WWE pulled a counter-programming move on AEW once again, the first time in 2026, on Sunday, June 28 when it ran its first premium live event on the CW Network, "WWE NXT" Great American Bash, up against AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door. On a recent edition of "Wrestling Observer Radio," Dave Meltzer speculated on the pay-per-view buy numbers for AEW's most recent crossover event with NJPW, which included talent from CMLL and Stardom, as well."I will say this, and again, I don't have the AEW pay-per-view numbers, but, every indication I have is that they will be the lowest in a while," Meltzer said. "Obviously, they were not going to do what Double or Nothing did, that number was really, really high."He touted the success of Double or Nothing after the event back in May, calling it a "huge success." Meltzer said that AEW Revolution also did big numbers for the company this year, as well, and both shows were among the top five or six most successful for AEW, when it came to pay-per-view buys.Meltzer explained the key numbers that come from AEW pay-per-views are from HBO Max, which he said he didn't have at all for Forbidden Door. He also said that historically, a free, network television show would do better than a pay-per-view. According to Wrestlenomics and Programming Insider, Great American Bash drew an average of 394,000 viewers, as well as a 0.07 rating.WWE and AEW will soon go head-to-head once again. It was recently announced that "NXT: Heatwave" will air the same day at AEW All In: London, on August 30.If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
