AEW Has a Scheduling Problem
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— All Elite Wrestling (@allelitewrestling.com) October 11, 2026 at 8:00 AM
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We just had a PPV less than a month ago, and now there's another one three weeks later. Then, two and a half weeks after that, we have Blood and Guts, which is nearly a PPV, except that it's on Dynamite. Ten days after that? Full Gear.
Between September 26 and November 14th, AEW will have three PPVs and a high-end TV special.
That's too much.
Then the Continental Classic tournament starts right after all this.
Again, I am in no way saying that the quality of these shows will be low. Based on AEW's track record, each show will be entertaining and, in the case of the PPVs, you will get your money's worth.
However, it's too much money.
The Cost
That's the first point. AEW PPVs cost money. I haven't ever complained about that much because they're always incredible. I don't think I've ever spent money on an AEW PPV and felt like I got ripped off. But they do cost money. Depending on where you live and how you order, that usually means spending about $50 for each show. Three PPVs in less than two months means spending $150.
(Of course, that isn't the case if you're in a region where MyAEW operates, but I'm talking about the USA and Canada here. And, yes, I'm very aware that there are options for watching MyAEW no matter where you live. Shhhh.....)
I obviously understand the business case for these shows. Companies exist to make money. And it's not like they're trying to screw their audience either, because the shows will be good. I'm not mad at AEW for doing this. They're offering a good product to an audience that has always been willing to pay for the product, so, good for them.
But... have they seen the economy?
For the Tony Khans of the world, $150 can be found in the cushions of the couch on the yacht, but for the rest of us, $150 is a decent sum. It might be an amount you can afford, but for a lot of people, it's an amount that at least requires some thought.
I could be totally off base here. AEW obviously has the statistics and the buy rates and everything, so they would know how many people order these shows. It must make financial sense for them to run the shows. If they're running them, they must assume people will order them. So, maybe I'm wrong about the cost. However, I do think the cost does matter to people.
What It Does to the On-Screen Product
There's also the matter of the on-screen product. Again, I am not saying the shows have been bad or that future shows will be bad. AEW always delivers when it comes to in-ring action and I have very much enjoyed the storylines recently.
However, three PPVs and a TV special in less than two months makes it difficult to properly built to anything. This issue was exacerbated this cycle by the tragic death of Pac. It meant that AEW had to use one of their Dynamites as a tribute episode rather than using it to build to WrestleDream. It may have also meant creative changes. Of course, there's no way this sad reality could have been predicted. The tribute episode was both beautiful and the right thing to do, so I am in no way blaming them for it, but I am pointing out the reality.
It made an already tough situation much tougher.
I like how AEW has been building Will Ospreay. I said that on this week's podcast. I'm sure the Clockwork Carnage match will be great. There is a story associated with it, as Ospreay is continuously trying to prove that he has what it takes to be AEW Men's World Champion.
It just doesn't have the same hype around it though, you know?
Of course, every storyline can't be Hangman vs Swerve. I don't expect that, but what I do think is that it's hard to effectively build for this many events at once in such a short time.
Blood & Guts is a prime example of that. We don't know what the plans are for Blood & Guts. The plans may have involved the Death Riders, so those plans may have changed. We don't know. What we do know is that, based on last year, there will be a men's and a women's cage match on that show.
Outside of Swerve and the New Level vs Hangman and Brodido, there aren't really many multi-person feuds that require a Blood & Guts match, in my opinion.
When AEW does the matches, they will be great. Again, I am not bashing the quality of the shows at all. Please understand that. I'm just skeptical if they actually need them. Once again, there's a clear business case for having them, but when it comes to the on-screen stories, the matches aren't necessary at this point. The shows need to make them feel necessary. They can certainly do it. but it's hard to do it in such a compressed time period.
What's the Solution?
The obvious solution here is to have fewer PPVs and special events. That won't happen though as long as these events make money and attract attention. If Blood & Guts sells more tickets and draws a higher rating than a standard episode of Dynamite, of course they're going to have the special. If fans buy the pay-per-views and they make money, of course they're going to have them. This is all especially true if the events themselves are entertaining, which they likely will be.
So... it seems like this is how things are going to be. The only thing that would cause AEW to change is if the shows themselves start suffering, either financially and creatively. If that doesn't happen, this isn't really a problem so much as it is a minor annoyance.
However, what I would like to see, is things spaced out more. If AEW is going to have one pay-per-view a month, there should be at least four weeks between shows. I don't know if they can do that logistically, but having four weeks generally results in better storylines.
They can also space out the special episodes of Dynamite and Collision a bit more.
That's the obvious answer. The less obvious answer, however, is to not use the whole roster all the time. AEW already does this, in a way.
The company has a lot of talent under contract, and that generally isn't a bad thing because it gives people more time off. So, let's mix up the shows a bit. If Ospreay is on WrestleDream, don't have him on Blood & Guts or even Full Gear. That's a risk, because he's a popular wrestler and the world champion, but AEW has the luxury of being able to do that. They have a lot of talented and popular wrestlers and a lot of championships.
Let's have a PPV that's main evented by the Women's World Title instead of the men's title for example. Let's forget about the Continental Title and the National Title for a cycle and put the spotlight on the TNT and International Titles. Instead of having a women's tag title match, a men's tag title match, and a trios title match on a show, just have one set of belts on one, one on the other, and the third on a third show.
They have the ability to do it, so do it. Make a conscious effort to feature different people and different titles on different shows. Sure, some fans may not want to order a PPV if the World Title isn't on the line or if a certain wrestler isn't on the show, but you can fix that with storytelling. I think the AEW audience would be equally interested (if not more interested) in a great story between two great wrestlers that isn't for a world title than they would be in a world title match that's just there for the sake of being there?
What do you think?
Let us know in the comments or on social media. I'm @RickCity on Bluesky and the podcast is @EliteCityPod.com.
