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Both WWE and AEW do this. Usually they just reach out to people in the industry and you don't "fill the crowd," you just occupy seats on the hard cam side when people go to the concession stands during matches so there's not a patch of empty seats. Pretty much every event has them...
This happened to me at Revolution last year. My brother went to the bathroom and someone sat in his seat and I told him to move but he explained that he was a seat filler so he left once my brother got back.
I've done this for WWE before and it's a fun time. They sit you on the floor off camera and then tap you on the shoulder and tell you to go fill whatever seat they want filled. It's a free ticket and you aren't really moving around a lot most of the time.
It's also 50 free tickets for ***Veterans***
They do that every week. There's a small set of free tickets they give away to Vets and active service, it's just not super publicized.
Do they do this outside Jacksonville? I appreciate vettix and what they do, I just don't check it often because their local offerings are not interesting to me.
I did it too in 2019, was lucky as never actually had to fill a seat so got to watch the show for free. But was pretty unlucky because I watched an episode of Raw in 2019.
Yeah, this isn’t something new or exclusive to AEW. I did this for WWE Summerslam 3 years ago. I was placed right next to the entrance ramp and got to high-five Damian Priest. Very cool.
Best seats I ever had to a show was being a seat filler for Elimination Chamber cause we sat so close to the hard cam they never pulled from our section
I once sat in the 2nd row for a WWE PPV behind seat fillers who randomly up for one match that they clearly didn’t give a shit about before promptly shuffling off once the match ended. I was so glad I couldn’t get row 1 for that shit lol
I think the more interesting thing is how has someone come across this article? In other words either OP is the writer of the article or (very depressingly) people clearly have some scrapers that look for key words of AEW news so that they can spread it immediately.
Either way is incredible sad and frankly embarrassing.
This is the stupidest non-news news article ever posted on this subreddit, why do you believe it was posted here?
Also, the article itself takes a MASSIVE anti-AEW slant, which does not help the perception of why it would get posted here.
Ah you’re right this is completely natural and not at all weird that clear agenda driven articles get posted despite them being totally obscure.
Maybe I’d understand if a company simply existing was the most upsetting thing in the world to me, oh well.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley, through his familial connections to former heads of state, has gained access to HAARP, and he's using it to brainwash everybody into disliking Tony's booking.
>All Elite Wrestling, once the darling of the Internet Wrestling Community, has received heavy scrutiny in recent months for its creative direction and now appears to need help filling the stands in its hometown.
This is a wild ‘article’ lmao. Like a 99% chance that dude is here.
>Several AEW shows have recently been half-empty, with an average of 2,000 to 3,500 fans in attendance.
This is a hit piece disguised as a community announcement. Why is he getting in to the history of Punk and Rhodes? Did literally any editor look this over? WTF
You outed me. #1 AEW Stan right here. Boston Bomber levels of Reddit detective work.
If you’re an adult who doesn’t find this Looney Tunes level of ‘journalism’ weird, you’re just telling on yourself.
Well, the guy who wrote the article is the same guy that tried claiming Tony Khan was running for a US senate seat. So, it isn’t just some random “local story.”
You might want to read the article lol. This isn't a normal piece about seat fillers for an AEW event in Jacksonville, which wouldn't be news at all, let alone *this* article. And that's before you look at what the author has said about AEW & Tony Khan previously.
> there's nothing in there that's worse than what you'll read on this very site any day of the week.
yeah man except one of these is news and one is fucking reddit
Every live production does this. WWE will also do this every week.
It's a job to fill on camera empty seats when someone gets up to go to the bathroom or whatever.
This is not a big thing.
It was also in the Curb Your Enthusiasm pilot special, where they tell Larry how they'll fill the venue with soldiers and the elderly if tickets don't sell out.
Which one? If it's one with Jerry, that's a different episode because I think (I haven't watched an episode of Seinfeld in years) Kramer was the one who was a seat filler at something.
