Dave Meltzer Discusses AEW Dynasty PPV Buys

Dynasty has been widely regarded as one of AEW's strongest pay-per-views in recent memory thanks to the dream match between Will Ospreay and Bryan Danielson, the shocking return of Jack Perry, and the crowning moments of both Willow Nightingale and Swerve Strickland as two of the company's top champions. However, the reported viewership for the event was significantly down compared to some of the recent pay-per-view offerings from AEW.

According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dynasty's total number of buys is approximately 122,000 across both TV and streaming platforms. Compared to Revolution in March, which was headlined by Sting's retirement match, Dynasty was down by over 41% on TV buys, and 30% on streaming buys, with Revolution being the third highest-bought pay-per-view in AEW history. Meltzer noted that while the 122,000 number is merely an estimate as the final number is still yet to be finalized, the number is considered low, even compared to the pay-per-views at the end of 2023.

For comparison, Meltzer mentioned that Dynasty was down by 28.8% compared to Worlds End on December 30, and was 'way behind' Full Gear on November 18, with both shows totaling around 135,000 buys once all the figures had been finalised. Meltzer put the number being down compared to Worlds End to MJF not being part of the company as of late, claiming that the former AEW World Champion being injured has hurt AEW on both buy rates and TV ratings. As far as competition on April 21, Dynasty went up against Major League Baseball, the NBA play-offs, and the NHL play-offs. However, Worlds End outperformed Dynasty despite competing with the NFL, which Meltzer claims is a far more formidable competitor. AEW will be looking to outperform Dynasty when the company returns to pay-per-view on May 26 for the sixth-annual Double or Nothing in Las Vegas, Nevada.