FITE TV COO Mike Weber Optimistic About NJPW Southern Showdown Buyrate

– FITE TV COO Mike Weber joined The Wrap to discuss NJPW Southern Showdown airing this weekend. The show is set to begin at 5 a.m. ET and despite the early start time, Weber isn’t worried about the buyrate for the event.

“We’re optimistic that it’s gonna be one of the best events we’ve done,” buy-wise, but acknowledged that they “don’t understand the buying habits of the Japanese the way we do Americans or Europeans.”

Beyond our borders and the similar-enough U.K. ones, consumers “don’t really like buying a pay-per-view product,” Weber said — especially in Japan, which is obviously the home turf to the popular professional wrestling league. But they love NJPW, and Weber believes “Southern Showdown” has “a very strong card that the Japanese fans will like.”

On the subject of AEW potentially surpassing NJPW, Weber said, “AEW just doesn’t have enough history to take the title of No. 2 in the world. You need a little more time to do it.”

FITE TV streams AEW events internationally.