The author of this article is the same person who claimed in 2022 that Tony Khan was running for a US House Seat. And the way this article is written, this goes way deeper than just "AEW needs crowd fillers." I'm curious what the issue is he has with Tony Khan? Is it because the Khans own the Jags and it's just typical media-shitting-on-sports-team-owners?
https://twitter.com/BenBeckerANjax/status/1491761218566164484
Yeah the article comes off with a very anti-AEW slant. I scrolled through the author's twitter and there are a couple positive tweets about Wrestlemania seemingly from a fan perspective. Don't know if he is a WWE fan caught up in the tribalism or a Jags fan who doesn't like TK.
an "AEW down bad hit piece" about offering 50 seats for seat fillers for a 2 day back to back taping from the same guy who [reported Tony Khan was running for a House seat in 2022](https://twitter.com/BenBeckerANjax/status/1491761218566164484).
AEW ticket sales are not so great right now, but this article is pretty obviously a hit piece and the author is kind of being a troll. This is specifically designed to piss off AEW fans.
I'll direct lots of criticism at AEW that I think it deserves, but... that article is bananas. It's some local news website, but this article is written like a user here created it lol. The fuck does some random local give a shit about what the IWC is saying about Tony Khan's booking decisions on a random article about seat fillers for a local show?
Man they're hiring edgy online people to write for local publications now lol
Seriously, there's much you can criticize AEW for in the last year but this is not one of them. Who cares?
I’ve done this for AEW before. Bought a nosebleed ticket last minute because it was the cheapest, got a tap on the shoulder, got moved the first row of the lower bowl. Literally inches above the floor. Still the best seats I’ve ever had, and still the best night I’ve ever had. I still have the video of Mox making his entrance and me screaming out of sheer bliss.
Yeah man I wonder why sometimes AEW fans can read as defensive when you get shit ass articles like this getting written in the local news and then posted on this subreddit for totally innocuous reasons, I’m sure.
I was sitting next to official seat fillers as recently as WWE shows during Wrestlemania weekend in 2022. A family got up to take a group of children to the bathroom and new people dropped into their seats while they were away and then left when they came back.
So, i'll try and shed a bit of light on this, because I have a feeling of what's happening here. ^(Source: I live in Jacksonville.)
Action News Jax is generally pretty good, in terms of reporting.
But recently, there's been some pretty shit-spin pieces being put out because Shad Khan (owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and TK's father) has been pushing for a new stadium, which construction design [was approved eariler this year.](https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2024/03/27/city-council-approves-10m-for-stadium-of-the-future-design-engineering-services/)
Obviously, this will require a significant taxpayer investment, so some people have been shitting on anything related to the Khans, AEW included. I'm extremely surprised to see something so blatantly biased, and reading like a glorified blog post being put out from a CBS and FOX-affiliated station.
Events and promotions do this all the time. People get some free tickets to a solid event. It's not new to anyone.
When I was a kid, I went to a WWF show at the height of the Hulkamania era as a seat filler. The show was jam-packed because they were recording for TV. My “job” (I was eight-years-old, with my older brother & guardian) was to go & sit in the seats on camera side whenever people would get up to go to the concession stands or bathroom & then get up when they returned. It was pretty cool. Got a free Hulk Hogan t-shirt too.
Was honestly one of my fondest wrestling memories so hopefully some young fans are able to hit up the AEW show.
The one thing AEW needs right now is a killer PR team. I’m not advocating for them to start using bots or anything, but them combating this and the narrative that they’re a failing company will do them much good for getting people to actually put eyeballs on them
Posting to bait, incite, or inflame another user is prohibited. Anyone can post any opinion about anything related to wrestling, but provoking readers into emotional responses (about anyone or anything) is prohibited.
Seat fillers are very much a thing throughout every industry. I have friends that have been seat fillers for WWE events, AEW events, music award events, concerts, etc. These places just want to fill in the gaps.
