According to Dave Meltzer in this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the total pay-per-view buy estimate for last Sunday's AEW All Out is between 135,000 and 142,000.
Regardless of where the final number rests in that range, it marks a substantial drop from last year's event which generated 205,000 buys.
The range includes both streaming and cable/satellite, the latter of which is estimated on early returns because of the longer time period in which those linear providers take in finalizing everything. Meltzer did say the estimate is based on less information than usual.
The key difference between the two years is that WWE ran two shows during Labor Day weekend with Saturday's Clash at the Castle and Sunday's WWE NXT Worlds Collide -- a move AEW head Tony Khan took umbrage with at the post-event press conference.
All Out drew 9100 (8800 paid) and over $1 million at the gate -- the company's third-straight PPV that has hit or that dollar mark. Meltzer noted AEW became the second North American wrestling company in history to do three $1 million gates in a calendar year.
"It was about 150 to 200 tickets shy of a sellout as not all the late released tickets were sold. From a secondary market standpoint, the pricing and interest level was the best for a company show this year," he wrote.
Meltzer also offered the following:
"(The PPV number) was well below both Revolution and Double or Nothing, but it would have been considered a very good number for a show prior to last year’s All Out. The reality is the company is not as hot. WWE putting on two shows that weekend didn’t help. It broke the streak Tony Khan was so proud of where every show in AEW history has beat the same named show from the prior year.
That streak was going to be broken because there was no way this was getting near 205,000 buys which they got due to it being CM Punk’s first match back.
At the press conference, Khan noted that digital buys indicated a number above Forbidden Door and at or near Double or Nothing, and said three major shows over the weekend instead of one was part of the reason. Others with knowledge of digital numbers indicated the range is probably where it will wind up or perhaps a bit higher than that estimate.
On the flip side, this number would be lower than expected and hoped for because there was not as much interest in the show as compared to the other shows other than Forbidden Door which was going to do a smaller number overall but actually was considered a great success for the nature of the show."
The number is down from last year's company-best 205,000 buys for All Out.
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