Peak so far for AEW of course, but who was a bigger threat to WWE at their respective primes, relative to WWE's place at that time?
At their PEAK, what was bigger competition to WWE...ECW, TNA, NWA or AEW
- Thread starter Ed MOTHERFUCKING G
- Start date
The Great One
Swag Surfin
Ratings wise at their peak, TNA kills AEW.
Toe Jay Simpson
Searchin’
None of them were really a threat to be honest, but AEW caused the most internal changes
WWE only started biting ECW because WCW was the threat
TNA was a non factor
WWE only started biting ECW because WCW was the threat
TNA was a non factor
Saysumthinfunnymike
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Not really and before you ask why, it goes back to what the TV landscape is like in 2020's vs. 15 years ago
People will say "TNA did over 2 million viewers"... They did... when there were over a 100 million households with cable TV.
Where TNA actually ranked vs. where AEW ranks on the TV charts is night and day. TNA wasn't really registering like that.
TNA's highest attended event in the U.S. was like 6000 people. AEW's done dozens of shows with more than 6000 people. They had a show do 80,000 people.
Saysumthinfunnymike
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That said... none of these are real competition to the WWE global powerhouse. Only WCW was competition. And before that, Crockett and Mid-South and World Class etc..
Saysumthinfunnymike
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If you don't vote for the NWA in the poll then you don't know what you're talking about. Those shows were doing massive numbers on TV and especially on WTBS back when TBS was first known as The Superstation. Vince had his hands full in the early to late 80s.
thenatural
Superstar
I would have to say AEW because they've at least gone national and international. It seems like TNA had that fateful night when they tried to go up against RAW, it was an L. ECW might have a say, but they were mainly a regional promotion that was in closer proximity to WWE than AEW and TNA.
The Great One
Swag Surfin
No one cares about all that TV semantics, oh the landscape has changed shyt. To counter act this, TNA was doing over million regularly with shows that taped WEEKS ahead of time. Spoilers were everywhere. This is FIRST run LIVE television, in this day and age, that is GOLD and they can't even break a million viewers ever.
Remy LeBreh
Linconia
TNA by a fukking mile. AEW stans will point to Wembley but that shyt was a novelty, pure gas , Euros were dying for any big wrestling event to go to at the time.
Jmare007
pico pal q lee
I'm confused by those who think it's TNA.
Impact did good ratings but they couldn't draw on PPV (never did more than 70k) nor tour consistently with any sort of success because they couldn't sell tickets. I think they had an England tour that was a hit and that was basically it.
And when Impact was doing those good ratings, they didn't really matter in the landscape of the wrestling business. It took like 10 years for things to change and for the TV contracts to be the main factor for a promotion's success and by that point TNA/Impact was not a player anymore.
Impact did good ratings but they couldn't draw on PPV (never did more than 70k) nor tour consistently with any sort of success because they couldn't sell tickets. I think they had an England tour that was a hit and that was basically it.
And when Impact was doing those good ratings, they didn't really matter in the landscape of the wrestling business. It took like 10 years for things to change and for the TV contracts to be the main factor for a promotion's success and by that point TNA/Impact was not a player anymore.
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Metal Face
Superstar
No one but the closest was 2019-2022 AEW
TNA did better ratings...a decade ago but never came close to AEW in attendance/ppv buys
TNA did better ratings...a decade ago but never came close to AEW in attendance/ppv buys
Jmare007
pico pal q lee
And BTW, I kinda want to say ECW. Vince was really fukking smart about handling them and use them as a tool to combat WCW and that's something he wouldn't have done if he didn't see them as a worthy competitor.
AEW does have the best numbers out of the three in the OP but by 2019, WWE's position and status as n°1 was so secured that the gap between n°1 and n°2 was too damn big to consider them "big competition", regardless of the very impressive numbers they did for two years in a time that WWE's business was stagnant.
AEW does have the best numbers out of the three in the OP but by 2019, WWE's position and status as n°1 was so secured that the gap between n°1 and n°2 was too damn big to consider them "big competition", regardless of the very impressive numbers they did for two years in a time that WWE's business was stagnant.
Lurk Angle
All Star
TNA in terms of ratings
AEW in terms of attendance and buyrates
AEW in terms of attendance and buyrates
Jmare007
pico pal q lee
@Ed MOTHERfukkING G just realized you put JCP/NWA in the poll but not in the thread title 
They are clearly the winner there. They forced Vince to take chances, fukk people over and do an incredible job at promoting to finally put them to rest. He never saw more competition than 84-87 until Nitro started gaining steam a decade later.
They are clearly the winner there. They forced Vince to take chances, fukk people over and do an incredible job at promoting to finally put them to rest. He never saw more competition than 84-87 until Nitro started gaining steam a decade later.
Saysumthinfunnymike
VOTE!!!
Advertisers/cable networks clearly do. Also, you skipped over the part about attendance numbers and PPV buys
