NUMBERS DON'T LIE, BUT PROMOTERS DO (Wrestling Soup 10.9.25)

WRESTLING SOUP

Wrestling Soup Network

Sports, Comedy, Wrestling

4.4 • 746 Ratings

🗓️ 10 October 2025

⏱️ 86 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

00:00 – AEW Attendance Controversy & Ticket Numbers
Anthony and Joe open with a deep dive into AEW’s reported attendance numbers, NDAs, and the ongoing debate about truth in wrestling promotion.

07:30 – The Ratings Game: NXT vs. Dynamite
Discussion shifts to TV ratings, fan excuses, and the real audience size for wrestling shows.

13:00 – AEW’s Place in the Industry
A critical look at AEW’s current status, company culture, and how it compares to WWE and TNA.

16:30 – Crown Jewel Preview & Early Morning Wrestling
The hosts preview WWE’s Crown Jewel event, discuss the challenges of international shows, and share thoughts on watching wrestling at odd hours.

21:00 – Match-by-Match Crown Jewel Predictions
Detailed breakdowns and predictions for Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed, Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane, and more.

32:00 – Women’s Division: Growth, Stagnation, and Storylines
A candid discussion about the women’s division, character development, and the challenges facing stars like Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte Flair.

45:00 – WWE Ticket Prices & The “Family Company” Debate
Anthony and Joe debate WWE’s claim of being family-friendly in light of rising ticket and merchandise prices.

54:00 – Mental Health in Wrestling: Big E’s Story
A heartfelt segment on Big E’s mental health journey, therapy, and the importance of openness in the wrestling community.

1:05:00 – Contract News & Industry Moves
Updates on recent contract renewals, departures, and the realities of career moves in wrestling.

1:15:00 – Final Thoughts & What’s Next
The hosts wrap up with shoutouts, upcoming show plugs, and a reminder to join them for more wrestling talk.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	I haven't even heard about it.
0:04.1	Why does Texas have an NDA against Tony Kahn?
0:07.4	Well, not against him, but for whatever that, when they did, what was it,
0:11.2	uh, all out or whatever, all in, all out, shake it all about.
0:16.0	I guess they tried to make the stadium itself sign an NDA that said that they sold 25,000 tickets.
0:24.6	Oh, yeah. Yeah. And they actually, well, actually, I thought it was more than that. Didn't they say that
0:30.1	they sold like 30,000 or almost 30,000, but it was a lot less? I mean, I assume. I actually had the number pulled up earlier, and I threw that news away, because I'm like, oh, Joe doesn't give a shit about this.
0:44.0	No, no, that's funny.
0:44.9	I just joke about goddamn AEW house numbers.
0:48.3	Well, this is the problem in this situation.
0:51.3	The vast majority of the time, I don't give a flying fuck about anything
0:57.2	A.W related, because it's just, it's dead. The whole thing's dead. But a story like that
1:03.0	is just fucking too funny. Like, that's prime comedy. Like, what do you do with the fact that now this dude has gotten to a point where he's trying to make actual real companies and businesses lie on his behalf on something to the level of people have to report on their taxes to this?
1:26.9	Like, the people that run that stadium can't lie
1:31.0	about how many people have been lying for years we've been calling out there lies for years i mean even
1:37.6	going back to fucking london like this company is it has a foundation of lying.
1:47.7	Look at the way that they treat their employees, let alone what they're saying about the fans.
1:48.9	You're right.
1:54.2	It's another comical excuse to make fun of AEW for misappropriating the numbers. But I mean, I go back and I remember when that Fox Sports executive put Tony in his place and said,
2:00.7	no, your company actually only did
2:02.1	this many. And he's like, no, it didn't because we did so many numbers here. And then you
2:07.0	have guys like Dave Meltzer that are sucking at the teat of Tony Khan lying bold face to everyone
	...

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