadium has a seating capacity of more than 50,000, while the Brisbane Entertainment Center can accommodate roughly 13,000 visitors. Reports have suggested that sales for the show have not met expectations.