AEW Collision records historic low viewership; hardly 10% of SmackDown's numbers

Despite being less than a year old, AEW Collision has established itself as a major program for the company on Saturday nights. But due to this year's Full Gear pay-per-view airing on Saturday, Tony Khan had to move this week's Collision to Friday, putting it up against WWE SmackDown. The results aren't looking good.

While the official ratings for Friday night's programs won't arrive until Monday at the earliest, Forbes contributor Alfred Konuwa has provided the preliminary overnight numbers for AEW Collision and WWE SmackDown.

According to the Fast National data, SmackDown drew 2.22 million viewers overall, with 792k in the coveted 18-49-year-old demographic. Running against it, AEW Collision reportedly drew a mere 251,000 overall, with 95k in the key demo.

If these numbers end up being close to the official figures, it would mark AEW Collision's lowest viewership ever. With the show being moved off its normal night and put up against WWE's biggest program, many expected this to be the case. However, it may still spark concern as this week's episode was the go-home show before Full Gear.

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Plenty of empty seats were snapped at last night's AEW Collision

Going head-to-head with WWE SmackDown on an abnormal night was bad enough for Collision, but when paired with the slump in ticket sales the company has recently endured, fans are wondering what Tony Khan and Co. can do to boost interest.

Last night's Collision took place at the KIA Forum, the same venue that Full Gear will air from tonight. Roughly 14 minutes after the show began, a fan provided a photo of the arena, which was startlingly empty.

It should be noted that the photo was likely taken just before the Collision began or just as it was going live. The uploader mentioned that traffic had been bad in the area, which may have resulted in late entry for many fans.

According to WrestleTix, last night's Collision sold almost 5,000 tickets, which is in line with the company's recent television events but may seem a bit low for the KIA Forum.

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Are you excited for tonight's AEW Full Gear? Are you concerned about the ratings for Collision? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!