>>19191847Vince spent decades piecing together shows to air first regionally then nationally. He had an intricate knowledge of what works on TV, what works on House shows, what works on PPV events, and everything in-between
Tony Khan doesn't care about house shows because he's never not been able to go to any TV or PPV show he wants, for his entire life. Launching AEW, the goal was never to create new wrestling fans, it was always to peel as many current and lapsed WWE fans as possible.
Vince knew what fans wanted but frequently didn't give it to them because he felt those wrestlers (almost always young guys) would still be around later, while the older guys were under contract now (and making big money now) and needed to be used. If Zack Ryder is so great, why didn't the character last years and years? Why did it crash and burn the moment he left WWE? Why didn't it transfer like AJ Styles or Samoa Joe or Bryan Danielson?
Tony has every idea what fans overall want, but doesn't understand what fans are willing to pay for - and those are, as we're learning now, two entirely different things. If you force 90% of your best matches onto PPV, then the biggest chunk of your fanbase will illegally stream your PPVs. Half AEW's biggest matches should be on TV/MAX to drive subscribers (many of whom will see the goodwill and stop illegally streaming), but the twitter fans BITCH and BITCH and BITCH about not being super-served for PPVs, so it doesn't happen, to the detriment of the company.
Vince booking for Vince turned a regional promotion into a multi-billion dollar global powerhouse. Tony booking for Tony results in an AEW that is only kept alive by endless wheelbarrows of Khan family capital being shoveled into a furnace. It's not strictly about money but one side damn sure understood how to turn money into fans, and the other doesn't.