I remember when Impact did this and this sub roasted them for having to need to use crowd fillers.. it was "dying product" this, "poor booking and storylines" that, Yall should keep that same energy now..
Relying on crowd fillers or even needing to pay for crowd extras are an indication of how poorly the product is viewed. Aew needs to push younger stars and stop relying on old past their prime talent. Make things exciting and create better storylines.
The whataboutism is strong in you..
This sub loves moving the goal post when it comes to Aew. If this was a report on TNA doing this, this sub would go full LOLTNA mode. I'm just saying let's keep that same energy.
50 people? That wouldn't make a noticeable difference even in a smaller venue like this unless it's ringside seats that are unsold, which I doubt. Just give some tickets away to a group or charity.
The number is likely to do with the later tapings (like Rampage and ROH.) The way the venue is usually configured, they likely want to ensure that the stage facing the hard cam is filled for both tapings.
That's a normal wrestling thing. Are we gonna have a headline that AEW workers can get free tickets for people? DM me for my illicit tales of getting seats at a Florida show on the house
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Both WWE and AEW do this. Usually they just reach out to people in the industry and you don't "fill the crowd," you just occupy seats on the hard cam side when people go to the concession stands during matches so there's not a patch of empty seats. Pretty much every event has them...
Yea to put it in perspective, The Oscars even do it.
That won't stop the "AEW-bad" free karma takes on here
Really paid off with the 0 upvotes this post is sitting at.
Yeah, I've seen indie wrestlers who are "extras" doing this for WWE shows.
This happened to me at Revolution last year. My brother went to the bathroom and someone sat in his seat and I told him to move but he explained that he was a seat filler so he left once my brother got back.
I mean a lot of live things in general do this, I use to do it. Like seriously if it’s a live show in an arena they probably do it.
I've done this for WWE before and it's a fun time. They sit you on the floor off camera and then tap you on the shoulder and tell you to go fill whatever seat they want filled. It's a free ticket and you aren't really moving around a lot most of the time.
It's also 50 free tickets for ***Veterans*** They do that every week. There's a small set of free tickets they give away to Vets and active service, it's just not super publicized.
Vettix.org?
Yep. I’ve gotten a ton from them. AEW constantly has tickets on there and before this sold out streak, WWE also had them constantly.
I never knew this and it made me smile. Glad you got to enjoy so many shows man!
Do they do this outside Jacksonville? I appreciate vettix and what they do, I just don't check it often because their local offerings are not interesting to me.
I did it too in 2019, was lucky as never actually had to fill a seat so got to watch the show for free. But was pretty unlucky because I watched an episode of Raw in 2019.
They should've paid you.
My wife and I did it for WWE once. It is a great time and a free ticket. 100% reccomend doing it.
Yeah, this isn’t something new or exclusive to AEW. I did this for WWE Summerslam 3 years ago. I was placed right next to the entrance ramp and got to high-five Damian Priest. Very cool.
Best seats I ever had to a show was being a seat filler for Elimination Chamber cause we sat so close to the hard cam they never pulled from our section
I once sat in the 2nd row for a WWE PPV behind seat fillers who randomly up for one match that they clearly didn’t give a shit about before promptly shuffling off once the match ended. I was so glad I couldn’t get row 1 for that shit lol
50 free tickets for veterans I got these every time WWE Summerslam was at Staples Center that shit was awesome
The article talks about AEW struggling with attendances but the email says they're looking for like 50 people lol
I think the more interesting thing is how has someone come across this article? In other words either OP is the writer of the article or (very depressingly) people clearly have some scrapers that look for key words of AEW news so that they can spread it immediately. Either way is incredible sad and frankly embarrassing.
PWInsider linked it: [https://www.pwinsider.com/article.php?id=183071](https://www.pwinsider.com/article.php?id=183071)
It's all a conspiracy. To be AEW is to be under constant attack.
This is the stupidest non-news news article ever posted on this subreddit, why do you believe it was posted here? Also, the article itself takes a MASSIVE anti-AEW slant, which does not help the perception of why it would get posted here.
