What Collision Could Mean for AEW

It was a big moment for AEW when Collision was officially announced. Even though it was heavily speculated, officially getting a second show in prime time is still an important milestone for the company. There are several reasons why. Here are some of the things that Collision could mean for All Elite Wrestling.

What Does Collision Mean for AEW?

More Money

This is, of course, a big one. Warner Bros. Discovery ordering a new show means more money for AEW. While the reported “billion dollar deal” may not have happened (though it still could), having another prime-time show is good financially for AEW.

The company likely needs the money if they want to re-sign some of the talent who will need new deals in the future and it’s always good to be on good financial ground in case any big free agents come up in the future.

More TV Time

With the addition of AEW Collision on Saturdays, there will be two more hours of TV time for the AEW roster. The press release that announced the show specifically mentioned the names of Miro, Thunder Rosa, and Andrade El Idolo, all of whom haven’t been on AEW TV in a long time. Collision gives the company the opportunity to showcase these names along with other talents who may not have received as very many chances to wrestle in prime time in the past.

More TV also gives the company more chances to build up to big events, showcase merchandise and promotions, and build a brand.

However, more TV time doesn’t necessarily mean all good things for the company. Eric Bischoff has frequently mentioned how adding Thunder to WCW’s TV lineup was actually a bad thing for that organization. In 2020, on his 83 Weeks podcast (via Fightful), Bischoff said “if we put out a two-hour show on Thursday, it was going to dilute the Nitro show. You’re just going to split the audience, maybe not 100%, but you’re going to hurt your Monday night audience by having a second primetime show. And that’s exactly what happened.”

Could AEW have the same problem?

A Roster “Split”

While the rumors of a hard roster split could turn out to be more of a “soft split” than a defined one, and no one is entirely sure what will happen at this point, Collision and Dynamite will likely feature different talents from one another in some capacity. In many ways, this could be a good thing. Having different wrestlers on each show will prevent some of the problems Bischoff talked about with Nitro and Thunder. It doesn’t dilute your product as much to have two main shows if the two shows are different.

However, you can’t talk about AEW without talking about the reported backstage issues between CM Punk and the Elite. Even the announcement of Collision was filled with CM Punk drama and no one really knows for certain if he’ll be returning to the company and – if he does – how he’ll be able to interact with the Elite.

On one hand, having two shows and two rosters or touring groups could be a way to keep those who don’t get along separate. That might be a good thing for locker room morale. However, on the other hand, if you need to go to that extent to keep people apart, is the situation sustainable? Pay-per-view events will still include the entire roster, so if there’s that kind of tension, there’s always the chance of things blowing up again as they did at All Out 2022.

Changes for AEW Rampage

With Dynamite and Collision becoming AEW’s two main shows, that means AEW Rampage will likely settle into a spot similar to Sunday Night Heat, once SmackDown hit the air. It’s already basically a lesser show than Dynamite (despite what Tony Khan initially claimed) and this announcement essentially makes it official.

Rampage will continue to be taped with Dynamite, meaning it will feature the “Dynamite roster” (if such a thing will actually exists). However, it’s likely going to be a show for people who don’t typically end up on Dynamite. That makes sense, especially since AEW Dark and Dark Elevation are on hiatus.

This could certainly be a good thing as appearing on television (even in a timeslot that changes frequently) is definitely a step up from being on a free YouTube show.

A Vote of Confidence for AEW

WCW Monday Nitro aired from September 4, 1995, to March 26, 2001, putting out 288 episodes over that time. AEW Dynamite has aired around 190 episodes as of this week. That means in one hundred weeks, there will be more episodes of Dynamite than there were episodes of Nitro.

Why is this relevant? Because adding another AEW show to the WBD networks is a vote of confidence for the company. While this isn’t a new TV deal for Dynamite, the addition of Collision increases the likelihood of the Dynamite milestone being reached since it shows that the network likes having AEW wrestling on TV.

Despite the “AEW is dying” sentiment that persists in some corners of the internet, it doesn’t look like the company is going anywhere anytime soon. That’s good for AEW and for the wrestling industry as a whole.