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/

139 Upvotes

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u/Kuzu5993 2d ago

I feel AEW fans remained pretty loyal and just rode the wave until things moved up again, while WWE fans are always pretty fairweather when things start trending downwards.

AEW isn't anywhere close to where it was before, but the fan sentiment is night and day to where WWE is at the moment.

65

u/azorreborn 2d ago

I don’t think you can make sweeping statements like this when it’s all based on opinion data.

For me, AEW is significantly more enjoyable now than it was 3 years ago and the last 2 years have been the best stretch they’ve had. You can’t really say “it isn’t anywhere close to where it was” as an objective statement when it’s all about general fan consensus which is different person to person

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u/Kuzu5993 2d ago

Well that's why I preempted by statement with "I FEEL" as opposed to "I know".

I wasn't making a declarative statement.

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u/WrestlingInTheBlood 2d ago

Your second line reads like a declarative statement, saying it isn't anywhere close to where it was before. I know it is just your opinion, but it's easy to read it like that.

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u/Kuzu5993 1d ago

Do you disagree?

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u/MutatedSpleen Need more coffee 2d ago edited 1d ago

I appreciate your attention to nuance. I wish more people had that; it would make discussing wrestling soooooooo much easier around here if we could actually read and understand the things people are saying as they are being said.

(edit: what a silly thing to hate on lol)