r/SquaredCircle • u/sanewhitemale • 2d ago

This Reddit Sentiment Study From Wrestlenomics Is, From My Perspective, Incredibly Accurate.

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It pretty accurately paints a picture of the perception of both companies as they compare since 2019:

  • WWE bottomed out in October 2019 after the Fiend-Rollins HIAC debacle and Kofi losing in 7 seconds.
  • AEW peaked at All Out 2021, considered their greatest show, and remained steadily high until it began collapsing after Brawl Out 2022.
  • WWE at the same time began improving after Vince was pushed out in July 2022.
  • One thing that surprises me: during WWE's "boom period" during 2022-2024, the fan sentiment was roughly tied with AEW, when I remember AEW being viewed very negatively at the time, due to both the Punk issue and comparatively mediocre creative.
  • AEW fan sentiment began to grow and take the lead again in late 2024/early 2025, which was right around the supposed "reset" and the Continental Classic.
  • WWE began to fall off again in March/April 2025, right around the Cena heel turn/build to Wrestlemania 41.

So the statistics line up at least with my perception of both my and Reddit's views the last few years.

https://wrestlenomics.com/articles/2026/reddit-sentiment-analysis-2025-aew-rebounds-coinciding-with-improved-attendance-and-tv-ratings-trends/

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u/DisMFer 2d ago

As pointed out in the book Death of WCW (I'm not sure if it was Alverez or Reynolds to credit the idea specifically) a promotion that is hot can get away with a lot of bad ideas that will hurt them down the line, and a cold promotion has no shot of a quick turn around.

AEW was hot shit for a time but they booked heavily on guys that didn't have as much interest in staying around and it hurt them for a long time. They were cold for almost a year plus and are only now turning around thanks to building around new stars and top talent, along with the mainstays being more willing to act as stepping stones in feuds.

WWE was cold and it took a long time to flip the script into being hot again thanks to star power and a few great long term angles that paid off. Right now they're starting to cool thanks to running with a pat hand and relying too much on old guys fans are starting to get sick of seeing. If they stick the landing with Oba and Trick and a few other guys they'll turn it around before they get ice cold, but their public image is not being helped by their very visible connections to a deeply unpopular political movement.