Brian Alvarez from The Wrestling Observer has had a discussion on his websites message board in relation to why AEW are continuing to produce wrestling shows in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic. He states that the promotion would cease to exist if they were to stop shooting episodes
Bryan Alvarez talks about how #AEWDynamite could be cancelled if they’re not providing content #AEW pic.twitter.com/fZU5BS5oxJ
— Kenan (@justkenan_19) June 25, 2020
Alvarez had this to say regarding the situation
“If AEW stops running shows, they are almost certainly going to go out of business,”
He reported that TNT would not pay out to the promotion if they decided to shut things down while the global health crisis unfolds, he added that AEW do not have the same resources as WWE to keep them afloat if TV money stopped coming in.
The situation leaves Tony Khan with two options. He could stop all production of shows and leave staff without a paying job in the middle of an extremely tough financial time, or he can continue to put out shows in the safest way possible. From how things have been going lately we can see that AEW are doing a better job than most in this regard.
AEW have been officially testing every staff member before they are allowed into the building for tapings. This keeps AEW a lot safer than most promotions. Although nothing is completely perfect, it seems to be working well for the company so far. The comment from Alvarez solidifies rumours that the promotion are obliged to produce a certain amount of shows for the network in order to get paid. With all live shows being cancelled and no ticket money coming in, it is one of their only sources of income.
