Swerve Strickland looked at WWE and AEW packing arenas in the Chicago area and saw a reason to celebrate. While Will Ospreay warned the competition never to step to AEW again, Swerve’s takeaway was that more than 20,000 people spent their Saturday night watching live wrestling.
Taking to Twitter after AEW All Out and WWE x AAA Worlds Collide ran opposite each other on September 26, Swerve focused on the combined audience. His message offered a much different perspective from the fighting words coming out of Ospreay’s post-show appearances.
“Over 20k folks in the city of chicago enjoyed live pro wrestling on a Saturday night
#win #thankyou”
Swerve didn’t name Ospreay or directly respond to his comments. But with the head-to-head showdown dominating the weekend’s wrestling debate, his post celebrated fans attending both events without declaring that one group had picked the wrong show.
That distinction stood out after Ospreay unloaded on WWE for running Worlds Collide against All Out. After retaining the AEW World Championship against Jon Moxley, Ospreay told the Chicago crowd he took pride in their decision to spend the night with AEW.
“You guys, you had a choice. You had a choice of what wrestling you wanted to see tonight, and it fills me with pride, pride knowing that I represent All Elite Wrestling. So congratulations on making the right choice.”
Ospreay pushed that message even harder during the post-All Out media scrum. He praised AEW’s pay-per-views before delivering an unmistakable warning to anyone looking to compete with the company.
“Anytime anyone wants to come and step up to us, here’s reality for you: we’re gonna knock you down two f**king levels. We are the best pro wrestling in the entire f**king world. Do not f**king step to us ever again.”
The ticket numbers help explain Swerve’s broader view of the night. WrestleTix figures cited after the events put Worlds Collide at 13,853 tickets distributed and All Out at 9,456—a combined 23,309, with WWE ahead in ticket distribution even as AEW sold out its setup at NOW Arena. Those figures measure tickets distributed rather than verified turnstile attendance.
The broadcast situation also made this an unusual head-to-head battle. WWE ran Worlds Collide at Allstate Arena but chose to tape the event for a September 30 YouTube premiere at 7 p.m. ET, meaning it competed with All Out for local ticket buyers without airing live against the pay-per-view.
That delayed release gives the competition another chapter, too. Worlds Collide will begin an hour before AEW Dynamite’s usual 8 p.m. ET start, creating the possibility of the broadcasts overlapping depending on the taped show’s runtime.
What do you make of Swerve’s perspective compared with Ospreay’s—was Chicago a win for wrestling overall, or does the head-to-head result matter more? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