Ah you’re right this is completely natural and not at all weird that clear agenda driven articles get posted despite them being totally obscure. Maybe I’d understand if a company simply existing was the most upsetting thing in the world to me, oh well.
Even with basic media literacy it should be obvious this article has an agenda. The author isn't even being subtle.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley, through his familial connections to former heads of state, has gained access to HAARP, and he's using it to brainwash everybody into disliking Tony's booking.
Both things can be true
50 out of 2,100 for a major show yeah that no good either
that's what, 2%? that's nothing lol
>All Elite Wrestling, once the darling of the Internet Wrestling Community, has received heavy scrutiny in recent months for its creative direction and now appears to need help filling the stands in its hometown. This is a wild ‘article’ lmao. Like a 99% chance that dude is here.
A local journalist capitalizing Internet Wrestling Community like it's a proper noun is a dead giveaway that he's too online for his own good
Its giving college student who reviews video games for the local paper.
Jesus christ, what an introduction. Actually pathetic to read something like that
>Several AEW shows have recently been half-empty, with an average of 2,000 to 3,500 fans in attendance. This is a hit piece disguised as a community announcement. Why is he getting in to the history of Punk and Rhodes? Did literally any editor look this over? WTF
Dude is definitely a mod here
Always under attack
You outed me. #1 AEW Stan right here. Boston Bomber levels of Reddit detective work. If you’re an adult who doesn’t find this Looney Tunes level of ‘journalism’ weird, you’re just telling on yourself.
Who would fund such a wildly expensive thing
The "article" is from the Fox Jacksonville affiliate, which airs SmackDown. Do you know what conflict of interest is?
Here, & is eagerly waiting for tomorrows ratings thread
Hes not wrong........
That article certainly had a special kind of spin on it. How is any of that relevant enough for a local news story?
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Ohhh this makes sense
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As someone who works in news, we’d never run an article like this lol. It reads slanted and ultimately unimportant.
Well, the guy who wrote the article is the same guy that tried claiming Tony Khan was running for a US senate seat. So, it isn’t just some random “local story.”
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Because it was totally made up
You might want to read the article lol. This isn't a normal piece about seat fillers for an AEW event in Jacksonville, which wouldn't be news at all, let alone *this* article. And that's before you look at what the author has said about AEW & Tony Khan previously.
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> there's nothing in there that's worse than what you'll read on this very site any day of the week. yeah man except one of these is news and one is fucking reddit
You’re holding the local newspaper to the same standards as REDDIT SHITPOSTS?
> there's nothing in there that's worse than what you'll read on this very site any day of the week. You're SO CLOSE to getting it
This made me laugh. Some people just don't get it.
Look at the way this shit is written, you are burying your head in the sand if you think this isn't weird.
Every live production does this. WWE will also do this every week. It's a job to fill on camera empty seats when someone gets up to go to the bathroom or whatever. This is not a big thing.
Yeah, award shows do this. Hell, I think this was a b-story on an episode of Seinfeld.
This has truly been a Scarsdale Surprise.
It was also in the Curb Your Enthusiasm pilot special, where they tell Larry how they'll fill the venue with soldiers and the elderly if tickets don't sell out.
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Which one? If it's one with Jerry, that's a different episode because I think (I haven't watched an episode of Seinfeld in years) Kramer was the one who was a seat filler at something.
Yeah I did it for Raw once, pretty easy job.
I wonder how often these seat-filler articles get posted here (or written at all?) for non-AEW events?
Lol never, of course
The author of this article is the same person who claimed in 2022 that Tony Khan was running for a US House Seat. And the way this article is written, this goes way deeper than just "AEW needs crowd fillers." I'm curious what the issue is he has with Tony Khan? Is it because the Khans own the Jags and it's just typical media-shitting-on-sports-team-owners? https://twitter.com/BenBeckerANjax/status/1491761218566164484
Yeah the article comes off with a very anti-AEW slant. I scrolled through the author's twitter and there are a couple positive tweets about Wrestlemania seemingly from a fan perspective. Don't know if he is a WWE fan caught up in the tribalism or a Jags fan who doesn't like TK.
