Dave Meltzer Sees Merchandise As A Possible Issue For AEW In London

Next month, All Elite Wrestling will hold the biggest show in the company's four-year history with All In, taking place in London, England at Wembley Stadium. Appearing on the "McGuire on Wrestling" podcast, wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer discussed one issue that could cost them dearly at next month's big show.

"I hear it at every show — it's like people go to the show, they want to buy merch, the lines are ridiculously long, and the selection is not as big as people want," Meltzer said. "They usually have one merchandise stand; WWE usually has multiple, [and] I know when I go to concerts, there's multiple. It's an issue, without a doubt." The Wrestling Observer Newsletter writer then laid out his expectations on how the company should perform at All In.

"They should do $2.5 million or more in merchandise, and I don't think they will, because I don't think they'll have the selection to do it, and I don't think that they'll have enough stands," Meltzer continued. "The lines will be too ridiculous. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's what they should do."

The wrestling journalist pointed out that WWE visited Wembley Stadium 30 years ago for SummerSlam, doing around $1.5 million in merchandise sales. Accounting for inflation, Meltzer indicated that AEW ideally should be able to move as much as $3.5 million. If the company underperforms in merchandise sales, they stand to lose out on millions of possible dollars.

Another obstacle AEW must overcome is getting merchandise to London. AEW works with a company called ProWrestlingTees, which is based out of Chicago, Illinois, to make its clothing. It remains to be seen if the company will find a London-based partner to make merch for the show, or opts to ship over its stock from the United States to sell at the event.