With ticket sales continuing to stagnate across the United States, AEW are downsizing some of their events in the near future. Instead of running large NBA-style arenas for their TV shows, AEW have announced that they will be running venues like the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, a building that despite having a rich history with wrestling, is a lot smaller than what AEW has become used to. However, WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray believes that this is a good thing for the company, stating on a recent edition of “Busted Open Radio” that the move to smaller venues is smart.
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“Going to smaller venues is actually a smart move, and every single wrestling company since the beginning of time who has achieved success also has to go through the valleys sometimes,” Ray said. “You get the peaks where you’re successful, and you come down on the other end and you get the valleys. You go from arenas to smaller buildings, it’s happened to the WWE, it happened to WCW, it happens in Japan, it happens in any company that grows exponentially and becomes really, really big because you can’t stay that hot that long.”
Ray rounded off by saying that people will eventually become disinterested with a company, and a move to smaller buildings is smart as it can create a much more intimate atmosphere. AEW may also be looking to downsize one of their most anticipated events of 2025 as their upcoming Grand Slam Australia event on February 15 is reportedly set to move from the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane to a new venue, but the move, and the reasons behind it, have yet to be confirmed.Â
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Please credit “Busted Open Radio” when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