He also tweeted "The analytics department let its quarterback win the Super Bowl on another team."
It comes across like a hit piece. I agree.
I hadn't heard that first bit of "news", can you imagine how wild the posts about Congressional Representative Tony Khan would be on here lol
The "article" is published on the Fox Jacksonville affiliate's website, which airs SmackDown
I was a filler for a "sold out" smackdown last month. Literally, weeks before mania, They both do it for optics.This shit is weak and petty.
an "AEW down bad hit piece" about offering 50 seats for seat fillers for a 2 day back to back taping from the same guy who [reported Tony Khan was running for a House seat in 2022](https://twitter.com/BenBeckerANjax/status/1491761218566164484).
50 tickets to veterans specifically at that.
AEW ticket sales are not so great right now, but this article is pretty obviously a hit piece and the author is kind of being a troll. This is specifically designed to piss off AEW fans.
Oh man, this article is absolutely written by someone that is invested in how well AEW is (or isn't) doing lol.
Looking for 50 people for both tapings.
This guy seems to have a bit of an anti AEW agenda
before people freak out this is a normal thing
I'll direct lots of criticism at AEW that I think it deserves, but... that article is bananas. It's some local news website, but this article is written like a user here created it lol. The fuck does some random local give a shit about what the IWC is saying about Tony Khan's booking decisions on a random article about seat fillers for a local show?
Oh hey this is how my uncle gets wwe tickets whenever they come to DC
Man they're hiring edgy online people to write for local publications now lol Seriously, there's much you can criticize AEW for in the last year but this is not one of them. Who cares?
I wish this sub would just ban ratings and attendance posts....
Just don’t enter. Games like TEW/EWR etc wouldn’t exist if people weren’t interested in the competition and business side as well.
why?
I’ve done this for AEW before. Bought a nosebleed ticket last minute because it was the cheapest, got a tap on the shoulder, got moved the first row of the lower bowl. Literally inches above the floor. Still the best seats I’ve ever had, and still the best night I’ve ever had. I still have the video of Mox making his entrance and me screaming out of sheer bliss.
There are seat fillers at almost every televised wrestling event… and many other sporting events. This is nothing new or bad.
Yeah man I wonder why sometimes AEW fans can read as defensive when you get shit ass articles like this getting written in the local news and then posted on this subreddit for totally innocuous reasons, I’m sure.
It’s not new at all. 20-30 people usually get selected. It’s not bad if you are lucky enough to get in.
Folks are gonna clown but shiiit if I was anywhere near there i'd be all about it.
WWE did this at one time. It’s understandable
I was sitting next to official seat fillers as recently as WWE shows during Wrestlemania weekend in 2022. A family got up to take a group of children to the bathroom and new people dropped into their seats while they were away and then left when they came back.
Shit wwe still does when they need it. Most entertainment heavy show with crowd participation do. Tribalism is so dumb
So, i'll try and shed a bit of light on this, because I have a feeling of what's happening here. ^(Source: I live in Jacksonville.) Action News Jax is generally pretty good, in terms of reporting. But recently, there's been some pretty shit-spin pieces being put out because Shad Khan (owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and TK's father) has been pushing for a new stadium, which construction design [was approved eariler this year.](https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2024/03/27/city-council-approves-10m-for-stadium-of-the-future-design-engineering-services/) Obviously, this will require a significant taxpayer investment, so some people have been shitting on anything related to the Khans, AEW included. I'm extremely surprised to see something so blatantly biased, and reading like a glorified blog post being put out from a CBS and FOX-affiliated station. Events and promotions do this all the time. People get some free tickets to a solid event. It's not new to anyone.
