AEW All In London Data & Analysis | Pollock & Thurston
Brandon Thurston and John Pollock discuss AEW All In London's successful attendance and gate numbers (~47,000 tickets, ~$6M gate), analyze WWE's competitive strategy against AEW including head-to-head scheduling, and examine talent movement including The New Day's departure from WWE for AEW with significant pay cuts.
Summary
The episode opens with discussion of severe weather affecting Toronto and Buffalo, then pivots to analyzing the LA Clippers NBA scandal where Steve Ballmer received a one-year suspension, $30M fine, and loss of five draft picks for cap circumvention violations. Notably, ESPN reporters initially reported no wrongdoing based on anonymous sources, but Pablo Torre's independent reporting proved more accurate.
The main focus shifts to AEW's All In London event at Wembley Stadium. WrestleTix reported 46,987 tickets distributed, generating approximately $6M at the gate. Pollock obtained official turnstile data from Brent Council showing 41,102 actual attendance, which represents 86-87% of WrestleTix estimates across both 2023 and 2024 Wembley shows, validating WrestleTix's methodology. This positions All In as the third-largest gate in AEW history behind the 2023 event and WrestleMania, with comparable numbers to New Japan's Tanahashi retirement show and exceeding SummerSlam nights individually.
The Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay match received a 9.66 Cage Match rating (third-highest in AEW history, 20th all-time), with Kenny Omega owning eight of the top 20 matches ever rated. The event overall scored 9.50, fourth-highest in AEW history. Tony Khan announced this as AEW's biggest HBO Max pay-per-view ever, though exact numbers weren't provided.
Regarding talent movement, The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Austin Creed) departed WWE for AEW. They revealed WWE offered more than 50% pay cuts and positioning as community ambassadors rather than active performers. This reflects WWE's broader strategy: with more talent than available television time, and longer wrestler careers reducing turnover, WWE now uses pay cuts defensively to prevent talent from joining competitors rather than offering increases as in 2019.
WWE's competitive strategy is explicitly discussed as a death-by-a-thousand-cuts approach against AEW, including head-to-head programming. NXT Heatwave drew 281,000 viewers (0.05 demo) for the 7pm replay on CW, significantly below the Great American Bash show's 394,000 viewers. However, NXT consistently outperforms other CW programming, suggesting the Sunday time slot rather than the product is problematic.
The September 26 Chicago market presents the most aggressive head-to-head yet: AEW's All Out at NOW Arena (7,131 tickets currently) vs. WWE's Worlds Collide at Allstate Arena (9,800 tickets currently). WWE appears positioned to win the attendance battle with CM Punk featured.
Additional business items include AEW's partnership with TOD streaming service (owned by Qatar-based BN Media, MLW's broadcast partner) to distribute Dynamite and Collision in the Middle East/North Africa region. TKO announced a quarterly dividend of 79 cents per share (~$20M annually for Vince McMahon with his 6.4M shares). A hearing in the TKO merger shareholder lawsuit is scheduled for November 30th.
The episode concludes with discussion of speedball Mike Bailey's perspective on sustainable professional wrestling, rejecting the "toothpaste tube" narrative where wrestlers are viewed as finite resources. Bailey argues wrestlers are "toothpaste factories" who continuously improve with proper opportunities and runway, citing luchadores working into their 50s and 60s and improved match data collection making wrestling more sustainable and story-driven.
