.png)
Over the course of 2021, I collected in-ring statistics from ever 1v1 and 2v2 match on AEW TV and PPV, as long as the match was contested with traditional rules so no stipulation matches. For the full run down of these stats, click here.
This article takes those statistics and ascertains averages from those numbers. Averages that give use what the average AEW match looked like in 2021 and the average for each of the three major divisions in AEW; Men's, Women's and Men's Tag.
These statistics show how wrestler's or the company present winning and losing differently, or not as the case may be.
So, the average AEW match, on TV with traditional rules, is set out in numbers above. It lasts just under 10 minutes and sees both the winner's average numbers and the losers's level out pretty closely.
Only 2 strikes with one of those being a strikedown going to the average winner. Strikes and grapples are exactly the same. Perhaps most surprisingly, only one more second of submission is utilised by winners.
Men's matches are even closer than the average with only one strike and two seconds of submission being utilised more by the average winner. Unlike the overall average match, the men's average sees reversals and total big offence level out as well.
Women's matches see a little more differentiation with three strikes, a grapple and just one second of submission time in favour of the average winner. There is a 6% difference in total offence between the average winner and loser.
Women's 1v1 matches are on average shorter than men's 1v1s or men's 2v2s.
The average men's tag match sees more difference between the average winners and losers. This could be due to the increase in moving parts or due to the longer average match time.
Seven strikes on average in favour of the average winning team seems a big difference after the previous match types. That one of these would be a strikedown is not surprising, however the fact that the average losers utilise three more seconds of submission time, is.
The spread of tag-specialist stats are similarly interesting. More double teams are used y the average winner but tag blocks are a loser's tool.
When we place the four views of in-ring AEW matches side by side we can start to notice the similarities and differences. A big note of interest for me is that grapple and dive use is almost a non-factor. It's only one different once for each of the metrics.
Other notes are that men's matches present the least difference between winners and losers, strikes and submission is the only category that differs across the board and only submission and tag blocks are used more on average by losers, and thats only in men's tag matches.
So, this chart zooms in on the total difference in offence between the average winners and losers. The range of the chart is very small as it covers 44%-54%.
Men's Tag matches sees the biggest average gap between winners and losers with Men's Singles having the smallest gap; only 2%. The average offence difference is only 4%
This chart really highlights the average differences between the difference match types as well as the overall average.
The first thing that jumps out is the afore mentioned Men's Tag differences. More strikes being used to signify a winning performance and more submission to achieve the opposite. Slightly more taunts, strikedowns and reversals are also used by tag winners. A fair few very small differences.
There are a few notable differences between women that win compared to those that lose, however this is somewhat limited for men. This means the overall numbers are more alike those of men's 1v1s due to the dominance of that match type on AEW TV and PPV.
In conclusion, as the person that collects these numbers... It's a little disappointing not to uncover the magic formula that humans subconsciously use when acting out a winner or a loser in a professional wrestling match. What it shows is slightly more offence is very slightly correlated with a winning performance.
However the collected data does show differences between individual wrestling styles. Click the article previously mentioned above to see these differences, it's also linked below.