AEW X NJPW: Forbidden Door Presale Tickets Instantly Sell Out

Pre-sale tickets for AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, which will take place inside the United Center on Friday, were completely sold out on Thursday, only hours before they went on sale to the general public. 

“This one is going to sell out in minutes.” Keep an eye out since some of the areas they are holding back on may become available (but they need some seats for the general public on-sale). Currently, the setup will be in the area of 14K (unless they extend this map and offer restricted view seats),” stated WrestleTix on Twitter.

“Unless they expand this map and allow limited view seats,” wrote WrestleTix on Twitter. 

In less than 40 minutes, with 20,000 people waiting in line, tickets for the show were sold out. A limited number of tickets will be available when the doors open to the general public on Wednesday.

The event sold out despite the fact that no matches had been announced, and despite the fact that AEW was in danger of exhausting its market in Chicago after organizing many events in the city since the return of CM Punk in September.

This Super show is obviously in high demand, as seen by AEW’s continued success in catering to a dedicated following that is ready, willing, and able to part with their hard-earned money. 

?ON SALE NOW!?
Tickets for @AEW & @njpwglobal's first ever joint PPV event, #AEWxNJPW: #FORBIDDENDOOR LIVE from the @UnitedCenter in Chicago on Sunday June 26, are on sale now! Get your tickets at https://t.co/UN1cNiJJrQ & @Ticketmaster! pic.twitter.com/pzBoTCa4hu

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 6, 2022

The New Japan Pro Wrestling brand has suffered a setback in the United States after Chris Jericho’s battle with Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in 2018. Jericho was instrumental in bringing greater public notice to the brand in the United States with his immediately legendary fight against Omega.

The NJPW episode that aired on AXS TV last week had just 46,000 views, with a 0.0 (5,000 viewers) rating in the 18-49 demographic. Because it is teaming up with a national wrestling company and putting its best foot forward in a large arena, AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door provides an opportunity for the NJPW brand to be reinvigorated in the United States. 

While AEW will continue to service its hardcore following, which is dedicated to the product and attends live events and pay-per-views, the company will have a lower ceiling in terms of developing the brand into a mainstream institution. The majority of AEW’s viewers are still males, according to the network.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, the gender split is around 70:30 in favour of men. When it comes to NJPW viewership in the United States, men viewers outnumber female viewers by a wide margin. 

Wrestling crowds are also more male-dominated; in Japan, the male-to-female ratio at events is 60:40, but in America, the ratio is more like 80:20, according to NJPW President Takami Obari in a transcript. 

A recent article by Samantha Schipman of Fansided titled “How New Japan Pro Wrestling of America can attract more female fans” suggested that one strategy to attract more female wrestling fans would be for NJoA [New Japan Pro Wrestling of America] to treat female fans in a way that they aren’t typically treated in the United States. 

“Market wrestlers to female fans, sell comparable stuff (particularly female sizes, since they often sell whatever is left over from previous events), and provide them with a unique, distinct live wrestling experience that is just as welcome as it is in Japan,” the authors write. 

It’s possible that the absence of a women’s division in NJPW would be detrimental, yet the existence of women’s wrestling organisation STARDOM is still a viable option. Bushiroad, which also owns New Japan Pro Wrestling, is the company that owns STARDOM. 

The thought of pro wrestling becoming popular in today’s milieu of infinite information being dispersed across various media may seem like a pipe dream in today’s environment. Wrestling promoter Tony Khan has revealed that he believes the product is only seen by diehard wrestling enthusiasts.

WWE has seen a record financial windfall during a period in which overall viewership has declined to the two million-plus level, while the product continues to perform well in the 18-49 demo when compared to other cable programmes. 

As a fourth-year wrestling business, AEW has achieved success with a similar mix of good 18-49 viewership for flagship Dynamite paired with a dedicated niche following that is extremely supportive of the product, although on a smaller scale. 

Hardcore fans will be pleased to know that Forbidden Door is shaping up to be another successful vanity project for AEW, which is also looking to broaden its female market with up-and-coming bands like Hook, Jungle Boy, and The Baddies. 

Published By: Sachin Soanwane