About this episode
<p><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/iamjohnpollock.bsky.social" rel="nofollow"><strong>John Pollock</strong></a> and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/brandonthurston.bsky.social" rel="nofollow"><strong>Brandon Thurston</strong></a> review the available data for AEW All In London, assess how it performed, and where it ranks among the company’s largest events.</p><p><strong>VIDEO VERSION: </strong><a href="https://youtube.com/live/mOomyVJ3d_E" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://youtube.com/live/mOomyVJ3d_E</strong></a></p><p>Topics this week include:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.patreon.com/wrestlenomics/posts/data-report-aew-168505562" rel="nofollow">AEW All In London turnstile count, gate estimate, and other business notes</a></li><li>Kofi & Austin Creed address WWE pay cut offer </li><li>How did NXT Heatwave perform? </li><li>WWE vs. AEW in Chicago on Sept. 26 and current ticket figures </li><li>Legal updates in merger lawsuit and Ryan Nemeth’s case with AEW</li><li>AEW TV deal in the Middle East & North Africa </li><li><a href="https://u37292727.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.nDVHwmlyqUx4ysms4CpnNTkflkjhrHOqq4YuW09Y1iF7oCEkouf6cTYBd9j4nTevjxx-2FSHZaXYbOcP3xWkkWobE92fq-2B-2BvvrHcELqRNUBisvzbMWrwv2CFPadlxLya8SkyUaTiSHpLyh9CrHs-2FAOa3WqMmY4JzikUk-2BX-2BNF4iCw-3DWi9z_FEcOSNX8fmVTruzzBuild2mbCloyOMlTnvPp0GQqRdXlcTW43Mkw97IVezEgjIeAfRqm5-2FQTrq5E7ZUyct-2BqsqUFblP4VntbQhVtnNEw3RQwOxlx0pajwvhSJ2C4pOW5ZGvIySrWO2BCFRTp1OH9SZdZPukjyHsCvWBnYVY6pZWEHk90X7iifsCa6-2FQLZiDbY1YsHmTdAHuu1Nc1t9-2B9vIQT-2BLg9rKI9SBd6akaZS7LJkH6es0q-2FcvGraZZ3fygBBCuV41-2BxmSrjg4-2FiuyA-2BEgtsua9olD8JZP-2BgE9th640OWI0rAhoBCidPCP9klvmJW1K1k9F99SCk1JpOfMw7LLQEPBp71KkbwC-2FAdIhjty8-3D" rel="nofollow">TKO Declares Third Quarter 2026 Dividend</a> </li><li>Speedball Mike Bailey on data analysis of pro wrestlers </li></ul><p><br /></p><p><em>Music courtesy: </em><a href="https://soundcloud.com/IAmBenTramer" rel="nofollow"><em>“Panic Beat” by Ben Tramer</em></a></p><p><strong>POST Wrestling</strong></p><p><strong>Subscribe: </strong><a href="https://postwrestling.com/subscribe" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://postwrestling.com/subscribe</strong></a></p><p><strong>Patreon: </strong><a href="http://postwrestlingcafe.com" rel="nofollow"><strong>http://postwrestlingcafe.com</strong></a></p><p><strong>Forum: </strong><a href="https://forum.postwrestling.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://forum.postwrestling.com</strong></a></p><p><strong>Discord: </strong><a href="https://discord.com/invite/Q795HhR" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://discord.com/invite/Q795HhR</strong></a></p><p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/POSTwrestling" rel="nofollow"><strong>Twitter</strong></a>/<a href="http://www.facebook.com/POSTwrestling" rel="nofollow"><strong>Facebook</strong></a>/<a href="http://www.instagram.com/POSTwrestling" rel="nofollow"><strong>Instagram</strong></a>/<a href="http://www.youtube.com/POSTwrestling" rel="nofollow"><strong>YouTube</strong></a><strong>: @POSTwrestling</strong></p><p><strong>Bluesky: </strong><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/postwrestling.com" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://bsky.app/profile/postwrestling.com</strong></a></p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Wrestlenomics</strong></p><p><strong>Subscribe: </strong><a href="https://wrestlenomics.com/podcast/" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://wrestlenomics.com/podcast/</strong></a></p><p><strong>Patreon: </strong><a href="https://patreon.com/wrestlenomics" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://patreon.com/wrestlenomics</strong></a></p><p><strong>Substack: </strong><a href="https://wrestlenomics.substack.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://wrestlenomics.substack.com/</strong></a></p><p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/wrestlenomics" rel="nofollow"><strong>Twitter</strong></a>/<a href="http://www.facebook.com/wrestlenomics" rel="nofollow"><strong>Facebook</strong></a>/<a href="http://www.instagram.com/wrestlenomics" rel="nofollow"><strong>Instagram</strong></a>/<a href="http://www.youtube.com/wrestlenomics" rel="nofollow"><strong>YouTube</strong></a><strong>: @Wrestlenomics</strong></p><p><strong>Bluesky: </strong><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/wrestlenomics.com" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://bsky.app/profile/wrestlenomics.com</strong></a></p><br /><br />Advertising Inquiries: <a href="https://redcircle.com/brands">https://redcircle.com/brands</a><br /><br />Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href="https://redcircle.com/privacy">https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>
Key Insights
- AEW's All In London generated approximately $6 million in gate revenue from ~47,000 tickets distributed, positioning it as the third-largest gate in company history.
- Official turnstile data from Brent Council showed 41,102 actual attendance, validating WrestleTix estimates at 86-87% accuracy across multiple Wembley events.
