When it came onto the scene, fans were excited…now one AEW star wants tweaks to grow the product beyond its loyal fans.
Fans have been so eager to see AEW versus WWE morph into the Monday Night Wars, version two. That has not happened, outside of AEW bouncing NXT from Wednesdays to Tuesdays. One criticism that has been lobbed at the company? The product caters to hardcore fans but at the cost of some more mainstream or casual ones.
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And, in discussing his home, one AEW star wants tweaks to the product to make it grow. So let’s talk about this, shall we?
Matt Hardy suggests AEW tries to draw more casual fans
Right up front, the AEW star is none other than Matt Hardy Speaking on his podcast Hardy pointed out, having hardcore loyal fans is great, sort of. These are the fans who tune in, week after week, no matter what.
Meaning, when things are good or bad, they keep coming back. They care about the blood, the guts, and the insane five-star matches. But there is a downside. If all you do, or most of what you do, is play to the hardcore fans you are not growing the product.
And Matt Hardy, a significant AEW star, wants to see tweaks to the product to help it grow. One thing WWE does is offer something for everyone. Maybe they don’t have the blood and guts as much as Tony Khan, or run out as many indy favorites…but they appeal to a broader audience.
WWE brings in pop stars like Bad Bunny and Logan Paul-those two examples have huge fan bases, and they’ve also delivered really good matches.
Now, I know I am not saying AEW needs to bring those types in, and I doubt Hardy is either.
But, he has a point. For every hardcore loyal fan, there are plenty of more casual fans who need to be drawn in…and AEW needs to make adjustments to bring them in and grow.
Maybe now, as the company is on the verge of a big television deal, it will do what they have to do in order to expand the audience.
