AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door Presale Tickets Instantly Sell Out

Presale tickets for AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, inside the United Center, instantly sold out Thursday ahead of tickets going on sale to the general public on Friday.

“This one is an instant sell out. Stay tuned as some sections they are holding back on could open up (but they need some seats for the general public on-sale). As of now the setup will be in the neighborhood of 14K (unless they expand this map and open limited view seats),” wrote WrestleTix on Twitter.

Tickets sold out in less than 40 minutes, with 20,000 people in the cue, and a limited amount of tickets will be available when they are open to the general public tomorrow. The event sold out despite not announcing a single match, and despite AEW facing a possible threat of burning out the Chicago market after holding several events in the area since the return of CM Punk. There is clearly a visceral demand for this supershow as AEW continues to succeed in serving an impassioned hardcore audience that is ready, willing and able to spend money.

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The New Japan Pro Wrestling brand has weakened in the United States after Chris Jericho helped bring more mainstream attention to the brand in the U.S. with his instantly iconic feud against Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in 2018. Last week’s broadcast of NJPW on AXS TV garnered only 46,000 viewers, with a 0.0 (5,000 viewers) 18-49 demographic. AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door presents a chance for the NJPW brand to be revitalized within the states as it joins forces with a national wrestling promotion to put its best-foot forward in a major arena.

While AEW continues to serve its hardcore audience, which passionately supports the product at live events and on pay-per-view, it will also come with a lower ceiling in terms of growing the brand into a mainstream entity. AEW’s viewership continues to be dominated by men. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio recent estimated it to be roughly 70:30 male. When it comes to NJPW viewership in the states, male viewership is even higher.

“[Wrestling] audiences also skew more male; in Japan, our male female balance at events is 60:40, while in America it’s more 80:20,” said NJPW President Takami Obari in a transcript.

“One way to bring in more female wrestling fans would be for NJoA [New Japan Pro Wrestling of America] to treat female fans in a way that they aren’t typically treated here,” wrote Samantha Schipman of Fansided in an article entitled “How New Japan Pro Wrestling of America can attract more female fans.”

“Market wrestlers towards female fans, sell similar merchandise (especially female sizes, as they typically sell whatever is leftover from other shows) and offer them a new, different live wrestling experience that is just as welcoming as it is in Japan.”

It might not help that NJPW does not have a women’s division, although the presence of women’s wrestling promotion STARDOM remains a possibility. STARDOM is owned by Bushiroad, which also owns New Japan Pro Wrestling.

In today’s climate of endless content being scattered across countless platforms, the idea of pro wrestling becoming mainstream might be a pipe dream. AEW President Tony Khan himself admitted he feels only hardcore wrestling fans watch the product. WWE has seen historic financial windfall in an era where total viewership has dipped down to the two million-range, though the product remains strong in the 18-49 demo relative to other cable shows.

AEW has succeeded with a similar dynamic of strong 18-49 viewership for flagship Dynamite coupled with a passionate niche audience that intensely supports the product, albeit on a smaller scale as a fourth-year wrestling company.

Forbidden Door is shaping up to be another successful vanity project for hardcore fans, as AEW also looks to expand its female demo with budding acts like Hook, Jungle Boy and The Baddies.