- The New Day revealed WWE offered more than 50% salary reductions plus repositioning from active competitors to community ambassadors, indicating WWE's defensive strategy to prevent talent defection.
- WWE's current talent management approach prioritizes preventing competitor talent acquisition over offering competitive increases, a shift from the 2019 strategy of inflating contracts to retain talent.
- With more wrestlers available than television time slots, longer career spans due to improved health and reduced workload create structural incentive for pay reductions rather than raises.
- Kenny Omega owns eight of the top 20 highest-rated professional wrestling matches of all time on Cage Match, with his Ospreay match ranking third all-time for AEW.
- NXT Heatwave on CW's 7pm replay drew 281,000 viewers versus Great American Bash's 394,000, but NXT still significantly outperforms other CW programming in primetime.
- WWE is executing an explicit strategy of head-to-head programming against AEW in the same markets, with Chicago's September 26 event representing the most aggressive example yet.
- Tony Khan reported AEW's biggest HBO Max pay-per-view sales ever for All In London, though specific numbers were not disclosed.
- WWE's decision to no longer air Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC may have resulted from poor viewership economics rather than AEW competition, though positioning against AEW may have been a factor.
- Speedball Mike Bailey argues professional wrestlers should be viewed as continuously improving resources rather than finite assets, citing sustainable examples in lucha libre into wrestlers' 50s and 60s.
- AEW's partnership with TOD streaming service (Qatar-based BN Media, MLW's broadcast partner) expands distribution of Dynamite and Collision in the Middle East/North Africa region without an announced start date.
Topics
Transcript
Looking forward to celebrating Labor Day? Ford is too! Right now we've got amazing Sellathon deals that won't last long. It's time to find out and make it happen in a new Ford. Get the capable vehicle that fits your life. Ford F-150 can haul it. Bronco can get you there. Explorer fits everyone. And Mach-E brings the power. We're looking forward to celebrating Labor Day with you at Sellathon. Whatever you're looking forward to, make it happen with Ford. Hurry in for Sellathon this Labor day at your california ford dealers it all ends september 7th looking forward to celebrating labor day ford is too right now we've got amazing sell-a-thon deals that won't last long it's time to…
Full transcript available for MurmurCast members
Sign Up to AccessMore from Wrestlenomics
AEW All In London | ESPN-WWE report | WWE Merger Settlement | Pollock & Thurston
Pollock and Thurston discuss the WWE merger settlement ($147.5 million), the retraction of an ESPN-WWE renewal story, AEW's All In London ticket sales approaching 43,000, and various industry developments including Nielsen's new ratings methodology and the ongoing Paramount-WBD merger settlement talks.
WrestleMania 42 Attendance | Missy Hyatt | All In hits 40,000 | Pollock & Thurston
Pollock and Thurston discuss WrestleMania 42 attendance figures showing a significant decline from the previous year, analyze shareholder data revealing Gregory Fenelon as TKO's largest individual shareholder, and examine wrestling booking patterns across WWE, AEW, and New Japan through data visualization comparing wrestler ages to win percentages.
WWE merger settlement figure | G1 Attendance | Avery Styles | Pollock & Thurston
This Pollock & Thurston episode covers WWE's $147.5 million merger settlement with Vince McMahon potentially liable for $42.5 million, heavily redacted Netflix contract filings, G1 Climax attendance and match quality metrics, All In London ticket sales tracking toward 40,000+, and recent wrestling television ratings trends.
TKO Q2 Earnings | SummerSlam | WWE merger settlement | Pollock & Thurston
Brandon Thurston and John Pollock discuss TKO's Q2 earnings showing strong growth with revenue over $1.5 billion and improved guidance, analyze the ongoing WWE merger lawsuit settlement details revealing a $105 million WWE portion with insurance complications, and examine declining live event attendance across WWE and AEW despite strong viewership metrics.
Ari Backs Paramount-WBD Merger | Grant Case Closed | SummerSlam | Pollock & Thurston
Ari Emanuel defends the Paramount-WBD merger in an op-ed, arguing that blocking it threatens competition rather than protecting it, while the Janelle Grant civil case against WWE/Vince McMahon concludes with dismissal to arbitration. Brandon Thurston and John Pollock discuss these legal developments, SummerSlam attendance projections, WWE Radio's controversial launch, and Brandon's ongoing court challenges to unseal merger case documents.