Former WWE SmackDown announcer Pat McAfee made a false claim on his show in regard to the attendance for AEW Double or Nothing.
McAfee said, “Any time you get a shot away from hard cam, you could really see a lot of things. AEW found that out this weekend at one of their events. Like 3 quarters of the arena completely empty. They don’t want that photo out anywhere.”
As seen below (scroll down), AEW did not have empty seats in 3 quarters of the arena. WrestleTix reported that there were over 10,000 fans in attendance and the section that McAfee was referring to was the hard cam area that did not sell out. NXT Battleground reportedly had just under 3,500 fans in attendance. The reality of the situation is that both companies are doing well and with so much wrestling product, it’s incredible that the two major companies can still draw as much as they do. AEW All In, for example, has more than 65,000 tickets sold in London, and Collision at the United Center in Chicago is likely to sell out.
Everyone is up in arms about empty seats when the reality is that most wrestling shows will have pockets or sections of empty seats on most weeks. You can't sell out every show. #NXTBattleground had blocked off sections too. WWE business is still doing great overall. Same with… https://t.co/F7IfHIaaon
— Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsCo) May 31, 2023
Great turn out for AEW Double or Nothing PPV with 10,229 in attendance. #AEW #AEWDoN pic.twitter.com/G275LnX6dZ
— Wrestling News Leader (@WrestlingLeader) May 29, 2023