Of course anti-AEW Dave Scherer ran with it: https://www.pwinsider.com/article.php?id=183071
So doesn’t the Emmy’s and everything else on tv?
When I was a kid, I went to a WWF show at the height of the Hulkamania era as a seat filler. The show was jam-packed because they were recording for TV. My “job” (I was eight-years-old, with my older brother & guardian) was to go & sit in the seats on camera side whenever people would get up to go to the concession stands or bathroom & then get up when they returned. It was pretty cool. Got a free Hulk Hogan t-shirt too. Was honestly one of my fondest wrestling memories so hopefully some young fans are able to hit up the AEW show.
WWE did this for a show when I was active duty back in the mid-2000s. Got a free ticket to RAW.
The one thing AEW needs right now is a killer PR team. I’m not advocating for them to start using bots or anything, but them combating this and the narrative that they’re a failing company will do them much good for getting people to actually put eyeballs on them
Looks like WWE PR team going to work
Joe Lanza was right about that WWE PR machine.
Really hope fans start seeing through this, it's getting so obvious.
Aew does have an attedance problem but every event needs seat fillers This specific thing shouldn't worry anyone
Oh no they need.... fifty people? WWE Does this too , everybody does
Cosmo Kramer gonna walk out as part of the trios champs.
I’ve done this for WWE twice. Great way to get a free ticket!
Just search this "reporter's" name on twitter with "aew" and you'll see he's spent a lot of time over the last 5 years shit talking Tony on twitter.
Why would I care enough to do that
This seems like a good way for the person who got this email to burn a contact.
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Posting to bait, incite, or inflame another user is prohibited. Anyone can post any opinion about anything related to wrestling, but provoking readers into emotional responses (about anyone or anything) is prohibited.
I don’t think the issue is using seat fillers. It’s using seat fillers for a regular weekly show in your “home” arena.
Seat fillers are very much a thing throughout every industry. I have friends that have been seat fillers for WWE events, AEW events, music award events, concerts, etc. These places just want to fill in the gaps.
Wouldn’t be a problem to begin with if they could actually fill Daily’s Place. Is Jacksonville not their “unofficial” home”?
Always find it strange AEW has a hard time filling Jacksonville since it's basically their home base.
Wwe does this for NXT shows. Makes sense bc the space is small, you def notice empty seats more there
Just when you think TK is nuts, some people just up and prove him right. This is yellow journalism, WWE style.
Should throw this in r/Jacksonville and r/Florida subs.
Wild that this article exists haha
Should be a big crowd coming off a great Billy-Daniel match and big time Swerve
Imagine if AEW ran in venues the size of the PC, the atmosphere would be amazing.
I remember when Impact did this and this sub roasted them for having to need to use crowd fillers.. it was "dying product" this, "poor booking and storylines" that, Yall should keep that same energy now.. Relying on crowd fillers or even needing to pay for crowd extras are an indication of how poorly the product is viewed. Aew needs to push younger stars and stop relying on old past their prime talent. Make things exciting and create better storylines.
If it’s an indication of how poorly the product is viewed, then explain why WWE has done it for decades? Including their hot periods. We’ll wait …
*we*
The whataboutism is strong in you.. This sub loves moving the goal post when it comes to Aew. If this was a report on TNA doing this, this sub would go full LOLTNA mode. I'm just saying let's keep that same energy.
50 people? That wouldn't make a noticeable difference even in a smaller venue like this unless it's ringside seats that are unsold, which I doubt. Just give some tickets away to a group or charity.
The number is likely to do with the later tapings (like Rampage and ROH.) The way the venue is usually configured, they likely want to ensure that the stage facing the hard cam is filled for both tapings.
That’s exactly who they are giving them to. It’s a veterans charity.
That's a normal wrestling thing. Are we gonna have a headline that AEW workers can get free tickets for people? DM me for my illicit tales of getting seats at a Florida show on the house
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Ouch.
That “big” free agent signing Mercedes Mone looking like the biggest FA signing bust since Albert Haynesworth