Mercedes Mone's debut caused a significant increase in ratings for AEW Big Business. All Elite Wrestling's newest CEO drew 801,000 viewers and a 0.27 rating in the 18-49 demo, up 3% from last week. It disappointed 779,000 viewers and went 18-49 with a 0.27. Mone (FKA Sasha Banks) headlined a star-studded Dynamite TV special that Tony Khan, another AEW CEO, called the biggest show in AEW history.
“Of course. I promise we won't disappoint our fans tonight,” Khan told Scott Fishman of TVInsider.com (h/t Yahoo.com). “The big names keep coming, and tonight is the biggest show yet.”
“It has become a popular destination for top stars,” Khan continued. “Right now is the perfect time to continue to expand and grow. That's what tonight is about. AEW Big Business. We have a very strong group of wrestlers in AEW today, and since the beginning of 2019 we've been here… We were able to move forward.”
“AEW Dynamite: Big Business” featured the debut of Mercedes Mone, who finally joined AEW after over a year of speculation. AEW opened with CM Punk's famous AEW debut in Chicago, Illinois, as well as Mone's debut in his hometown of Boston, Massachusetts. Monet debuted the new “CEO'' theme song, which samples Beethoven's 9th Symphony, which was once a classic theme. Sampled by current historic WWE Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER.
In front of a crowd of 9,500, Dynamite's largest attendance in months, Monet opened the show with an emotional promo. Monet's friends and WWE Superstars Bayley, Naomi and Tamina were also in attendance to support their friend in their big moment.
“Do you want to know why I'm here? Because I need to be here,” Monet said. “I want to be here. AEW is the only place where we can make this revolution global. And we're going to make it happen.” Mercedes' promotion revealed during a podcast appearance that she hopes to someday join WWE. It was a course correction of sorts, following a brutally honest moment in which he admitted he was looking forward to returning.
AEW Big Business Ratings
- AEW Dynamite Big Business Viewers | 801,000
- AEW Dynamite Big Business 18-49 Rating | 0.27 Rating
“I know I'll get back there at some point. It's not done. There's a lot of unfinished business wrestling-wise in a lot of places,” Mercedes told Evan Mack on the “Kick Rocks Wrestling Podcast.” .
Mone's AEW debut garnered mostly positive reactions from fans and media, as she looks to jump-start a promising but struggling women's division.
“It was really, really fun,” Tommy Dreamer said on “Busted Open Radio.”
“I was a little shocked that it happened in the first place, but if you think about it, most of these things are long-lasting, and if you have a whole show before that, it's better to have someone who can expedite your debut.” I said, “I have to rely on you.''
The Rock's promo on SmackDown two weeks ago opened the show, but his promo from last week was saved for the main event segment. WWE's strategy of making fans wait for the show's biggest stars led to an increase in viewership. Given that AEW's total viewership is slowly increasing, we'll likely see the same in AEW's 15 Minutes of Big Business viewership.
Mercedes Monet could have done even bigger business
While Monet's drawing ability was certainly impressive in the first week, especially considering that the average total viewership was just 801,000, if Tony Khan had promoted her appearance, the business would have been I can't help but wonder how big it must have gotten. Her unadvertised AEW debut on CM Punk's Chicago packed United Her Center and garnered Rampage's highest ratings in history with over 1 million viewers. However, Punk's AEW debut was a fluke and filled with Easter eggs, all except for AEW mentioning Punk's name and hinting that he would be there. Rampage's already record-setting numbers could have been even bigger if AEW had promoted Punk even in this situation.
AEW employed a similar strategy with Mohn, but the use of dog whistles was greatly reduced and only the most die-hard pro wrestling fans knew about Mohn's debut.
“I mean, I'm still thinking, but I can't believe even the most elementary thing like, uh… me, me, me. Hmm, okay. [Bryan Alvarez] Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio said:
“Do you realize there's actually a reason why they've been promoting matches for the past 140 years? WWE is super hot right now, but still when The Rock is on… , they go wild — actually, they brought him in as a surprise, and now they're promoting him.”
The Rock's WWE appearance was promoted, leading to some matches on SmackDown maximum number Since moving to Fox. This includes Friday's SmackDown, which was No. 1 on all of television.
Another challenge for Mercedes' AEW debut will be how effectively Tony Khan can lead and book her. Throughout her disastrous tenure with CM Punk's AEW, the world of professional wrestling learned that dealing with strong personalities is not Khan's strong suit. Mone and Naomi infamously left WWE during the taping of Raw after a dispute with management. If issues similar to Mohn's arise in AEW, Tony Khan's ability to handle these situations will bring the best out of AEW's revamped locker room (a locker room filled with more talent and egos than ever before). This will be an important part of its utilization.
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