Chris Jericho Explains Reasoning Behind AEW Pivoting Shows To Smaller Arenas

AEW has been running in smaller venues as of late, including a run in the historic Hammerstein Ballroom and a residency at an E-Sports arena in Arlington. According to one former AEW World Champio, the decision came down to creating a better vibe and a stronger demand for tickets.

"The worst thing you can ever do...is overprice yourself or overextend yourself," ROH World Champion Chris Jericho told Z100 in New York. "You want to put 10,000 fans in an arena if you can. If you're down to 5,000, then go to a 4,000-seat arena. It increases demand and it just makes the show that much more exciting and it translates so much better on TV."

Jericho believes there's that bringing the events into arenas better suited for the size of the crowd makes the show feel "cooler," as well as makes better business sense for the fledgling promotion, which has often dealt with undersold arenas at recent television tapings. PPV tickets have seemingly held strong.

"If you have this many tickets for sale and they're gone, it makes the product that much hotter," Jericho concluded.

AEW is set to begin a new, lucrative media rights deal with Warner Bros Discovery in 2025, with programming set to simulcast on WBD networks as well as the Max streaming platform. Sluggish ticket sales are currently creating issues for AEW's debut show in Australia, as the initial plan to run Suncorp Stadium has been reconsidered and the event will now be held from the Brisbane Entertainment Center.