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AEW suffered a major setback earlier this week. As per Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, the latest episode of Dynamite recorded a mere 502,000 viewers, which stands as the lowest viewership count in the show's history.
Dynamite's dreadful performance in weekly ratings has left fans in a state of shock. For the second-biggest wrestling promotion in the industry, such disappointing numbers seem like a matter of concern.
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Fans have been critical of Tony Khan’s leadership, which has struggled to improve ratings despite signing some major international names this year.
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After suffering multiple setbacks in TV ratings over the last few months, it is high time that Tony Khan makes a few tough calls to improve his product. In this article, let's look at five bold decisions Tony Khan could make to bounce back from AEW's recent ratings struggle:
#5. Tony Khan steps down from the AEW creative team
As determined as he is, Tony Khan simply has a lot on his plate right now. The Jacksonville-based promotion puts out a minimum of five hours of content every week, which includes Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision, all of which are supervised by Tony Khan.
From working with the production crew backstage to crafting the weekly storylines for all shows, Khan is the key figure who leads all major departments of the company. Although his grind is commendable, managing everything by himself has significantly affected Tony Khan’s creative input.
![Tony Khan! [Image via AEW YouTube]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/06/5db79-17190613151627-1920.jpg)
The Jacksonville Jaguars owner may consider handing over the reins of the creative team to the veterans of the AEW locker room. There are some experienced names present backstage who possess tons of knowledge about the wrestling business.
The likes of Adam Copeland, Dustin Rhodes, Jerry Lynn, and Sting have witnessed such difficult periods in their careers before, which makes them qualified to help All Elite Wrestling get out of the rut.
Tony Khan stepping out as the head of creative would be a beneficial decision in the long run. It would put some experienced campaigners in charge of the creative team while also relieving pressure from Khan’s shoulders.
#4. Tony Khan cuts down on the excessive number of crossover matches
Tony Khan has been a fan of the pro wrestling business for decades. Whenever Khan gets an opportunity to bring stars from other promotions to AEW, he never misses out.
However, the Jacksonville Jaguars' CEO may refrain from booking crossover matches in All Elite Wrestling going forward.
The general audience of the promotion is mostly unaware of the CMLL, STARDOM, and NJPW talents that come to compete in AEW. As talented as they are, these performers are usually unknown to fans watching the show at home, which makes it difficult to follow the AEW product.
Since the so-called "dream matches" have proven detrimental to the weekly ratings, Tony Khan may consider leaving the inter-promotional contests in the past.
#3. Strictly prohibits all the superstars from taking shots at WWE
When AEW first started in 2019, the promotion had the support of fans. WWE had grown complacent due to a lack of viable competitors, which led to a significant decline in the quality of their product. With the arrival of All Elite Wrestling, fans believed that WWE’s monopoly over the wrestling business was finally coming to an end.
Tony Khan and co. fueled the ratings war with WWE by constantly taking digs at their competitors. The narrative on social media painted WWE as the evil juggernaut, while All Elite Wrestling was considered the new standard bearer of professional wrestling. However, Triple H's takeover of the WWE Creative led to a massive shift in how people perceived the Stamford-based promotion.
Unfortunately, AEW's obsession with putting WWE in a negative light made them lose the goodwill of the fans. The constant weekly shots fired at WWE by AEW stars soon became annoying for the audience.
The whole CM Punk fiasco did not help much either, as it exposed the All Elite Wrestling top brass as insecure management behind the scenes.
Having lost a good chunk of his viewers, it's time Tony Khan stopped pointing fingers at WWE. The move will help the promotion regain the goodwill of fans as they prepare to enter a new rebuilding period.
#2. Introduces a proper brand split between Dynamite and Collision
All Elite Wrestling currently boasts a large roster. With so many talented performers at his disposal, it has become difficult for Tony Khan to provide a consistent push to the majority of the stars.
Fan favorites like Ricky Starks, Daniel Garcia, and Malakai Black have not been able to break out in their respective divisions, owing to a lack of weekly exposure. To ensure proper opportunities for all the talents, Tony Khan could consider implementing a brand split between Dynamite and Collision.
The move will provide much-needed structure to the company's booking, which sometimes looks all over the place. It could also create a sense of rivalry between Dynamite and Collision, a tactic that will surely improve the weekly ratings.
Most importantly, a proper brand split will allow Tony Khan to feature a large number of talents every week, helping them develop a connection with the audience.
#1. Crowns Will Ospreay as the new AEW World Champion at Forbidden Door 2024
Swerve Strickland has remained the AEW World Champion for two months now. During his reign, Strickland has churned out some impressive matches with the likes of Christian Cage, Kyle Fletcher, and Roderick Strong. Despite his amazing performances, the Dynamite ratings have continued to plummet.
To arrest the weekly decline in Dynamite's ratings, Tony Khan may take a tough call regarding Swerve's future at Forbidden Door. The Jaguars' owner may book Will Ospreay to dethrone The Killshot at the upcoming pay-per-view to kickstart a new era for the promotion.
As unfortunate as it will be for Swerve, it would be a wise decision on Tony Khan’s part to crown the most popular AEW star as the next World Champion.
