WWE’s decision to tape Worlds Collide and wait several days before airing it on YouTube wasn’t a last-minute call. As it turns out, that strategy had been locked in well before the event ever took place.
According to Fightful Select, WWE decided as early as August that Worlds Collide would not air live. The report adds that the move was made in an effort to impact AEW All Out’s ticket sales in the Chicago area rather than giving fans a live alternative on the same day.
The report also notes that people within WWE admitted AEW’s ticket sales ended up being stronger than they expected. Even so, WWE officials were reportedly pleased with how Worlds Collide performed on the ticket sales front as well.
That lines up with WWE’s eventual announcement that Worlds Collide would premiere on YouTube on Wednesday, September 30, four days after the event itself takes place in Rosemont, Illinois. Instead of competing directly with All Out on pay-per-view, the broadcast will air one hour before AEW Dynamite, creating a different kind of head-to-head situation later in the week.
While fans only learned about the delayed broadcast during the September 25 episode of SmackDown, this report suggests the plan had already been finalized nearly two months earlier. Rather than being a late production decision, WWE viewed the delayed rollout as part of its overall strategy for Worlds Collide from the very beginning.
What do you make of WWE’s reported strategy for Worlds Collide? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
