>>11143700Every number is a skyrocket and skyplummet on /pw/, but anyway, to the point: His long absence from the biz certainly generated some headlines and hype that I'd argue contributed to the passing of the milly limit and unmarked online services viewers, there is probably an good portion of audience that was drawn in during that time just for Phil. I'd say AEW had somewhat of a net benefit out of the deal. His merch sales being a constant top seller list stay, unless he's like buying his own merch in bulk, would also indicate a steady revenue and popularity.
As for the price, the way Phil stepped on the talent - it's somewhat clear that some of them asked to be stepped on, notably Darby. MJF probably also took the deal as he knew he'd get to put his material out there even if it was a losing deal. Those two bounced pretty well because they actually have the skill set to do, I'm not convinced one can say the same of Eddie, Hangman or Wardlow - all which, in my view, never really learned to swim or say no to bad feuds or matches.
So as lovable as Eddie is in his goofiness, how well Wardlow was build, and how Hangman actually started to get a clue before losing they've all shown they couldn't really hang in the level they were raised to since they had such trouble climbing back.
