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According to the latest reports, WWE might be leaking AEW Rampage's fast national television ratings to wrestling news websites.
For those unaware, preliminary ratings are released for every show as "fast nationals." However, these numbers are not shared publicly, and they tend to be the least accurate figures. The final viewership ratings are typically much better than the fast nationals, especially for wrestling shows.
The Voices of Wrestling reported that the idea behind WWE leaking Rampage's low-key numbers could be their strategy to portray AEW's secondary show as weak. The aforementioned source has validated the theory from at least one of the outlets that has been reporting the viewership figures. It's important to note that these leaks weren't taking place until Tony Khan's promotion launched Rampage.
Voices of Wrestling tweeted the report and later elaborated on the situation.
"Here's the scoop. WWE is leaking the Rampage fast nationals. This was tipped off to us and then confirmed by at least one of the outlets that has been reporting them. Come up with your own motivations, but that's who is feeding it to the news sites.
"My theory is that their strategy is to present Rampage as AEW being weak. Smackdown airs on the same night, so it's great P.R. to compare the numbers, especially since the general public has no understanding of what a good number is at Friday 10pm (I mean, just look at this app.) It's also notable that these leaks weren't happening until Rampage began to level off."
AEW Rampage and WWE SmackDown will go head-to-head for half an hour this Friday night
AEW Rampage and WWE SmackDown will be head-to-head this Friday night for the first time in history. The special "Supersized" edition of SmackDown will be a two-and-a-half-hour show, so it'll compete with Rampage for 30 minutes.
In light of a potential ratings war, AEW has also announced a pre-show Buy-In, which will air on their YouTube channel. This free program will give fans two blockbuster matches. In a bout between fan-favorite stars, Bryan Danielson will face Minoru Suzuki. Plus, Bobby Fish will lock horns with Lee Moriarty in a contest that promises to showcase technical wrestling.
Meanwhile, WWE is likely to draw plenty of viewers with Brock Lesnar's appearance on the show, among other buzzworthy segments. Both companies are loading up their respective shows, so it'll be interesting to see how their viewership numbers compare to each other.
What do you make of the reports regarding WWE leaking Rampage's fast national ratings? Sound off in the comments section below.
