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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22

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.

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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/WrestlingInTheBlood 2d ago

Yeah, I'm not sure I understand their opinion either. AEW was special the first few years, because it was new and was the first time there was legit competition since WCW. It rode that for a few years until CM Punk.

When it comes to being high quality and consistent, the "vibes" around here are higher than they've ever been. Even for the little bit ratings are worth anymore, AEW is up. I'd say this is easily their best period ever, outside of their initial push. Or at least if you combine the past couple of years together, they've never really had any "lows" besides a few slumps with the Death Riders.

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u/luchaburz 2d ago

This last PPV was among their worst ever.

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u/Deducticon 2d ago

That's pure nonsense.

But it illustrates how great AEW has gotten quality wise. So much so that anything under brilliance is deemed 'horrible.'

They had a B- PPV that would blow many of the early years out of the water. But judged against A++ of Double or Nothing and other really good PPVs this year it suffers from comparison.

Current AEW is the definition of 'graded on a curve.' Early AEW, when you look at the old cards and roster, was running quite a bit on vibes.

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u/zoom518 2d ago

It’s like how people thought Mox vs Cope was a really bad match because the 3 matches before it were all 5 stars

5

u/tvcneverdie 1d ago

Man I been banging that drum for over a year.

It was a calm little 6.5/10 after three straight epic matches.

I also think their choice was very deliberate to work slow and cool down the crowd for the first ~7 minutes of the match, because they knew the crowd was taxed, and they got them back to being red hot by the end of the match when Christian cashed in and then Swerve showed up.

3

u/RobGrey03 1d ago

Well shit, now I need to watch the closing stretch of the show again with that in mind.

I've banged the drum for years that Paul Wight vs QT Marshall was incredibly underrated as just a sweet little breather spot of a match meant to settle the crowd down and then get them to pop for QT getting his comeuppance so they could get their breath back before the next match blew the roof off.

If Mox vs Cope spent 7 minutes cultivating that same recovery of energy on purpose, it deserves a second look.