The first six episodes of the upcoming AEW Saturday Collision show will mostly be in the eastern Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario—and a show in Newark, New Jersey to close out July 2023. Of course, the debut will be at the United Center in Chicago.
While there is hype among wrestling fans and AEW diehards, Twitter account @WrestleTix managed to get the numbers heading into Collision Summer. They don’t look good for being so close to the shows and for the venues booked.
AEW Collision Ticket Sales Aren’t Looking So Hot with a Month Left Before Canadian Shows
First up, you have the Scotibank Arena in Toronto, Ontario on June 24, 2023. The venue held a little over 14,000 for a 2022 episode of WWE RAW. According to @WrestleTix, AEW has the venue set up for 3,345 and have moved 1,683. On June 29, AEW hits up the FirstOntario Centre with a 3,083-fan setup. Currently, the company has moved 646.
That setup number is more in line with what WWE pulled at the same venue in 2013 and 2014. In 2015, the company claimed an attendance of roughly 6,500 at the FirstOntario Centre for house shows and not a broadcast.
AEW rolls into Regina, Saskatchewan on July 8 with a house show at the Brandt Centre. The venue holds between 6,000 and 7,000-plus depending on the event. AEW will be running a 2,290-fan setup and have sold 1,305. The following week sees AEW House Rules in Calgary at the Scotiabank Saddledome, a venue which holds around 19,000-plus. AEW has moved 3,108 tickets
After the Canadian tour, AEW returns to the U.S for Collision on July 22 from Newark, New Jersey. The Prudential Center is somewhere AEW has run several times in 2022. It’s something of a northern base for the promotion as they drew over 12,000 for Full Gear 2022 as well as roughly 6,000 and 8,000-plus for two episodes of Dynamite.
For this episode of Collision, AEW is going with a 4,836-attendance setup and has moved 3,731 tickets. This venue is doing the strongest of the Collision dates even though it’s running in a fraction of the building.
The debut and New Jersey shows were expected to do well within AEW’s setup and actually, the Canadian shows could hit their setup numbers—even though the bulk of attendance comes in the first few days. With later dates, AEW probably could’ve gone for larger setups. Or found accessible, smaller venues. On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer pointed out that there’s little buzz going in for Collision. He noted that New Jersey was a weak opening but the Canadian sales look dire especially in a market like Toronto.
Again, the main concern is that these aren’t impressive attendances to break into a new market with a brand new show. Who knows, maybe the debut will get fans in Canada percolating and their next visits will turn up more asses in seats.
Will Collision meet its relatively low attendance goals? Could the company see a last-minute surge in demand and need more seating? Let us know what you make of the numbers. What would you have done differently with the Collision in Canada tour dates.
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