AEW Injury Rate Is Surging While WWE’s Numbers Drop to “Low End”

AEW’s injury count is climbing—and Dave Meltzer believes it could be a sign that WWE’s in-ring style is proving to be safer.

In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer revealed that AEW’s current injury rate has jumped significantly above WWE’s, despite both companies historically maintaining similar numbers.

“I was running the injury stats and usually WWE and AEW are about the same, at around 12 percent of the roster injured at any one time. That is no longer the case. Right now the WWE injury percentage is down to 8.6 percent right now, which is at the low end. AEW on the other hand, is at 14.4 percent, above that usual level.”

While WWE’s drop to 8.6% may signal increased durability among its roster, AEW’s 14.4% number is raising concerns—especially if the trend continues. Meltzer has long maintained that both companies were neck and neck when it came to injury stats, but now he’s starting to change his tune.

“Historically there has been no significant difference between the two companies and the arguments about one style being healthier than the other really didn’t fly. If this maintains over the course of the year, you can say something about WWE is superior in this aspect.”

WWE currently has several stars on the shelf, including Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Bianca Belair, Zoey Stark, Apollo Crews, Elton Prince, Piper Niven, and Adrianna Rizzo. Chad Gable is still out, though he’s reportedly close to a return.

Meanwhile, AEW is juggling a heavier list of inactive talent: Will Ospreay, Buddy Matthews, Wardlow, Thunder Rosa, Adam Cole, Brian Cage, Jay White, Dustin Rhodes, Nick Wayne, Hologram, Kota Ibushi, Rush, and Dralistico are all sidelined.

Whether it’s the in-ring style, match pacing, or overall workload, AEW’s growing injury problem may force some serious internal conversations—especially with WWE trending in the opposite direction.