Backstage Note On AEW Full Gear PPV Buys, Reaction Of AEW Management

As noted, the 2020 AEW Full Gear pay-per-view has done roughly 100,000 buys, which is identical to the numbers garnered by All Out back in September.

According to Dave Meltzer on the latest Wrestling Observe Radio, the numbers are closer to what AEW higher-ups “were expecting” and the fact that they didn’t set record numbers despite putting together “a great card on paper” didn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

Meltzer revealed that the buys for Full Gear, which was available on traditional PPV, FITE TV, and B/R Live, were “a little down in the U.S.” but received a slight bump from overseas markets. He also noted that 2019 Full Gear, the first PPV after the premiere of AEW Dynamite, “spooked” AEW management since it did relatively-low numbers [around 90,000].

The fact that this year’s Full Gear did a better number than 2019 has also left AEW management pleased, added Meltzer. The show also faced stiff competition from college football and UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Teixeira.

It should also be noted that AEW Dynamite’s ratings suffered a setback during the same time last year, and the viewership plummeted to the 600,000-650,000 mark. This is the reason that Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega AEW World Championship match is happening on Dynamite rather than at a PPV or a themed-event, according to Meltzer. “The ratings last November-December went down scarily, and they were losing audience every week. Luckily for AEW, they bounced back by January,” said Meltzer.

AEW brass doesn’t want a repeat of last year and putting Moxley vs. Omega on Dynamite is a way of a ensuring the ratings remain steady or see a bump. As reported, this week’s post-Full Gear edition of Dynamite drew 764,000 viewers (+6.6% from last week) on TNT.