WWE Hall of Famer and former WCW President Eric Bischoff spoke about next month’s AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view event on the latest edition of his Strictly Business podcast.
During the show, Bischoff would be asked about AEW’s audience, and whether he thinks that collaborating with NJPW will help grow their audience and increase their television viewership.
“I don’t think so. What AEW has been doing and what, at least up until the last episode I watched about two weeks ago, is kind of internet wrestling community-centric. They’re booking for internet wrestling fans more than they’re booking for the casual audience and I would venture to guess, and it’s just a guess, but they’re satisfying an audience that they already have. And they’re doing a phenomenal job of doing that.”
Adding to his point, Bischoff asks how many fans in the U.S. watch NJPW on a weekly basis. The promotion has a broadcast deal with AXS TV, the same home as IMPACT Wrestling.
“How many people watch New Japan wrestling? How many people watch the New Japan product on a weekly basis [in the US]?”
Despite his skepticism, Bischoff doesn’t think that it is a bad idea for the Forbidden Door show to take place, commenting on how the hardcore wrestling fan-base is truly excited for the collaboration. He adds that he has a deep love for Japanese-style wrestling, and has his own good memories of working with NJPW during his WCW days.
“How is merging a television property that’s only getting 200,000 viewers a week with AEW, how is that going to increase or attract the casual viewer that AEW doesn’t have? I don’t know, doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea, I kind of dig the idea from a wrestling fan’s perspective, and I’ve spent a lot of time in Japan and have a lot of good memories and experiences working with New Japan. I love the Japanese style of wrestling but that doesn’t mean it’s going to grow an audience.”
No matches have been announced for AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door as of this writing as both promotion’s have major solo pay-per-view events before their meeting in June. AEW is hosting their fourth Double or Nothing event from Las Vegas, NV later this month, while NJPW is running Osaka Jo-Hall for their Dominion special.
(Thanks to Wrestling Inc for the quotes)
