Report: Estimated PPV Buys For AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door Revealed
Millions of dollars from Forbidden Door for AEW and NJPW
Jul 1, 2022
The joint Forbidden Door pay-per-view between All Elite Wrestling and NJPW on Sunday, June 26, was ultimately a successful one for both promotions.
Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics estimated that Forbidden Door drew 127,000 pay-per-view buys, with Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter projecting the show generated between 125,000 and 127,000 buys worldwide. Both Meltzer and Thurston estimated 7,000 of those buys came from NJPW World in Japan, where the show aired live from 8 am until 1 pm on Monday, June 27.
Buys were ultimately down across the board from the 155,000 buys that Double Or Nothing 2022 generated and Meltzer reported digital sales fell 18 percent from the May 29 pay-per-view, while buys dropped 23.9 percent on traditional pay-per-view. The drop was largely outside of the United States as Bleacher Report streaming numbers were similar to AEW's other pay-per-views this year but Forbidden Door did not draw as well on FITE and on traditional pay-per-view in Europe, with the United States accounting for approximately 80 percent of the buys for the June 26 show.
While Forbidden Door may not have drawn as well as Double Or Nothing, it was ultimately still a moneymaker and Wrestlenomics estimated net revenue from pay-per-view buys will be $3.1 million. When ticket and merchandise sales from the United Center are also included, the net revenue for Forbidden Door is estimated to be $4.4 million.